Navigating a course for Canada's Marine Protected Areas on World Oceans Day
Rocks and ocean as seen on the Dr. Bill Freedman Nature Reserve (Photo by NCC)
Oceans and coasts are a key part of Canada’s environment, economy and identity, and yet most of us are unaware of how they are protected, and why conserving them is critical. Precious resources rich in life Oceans touch every Canadian...
How human-made dams impact rivers
Dam (Photo by Austin Evans, Unsplash)
As the lifeblood of the planet, rivers are teeming with biodiversity. They support a wealth of wildlife and provide many benefits to humans. In Canada, we have over 8,500 named rivers, according to WWF-Canada, and are home to 20 per cent of the...
Even small acts can have a ripple effect: tackling plastic pollution
A turtle swimming with plastic (Photo by Unsplash)
Plastic pollution has become a part of the food chain in our waterways. According to Plastic Oceans, more than eight million tonnes of plastic waste is dumped into our oceans annually. As a result, one in three species of marine mammals become...
Something's Fishy: Homeward bound
Lake sturgeon (Photo by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
There’s really no place like home. Whether you’re returning from a vacation or simply coming home after work or school, there’s nothing like being greeted by the familiarity of your humble abode. This feeling is multiplied when...
Caring for our water is a shared responsibility
Fishing in the lake (Photo by Natasha Overduin)
My partner and I are in a yellow canoe in the cold, dark water, gliding silently as we skirt the lake’s rocky cliff edge. Our canoe is an old, dented tanker, borrowed from a friend for this three-night camping trip on a large lake in the...
The importance of wetlands
Sunset at Minesing Wetlands, ON (Photo by Ethan Meleg)
In the summer of 2019, I had the pleasure of working as a conservation technician for the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). While I was working out of the Norfolk office in southwestern Ontario, I spent a lot of time in restored fields and...
Sex-changing species
Kobudai/Asian sheesphead wrasse (Photo by Zack CC BY-NC)
I recently watched a fascinating nature documentary series called Blue Planet II and was blown away by the wildlife spectacles that I saw and learned about in the series. One scene that especially stood out to me featured a 10-year-old female...
Something’s Fishy: Back to school
Black crappie (Photo by Eric Engbretson, USFWS)
September is a time for new beginnings. For many across Canada, a new school year has begun. Some may have just started post-secondary school, thousands of kilometres from their parents, while others might be attending school for the very first...
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...
Something’s Fishy: Dace of shade
Redside dace (Photo by K. Schmidt)
Fine, I’ll say it: as a redhead, I have an affinity for red-coloured species. It’s an unspoken alliance we gingers have — walking, swimming or climbing through a world where we might stand out from the crowd based on our...
