From chaotic to biotic
Forest along Long Tusket River, NS (Photo by Mike Dembeck)
There’s a new breed of problem emerging, and these problems are making a lot of people uncomfortable. Aptly named “wicked problems” because of their complex and high uncertainty, they're defined by having multiple contradicting...
October roundup: Conservation and nature stories that caught our eye this month
Vampire bat (Photo from Wikimedia Commons)
Every day, countless inspiring and informative stories are published about conservation successes or discoveries in nature and wildlife around the world. Here are some that caught our attention in October 2017: They vant to suck your...
Stopping the sixth extinction needs to start at home
Blanding's turtle (Photo by Gabrielle Fortin)
I can still remember the day I saw a Blanding’s turtle for the first time. It was at Point Pelee National Park, in Ontario, in 1990 while working as co-op student studying rare plants. I thought it was an amazing animal, with its high, domed...
Spotting species in Norfolk Forest
Jenna Siu and Kayla Ellis ready to blitz! (Photo by Amanda Bichel)
It was 11:30 a.m. on an early summer day, and a steady trickle of people were arriving at the Bird Studies Canada (BSC) headquarters in Port Rowan, Ontario. The Norfolk Important Bird and Biodiversity Area BioBlitz was set to start in just a half...
20,000 days of nature conservation
Conservation Volunteers at the Waldron, AB (Photo by NCC)
At the end of this summer, on August 30, 2017, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) will mark exactly 20,000 days of conservation. This milestone provides an opportunity to celebrate and reflect on the work done by NCC and our partners each day,...
Paw in claw: Friendships in the wild
A sea anemone hitching a ride on a hermit crab. (Photo from Wikimedia Commons)
Friendships are one of the most organic things that can happen between humans. An often magical thing, these bonds are strong and can last a lifetime. While these human connections are no doubt valuable, for animals “friendships,” or...
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 Salt water touches every...
How the Great White North can change the world: Canada's role in global biodiversity conservation
Powder Islands, Lake Superior, ON (Photo by Alan Auld)
I still remember a time when thinking about conservation made me feel disappointed in Canada. During my undergraduate years at the University of Waterloo in the early 1990s, I learned about the pioneering work of Norman Myers and read subsequent...
Overlooked plants and new discoveries: Moss and liverwort surveys in Manitoba
New liverworts to Manitoba on decaying log (Photo by Richard Caners)
As part of updating the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) Natural Area Conservation Plan for the Whitemouth River Watershed in southeastern Manitoba, I spent a day assisting Royal Alberta Museum botany curator and good friend Dr....
Heard it from a Scout: The business of bees
Female squash bee on a male pumpkin flower (Photo by Margaret Chan)
Everything in our world is connected. So when you get a group of species dying at an extremely rapid rate, such as bees, it not only affects them, but humans and other species too. Pollinators provide a monumental impact on wild plants and crops,...
