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Hibernation with a hiss

A drawing of a snake (Photo by Darwin Online)

A drawing of a snake (Photo by Darwin Online)

Snakes are such misunderstood creatures. Many people fear them, but that might be because they don’t know how awesome snakes are! Snakes are limbless reptiles with scaly skin. They are very diverse, with different sizes, colours and...

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Multi-talented organisms: How seaweeds can affect our daily lives

Dr. Sophie Steinhagen collecting seaweeds (Photo courtesy of Dr. Sophie Steinhagen)

Dr. Sophie Steinhagen collecting seaweeds (Photo courtesy of Dr. Sophie Steinhagen)

Seaweeds, a type of macro-algae (a group that includes benthic [attached to the bottom] marine algae that are typically visible to the naked eye), provide hope for a more sustainable future, through healthier food, renewable energy and fewer...

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The best defence is an eco-fence!

Conservation Volunteers, NCC staff and Bruce Peninsula National park staff (Photo by NCC)

Conservation Volunteers, NCC staff and Bruce Peninsula National park staff (Photo by NCC)

Ontario’s Saugeen Bruce Peninsula is well known for its unique biodiversity and natural beauty. As budding naturalists with a particular interest in reptiles and amphibians, my husband and I jumped at the chance to participate in the Nature...

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National Appreciation Week for Animal and Rescue Shelters

Me volunteering at the Funds for Animals Wildlife Center in Ramona, California. (Photo by the Humane Society of the United States)

Me volunteering at the Funds for Animals Wildlife Center in Ramona, California. (Photo by the Humane Society of the United States)

As an animal lover, my social media feed tends to be filled with animal-related posts. It consists of heartwarming stories, such as animal rescues, adoption stories, species reintroductions, etc. If you also have a soft spot for animals,...

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A bird (book) in the hand: Birds of Nunavut and UBC Press’s legacy of ornithological publishing

Left to right: Alexa Love (catalogues and advertising manager and cover designer for Birds of Nunavut), Melissa Pitts (director) and Holly Keller (assistant director, production and editorial services)

Left to right: Alexa Love (catalogues and advertising manager and cover designer for Birds of Nunavut), Melissa Pitts (director) and Holly Keller (assistant director, production and editorial services)

In my early days working at University of British Columbia (UBC) Press, I was tasked with maintaining the shelves used to house old and new UBC Press books. As I was shelving books one afternoon, I noticed large volumes of books, seemingly out of...

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How plastic waste threatens marine organisms

Plastic waste is often seen washed up on shorelines (Photo by Kevin Krejc/Wikimedia Commons)

Plastic waste is often seen washed up on shorelines (Photo by Kevin Krejc/Wikimedia Commons)

Ocean plastic pollution has grabbed worldwide attention in quite a short period of time. This is because the impact of plastic waste on marine plants and animals is tremendous. Plastic garbage patches the size of small countries floating on the...

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The blitz of the burdock brigade

Conservation Volunteers with bags of invasive common burdock. (Photo by NCC)

Conservation Volunteers with bags of invasive common burdock. (Photo by NCC)

Thanks to the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), I can now cross off my bucket list my long-nurtured desire to hack away at invasive burdock plants with a machete. In truth, I’d never entertained the idea before signing up as a Conservation...

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Sidney's paradise on the edge of the Moose Woods

Lucy Weston and her family (Photo courtesy of Lucy Weston)

Lucy Weston and her family (Photo courtesy of Lucy Weston)

To tell our story, you have to go back to November 1999 when I met Scott Lawrence, my life partner, on an idyllic beach on the Baja Peninsula, Mexico. I was hitchhiking with a girlfriend, bound for Costa Rica. Scott had motorcycled from Canada and...

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Taking the creep out of creeping Jenny

Conservation Volunteers at Westmeath Freshwater Cave tackling creeping Jenny (Photo by Cheryl Spotswood)

Conservation Volunteers at Westmeath Freshwater Cave tackling creeping Jenny (Photo by Cheryl Spotswood)

On July 26, 2018, 14 Conservation Volunteers (CV) journeyed to the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s Westmeath Freshwater Caves property, which is part of the longest underwater cave system in Canada, to remove creeping Jenny. The Westmeath...

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What the heck is a neotenic salamander?

Lemon-yellow prehistoric-looking creature that I later found out to be a western tiger salamander (Photo by Sherry Nigro)

Lemon-yellow prehistoric-looking creature that I later found out to be a western tiger salamander (Photo by Sherry Nigro)

My dad told me about it during a phone call. A neighbour had discovered some weird, not-seen-here-before creatures in his dugout. Bright yellow ones, dark ones, some with frills around their necks like miniature dinosaurs; these creatures were...

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