How I spent my summer helping conserve species at risk in the Prairies
Hare-footed locoweed (Photo by Kayleigh Weaver/NCC staff)
This summer, I had the amazing opportunity to work with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) as a conservation intern in southern Alberta. I spent most of my time working in the Milk River Ridge Natural Area with my direct manager, but I also...
Fifty years ago
Abraham Lake Nature Reserve, NS (Photo by Len Wagg)
Fifty years ago, as a junior forester, I was introduced to “Big Red.” Towering above the other red spruce trees in a classic example of old-growth Wabanaki (Acadian) forest, Big Red was located near the trailhead of the Nature...
It takes an aspen to make a forest
Aspen Parkland in the fall, Saskatchewan (Photo by Don and Karol Dabbs)
They say it takes a village to raise a child, but what if the child and the village were one in the same? This hypothetical “village” makes its home in forests as the most widespread tree in North America. And while on the surface it...
Leaves like a familiar face
The breathtaking Backus Woods in Ontario. One of the best examples of Carolinian old-growth forest in the country. (Photo by Ann Tipper and Zach Melnick)
When you think of wild spaces filled with tall, deciduous hardwood trees tilting in warm winds, frost-free days late into the fall, an abundance of reptiles and amphibians shifting between swamps and marshes, and words like sassafras, Kentucky...
Trials and tribulations of native plant gardening
Oblique streaktail on my wild nodding onion plant (Photo by Wendy Ho/NCC staff)
A few years ago when my Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) colleague Jaimee was still residing in Alberta, we had a fun email exchange on the topic of native plant gardening. She has since moved to Nova Scotia, where she has a new array of native...
Check out these amazing finds from the 2022 Big Backyard BioBlitz
Monarch butterfly on Joe-pyeweed (Photo by NCC)
Over the July 28–August 1 weekend, thousands of volunteers joined the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) annual Big Backyard BioBlitz. Together, we were able to contribute a total of over 50,000 observations of more than...
A day in the life of a field biologist
Field technician Breanne Kenner with a successful catch! (Photo by NCC)
There are numerous findings in the world of science, and conservation biology specifically, that would not be possible without field work. As part of my conservation internship with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), I have been given the...
One tree at a time: Canada’s forests
Tamarack forest (Photo by NCC)
What one habitat type runs through every province and territory, surrounds communities where most Canadians live and covers about 40 per cent of the country? If you guessed forests, you'd be right! We’re lucky to live in a country dominated...
My native species bring all the pollinators to the yard
Northern crescent butterfly on swamp milkweed flowers (Photo by Jaimee Morozoff/NCC staff)
Now that spring has finally made its way across Canada (in some places it was slower in arriving than others), gardening season is in full swing! With all of the choices present at our local nurseries and big box stores, it is easy to get carried...
Nature in the...parking lot?
Monarch butterfly on Joe-pyeweed (Photo by NCC)
I work as a development officer at the Nature Conservancy of Canada and have lots of friends who are outdoorsy and also work in this field. This means that I am often swapping stories of cool wildlife sightings. The rare bird my co-worker spotted,...
