Down by the Maitland
The Maitland River as seen from outside our cabin (Photo by NCC)
Being in an office and getting the feel for the business side of working with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is what many new conservation technician interns experience when they first start their contracts. While this is an important part...
Adventures along the Humber River
The Humber River at sunset (Photo by Adam Hunter/NCC staff)
Whenever I stay with my dad and step-mom in Toronto during the spring and summer, I often cycle and walk on the Humber River Recreational Trail near their house. As its name implies, the path goes along the Humber River, a Canadian Heritage River....
Taking time for turtles
Blanding's turtle (Photo by Megan Quinn/NCC staff)
If you’ve been lucky enough to visit the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) beautiful eastern Ontario properties, you’ll know that they’re mostly made up of two things: large stretches of forest and seemingly...
The great Canadian lizard hunt
Eastern short-horned lizard (Photo by Leta Pezderic/NCC staff)
One of the privileges that come with working for the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is the opportunity to explore some of our country’s most endangered ecosystems and — if you’re lucky enough — encounter some of the...
Saving wonder
One of my most treasured photos of my kids discovering a turtle when they were little (Photo by Dan Kraus/NCC staff)
“I caught a turtle!” The call rang out repeatedly over the lake near Algonquin Park, where my family has a cottage. It was early, my teenage boys were still in bed, when the turtle-catching alarm came. It was from across the lake, in a...
So many species, so many ways to study them
Spotted salamander (Photo by Rosemary Mosco)
I have the best job in the world. I encourage people to get excited about nature. I’m a science communicator — someone who bridges the gap between scientists, the media and the public, helping us understand each other better. One way...
Ten of nature's weirdest courtship rituals
Greater prairie chicken (Photo by Ron Knight/Wikimedia Commons)
Much like humans, other animals have evolved ways of wooing or courting potential mates, whether it’s singing a love song, doing a sensual dance or giving a thoughtful gift. With love in the air this Valentine’s Day, here are 10...
Top 10 blog posts of 2017
Bunchberry Meadows Conservation Area, AB (Photo by Kyle Marquardt)
Every year, Land Lines is filled with submissions from across the country, with tales touching on a variety of topics — from the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) stewardship work, to heartwarming accounts of conservation...
One human's trash is an endangered snake's treasure
Gray ratsnake (Photo by Jessica Ferguson)
I spent my summer radio-tracking a female gray ratsnake and assessing habitat characteristics in Norfolk County, for Natural Resource Solutions Inc. (NRSI), an ecological consulting company based in Waterloo, Ontario, and Ontario Nature, a...
Treasure hunting: The quest for queen snakes
Queen snake found on the Saugeen Bruce Peninsula in 2017. When these snakes are observed, not only do we look for signs of snake fungal disease, we also examine them for signs of injury and measure them so we can better understand the number of young versus adults in the population. (Photo by NCC)
Paddling across the lake, fellow staff from the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) and I couldn’t contain our excitement. It was the first day of our annual queen snake surveys, and we were all curious about what we might find. I often...
