Atlantic Salmon: Lake Ontario’s ghost fish
Atlantic salmon jumping in Humber River (Photo by Tom Moffatt/ASF)
The Atlantic salmon is usually associated with Canada’s east coast, where declining populations of the species have inspired conservation efforts by the Nature Conservancy of Canada, as well as Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Historically,...
The Migratory Bird Treaty turns 100!
Woman, wearing a large feathered hat and boa, posing for a portrait (Photo by John Oxley Library, Public Domain)
This year we mark the centennial of the convention between the United States and Great Britain (for Canada) for the protection of migratory birds — also called the Migratory Bird Treaty — that was signed on August 16, 1916. A century...
Turtle crossing
Blanding's turtle (Photo by Gabrielle Fortin)
We all know how the chicken crossed the road just to get on the other side, but what about the turtle? Well, for turtles it’s a wee bit different. Turtles have places to go, other turtles to see, so crossing the road is a big deal! Back in...
Let's make a toast to stopping feeding bread to birds
Mallards — male on the left, female on the right. (Photo by Pia Vahabi/NCC staff)
Junk food is great, but I bet you wouldn’t eat it every day for a week, at the risk of feeling terrible at the end of it. You know it tastes good but it lacks nutritional content and I’m pretty sure parents don’t want to feed...
NCC's new Happy Valley Forest Hike Series
Participants listen in as Todd Farrell talks about the plants in Happy Valley Forest (Photo by Evelyn Senyi)
City, meet nature “How far do you think we are from Dundas Square?” It’s an odd question that Todd Farrell, coordinator of conservation biology in central Ontario for the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), poses to a group of...
O'piping plover where art thou?
Group shot at the Mather Lake census (Photo by Gail F. Chin)
2016 marks the 5th international census of the piping plover population. Recently, I joined the Saskatchewan chapter of the Nature Conservancy of Canada in a two-day count at Mather Lake and Shoe Lake West in an area of central southern...
Something's Fishy: Carp, the misunderstood outsider
Common carp (Photo by William Crochot/Wikimedia Commons)
Born and raised in Ontario, I have a hometown pride that carries me throughout the lands and waters of this fine province. This territorial instinct reminds me of the boundaries set by the Greasers in S. E. Hinton’s novel The Outsiders. The...
Creating homes for waterfowl in the Codroy Valley
Kathy Unger (NCC) and Danielle Fequet (DUC) showing the students a nest box prior to installation (Photo by NCC)
On May 30, 2016, my colleague Kathy Unger and I had the pleasure of partnering with Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) to offer a waterfowl and wetland education event to the students of Belanger Memorial Elementary School. The Nature Conservancy of...
In the eye of an osprey
Osprey in flight (Photo by Lorne)
Since the publishing of “An osprey family affair,” I’ve made three trips to a primary nest site to witness the arrival of the Kawartha Lakes osprey this spring. As a photographer, waiting up to four hours for even a short burst,...
Celebrate the environment
People spending time in nature (Photo by Joe McFarlane/iStock)
Canadian Environment Week, celebrated every year on the first week of June, gives Canadians an opportunity to celebrate the environment and encourage conservation efforts year-round. The week kicks off with World Environment Day. We’ve...
