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...
A Maritimer celebrating 15 years at NCC – in Alberta
Waterton Springs interpretive trail (Photo by NCC)
This year I celebrated 15 years of working for the Atlantic Region of the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). To mark the occasion, I visited a completely different NCC Region: Alberta. Ah, the mountains! Seeing the difference in landscape, land...
Thanks Florida, thanks Virginia…They made it to Canada!
Palm warbler (Photo by Marshall Faintich)
With a mild winter and an early start to spring, the palm warblers have already arrived. They are starting to nest throughout Canada, and it is a joy to hear their lovely trills filling the woods. The forests here truly come alive with colour and...
In pictures: Ten years of planting, pulling and birding for conservation
Birders join in on the CV fun in Codroy, NFLD, 2013. (Photo by NCC)
A picture is worth a thousand words. It is a visual representation of a moment in time, captured within a frame, and serves as a memory of an event. In the 10 years of the Conservation Volunteer (CV) program, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC)...
Something's Fishy: The legendary lamprey
The Lamprey, 2. The Pride, 1866 (Illustration by Robert Hamilton)
Anyone who knows me could tell you I’m really into folklore. Fairy tales, spooky stories and legendary accounts of people, places and mystical things have intrigued me for as long as I can remember. I'm also really into fish. So if there is...
Ingredients of a great explorer (Part Two)
TA and her group walking the Great Himalaya Trail in Nepal (Photo by TA Loeffler)
Excerpts and images are taken with permission from TA Loeffler's blog, Adventures that Move. So you want to be an adventurer? In Part One I described how being an adventurer, storyteller and teacher are all part of what makes TA Loeffler one of...
Ingredients of a great explorer (Part One)
A view of the Antarctica landscape - taken during TA’s expedition to climb Antarctica’s highest peak (Photo by TA Loeffler)
Excerpts and images are taken with permission from TA Loeffler's blog, Adventures that Move. Earlier this week the local newspaper caught my eye with the headline, “Local woman named one of country’s greatest modern explorers.”...
Adventures on snowshoe
Tracks in the forest of NCC's Lincoln Wetland Nature Reserve in New Brunswick (Photo by NCC)
I started snowshoeing regularly last winter, and I am hooked! One of the things I love about it is being able to explore areas that are not easily accessible for most of the year. For instance, crossing a large expanse of wetland can be an...
Archaeology research on NCC lands in Port Joli, Nova Scotia
Port Joli on a clear summer day. (Photo by Matthew Betts/Canadian Museum of History)
In May of 1604, Samuel de Champlain sailed down Nova Scotia’s southern coast and mapped all he encountered. Early in his voyage, he came across a harbour so beautiful that he named it Port Joli. Of course, he did not know that the indigenous...
Lichen: 10 reasons to make it your new favourite hobby for 2016
Troy McMullin, lichenologist from the University of Guelph, takes a lichen sample from a rock. (Photo by NCC)
As we enter into the crisp, blank canvas of a new year, many of us have laid out plans and promises to become fitter, smarter, nicer, happier, richer versions of ourselves. Some plans for self-improvement may include trying a new activity like...
