Striving for fluid human-wildlife coexistence

Pronghorn (Photo by NCC)
My name is Evan Mah and I am an ecological restoration technician as a part of the Next Generation Conservation Leaders program with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). My job often involves routine fence maintenance and adjustments; however,...
Close encounters: Baffling beavers and tracking elk at Hastings Wildlife Junction

The Large Landscapes Team with beaver baffler (Photo by NCC)
A great day packed with sights and sounds for the large landscapes team at the Hastings Wildlife Junction! Back in May 2023, the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) staff were made aware of flooding along a trail due to beaver...
Stanley the stowaway

Stanely on a branch (Photo by Andrea Moreau)
It was past midnight, and I was just wrapping up my school work for the day when I saw it: a tiny brown lizard, only slightly larger than my thumb nail. The lizard was so small (and I was so tired) that I had to do a doubletake; but there it was,...
Owl hands on deck: Efforts to conserve burrowing owls

Burrowing owl (Photo by Karol Dabbs)
As a communications and engagement intern with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) in Saskatchewan, I have the opportunity to write and share stories about unique species and I thought writing about burrowing owls would be a hoot! It’s an...
The fun-sized swift fox

Swift fox (Photo by RJ Dudragne/ NCC staff)
My name is Emily, and I am the 2023 communications and engagement summer intern for the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) in Saskatchewan. As part of my job, I get to write stories for Land Lines, NCC’s blog. For my first assignment, I...
Sparrows, sparrows, everywhere!

Harris's sparrow (Photo by Mhairi McFarlane/NCC staff)
I must admit to having a bit of a soft spot for sparrows. Often overlooked by people, and underappreciated by many, written off as “just” sparrows by birders, or “just” a brown bird by people in general, I think they do...
Hop into the new year with these Canadian lagomorphs

Eastern cottontail (Photo by Alain Mochon, CC BY-NC 4.0)
Rabbits are one of the most easily observed species in my suburban neighbourhood. Even during winter here in southern Ontario, you can find hints of their presence. My two young kids gleefully alerted me to a set of eastern cottontail tracks...
A memorable dance at dawn
The sharp-tailed grouse dance at The Yarrow is one of many spellbinding natural displays observable at this special place. I’ve been lucky enough to visit The Yarrow, or the Fischer Ranch as it was previously known, more than a dozen times...
A glimpse into the lives of outdoor cats

Ever wonder what your cat is thinking? (Photo by Pixabay)
Have you ever wondered what your cat is doing and where it’s going when it’s outside? For my master’s research at the University of Guelph, I joined a team seeking to answer these questions using custom-built cameras. These...
Tracing the roots of invasive species
In the media world of conservation, there seems to be no shortage of news on invasive species — plants, animals and organisms that were introduced (accidentally or deliberately) to an area outside of their native range and where their...