From woodsman to grandsons to Canadians
Alan Bonnyman and his two sons (Photo by Mike Dembeck)
Whether they live in big cities or small villages, Canadians often see their identity as defined by nature: by our dramatic seasons, by the sheer size of our country and by living near oceans, rivers, lakes, mountains, prairies and forests. This...
Need to ID a plant in Nova Scotia? There's an app for that!
Bunchberry (Photo by NCC staff)
Those red teaberries look so yummy, but can I eat them? What can I collect to make tea? What goes well in a salad? These questions and more may be answered for you in a recently released app created by developer Gordon Isnor and me, curator of...
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...
What's in a salt marsh?
Wilson Lake and Lobster Bay, NS (Photo by Anthony Crawford)
My field work for the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) often takes me through a number of different habitats, including salt marshes. Some are big, some are small, most are just right. One of these salt marshes is located in Yarmouth County,...
Connecting with nature: Early morning sun on water
Large-format camera lens (Photo by Wikimedia Commons, Image Gallery of the Agricultural Research Service (U.S. Department of Agriculture))
Early morning and water: two of my favourite photography elements... Come meet me me this weekend at the Halifax Saltscapes East Coast Expo. I'd love to chat about the Nature Conservancy of Canada, photography and opportunities to...
Three important environmental skills you can only gain through hands-on work
Danielle Horne (NCC), Jamie Fraser (NCC) and John Caraberis on the brick beach, NS (Photo by NCC)
I have always wanted a job that allows me to work outside. Last summer, I was one of the lucky few students to have an internship with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). In an average work week, I spent two to three days working in the...
Eel-grass: A moment in time
Eel-grass, Port Joli, Nova Scotia (Photo by NCC)
As we bushwhack through dense alder thickets, we hear the drone of a small plane flying back and forth over the Pugwash Estuary. It is a perfect summer day in August with a clear blue sky, perfect for capturing aerial imagery of Pugwash. The...
Brier Island's eastern mountain avens
Eastern mountain avens (Photo by June Swift)
For most of the year, the eastern mountain avens does its best to hide amongst the peatland vegetation on Brier Island, located at the extreme southwestern edge of Nova Scotia. However at the height of summer, a small buttercup-like flower the...
Year of the Horse: The wild horses of Sable Island
Sable Island horses (Photo by Bill Freedman)
According to the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac, the year of the horse begins on January 31. In related mythology, this fine animal is viewed as being bright, capable, energetic, intelligent, and warm-hearted, which are attributes that...
