The magic of nature
Denise Harris with her granddaughter (Photo by NCC)
When I first started going to my neighbourhood park, I often saw disturbing human behaviour; some from children as young as three. In the "School of Life," where my field-testing on educating others about our waterfowl neighbours initially failed,...
Life as an intern with the Nature Conservancy of Canada
Before the summer ended and we went our separate ways, I caught up with my fellow interns to get an idea of what they do when they leave the office. (Photo by NCC)
As the former communications intern for the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) Saskatchewan Region, I spent most of my summer at my desk, while our five other interns spent most of their time in the field. Before the summer ended...
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...
Why you should send your kids to nature's summer school
People spending time in nature (Photo by Joe McFarlane/iStock)
Ahh, summer. A break from backpacks and lunches, homework and bedtime fights. But under the relief, there is a niggling thought about how Jack/Jane will spend their summer, and about how ready they will be for school in September. How about...
Saving wonder
One of my most treasured photos of my kids discovering a turtle when they were little (Photo by Dan Kraus/NCC staff)
“I caught a turtle!” The call rang out repeatedly over the lake near Algonquin Park, where my family has a cottage. It was early, my teenage boys were still in bed, when the turtle-catching alarm came. It was from across the lake, in a...
Naturalists notice nature - even in winter
There may be a lot more happening than meets the eye in the dead of winter (Photo by Dispatches from the Field)
For some, it is easy during cold, snowy days (when it’s supposed to be spring!) to curl up with a cozy blanket, a good book, and a hot cup of tea. But where does the wildlife go at this time of year? Sure, some animals migrate to where it is...
How to camp with a baby/toddler (relatively) stress-free?
Camping with young ones doesn't have to be stressful (Photo by Quincin Chan/NCC)
Camping is many Canadian's favourite pastime in the summer. What's better than falling asleep under the Milky Way and waking up to the sound of chirping birds and the wind in swaying trees? Once there’s a baby in the picture, however, the...
Why our pedestrian trails are more important than ever
Trail building with the cubs (Photo by Bill Wilson)
I believe that pedestrian hiking trails are more important for the welfare of our communities than ever before. I’d like to elaborate on why this is so. I’d also like to express why it so very important for more volunteers to support...
Giving children a good night's sleep
Sleeping Children Around the World Canada (Photo courtesy of SCAW)
For many organizations, and here at the Nature Conservancy of Canada (well, until this year, when we changed our year-end by a month), December marks not only calendar year end but also end of Q2 and I bet you know what that means —...
Why should we care about Nature Deficit Disorder?
Looking for wild things at the lake (Photo by Erica Thompson/NCC staff)
I’ve been spending time outdoors for as long as I can remember, but I can’t begin to imagine what this world would be like without nature. As I grew up I began to appreciate how good I had it — living in a great city like...
