Plugs for the prairies
Team hike to the planting area (Photo by Robert Britton)
Since I was a child, I was fascinated by the way a seed could spring to life inside moist soil. I remember faithfully planting seeds in my mini-greenhouse and marveling at the miracle unfolding before me. This fascination carried on for me in...
The return of the swamp forest
Conservation Volunteers planting trees at Minesing Wetlands, ON (Photo by Robert Britton)
Imagine, if you will, an abandoned-looking farm in the southern Ontario countryside. You park your car and start walking into the back sections of it. After a while, you find yourself in a thickly grassed and soggy area with a tiny stream running...
Strengthening the bond between people and land at Sandstone Ranch
Sandstone Ranch, Milk River Ridge, AB (Photo by NCC)
Earlier this summer, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) Calgary staff and 22 Albertans collectively donned their volunteer hats and travelled to the Sandstone Ranch in Alberta to help eradicate the spread of invasive downy brome. The bus ride...
Bees and wasps a buzzin'
Bees have a good reason to be wary of crab spiders. (Photo by Dr. Diana Bizecki Robson)
Through social media, I learned about the humble bumblebee’s need for drinking water. A need, no doubt, that has arisen as a result of prolonged droughts, loss of wetland habitats and loss of biodiversity. I was asked to incorporate a bee...
Keeping Kettle Island out of hot water
Volunteers clear debris from Kettle Island (Photo by NCC)
On a sunny Saturday morning in early fall this year, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) team prepared to meet 20 or so members of the community from the Ottawa River Valley area, who all had one thing in common: they all cared deeply about the...
Getting my hands dirty for conservation
Volunteers got their hands dirty for conservation (Photo by NCC)
I started volunteering with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) about a year and a half ago, after becoming overwhelmingly “itchy” at my office job. I had been working in the environmental field for the past 20 years but was, for...
What I discovered spending the day in an outside classroom
Smiling faces of the outdoor education students from Greenall High School in Balgonie, SK. (Photo by NCC)
Growing up in a rural town, I would love to say we all got out to see nature on a regular basis. However, with the draw of technology and the lure of multimedia, not many of us go out as much as we should. And these days, finding a habitat...
Restoring the dunes of James Island, BC
Volunteers at the Broom Bash event on James Island, BC (Photo by Ann MacDonald)
“Covenant,” from the French word "convenir," means to come together. And this fall, 11 of us did just that as Conservation Volunteers with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). We spent a sunbaked autumn day yanking gorse and Scotch...
If you wanna be happy, plant trees
Todd Farrell teaches volunteers how to plant trees at Happy Valley Forest, ON (Photo by Mimi Chan)
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time was in fall 2016.” ~ my take on a familiar proverb On this special day, I joined a group of dedicated Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) Conservation Volunteers at...
What makes burrowing owl volunteers hoot?
Burrowing Owls gaze at volunteers at Burrowing Owl Conservation Society Breeding Facility near Oliver, BC (Photo by Dianne Bersea)
It’s a cold, early March day when my friend and regular Burrowing Owl Conservation Society volunteer, Doreen Olson, asks me, “Why don’t you join me next time I’m feeding the burrowing owls?”The following Tuesday...
