The pine needle game
Play a game of Guess Who? with pine needles from four species (Painted by Mena Wallace)
Trees are a wonderous thing. Most of the time we barely notice them amid the scurry of our busy days, but every now and then you encounter a showstopper. I’m always on the lookout for a new tree to discover because species identification is...
Connecting to conservation
Allery Safruk and Mena Wallace, volunteer conservation interns and CCC participants, conducting invasive species control. (Photo by NCC)
Collaboration for conservation The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is one of many partnership organizations holding 12-week placements for a number of lucky Canadian Conservation Corps (CCC) participants — me included! The placement...
When tiny things make your heart sing
Selfie of Logan and Breanna hiking in Waterton National Park, AB (Photo courtesy of Breanna Silversides)
In the winter of 2017, I saw an advertisement for the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) Conservation Internship Program. I was in the middle of law school and had planned to return to the summer job that I had worked at and loved...
Getting my feet wet as a conservation intern
A field of tall grasses in Backus Woods. This area was where controlled burns were conducted in the previous year. (Photo by NCC)
Although I have only been working with Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) for a few months, my relationship with the organization goes back many years. My family have been NCC supporters for as long as I can remember. We attended Conservation...
Wallowing: More than scratching an itch for plains bison
Bison at Old Man on His Back Prairie and Heritage Conservation Area (Photo by Jason Bantle)
Have you ever had an itch that you just couldn’t scratch? Needed to cool down on a hot summer day in the Prairies? Want a new way to show off to the ladies? If you answered yes to any of these questions, have you tried simply rolling around...
The ants that herd aphids
Oleander aphids (Photo by cory_silas_sheffield, CC BY-NC 4.0)
On July 21, 2021, I was carrying out annual conservation monitoring at the Old Man on His Back Prairie and Heritage Conservation Area (OMB), when I came across an unusual sight: much of the silver sagebrush that covers the property was covered...
Learning new things in familiar places
Forest canopy in Backus Woods, ON (Photo by Neil Ever Osborne)
To most people, warmer weather means soaking up the sun at the beach, making a northern weekend getaway to a picturesque cottage, or spending time with friends and family around the campfire or barbeque. While this applies to those of us in the...
Three takeaways from a communications internship in conservation
Big Valley planting site (Photo by NCC)
It’s hard to believe that the summer of 2021 went by so quickly. I was hired as a communications and engagement intern with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) in the spring, working alongside Saskatchewan staff, to tell stories of...
Mouse-ear hawkweed: Friend or foe?
Mouse-ear hawkweed flower (Photo by mhalsted, CC BY-NC 4.0)
A species is considered invasive or alien when it is located outside its natural distribution and threatens humans and/or the environment. There aren’t a lot of clear answers about the impact of certain invasive species and the problem is...
Going paperless: Introducing a new data collection tool
NCC intern and volunteers conducting a tree survey at Upper North Saskatchewan River Basin (Photo by NCC)
Over the past few years, the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) Saskatchewan Region has used pen and paper to complete their rangeland health assessments. Rangeland health assessments are score-based sheets that are used to monitor...
