Nature Destinations for a nation
Bunchberry Meadows Conservation Area, AB (Photo by Kyle Marquardt)
As a former Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) intern, avid nature lover and geography student, I’ve always found any kind of natural space a place worth visiting. When I first discovered NCC’s Nature Destinations program, I thought...
Making friends with the solitary bees
Blue orchard mason bee (Photo by Robert Engelhardt)
When you think of bees, your mind probably goes to honey, hives and stingers. But what if I told you that there was a species of bee, native to the Saskatchewan prairies, that didn’t make honey, live in a hive or (usually) sting? Mason bees...
60 things – A year to remember
Conservation Volunteers building a bat house (Photo by Lorena Squires)
My name is Dianne Young, and I turned 60 in February. I wanted to do something special to celebrate but couldn’t decide what to do. Hot air balloon ride? I’ve always wanted to do that. Tandem parachute jump? I’ve always wanted to...
The Carden Challenge: A treat for nature lovers
The start of the Carden Challenge (Photo by Cameron Curran Photography)
In the blink of an eye, you could miss one of Ontario’s natural heritage treasures, found along Kawartha Lakes Road 6, called the Carden Alvar. Deep in the heart of the Carden Alvar, a bustle can be heard in late May along the back roads....
Connecting with shorebirds at a unique Conservation Volunteers event
Naomi Derksen (Photo by Bill Armstrong)
While attending the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) shorebird tour Conservation Volunteers (CV) event in June, I met first-time CV Naomi Derksen. Naomi found her way to the event through a roundabout internet route. She was...
Meadows for Monarchs
Meadows for Monarchs event participants (Photo by NCC)
If you thought you saw more monarchs flitting about last summer and fall, you were right. Monarch Watch reported that 2018 was a good year for the iconic orange and black butterfly, thanks to a combination of aggressive conservation efforts in...
#NatureForAll... Forever
Exploring Musquash Estuary (photo by Mike Dembeck)
On International Day of Friendship, July 30, 2019, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is celebrating its involvement with #NatureForAll, a global initiative encouraging people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to connect with nature. NCC...
Citizen science: Conserving nature and communities for mutual benefit
Twenty-four people came out to NCC's Dundurn property in Saskatchewan to learn about citizen science and land conservation. (Photo by NCC)
If you see a group of hikers with their eyes glued to their phones, do not despair. They are likely just using the citizen science app iNaturalist to identify species; you can literally smell the roses and then use an app to find out what kind of...
10 ways to enjoy the great outdoors this summer
Nodwell, AB (Photo by R. Berdan)
Summer is the perfect time to get out and explore all that nature has to offer. Whether it's a hike on a sunny day or curling up with a book or documentary about nature when the rain rolls in, immerse yourself in nature no matter the weather or...
Connecting to the land through conservation
We spent the morning walking NCC’s Ursulan property. (Photo by NCC)
On my first field day with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), I was expecting a rigorous day of mapping, tracking and other GPS functions I don’t understand. Instead, I found myself birdwatching my way around a beautiful piece of NCC...
