There's no place like home
Catherine Dale with bluebird (Photo by Angela Boag)
“The bluebird carries the sky on his back.” ~ Henry David Thoreau It seems to be an immutable law of nature photography (at least in my experience) that anything mobile will move the second you’ve gotten your camera ready,...
Real animals don't wear scarves in winter
Of all the enticingly cute plush toys currently in store displays, the owl is one of my favourites. But the way marketers portray animals with toques and scarves throughout the winter make me cringe…slightly. Perhaps that’s because we...
Bad news for bats? How White-nose Syndrome threatens Canada's bat populations
Tri-colored bat with white-nose syndrome (Photo by USFWS)
Bats are an important part of Canada’s biodiversity. They eat huge numbers of insects, some of which are crop and forestry pests. In the U.S. alone, it is estimated that bats provide insect control services worth between $3.7 and $53 billion...
Wolverine sighting at Courage Lake
Wolverine at Courage Lake, Manitoba (Photo by Christian Artuso)
Many of you will know how much I have poured my heart and soul into coordinating the Manitoba Breeding Bird Atlas over the past six years. Some of you will also know how much emphasis I have placed on point counting (an extremely useful method...
Hunting orchids in Minesing wetland
Eastern prairie white-fringed orchid (Photo by NCC)
As an intern with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), I often find myself walking a fine line between work and play. Even the toughest days are balanced by the realization that my workplace typically consists of wetlands, grasslands and...
Identifying and assessing species at risk
Dromedary jumping slug (Photo by Kristiina Ovaska)
The issues of habitat loss and wildlife decline are so pervasive, it would seem unlikely there are many Canadians not familiar with the terms "species at risk" or "endangered species." The term may conjure images of panda bears or tigers, but...
Where the bears are: An update on the Wuikinuxv grizzly bear project
Grizzly bear (Photo by Vince Heney)
In the spring of 2013, I approached the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) about a project in Wuikinuxv Territory, in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest, where grizzly bears and humans have shared the same riverbanks for thousands of years,...
Deep freeze frogs
Pulling the heavy sled (Photo by NCC)
It’s a chilly day in March when we meet with Dave Prescott, Alberta Fish and Wildlife species at risk biologist, amidst snow drifts and icicles at the Twin Butte General Store. Despite the weekend blizzard and challenging road conditions,...
Where have all the monarchs gone?
A monarch butterfly perches on the endangered Hill's Thistle at Gore Bay Savanna (Photo by NCC)
When I was a young girl, seeing monarchs flit around was as common as hearing the songs of the meadowlarks and the chipping of ground squirrels. I was fortunate to grow up on the edge of suburban Winnipeg. A quick pedal on my bike and I was in...
'Tis the season for de-listing: For conservationists, December is a time to review the status of Canada's endangered species
Sea otter, Vancouver Aquarium (Photo by Wikimedia Commons, Stan Shebs)
It’s December again. This time of year brings with it many diverse traditions. For some, it is also a time to be thoughtful. Perhaps it is thinking about loved ones, or reflecting on the year past. It's also the season of the list: naughty...
