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I am a place that you may not know

Common loon (Photo by slyquetzal, CC BY-NC 4.0)

Common loon (Photo by slyquetzal, CC BY-NC 4.0)

I am birds that sing and the promise of spring. I am morning mist on marshes, a smiling sun at noon, the first star awake and the cry of a loon. I am turning leaves that fall and rutting moose that call. I am the long winter that comes early and...

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My native species bring all the pollinators to the yard

Northern crescent butterfly on swamp milkweed flowers (Photo by Jaimee Morozoff/NCC staff)

Northern crescent butterfly on swamp milkweed flowers (Photo by Jaimee Morozoff/NCC staff)

Now that spring has finally made its way across Canada (in some places it was slower in arriving than others), gardening season is in full swing! With all of the choices present at our local nurseries and big box stores, it is easy to get carried...

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De-stressing with plants

McHugh Lake Loop, MB (Photo by Wikimedia Commons)

McHugh Lake Loop, MB (Photo by Wikimedia Commons)

During the pandemic, many people experienced increased stress levels due to illness, work difficulties and isolation. But many of us have discovered that there is solace in the natural world. In 1984, biologist E.O. Wilson noted that...

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Find the Birds British Columbia location launches

Screen capture of the BC location in Find the Birds game. A player walks along a boardwalk in the midst of a forest. (Photo by Thought Generation Society)

Screen capture of the BC location in Find the Birds game. A player walks along a boardwalk in the midst of a forest. (Photo by Thought Generation Society)

Since its launch six months ago (read my previous blog here), with an initial Arizona simulated birding location, Find the Birds (a free educational mobile game about birds and conservation) now has over 7,000 players in 46 countries on six...

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Take them to feel the forest: Winter sensory activities for kids

Snowshoeing in Parc de la Gatineau, QC (Photo by DJ)

Snowshoeing in Parc de la Gatineau, QC (Photo by DJ)

I‘ve walked in the woods all my life, but it wasn't until I took young children with me that I noticed how fascinated they were with the variety of textures found in their surroundings. Kids can spend hours feeling, building, touching and...

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Pileated woodpeckers in the city

Pileated woodpecker (Photo by vtjohn, CC BY-NC 4.0)

Pileated woodpecker (Photo by vtjohn, CC BY-NC 4.0)

If you go birdwatching, you might take your binoculars and plan on sitting for hours at the edge of a marsh or grassland, waiting for the birds to come. If you want to see pileated woodpeckers, you’ll likely go out into the forest. However,...

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Indigenous rights and private land conservation: Opening the door to collective responsibility

The sun setting on a prairie of wildflowers at Old Man on His Back Prairie and Heritage Conservation Area in southern Saskatchewan. The Nature Conservancy of Canada has been engaging with a group of Indigenous advisors from local nations to develop a Bison Management Plan for these lands, which are part of the traditional territories of the Niitsitapi, Nakoda, Dakota, Lakota, Anishnaabe, and Nêhiyawak Peoples as well as the homeland of the Métis. (Photo by Jason Bantle)

The sun setting on a prairie of wildflowers at Old Man on His Back Prairie and Heritage Conservation Area in southern Saskatchewan. The Nature Conservancy of Canada has been engaging with a group of Indigenous advisors from local nations to develop a Bison Management Plan for these lands, which are part of the traditional territories of the Niitsitapi, Nakoda, Dakota, Lakota, Anishnaabe, and Nêhiyawak Peoples as well as the homeland of the Métis. (Photo by Jason Bantle)

This blog is an accompaniment to a report by Conservation through Reconciliation Partnership entitled: Respect and Responsibility: Integrating Indigenous Rights and Private Land Conservation in Canada. A Guide for Land Trusts and Other...

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The best free nature apps

Engaging with nature doesn't mean you have to put down your phone (Photo by ©ysbrandcosijnfotografie via Canva)

Engaging with nature doesn't mean you have to put down your phone (Photo by ©ysbrandcosijnfotografie via Canva)

Some nature lovers may find technology and the natural world at odds. How can you enjoy tranquility with the ping of your smartphone? While nature may be a refuge to unplug, I would like to present an alternative view. Apps and the technology that...

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What’s that stuff on my tree? A guide to Manitoba’s lichens

Lichen on tree (Photo courtesy of Manitoba Museum)

Lichen on tree (Photo courtesy of Manitoba Museum)

If you’re an observant person, you may have noticed colourful things growing on Manitoba’s trees and rocks. Although some of these organisms are mosses (especially near the base), they are more likely to be lichens. Bright orange...

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Discoveries in little-known fungi: Adventures in looking at lichens

Opegrapha parmeliiperda, cross section of one fruiting body showing four-celled spores developing inside spore sacs; blue colour result of treatment with potassium hydroxide followed by Lugol’s iodine solution. (Photo courtesy of Kendra Driscoll)

Opegrapha parmeliiperda, cross section of one fruiting body showing four-celled spores developing inside spore sacs; blue colour result of treatment with potassium hydroxide followed by Lugol’s iodine solution. (Photo courtesy of Kendra Driscoll)

I used to think that scientists understood the basics about most living things on Earth, that new species were all discovered long ago by people like Linnaeus and Darwin. Maybe you could find new species in the most remote corners of the planet,...

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