Connecting the rivers for our future
Stehelin property, NS (Photo by NCC)
After three years of data collection covering 600,000 kilometres of rivers and streams, and collaboration between two countries and four provinces, Josh Noseworthy, director of conservation science at the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC)...
Nature knows no borders: Why Canada–United States conservation matters
Green Mountains, QC (Photo by NCC)
Have you ever crossed the Canada–U.S. border by land? If so, you’ve probably noticed that the transition from one country to the other is almost seamless, not counting the mandatory stop at the customs office. I have vivid memories of...
Saving the bees: Plants to help our buzzing buddies
American bumble bee (Photo by K.S. Gardener/iNaturalist)
Humans have a very delicate relationship with bees. Despite their importance, many of us fail to understand just how much bees impact our daily lives — and how much we’re putting them at risk. Canada has over 850 native bee species,...
Our bird populations need your help
Peregrine falcon (Photo by Jacques Bouvier)
As summer emerges, Canadians are enjoying nicer weather and the sights and sounds that nature brings us. But bird songs, once a familiar sound, are become increasingly faint whether at the local park or in our own backyard. The 2019...
Common ground conservation
Downtown Vancouver (Photo by Adam Hunter/NCC staff)
We’re currently running one of the world’s biggest experiments. You’re part of it, and I’m part of it. For the first time in the history of modern humans, we’ve attempted to detach ourselves, and our children, from...
What do we save? How science and planning are evolving to help make critical conservation decisions
Participants of the Open Standards workshop led by the Conservation Coaches Network (Photo by NCC)
In a world that is rapidly losing wildlife and habitats, conservation has become a science of decision-making. We know there are many places and species in Canada that will not survive unless we take action to protect and restore them. Deciding...
The story behind the carapace platform
Snapping turtle crossing the road (Photo by Olivier Cameron-Trudel)
On World Turtle Day (May 23), I will kick off a third season of carapace.ca. Since its launch across Quebec in 2017, the popularity of this online tool, which allows citizens to report the presence of turtles on roads, has been growing. Every...
Think globally, conserve locally
Blanding's turtle (Photo by Gabrielle Fortin)
At the beginning of May, representatives of 132 governments around the world released a United Nations report that issues a stark warning: the accelerating deterioration of nature is jeopardizing humanity’s collective future. The report is...
Success under pressure: Helping landowners succeed with stewardship in southwestern Ontario
Acadian flycatcher (Photo by Bill Hubick)
The Carolinian ecoregion of Canada makes up one per cent of the country’s total land mass and is limited to southwestern Ontario. Many of the region’s 70 tree species — such as tuliptree, pawpaw and sycamore — are found...
Buzzing down the house: An update
Bumble bee (Photo by Amanda Liczner)
This is an update to a post I wrote last year. The data has now been analyzed, and the results are ready for sharing. We commonly hear that bees are in decline and that we need to save them because they are important pollinators of crops and...