#NatureForAll... Forever
Exploring Musquash Estuary (photo by Mike Dembeck)
On International Day of Friendship, July 30, 2019, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is celebrating its involvement with #NatureForAll, a global initiative encouraging people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to connect with nature. NCC...
Citizen science: Conserving nature and communities for mutual benefit
Twenty-four people came out to NCC's Dundurn property in Saskatchewan to learn about citizen science and land conservation. (Photo by NCC)
If you see a group of hikers with their eyes glued to their phones, do not despair. They are likely just using the citizen science app iNaturalist to identify species; you can literally smell the roses and then use an app to find out what kind of...
10 ways to enjoy the great outdoors this summer
Nodwell, AB (Photo by R. Berdan)
Summer is the perfect time to get out and explore all that nature has to offer. Whether it's a hike on a sunny day or curling up with a book or documentary about nature when the rain rolls in, immerse yourself in nature no matter the weather or...
Connecting to the land through conservation
We spent the morning walking NCC’s Ursulan property. (Photo by NCC)
On my first field day with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), I was expecting a rigorous day of mapping, tracking and other GPS functions I don’t understand. Instead, I found myself birdwatching my way around a beautiful piece of NCC...
Volunteering abroad for nature
Clearing reed bed vegetation (Photo courtesy of Megan Quinn/NCC staff)
I don’t vacation very well. The problem with loving my job as a conservation biologist is that I have a hard time taking a holiday (and even when I do, I usually keep an eye on my work email inbox). So when I had the volunteer opportunity to...
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...
Healthy by nature: Getting outside for the benefit of nature and ourselves
The personal experiences we have with nature help us form a lifelong connection to the environment. (Photo by NCC)
We’ve all been there and felt the negative effects of stress. With the pace of the world today, stress is a familiar companion for many of us. Though stress is a normal physical reaction, it can have negative effects on your health,...
Skis with wolves
Cross-country skiing in search of wolf tracks on the Kenauk property (Photo by Jaimie Vincent)
What do you get when you combine a picturesque winter forest landscape, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and wolf surveying? A dream trip is what I would have said just a few weeks ago. The answer, however, is a very real adventure that I...
