Driving Miss Hazel
Hazel Bird Nature Reserve, ON (Photo by NCC)
Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) staff like to say that science drives our conservation work. This is true, but sometimes while following the science, we stumble into something unexpected and truly amazing. Let me explain. Back about 20 years...
Something’s Fishy: Atlantic whitefish
Atlantic whitefish (Photo by Bob Semple)
In the cold waters of Nova Scotia’s Petite Rivière watershed swims a fish so elusive that, without action, it might never be seen again. Size and appearance This silvery-sided species, with its blueish-green back, is commonly...
A place that’s for the birds: Newfoundland and Labrador’s Codroy Valley is a haven for wildlife and a boon for bird lovers
Grand Codroy Estuary, NL at sunset (Photo by Mike Dembeck)
The saying “for the birds” is often used to state that something or somewhere has little worth or none at all. But when Claudelle Devoe says that the Grand Codroy Estuary in friendly Newfoundland and Labrador is for the birds, she...
Conserving carbon sinks: A natural solution to climate change
Darkwoods mountains, BC (Photo by Bruce Kirkby)
In the global effort to fight climate change, forests, wetlands and grasslands are more and more being recognized for their important role in absorbing greenhouse gas emissions (i.e., carbon dioxide) and storing carbon over the long term....
Maybe, sparrow, it's not too late
Song sparrow (Photo by Stuart Clarke)
Neko Case is one of my favourite songwriters. Not only is she brilliant and multi-talented and have a stunning voice, she is also a strong advocate for the rights of women, Indigenous Peoples and wildlife. I am also passionate about these three...
The challenge of beaver dams in Blanding's turtle habitat
Blanding's Turtle (Photo by NCC)
The beaver and the turtle: it sounds like a Jean de LaFontaine fable, but for my colleague Milaine Saumur, the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) project manager in the Outaouais, Quebec, it's a true story. A couple of months ago...
Antlers of the East: Tracking the decline of the Atlantic-Gaspésie caribou (part two)
Woodland caribou at the summit of Mont Jacques-Cartier, tallest among the Chic Choc Mountains of Gaspésie National Park, QC. (Photo by Zack Metcalfe)
In part one of Antlers of the East, I discussed the decline of the Atlantic-Gaspésie caribou. Here is part two. Stand against extinction Since 2008, the caribou of Gaspésie National Park have been under the thoughtful study of...
Something’s Fishy: Polar opposites
Polar bear mother and cub, Jones Sound, Nunavut (Photo by NCC)
Polar bears are the largest bear species and land carnivore in the world. They are found in the Arctic, where they scour sea ice and coasts for their next meal. Two-thirds of the global population of polar bears is found in Canada. The...
What ash trees and bumble bees are telling us
American bumble bee (Photo by K.S. Gardener/iNaturalist)
Black ash and American bumble bee are not species I thought we would ever need to save. When I started my studies in conservation over 25 years ago, bumble bees still seemed commonplace, and I thought of ash as a common tree that was great for...
Nature's medicine
Medicine wheel (Image by NCC. Icons designed by Freepik from Flaticon)
As a Kanien'keha:ka (Mohawk) woman, my connection to my culture and my community is as important to me as the water I drink and the air I breathe. I find my Indigenous roots in nature, where my identity is as deep in the land as the roots in the...
