Enjoy nature indoors
Beaver Hills, AB (Photo by Brent Calver)
While there is nothing like exploring the outdoors first-hand, not everyone has access to a natural area near them. However, you can stay in touch with nature — even experience an Arctic excursion — through films and books, from the...
Peek into the nests of some Canada’s most iconic birds
Osprey in their nest (Photo by Lorne)
Around the world, wildlife cameras have been set up in places where birds nest. The purposes of these cameras vary, but each has the ability to help viewers connect to and learn about their subjects in new ways. With live feeds often rolling 24...
There’ll never be a dull moment in nature if you do this
Volunteer using a smartphone at a NCC BioBlitz event. Photo by Brent Calver.
Is your outdoor walk getting dull? Or maybe your access to a sizable natural area is limited. Is lack of time a barrier to your ability to connect with nature? For some people with a close connection to nature, it might not take much effort to...
Our treasured islands of Mahone Bay
Saling on Mahone Bay, NS (Photo by MICA)
Imagine looking out from a shoreline and seeing beautiful pristine islands nearby. To row, paddle or sail to an island and find it in its natural state is not a dream in the waters of Mahone Bay, southwest Nova Scotia; it is a reality where you...
Conservation finance: Making nature investable
Misty Darkwoods forest, BC (Photo by Bruce Kirkby)
While nature is incredibly valuable, protecting it has not been all that profitable. Nature conservation, as a result, has been chronically underfunded. Investments in conservation to date have been disproportionately funded by governments and a...
Reflections, roundtables and royalty: Thoughts from attending the IUCN Global Youth Summit
A group photo of one session during the IUCN Youth Summit
There are not many reasons I will willingly get out of bed at 5:30 a.m., but the opportunity to make a real difference in the world is one of them. Recently, I gathered with 13,000 fellow young people from across the globe at the International...
We’re in a biodiversity crisis. What we plant and how we alter landscapes matters
Front yard naturalization in spring. (Photo by Lorraine Johnson)
Spring hadn’t officially sprung, but the season was warm, and so the annual ritual began. People began to clean up the dried stalks and dead leaves protecting the earth. While tidying up, people were also throwing out countless insects...
Create a messy garden for nature
Gardening is a great way to connect with nature (Photo by Lisa via Pexels)
As the warmer weather rolls across the country, many people have started tidying their garden for spring planting. But did you know that by leaving some of the stems and stalks that we traditionally clean up in the spring, you can create habitat...
Anchoring the earth
Exhibit showing big bluestem on the left, June grass in the middle and white prairie-clover on the right. (Photo courtesy of Manitoba Museum)
One of the most impressive plant specimens at the Manitoba Museum is a huge, preserved clump of grass that shows the entire root system. I think the reason everybody likes this specimen is that it provides a perspective that no one has ever seen:...
Finding hope for the planet in an old sweater
My sweater became a symbol of my increased awareness of environmental issues. (Photo courtesy of Christine Beevis Trickett/NCC staff)
During the pandemic, many of us have spent several months at home. To pass the time, some of us have started tackling projects that have been on our to-do lists for months, even years. For me, that meant cleaning out our spare rooms, which led to...
