A Canadian river story
La Chasse-galerie, 1906, by Henri Julien (Photo by Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec)
Our rivers carry many responsibilities. For years, they have been pathways for communication, making connections and sharing traditions.Like any great journey, these rivers have stories. From coast to coast, myths and legends have been passed down...
Planting trees for a greener planet
Conservation Volunteer planting a tree in Happy Valley Forest, ON (Photo by Mimi Chan)
I recall in the 1990s when a news crew came to my school to film us — a bunch of 10-year-olds — planting trees in the perimeter of our playground for Earth Day. It was a novel experience, as a new immigrant to Canada from a concrete...
Intertidal life
An intertidal zone on Clayoquot Island (Photo by NCC)
Water flows through the fabric of West Coast culture. For those of us steeped in the maritime life, resisting the pull of the ocean is as futile as trying to still the tides. In my twenties, I experimented with living away from coastal British...
5 ways to get involved in conservation this Canadian Environment Week
Building bat boxes at Old Man on His Back Prairie and Heritage Conservation Area, SK (Photo by NCC)
Since 1971, Canadians have been celebrating the nation’s natural heritage and the strides made in environmental protection during Canadian Environment Week. The week-long observance also includes World Environment Day (June 5) and World...
How Canada can make up ground on its global nature goals
Boreal Wildlands, ON (Photo by NCC)
In April, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) announced its largest-ever project to protect private land. Covering nearly 1,500 square kilometres of boreal forest and wetlands in northern Ontario, the Boreal Wildlands marks a monumental shift...
One tree at a time: Canada’s forests
Tamarack forest (Photo by NCC)
What one habitat type runs through every province and territory, surrounds communities where most Canadians live and covers about 40 per cent of the country? If you guessed forests, you'd be right! We’re lucky to live in a country dominated...
Putting down roots: How NCC is contributing to 2 Billion Trees
Tree planting at Meeting Lake 03 (Photo by NCC)
When I feel the need to escape into nature, I often travel to my father’s cottage in Sauble Beach, Ontario. Located across the street from the beach, the cottage has stood in place for nearly 100 years. I thoroughly enjoy the cool breezes...
Keep calm and count on: Big Valley MAPS station
American restart adult (ASY) male (Photo by NCC)
After many years working in the field of ecology and conservation, it can become easy to take for granted the unique and spectacular things you get to do and the beautiful landscapes you get to see on a regular basis. Being aware of this, I always...
Talking data: How community science informs conservation
Volunteer capturing data with a smartphone at a NCC BioBlitz event (Photo by Brent Calver)
What comes to mind when you hear the word data? For many, data conjures ideas of numbers and computers, with scientists performing complex statistical analyses. While that generalization is reasonably accurate, it is important to understand that...
I am a place that you may not know
Common loon (Photo by slyquetzal, CC BY-NC 4.0)
I am birds that sing and the promise of spring. I am morning mist on marshes, a smiling sun at noon, the first star awake and the cry of a loon. I am turning leaves that fall and rutting moose that call. I am the long winter that comes early and...
