Celebrating our Conservation Volunteers
Volunteer with tray of seedlings at Goulding West property, Ontario (Photo by Neil Ever Osborne)
Every December 5, on International Volunteer Day, the United Nations recognizes volunteers worldwide for their efforts and celebrates the impact they are making toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals —17 global goals set by the...
Wideview revisited
Fence lined with vinyl clips stretch across the prairie at NCC's Wideview property in Saskatchewan. (Photo by Bill Armstrong)
I experienced an unexpected moment of satisfaction at the beginning of a recent Conservation Volunteers (CV) event at Wideview, a Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) property in Saskatchewan. As the truck I was riding in topped another rise in this...
My first de-fencing lesson
Conservation Volunteer removing wire (Photo by NCC)
As a self-proclaimed explorer, I believe that Canada’s biggest charm lies in its beautiful landscapes and vibrant natural expanses. Just two weeks after moving to Calgary from Mumbai, India, I was looking online for a way to experience the...
Having a field day
Crane River Tract, ON (Photo by NCC)
This summer, I spent a few days volunteering with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). My family owns a cottage on the Bruce Peninsula, so we are close to several NCC properties. My dad already knew Esme Batten, NCC’s coordinator of...
Nature Destinations for a nation
Bunchberry Meadows Conservation Area, AB (Photo by Kyle Marquardt)
As a former Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) intern, avid nature lover and geography student, I’ve always found any kind of natural space a place worth visiting. When I first discovered NCC’s Nature Destinations program, I thought...
Making friends with the solitary bees
Blue orchard bee (Photo by Robert Engelhardt)
When you think of bees, your mind probably goes to honey, hives and stingers. But what if I told you that there was a species of bee, native to the Saskatchewan prairies, that didn’t make honey, live in a hive or (usually) sting? Mason bees...
60 things – A year to remember
Conservation Volunteers building a bat house (Photo by Lorena Squires)
My name is Dianne Young, and I turned 60 in February. I wanted to do something special to celebrate but couldn’t decide what to do. Hot air balloon ride? I’ve always wanted to do that. Tandem parachute jump? I’ve always wanted to...
The Carden Challenge: A treat for nature lovers
The start of the Carden Challenge (Photo by Cameron Curran Photography)
In the blink of an eye, you could miss one of Ontario’s natural heritage treasures, found along Kawartha Lakes Road 6, called the Carden Alvar. Deep in the heart of the Carden Alvar, a bustle can be heard in late May along the back roads....
Connecting with shorebirds at a unique Conservation Volunteers event
Naomi Derksen (Photo by Bill Armstrong)
While attending the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) shorebird tour Conservation Volunteers (CV) event in June, I met first-time CV Naomi Derksen. Naomi found her way to the event through a roundabout internet route. She was...
Meadows for Monarchs
Meadows for Monarchs event participants (Photo by NCC)
If you thought you saw more monarchs flitting about last summer and fall, you were right. Monarch Watch reported that 2018 was a good year for the iconic orange and black butterfly, thanks to a combination of aggressive conservation efforts in...
