A hidden paradise
Scarlet tanager seen during the 2023 Spring Song Bird Race (Photo by Jasmine Eagleden/NCC staff)
It all started at a young age; I have always had a passion for all aspects of nature. I would spend hours outdoors exploring and discovering the animals and insects around me. When I had to be indoors, I loved watching Animal Planet and the...
The magic of nature
Denise Harris with her granddaughter (Photo by NCC)
When I first started going to my neighbourhood park, I often saw disturbing human behaviour; some from children as young as three. In the "School of Life," where my field-testing on educating others about our waterfowl neighbours initially failed,...
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)...
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....
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...
Collaborating with Indigenous communities for land conservation
Learning the Land brings educational projects and initiatives to schools and communities on Treaty 4 lands. (Photo by NCC)
Five years ago, in her work as the director of conservation for the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) Saskatchewan Region, Jennifer McKillop had conversations with the Treaty Four Educational Alliance (T4EA) in order to start a...
Heard it from a Scout: The #Trashtag challenge: 5 essential steps for leading a community cleanup
Since 2002, Scouts across Canada have worked with their communities and the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup to remove over 5,300 kilograms of trash from shorelines. (Photo by Scouts Canada)
Community cleanups are one of the latest social media crazes, as the #Trashtag challenge takes the internet by storm. Individuals and communities around the world are banding together to clean up the environments where they reside. As the snow...
Connecting with nature, people and snowshoes on Stony Mountain, Manitoba
Snowshoers at Stony Mountain Prairie Preserve, MB (Photo courtesy of Julie Sveinson Pelc/NCC staff)
Winter on Manitoba’s wide open prairies is cold, windy and dark, and it seems to go on forever. It is easy to hibernate indoors all winter, under a warm blanket by the fire, with a good book and warm drink, but I wanted this winter to be...
Three creative ways to reach people with conservation content
Conservation Volunteers event at Bunchberry Meadows (Photo by NCC)
Nature conservation could not exist without conservationists. To keep this important work going, it is necessary to get as many people involved as possible. Conservation work can be fun and exciting, but it's also work. So how can we best reach...
Giving back to the next generation
Monarch (Photo by Steven Russell Smith)
I have a lot to thank the monarch butterfly for. Well, not just the monarch butterfly; I should give my Grade 6 teacher some credit too. My teacher helped our class raise and release monarch butterflies as part of a school project. Raising a...
