Camping in the tall grass prairie
Tall grass prairie, Manitoba (Photo by NCC)
This past summer, the tall grass prairie of Stuartburn, Manitoba, was filled with the sounds of footsteps and laughter. Stephanie Murray, a former communications and engagement intern with the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s)...
Citizen science: Conserving nature and communities for mutual benefit
Twenty-four people came out to NCC's Dundurn property in Saskatchewan to learn about citizen science and land conservation. (Photo by NCC)
If you see a group of hikers with their eyes glued to their phones, do not despair. They are likely just using the citizen science app iNaturalist to identify species; you can literally smell the roses and then use an app to find out what kind of...
Grab your binoculars and get outside
Cedar waxwing (Photo by June Swift)
Grab your binoculars and get outside. Listen, and scan the trees and sky with your eyes. That’s what I, a few fellow Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) interns, staff and friends did on June 14, 2019. At 6 a.m., we started out on a walk...
A thank you letter to NCC
Leigh Gustafson (Photo by Brendan Kelly Photography)
For as long as I can remember, I have loved animals. I used to spend my spare time sprawled in the grass with a pencil in hand, drawing pictures of my favourite animals from my Dad’s Mammals of North America atlas. I incessantly dreamed of...
Dive into Grand Cayman's pristine waters
Me diving in Grand Cayman (Photo by Rick Lambert)
In April, I went on a week-long scuba diving trip to Grand Cayman with 12 other members of a Toronto-based scuba diving club I belong to. While I had been diving in the Caribbean Sea several times before this trip, this was my first time doing it...
Best places to bird in Ontario: Pelee Island and NCC’s natural areas
The burrowing owl is the bird that really started it all for us on Pelee Island. On a whim back in April 2008, we decided to bird on the island, and, incredibly, found a burrowing owl. (Photo by Mike Burrell)
We had an interesting first visit to Pelee Island back in September 2001, where we “dipped” (missed) a trio of wood storks that had been on the island the entire summer, only to have had them leave the evening before we managed to make...
Enlighten yourself about species that glow
Fireflies (Photo by Zach Baranowski CC BY-NC-ND)
I had my first encounter with a “glow-in-the-dark” species when I was a child. My parents and I were visiting relatives in St. Catharines, Ontario, and we were in their backyard enjoying the warm, summer evening. In the distance, I...
A budding conservationist
Zoe Saranchuk (Photo courtesy of Zoe Saranchuk)
My name is Zoe Saranchuk, and I love going to Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) events. I love being out in nature and seeing its wonders. I go with my Oma [grandmother], who is also interested. I have always loved animals and learning about...
My bucket list adventure in the Galapagos Islands
Kristyn Ferguson in the Galapagos Islands (Photo by Jeff Verberne)
For many biologists, the Galapagos Islands are usually near the top of their list of places to see in this lifetime. On my bucket list they were annotated with an “!”. When my mentor and good friend James Duncan passed away suddenly in...
A city for nature lovers
Downtown Vancouver (Photo by Adam Hunter/NCC staff)
Last September I travelled to Vancouver, BC. It was my first time on Canada’s West Coast, and I was really impressed. While I enjoyed exploring the city itself, it was the nature activities that really stood out for me. Stanley...
