Hugging trees
Anwar Knight and I hugging a black oak tree in High Park. (Photo courtesy of Anwar Knight)
I’m walking along a well-beaten dirt path in a favourite forest. The brilliant early fall sunshine streams through the leaves, which are gradually dimming from their vibrant summer green to hues of yellow, gold and the first tinges of red. A...
Ode to a nature commute – part 1, fall
Early fall along the Bow River (Photo by Gayle Roodman/NCC staff)
Living in a city of a million people means noise, traffic, concrete and a need to go, go, go, right? What if I told you it also means immersing yourself in urban nature? The mighty Bow River flows through Calgary, and city planners had their...
Private land conservation: Another option
One property that I helped monitor this summer stood out from the rest, with its old-growth forest and fern-covered forest floor. (Photo by NCC)
As this past summer’s Nova Scotia conservation engagement intern with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), I was given the opportunity to explore the province from one tip to the other, seeing parts of the province I had never seen...
Become enlightened about Darkwoods
Alpine Lake on Darkwoods, BC (Photo by Bruce Kirkby)
I want to tell you a little bit about Darkwoods, one of my favourite places in BC. It is a Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) conservation area near Nelson, and it stretches from the shores of Kootenay Lake almost to the U.S. border. It covers...
Heard it from a Scout: Favourite Nature Conservancy of Canada Nature Destinations
The cliffs of Chase Woods Nature Preserve, BC (Photo by Tim Ennis)
Lush greenery and rugged landscapes cover Canada, so getting inspired to explore nature’s treasures is easy. Escaping from our urban environments allows us to immerse ourselves in nature in the many protected and beautiful natural areas...
A journey through Alaska’s breathtaking landscapes
Justine standing on the rocky side of Meade Glacier (Photo courtesy of Justine Coutu)
Right after the end of my communications internship at the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), I had the pleasure of embarking on a 12-day journey through Alaska. We travelled by land and sea, everyday discovering more and more of the...
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...
Canada’s other rainforest
Wabanaki (Acadian) forest, Chignecto Isthmus, NS (Photo by Mike Dembeck)
The word “rainforest” evokes vivid images of a rich natural world. Many people think of the lush, misty jungles of the Amazon or Congo with thick vegetation. If you live in Canada, you might think about BC’s temperate...
Get your shinrin-yoku on this fall
Bunchberry Meadows Conservation Area, AB (Photo by Kyle Marquardt)
The first time I heard about shinrin-yoku, I was stuck in westbound traffic along Highway 401. The radio was tuned to CBC, where the content discussed on the morning show usually offers a reprieve from whatever lies ahead on the commuter-packed...
A summer of reconnecting with nature
Toronto's Don Valley (Photo by Adam Hunter/NCC staff)
This past summer, Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) staff across the country were fortunate enough to receive two days to spend connecting with nature. Called Nature Days, these were meant to be used anytime between summer solstice (June 21) and...
