Sex-changing species
Kobudai/Asian sheesphead wrasse (Photo by Zack CC BY-NC)
I recently watched a fascinating nature documentary series called Blue Planet II and was blown away by the wildlife spectacles that I saw and learned about in the series. One scene that especially stood out to me featured a 10-year-old female...
The birds and the beans
October 1 marks International Coffee Day (Photo from Creative Commons)
October 1 marks International Coffee Day, a day that celebrates and recognizes the millions of people across the globe who work hard to create and serve the warm, blissful beverage that we all know and love — especially in the morning. From...
The birds of southwest Manitoba
In July 2019, I visited southwest Manitoba for a research scouting trip from the University of Oklahoma. (Photo by Paula Cimprich)
In July 2019, I visited southwest Manitoba for a research scouting trip from the University of Oklahoma, where I am a PhD student in the biology department. I was scouting for bird species and potential study areas to help with a University of...
Get your shinrin-yoku on this fall
Bunchberry Meadows Conservation Area, AB (Photo by Kyle Marquardt)
The first time I heard about shinrin-yoku, I was stuck in westbound traffic along Highway 401. The radio was tuned to CBC, where the content discussed on the morning show usually offers a reprieve from whatever lies ahead on the commuter-packed...
Hummingbirds: The forgotten pollinator when it comes to pesticides
Female rufous hummingbird (Photo by Jennifer Kepler CC BY-NC)
When life is leaping forth in its freshest tender green and shrubs are casting their best wine-rich blooms of colour, there comes a humming. Not just from the song of spring rising in the world, but from wing beats — 52 to 62 per...
Monarch migration
Monarch (Photo by NCC)
Fall is fast approaching. As the days grow shorter and temperatures drop, it’s time for monarchs to migrate south for the winter. These iconic bright-orange butterflies will soon be replaced by pumpkins and turning leaves. Monarchs spend...
What is GIS anyway?
Sometimes Alayna Chan comes into the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) office on a Thursday and sits down at her desk to work on data entry. (Photo by NCC)
Sometimes Alayna Chan comes into the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) office on a Thursday and sits down at her desk to work on data entry. Sometimes she comes in on a Thursday and takes a truck out to do some bird banding in...
Reforestation breathes fresh air into efforts against climate change
Forests are a vital part of our fight against climate change. (Photo by NCC)
When you think of Saskatchewan, your first thoughts probably go to flat cropland, rolling grasslands, sunsets and open horizons — and not forests. In reality, our prairie province is actually more than 50 per cent forested. In fact, boreal...
Women in conservation: A promising future (Part two)
Kaitlin Baril, NCC Saskatchewan Region's 2019 natural area intern (Photo by NCC)
This is part two of “Women in conservation: A promising future.” Click here to read part one. In this blog post, I continue my conversation with six female Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) Saskatchewan Region interns about their...
Women in conservation: A promising future (Part one)
Elan Marsall, NCC Saskatchewan Region's 2019 conservation engagement intern (Photo by NCC)
This year, the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) Regina office has an all-female intern team. That’s six young women, myself included, pursuing conservation work. Over the past month, I talked to my peers about their work...
