Heard it from a Scout: Hiking tips for rookies
Hiking in the Swiss Alps (Photo courtesy Scouts Canada)
The worst mistake I ever made while hiking was unintentionally stepping on a fresh cow patty. I would have been less embarrassed if it hadn’t happened while leading a group of giggly international Scouts. At the time, I was guiding in the...
True North: A look at the NCC Magazine Winter 2017 issue
NCC Magazine Winter 2017
The winter 2017 edition of the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) Magazine — the cover adorned with a mother polar bear rambling toward the camera, with two cubs trailing behind — arrived in my mailbox on one of the...
Lions and coyotes and bears, oh my... and sheep, and wolves, and people: A workshop with Dr. Alistair Bath
Alistair Bath, human dimensions expert (Photo courtesy Mr. Bath)
“We have two ears and one mouth, so we should be listening twice as much as talking.” That’s Dr. Alistair Bath’s refrain. It was my sixth day of work at the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), and I got to attend...
NCC staff in the field
NCC reptile and amphibian technician, Louis Gagnon, records data during field variations of species at risk habitat models (Photo by NCC)
Part of a Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) scientist’s job is to go out to our conserved properties, potential acquisitions and surrounding areas and collect samples and information essential to our work. This information helps identify...
NCC adopts the Open Standards and joins the Conservation Measures Partnership
Carden Alvar, ON (Photo by NCC)
As of December 2015, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has joined a group of reputable conservation organizations around the globe like the Jane Goodall Institute, the National Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy (U.S.), the Wildlife...
A new hope for nature: Was 2015 a turning point for conservation?
Bayers Island in Musquodoboit Harbour, Nova Scotia (Photo by Mike Dembeck)
No one was expecting 2015 to be a special year for nature conservation. As we started the year, it seemed Canadians were mostly focused on the economy, security and health care. Yet when we reflect on the year that was, it’s clear the...
Why no net loss in biodiversity offsets fails nature and people
Misty Darkwoods forest, BC (Photo by Bruce Kirkby)
There is a new conservation tool making its way through the forests, wetlands and boardrooms of Canada: biodiversity offsets. Biodiversity offsets offer an opportunity to mitigate development impacts to nature that cannot be otherwise avoided....
No sunflower seeds in the washrooms, please: What it's like to hold a conservation planning meeting in small-town SK
No sunflower seeds in the bathrooms, please (Photo by NCC)
“So, what are you guys up to today?” It is about 8:15 a.m. on a Tuesday morning and I’m picking up the keys for the Lumsden River Park Centre at the town office. I arrived before the office was open so Chris, who apparently...
Yes, B’y! Adventures in the Grassy Place.
Mountaintop lake, Grassy Place, NL (Photo by NCC)
As conservation planner for the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC's) Nova Scotia and Newfoundland programs, I am fortunate to have visited some truly astonishing places in the Atlantic Region. The latest mission was to reach a 3,880-acre...
Answering the "where": The use of GIS in conservation planning
GPS device (Photo by Wikimedia Commons, Harry Wood)
Have you ever been walking through the forest and wondered, "Where am I?" When I started working at the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) as a conservation intern we would ask ourselves that question daily. Not because we were lost, but because...
