Working landscapes, conservation and COP28: my takeaways

A wooden panel describing the importance of building soil carbon (Photo by NCC)
As the manager of agriculture policy for the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), I went to COP28 to understand how agriculture and ranching contribute solutions to the climate crisis. Here’s what I learned: ⚡️ The ambition is...
Top 5 things I learned at COP28

Rob Wilson and other panelists at the Grasslands and Canadian Livestock: Solutions from the Ground Up event at COP28 (Photo by Melanie Bos/NCC)
As NCC’s director of conservation finance, I went to COP28 to learn how the world can fund climate change solutions, and to share about how we are building partnerships across the country to support nature and climate goals through...
Adventures in elk country: Exploring conservation, wildlife and nature

Elk at Lockerby, AB (Photo by NCC)
As the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) conservation intern in the Red Deer River this past summer, I assisted in monitoring more than 35 properties in central Alberta. A critical aspect of monitoring involves making species...
Sanderlings flock to Mackie Ranch

Sanderlings (Photo by Jason bantle)
For the last blog of my internship with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), I chose to write about adorable birds that spend a lot of time in the sand: sanderlings. In fact, a flock of sanderlings is called a grain, which is a perfect name for...
Weeding out trouble: A summer as an invasive species sleuth

Hiking on the ridge to check on biocontrol releases (Photo by NCC)
This summer I had the incredible opportunity to work as an invasive species technician with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) in the Waterton and Castle Crowsnest Natural Area. This remarkable area is known for its diverse landscapes and...
The swamp’s unlikely hero: a beetle

Purple loosestrife at Beaver Meadow wetland, ON. (Photo by Jen Arbeider/NCC staff)
When I first started as a conservation technician with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) in May, I was very excited to observe unique species of plants and wildlife, as well as work in a diversity of habitats and make a difference in...
Little fairy ponds

Stream flowing through the site near Porter's Lake, NS (Photo by Sally Hilton/NCC staff)
There is never a dull moment at the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). While some staff venture into the field looking for species and monitoring various habitats, others contribute to the action from afar. Everyone has an important role to play...
Black ash, beetles and beavers

Kayla, Olivia and Jen caging a black ash tree (Photo by Julia Ball/NCC)
By Julia Ball, Kayla Fisher and Olivia Lymburner Three of us, Julia Ball, Kayla Fisher and Olivia Lymburner, had the pleasure of being conservation interns with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) in Newfoundland and Labrador during the summer...
A blazing start: Restoring habitat with a prescribed burn

Prescribed burn at Upper Big Creek Block of Norfolk County, ON (Photo by NCC)
How is burning a form of restoration and how does it work? Prescribed burns can be used for many different purposes: they can remove invasive species in an ecosystem, remove undergrowth on the forest floor, create new habitat for wildlife, provide...
How I spent my summer helping conserve species at risk in the Prairies

Hare-footed locoweed (Photo by Kayleigh Weaver/NCC staff)
This summer, I had the amazing opportunity to work with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) as a conservation intern in southern Alberta. I spent most of my time working in the Milk River Ridge Natural Area with my direct manager, but I also...