Sidney's paradise on the edge of the Moose Woods
Lucy Weston and her family (Photo courtesy of Lucy Weston)
To tell our story, you have to go back to November 1999 when I met Scott Lawrence, my life partner, on an idyllic beach on the Baja Peninsula, Mexico. I was hitchhiking with a girlfriend, bound for Costa Rica. Scott had motorcycled from Canada and...
Nine out of 10 Canadians are happier in nature
Backus Woods, ON (Photo by Neil Ever Osbourne)
Canadians are spending less time outdoors, despite evidence that reveals we’re happier when we spend time in nature.The Nature and Me survey, released by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), in partnership with Ipsos Public Affairs,...
Taking the creep out of creeping Jenny
Conservation Volunteers at Westmeath Freshwater Cave tackling creeping Jenny (Photo by Cheryl Spotswood)
On July 26, 2018, 14 Conservation Volunteers (CV) journeyed to the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s Westmeath Freshwater Caves property, which is part of the longest underwater cave system in Canada, to remove creeping Jenny. The Westmeath...
Adventures along the Humber River
The Humber River at sunset (Photo by Adam Hunter/NCC staff)
Whenever I stay with my dad and step-mom in Toronto during the spring and summer, I often cycle and walk on the Humber River Recreational Trail near their house. As its name implies, the path goes along the Humber River, a Canadian Heritage River....
Nature Destinations: Alfred-Kelly Nature Reserve
Alfred-Kelly Nature Reserve, QC (Photo by NCC)
The Alfred-Kelly nature reserve is an oasis within an area where residential development is rapidly increasing. The nature reserve is named for an ornithologist who, in 1983, donated his property in Piedmont to Bird Protection Quebec (Protection...
Exploring Elora
Elora Quarry (Photo by Adam Hunter/NCC staff)
Earlier this summer, my friends and I took a day trip to Elora, Ontario, to visit the Elora Quarry and Elora Gorge conservation areas. Elora is a small town near Guelph, about a 90-minute drive west of Toronto. The drive there was very scenic,...
Rediscovering food from our own backyards
Me holding a beaked hazelnut (Photo by NCC)
Another week has gone by, and the time has come where I look at my empty cupboards and realize that I cannot put off grocery shopping any longer. Grudgingly, I pack up my reusable bags and head across the street to the grocery store. I browse...
A natural misconception
The lake near the campsite (Photo by Logan Salm/NCC staff)
The idea that nature is silent is a lie. Nature is loud, and sometimes obnoxiously so, especially when you’ve been paddling or hiking all day and just want to fall sleep. Don’t get me wrong: I’ll take the sounds of nature over...
Back to school: How to incorporate nature into a busy school schedule
Taking a walk in the park (Photo by Garry Knight, CC BY-SA 2.0)
One of the greatest challenges as a student is managing your time. Speaking from experience, it is all too easy to get caught up in a sea of busyness without realizing it. With demanding class schedules, tight assignment deadlines, extracurricular...
Producing Nature Talks, the podcast (Audio blog)
Voicing the podcast in my home recording studio (Photo courtesy of Tiffany Cassidy/NCC staff)
This is the story of Tiffany Cassidy, the Nature Conservancy of Canada's (NCC's) national media relations manager, and the lessons she learned while producing a podcast series called Nature Talks. Listen to the audio blog and view the transcript...
