Bird diversity is linked to human happiness
Cardinal on the fence (Photo by Nathan Anderson from Unsplash)
How to protect avian biodiversity and our well-being Are the early morning songs of black-capped chickadees a welcome sound? Does watching a flurry of happy finches and jays feasting on berries bring you joy? If you answered yes, then it may...
Wanting wetlands: Marking 50 years of wetland conservation and loss
Black River Bog, NS (Photo by Mike Dembeck)
Fifty years ago, nations gathered to create the world’s first global agreement to conserve a habitat. Maybe it will surprise you that this agreement wasn’t for tropical rainforests or coral reefs or oceans. It was a for a habitat that...
14 facts for World Wetlands Day
Musquash River, New Brunswick (Photo by Ron Garnett Airscapes)
The second of February each year marks World Wetlands Day, where everyone is encouraged to raise awareness and learn about the importance and value of wetlands! Be a wetland whiz this year with these 14 fun facts! A wetland, like its name...
The plants we leave behind
1925 Canadian National Railways Algonquin Park pamphlet showing painting of Highland Inn on cover, with centerfold photographs of Highland Inn, Nominigan Camp and Camp Minnesing (Public Domain)
Nominigan Camp in Ontario’s Algonquin Park was built along the shore of Smoke Lake in 1913. During its peak, the log cabins and main lodge could host almost 100 guests. It later became a private residence and was abandoned and dismantled...
Stopping habitat loss is the key to saving Canada’s endangered species
Evening grosbeak (Photo by Anna Tchoulik)
Canada has been losing and saving species for a long time. Since European settlement, over 100 species have been lost here. These include plants and animals that are extinct and extirpated and species that are considered historic (no one has seen...
A throwback to working in Backus Woods
Forest canopy in Backus Woods, ON (Photo by Neil Ever Osborne)
I had the pleasure of working for the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) for the summer of 2019 as a conservation technician out of the Norfolk County, Ontario, office. When I first came to Norfolk, I was expecting to see mostly farmland and...
What the knowledge of how trees communicate means for forest conservation
A shady Douglas-fir forest (Photo by Jenny McCune)
Japanese people are generally familiar with shinrin-yoku or forest bathing — the practice of being immersed in a forest. In Germany, the concept is referred to as Waldsehligkeit, a feeling of profound well-being that comes from being...
Grandparents in the natural world
Old-growth forest (Photo by NCC)
I often find similarity in the structure of human society and in nature's ecosystems. Reflecting on how our community is comprised of people from all walks and stages of life, I can’t help but think the same about forests. As Grandparents...
The Green World Hypothesis
Sea star (Photo by Samantha Ceci)
Why is the planet filled with the colour green? What if I told you that the answer to this question originates from an experiment conducted using starfish? In 1963, professor Robert Paine stood on the shore of the Makah Bay in Washington state....
The voice of nature
"Beaver," ink with watercolour wash. (Painting by Leanne Cadden)
Capturing ecosystem health through sound When I was six years old, my family moved to a suburban neighbourhood on Vancouver Island. We came from Ontario, so we were not at all acquainted with the incredibly wild and lush biodiversity of British...
