Top 10 backpack essentials for any nature lover
Hiking gear (CC0 Public Domain)
Nature enthusiasts know there is nothing better than experiencing all of the sights, sounds and smells that nature has to offer. With an abundant variety of beautiful landscapes in Canada, it’s no wonder the great outdoors call to...
Pointe Saint-Pierre: A site of natural splendour and heritage
Pointe Saint-Pierre, QC (Photo by NCC)
With four months off between two university semesters, I had a decision to make: Would I work, or would I travel? I looked for work away from the Quebec City centre, and the best of both worlds offered itself to me. I could actually work and...
Fifty shades of green
Croatian coast (Photo by Gayle Roodman/NCC staff)
“Holy smokes, this is stunning!” I exclaimed for the umpteenth time. “This is not at all what I was expecting.” I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting when my husband and I embarked on our self-supported two-week...
One million steps: A hike to honour the legacy of conservation (Part two)
Snow-covered trail sign at Hockley Valley, ON (Photo by Dan Kraus/NCC staff)
Hiking north, we crossed the height of land that defines the watershed between Lake Ontario and Lake Huron. This landscape includes Hockley Valley and Mono Cliffs, provincial parks I had only rarely visited in the past. Over a century ago, much of...
One million steps: A hike to honour the legacy of conservation (Part one)
Rockway Conservation Area, a conservation area that NCC helped the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority protect in the 1970s. (Photo by Chris Knaggs)
I’ve been working at my dream job at the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) for 15 years. In addition to the deep satisfaction of lasting conservation impacts, NCC is also a great place to work. One of the opportunities NCC provides is that...
Cruising for birds
Our 14-deck mammoth cruise ship ― Costa Pacifica (Photo by Rob Alvo)
If you want to see many species of birds, you will undoubtedly be faced with a choice: visit only one or two sites to maximize the chances of seeing what is present, or visiting many sites to maximize the number of species that don’t require...
Your winter getaway is a lot closer than you may think
Ancient cottonwoods (Photo by Steve Ogle)
Who says you can only enjoy nature when the snow has melted? There’s nothing like breathing in the crisp, fresh air on a winter nature hike as you take in the sights and sounds of wildlife around you while braving the cold. I love hearing...
Tips on how to squeeze in time for nature
Skating at –41 C (Photo by Gayle Roodman/NCC staff)
We all lead busy lives, full of work and family commitments, errands and to-do lists that, over the course of a day, seem to magically grow longer. It’s easy to become consumed by it all, but there’s nothing like a little nature to...
Where rivers and concrete meet the tall grass prairie
The Forks Prairie Garden, MB. (Photo by NCC)
I am an urban dweller. Sounds like an ugly confession, but it’s really not. It’s a just a different way of experiencing my natural world on a daily basis. Although I spent many years growing up in rural Manitoba and I still spend...
Students on Ice: Q&A with NCC President and CEO, John Lounds
John Lounds at Sirmilik National Park (Photo by NCC)
Earlier this month, John Lounds, the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) president and CEO, set sail from Resolute Bay, Nunavut, to explore the Arctic with Students on Ice. As this is a place that very few Canadians have had the...
