Hugging trees
Anwar Knight and I hugging a black oak tree in High Park. (Photo courtesy of Anwar Knight)
I’m walking along a well-beaten dirt path in a favourite forest. The brilliant early fall sunshine streams through the leaves, which are gradually dimming from their vibrant summer green to hues of yellow, gold and the first tinges of red. A...
Wildlife conservation starts on our doorstep
A high school student in a wetland, learning to identify egg masses of amphibian species in the Fraser Valley. (Photo by Isabelle Groc)
The IPBES 2019 Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity reported that one million species of plants and animals are threatened with extinction. I am a mother, and as many others who interact with children and youth, I am worried about the world...
The poetry of nature
(Photo by Maia Herriot)
I am an English major raised by two writers and former English majors. I spent this past summer writing blog posts as the communications intern for the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) Saskatchewan Region. Writing is my thing. I...
Lasagna garden
My dog, Kahlua, in her new backyard (Photo by Carys Richards/NCC staff)
This summer I purchased a house, and alongside the responsibility of being a first-time home owner came the excitement of having my own yard to create a garden in. When I took possession of the house, the backyard looked a lot like this: flat and...
Learning to listen: Bringing students closer to nature
A teacher conducts a lesson in the forest (Photo by the Nature Office for the International Day of Forest Kindergarten)
Children and young students face a world that competes for and demands their attention every second of every day. Teachers face an even more daunting task, as they work to hold their students’ attention while educating and nourishing their...
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...
Invasive Species Olympics
Phragmites javelin (Photo by NCC)
The Olympic Games: the spectacle of international competition, where every four years, thousands of athletes from over 200 countries compete in the pinnacle of their sport. Inspired by the ancient Olympic Games, first held in Olympia, Greece, in...
Bring on the alternative lawns!
A cottontail among a red clover and black medic clover patch (Photo by Mike Dembeck)
Weeds: What are they? Unwanted, non-traditional turf? But what if there was something more to all those pesky patches of plants? For some, there’s nothing more satisfying than a healthy lawn full of lush, green grass. For others, like...
Alternative ways to celebrate: Popping the traditional balloon
Balloons can end up on nature reserves. (Photo by NCC)
Let me take you on a journey. The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has some stunning conservation properties on Manitoulin and Cockburn Island, which I’m lucky enough to be responsible for. Field work on the Tasker Wilderness Shore...
