Visiting coastal heathlands on Walk With NCC Day
Walking on the Barrens in NS (Photo by NCC)
On a sunny October morning, a group of enthusiastic hikers enjoyed a fall walk through the coastal heathlands on the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) Dr. Bill Freedman Nature Reserve in Nova Scotia. Our walk started off with a...
Something's Fishy: Ghosts of fishes past
A 60-day-old American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) fry (Photo from Wiki Commons)
They’re there, lurking the depths of Canadian lakes and rivers, unseen by humans or other fishes. Ghosts of fishes extirpated or extinct from waters across Canada haunt other species and scientists alike. Their absence leaves an impression...
Something pumpkiny this way comes
Pumpkins (Photo by Nino Barbieri, Wikimedia Commons)
It’s that time of year when we experience fall everywhere we go: brisk air, turned leaves, harvest displays, the donning of warmer apparel and more. This festive atmosphere becomes even more pronounced with the coming of Thanksgiving, and no...
Tweeting on the Toronto Blue Jays (and their bird counterpart)
Blue jay (Photo by NCC)
Let's go Blue Jays, let's go! To help you cheer on the Toronto Blue Jays, here are some handy tweetable facts about the bird from which they get their name. Just like the base-stealing...
Something’s Fishy: Swimming with the sculpin
Deepwater sculpin (Photo by Doug Watkinson/Fisheries and Oceans Canada)
The first time I saw a sculpin splashing around was in a large bucket, among several other fish species, captured for a population survey of small creek on a piece of residential land. I was working with the Central Lake of Ontario Conservation...
The biggest nature lesson I learned from kids
Children walking in the woods, Bunchberry Meadows Conservation Area, AB (Photo by Kyle Marquardt)
Years ago I worked at an overnight summer camp as its nature director. My main role was to teach and help campers discover the beauty of Mother Nature. I was given very few guidelines, other than it was highly recommended that I take the campers...
Leaving no trace during outdoor adventures
Leaving no trace during outdoor adventures (Graphic by Fix.com)
Anyone lucky enough to spend a significant amount of time in the wilderness can appreciate pristine nature… and they have likely seen people’s negative impacts on the outdoors. No one heads down a trail or to a campsite planning to...
#HowToNature series: How to butterfly
Cranberry blue. (Photo by Claire Elliott/NCC intern)
Though August may be drawing to a close, butterfly season is not over yet. Many of Canada’s 200 plus species of butterflies remain active well into the fall. Below are some tips to take with you into the field next time you go out searching...
Par les jeunes d’aujourd’hui, pour ceux de demain
Signature de l'entente de partenariat avec Conservation de la nature Canada. (Photo de CNC)
Socrate a dit un jour : « Rien n’est trop difficile pour la jeunesse. » Malgré le fait que cette citation a plus de 3000 ans, celle-ci exprime encore très bien notre réalité. Chez moi, dans la...
Blackie School Green Day
Students making ferruginous hawk nesting platforms. (Photo by Sandi Riemersma)
The first of June was an exciting day in the small community of Blackie, Alberta. “Why is that,” you ask? It was the first ever Blackie School Green Day! Close to 20 partners came together to offer their knowledge and resources to more...
