Mopping up Mortlach with MEC
Volunteers Jeffrey Price and Dylan Gross roll wire and clear the fence line at NCC's Mortlach Conservation Volunteer event, Fall 2014. (Photo by NCC)
The purchase of the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) property near Mortlach, Saskatchewan was partly funded by a donation from the Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC). As a member of MEC since the mid-1970s, I wanted to help "mop up" the Mortlach...
Land lines on Old Man on his Back
Evening sky at Old Man on His Back Ranch, SK (Photo by Branimir Gjetvaj)
I was walking with fellow volunteers and Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) staff members when someone — I can’t remember who — shouted, “car!” It was an inspired bit of irony, because while my mind was immediately...
Sustainability is the new buzzword
Conservation Volunteers cleanup event at the Crowsnest Pass, AB (Photo by NCC)
Sustainability is the new buzzword. You see it everywhere: everything that aims to be green is "sustainable" or "sustainably produced" nowadays. But what does this word, sustainability, mean? According to www.dictionary.com, sustainability is...
Why not count some butterflies?
Identifying species at a CV butterfly count in Waterton (Photo by NCC)
This summer, my 12-year-old son Benny and I enjoyed helping out with two butterfly themed events for Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) in Alberta; one at the Ghost Horse Hills, and the other at the Weston Family and Bruder properties along the...
The perfection of the morning at Old Man on His Back
Kailey Setter visits Old Man on his Back, Saskatchewan (Photo by NCC)
There is a peace that finds you on the open prairie. In that vast openness, worry and stress diffuse into the air around you, and your body regains equilibrium. On this unexpectedly wild landscape filled with native grasses and endless sky, there...
Tatlayoko forever! The Tatlayoko Lake Bird Observatory opens for a ninth season
White-winged crossbills, Tatlayoko Lake Bird Observatory, British Columbia (Photo by Steve Ogle)
Although trained as a vegetation ecologist, I have been interested in birds and birdwatching for many years. To my delight, in 2006 I was asked to design a monitoring program for migratory birds at the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC's)...
Encountering Waterton
Butterfly count at the Waterton Springs campground (Photo by NCC)
During my travels, I’ve seen a variety of mountains: the ancient remains of volcanic peaks in Tasmania, the coastal slopes of the Sierra Nevada range in southern Spain, the aptly-named Remarkables of New Zealand. I know that not all...
A dandy way to bite back for conservation!
Maggie Cascadden making invasive species appetizers (Photo by Katie Cascadden)
The Nature Conservancy of Canada spends hours pulling weeds across the country each year. This past Saturday, Alberta Region Conservation Volunteers were given the opportunity to bite back! Since 2006, Conservation Volunteers have gone to the...
When the walls came down
Volunteers at the Bears in Mind event help bring down an old structure on NCC property (Photo by NCC)
As I journeyed south on Highway 2 to participate in the Bear(s) in Mind Conservation Volunteers (CV) event, I pondered the cloudy skies hanging low over the mountains. Was this to be a cold and soggy day or would our historical luck for nice...
Conservation Volunteers promoting conservation values...with their taste buds!
Barney Reeves and Joan Holzmann enjoy lunch while overlooking Pine Ridge (Photo by NCC)
In Alberta, Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) volunteers join forces with the Conservation Volunteers team to do projects all over the province. When volunteers come, we are always sure to feed them well-deserved snacks. Until this year, we...
