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...
Living out my passion for conservation
Brock Hussey (Photo by NCC)
I have always had a passion for nature, like many people in the conservation field. Growing up, I was always outside, surrounded by nature, observing the plants and animals around me. It wasn’t often you would find me without my eyes glued...
Traditional Ecological Knowledge leads to better conservation
Gámdas Tlagée (Photo by Haida Laas-Graham Richard)
Incorporating Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) when developing land and water conservation strategies is critical to help counteract climate change in Canada. Collaboration between western-based scientists and Indigenous TEK keepers is not...
Everything you need to know about the threat of grass carp to the Great Lakes
Grass carp (Photo by the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee)
Do you love fishing and boating on the Great Lakes? Are you passionate about the wildlife that live in the Great Lakes? If so, we have an important mission for you: Be on the lookout for grass carp! Grass carp is one of four invasive Asian carp...
Invasive Species Olympics
Phragmites javelin (Photo by NCC)
The Olympic Games: the spectacle of international competition, where every four years, thousands of athletes from over 200 countries compete in the pinnacle of their sport. Inspired by the ancient Olympic Games, first held in Olympia, Greece, in...
Ain’t no mountain high enough
Hikers in Happy Valley Forest, ON (Photo by NCC)
So, you’re the master of hiking up hills in the Greater Toronto Area, are you? You take the stairs over the escalator at the shopping mall. You’ve conquered the stair climber at your local gym. Perhaps you’ve even climbed the CN...
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...
Zebra and quagga mussels: Tiny but terrifying invaders
Zebra mussels (Photo by Michael Massimi, Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program/Bugwood.org)
As motivated and concerned members of the community, there are countless opportunities to reduce our carbon footprint, protect habitat and conserve biodiversity. Invasive species are just one piece of the puzzle, and the good news is that...
Paddling through the “Everglades of the North”
Kayaking through the canopy in the Minesing Wetlands, ON (Photo by NCC)
It’s a foggy spring morning, quiet and still, not a whisper of wind in the air, and you’re paddling through a forest of silver maple, hackberry and bur oak trees. The canopy above is perfectly reflected in the glass-like water, which...
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...