Three ways to get closer to nature
Busenius Property, AB (Photo by Kyle Marquardt)
Canadians are more disconnected from nature than ever before. We spend more and more of our time indoors, and a large per cent of us live in an urban setting away from large natural areas. We’re losing touch with the natural world, one that...
You don't have to be a scientist
Evan Young kayaking (Photo by NCC)
As an amateur naturalist, I’ve found it’s easy to learn new things; however, it’s getting much harder to retain everything I learn. Growing up on a farm in rural Nova Scotia, I’ve always had a passion for the outdoors,...
Step into the wilderness with just a 15-minute paddle from the city
A beach in the Hochelaga Archipelago (Photo by NCC)
I like to imagine the St. Lawrence islands like treasures situated in the middle of the river; little parcels of paradise that were accidentally dropped into our province, just two steps from Montreal. Stéphanie...
Citizen science 101
The Wildpaths maritimes project is a citizen science project that helps protect wildlife by using the iNaturalist app. (Photo by NCC)
Close your eyes and picture a scientist. What do you see? Lab coats, goggles and beakers of bubbling liquids? A perplexed set of eyes staring back at you through a window filled with complex equations beyond comprehension? Ask the internet and it...
Connecting to nature and my ancestry from the stern of a canoe
Me at the mouth of the Voyageurs and Old Voyageurs channels (Photo by Christine Beevis Trickett/NCC staff)
This story is about my experiences on and personal connections to what is now known as the French River, in Ontario. Long before European settlers came, this area was occupied by Indigenous Peoples. The original caretakers of the land, this is the...
Conservation beyond the cubicle
Conservation Volunteers at the Last Stand at Blind Canyon event. (Photo by NCC)
Despite working for a conservation organization, I spend my workdays in an office, surrounded by cubicle walls, eyes glued to my computer screen and my fingers happily tapping away at my keyboard. So when an opportunity to join one of the Nature...
Travels with Cary
Cary Hamel (Photo by NCC)
I really don’t remember many of the specifics from reading John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley. I’m pretty sure Charley was John’s large, curly-haired poodle, which I guess is somewhat similar to my Manitoba counterpart,...
A trip back in time: Exploring the history of Backus Woods
Backus Woods, Ontario (Photo by Mary Gartshore)
A hike into Backus Woods is like taking a step back nearly 200 years in time. Located in southwestern Ontario, this natural wonder is one of the most ecologically diverse areas in Canada. It also contains many cultural remnants. A visit to Backus...
The blitz of the burdock brigade
Conservation Volunteers with bags of invasive common burdock. (Photo by NCC)
Thanks to the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), I can now cross off my bucket list my long-nurtured desire to hack away at invasive burdock plants with a machete. In truth, I’d never entertained the idea before signing up as a Conservation...
The Nature Conservancy of Canada Conservation Internship: Not your average summer
Open woodland located on the Barachois Brook property (Photo by NCC)
When I started my internship with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, in May 2018, I knew that one of my responsibilities would be to complete a baseline inventory of the newly established...
