Grasslands: Climate change’s unsuspecting heroes
Napanee Plain Alvar Nature Reserve, ON (Photo by Vincent Luk & Evermaven)
Carbon is the backbone of life on Earth. It makes up everything we do, everything we eat, and it even makes us up. Carbon is stored in different reservoirs, which broadly include land, water and the atmosphere. Carbon cycles from one reservoir to...
Celebrate Native Prairie Appreciation Week
I believe that the best place to start with poetry is nature. (Photo by Mark Taylor)
Since 1999, native prairie grasslands have gotten a little extra attention from the public during Native Prairie Appreciation Week, celebrated in Saskatchewan on the third week of June, thanks to the Saskatchewan Prairie Conservation Action Plan....
Tales of recovery: Small white lady's-slipper
Two small white lady’s-slippers, a threatened species with deceptive flowers (Photo by Steven Anderson/NCC staff)
There is no abrupt line marking the edge of Canada’s prairie region. No sign on the highway saying “thanks for visiting.” In western Canada, grasslands gently rise and merge into the forested foothills of the Rocky Mountains....
My first de-fencing lesson
Conservation Volunteer removing wire (Photo by NCC)
As a self-proclaimed explorer, I believe that Canada’s biggest charm lies in its beautiful landscapes and vibrant natural expanses. Just two weeks after moving to Calgary from Mumbai, India, I was looking online for a way to experience the...
I like to be outnumbered
Maia Herriot in the field (Photo by NCC)
In my last week at the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) as the communications intern for the Saskatchewan Region, I found myself standing on a hill, in the rain, on one of our Qu’Appelle Valley properties. I was looking through my...
Get to know one of Canada’s rarest snakes
Desert nightsnake (Photo by W. Mason CC BY-NC)
Working at the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has taught me many things, including the fact that many people are infatuated with snakes. Whether people are afraid of them, invested in protecting their habitats or enjoy learning about what...
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...
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...
A glimpse of the past: Using historic maps to guide land management
Historic land survey outlining the store house and fort site at NCC’s Fort Ellice property in MB (Photo by Manitoba Archives 2019)
The Prairie provinces, like much of agricultural Canada, look vastly different than they did before European settlement. During the development of Western Canada, forests were cleared, wetlands drained and grasslands plowed in an effort to settle...
Take the people you love to the places you love
Maia Herriot and her parents (Photo by NCC)
Every summer I come back home to Saskatchewan from university in New Brunswick and stay with my parents. I always work a full-time summer job, and my parents spend most weekends at our cabin. So, despite living in the same house, we always end the...
