4 mental health benefits of volunteering outside
Tree planting Conservation Volunteers event, Johnson's Mills, NB (Photo by NCC)
Research shows that spending time in nature benefits benefits us not only physically, but mentally. Just taking a walk in a forest can regulate blood pressure, lower the risk of illness, reduce stress and boost mental health. You may be surprised...
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...
Heard it from a Scout: The #Trashtag challenge: 5 essential steps for leading a community cleanup
Since 2002, Scouts across Canada have worked with their communities and the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup to remove over 5,300 kilograms of trash from shorelines. (Photo by Scouts Canada)
Community cleanups are one of the latest social media crazes, as the #Trashtag challenge takes the internet by storm. Individuals and communities around the world are banding together to clean up the environments where they reside. As the snow...
Taking the creep out of creeping Jenny
Conservation Volunteers at Westmeath Freshwater Cave tackling creeping Jenny (Photo by Cheryl Spotswood)
On July 26, 2018, 14 Conservation Volunteers (CV) journeyed to the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s Westmeath Freshwater Caves property, which is part of the longest underwater cave system in Canada, to remove creeping Jenny. The Westmeath...
Getting rid of the garlic
Invasive garlic mustard can take over forests, harming native understory species (Photo by NCC)
Garlic mustard might sound tasty, and it is, but it’s also an alien invader that the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is battling on Pelee Island in southwestern Ontario. Pelee Island is home to the elusive gray fox. NCC is working here...
I’m never leaving the Maitland!
Maitland River, ON (Photo by NCC)
Growing up in southwestern Ontario, I had heard tales of the Maitland River near Goderich, and Ontario’s west coast along Lake Huron. However, it wasn’t until I started working with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) that I began...
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...
Bringing communities together: The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup
Hauling foam, a buoy and other marine debris during a 2016 Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. (Photo courtesy of Rachel Schoeler)
As an avid open water swimmer, I learned to respect our waterways while fighting through the smack and splash of ocean waves during long training swims. I fell in love with our waterways during calm, quiet morning swims out on the lake. And I...
Getting your hands dirty: How to build a contemporary chickadee nest box
Black-capped chickadee (Photo by Bill Hubick)
Ever since I started working for the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), where I was exposed to the world of conservation science and communications, I grew fond of birds and wanted to share this newfound interest with my family. My dad was an...
Ten tips for finding a job in conservation
Volunteer measures tree root collar diameter with calliper. (Photo by NCC)
There’s a lot I love about my job at the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). Working on endangered species, landscape planning and protecting some of Canada’s most important habitats is not a bad way to spend the day. I also like...
