Parenting tricks from the wild
Parents everywhere would agree that raising children is no easy feat. New challenges come with every stage of development, from the newborn stage of learning how to eat and sleep, to the more advanced skill of communication. It wasn’t until...
Manitoba's amazing ash forests, invasive emerald ash borer and how you can help
Emerald ash borer adult (Photo by by U.S. Department of Agriculture)
Buy local. Burn local. Don’t move firewood. This is not just another green slogan put out by conservationists in the new year. Allow us to explain… Many people have heard about how non-native invasive species, including insects and...
Allies in Indigenous-led conservation in Canada
In November 2017, I had the pleasure of travelling to the Cree community of Chisasibi with my colleague Chantal Otter-Tetreault, a protected areas coordinator from the Cree Nation Government. Chisasibi is one of the northernmost communities in...
How a hidden forest valley is a big opportunity for conservation
Towering hemlocks reaching for the sky. A deep and rugged valley covered with ferns. A coldwater stream flowing over and under moss-covered fallen pine trunks. Just the thought of these scenes makes my mind wander yet again to northern...
A soft spot for the infamous predator: Wolves
Gray wolf (Photo by Mike Dembeck)
The timber wolf, also known as the gray wolf, is common in northwestern Ontario, where I have worked and lived for nearly 40 years. Common, but not always safe. I have a soft spot for predators such as wolves. In part because they are beautiful...
Give giving a go this Giving Tuesday
Giving Tuesday, a global giving and volunteer movement, officially returns this year on November 28. Started in 2012, Giving Tuesday encourages individuals and corporations to donate and/or volunteer their time to support charities and non-profit...
Badgered into respecting the wild
American badger (Photo by Max Allen/Shutterstock)
It was my co-worker Emily's and my first day out in the field without a manager — the training wheels were off. We were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to impress the property land managers with a thorough property inspection. This...
Heard it from a Scout: 15 things you may not know you can recycle
Now more than ever, it’s important that we reduce our ecological footprint to create a greener world for the future. Scouts Canada has always encouraged members to do their part to create a cleaner environment, whether it be through litter...
A five-year-old entomologist-in-training
With the help of my dad, I’d like to tell you everything I know about monarch butterflies. Don’t worry — I’ll explain the life cycle, the special habitat requirements and the incredible migration to Mexico. By the way,...
The incredible migration at Johnson's Mills Shorebird Reserve
Semipalmated sandpiper (Photo by NCC)
From late July to mid-August, the scene at the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) Johnson’s Mills Shorebird Reserve on the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick is awe-inspiring. There are days when as many as 140,000 semipalmated...
