Collaborating with Indigenous communities for land conservation
Learning the Land brings educational projects and initiatives to schools and communities on Treaty 4 lands. (Photo by NCC)
Five years ago, in her work as the director of conservation for the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) Saskatchewan Region, Jennifer McKillop had conversations with the Treaty Four Educational Alliance (T4EA) in order to start a...
Getting a fresh perspective
Fresh Perspectives photo exhibit at 10C in Guelph, ON (Photo by NCC)
Pictures can capture the beauty of the world around us, evoke memories and feelings, and allow us to see nature in a different way. If taking and seeing photos of nature can do this for adults, imagine what it can do for children. Encouraging...
In the absence of nature
Child playing in nature (Photo by Cathy Shaluk)
I've become very familiar with the concept of cabin fever while at university. It is the week of final exams and I have studied for days, either at the library or at my dorm. Sitting among all the papers and study notes, I begin to feel antsy...
Common ground conservation
Downtown Vancouver (Photo by Adam Hunter/NCC staff)
We’re currently running one of the world’s biggest experiments. You’re part of it, and I’m part of it. For the first time in the history of modern humans, we’ve attempted to detach ourselves, and our children, from...
Have no fear: Rational thinking is here
Milk snake (Photo by Jenna Siu/NCC staff)
I was recently hanging out with my four-year-old niece and talking about different animals. She asked me, “What’s your favourite animal?” I replied, “Butterflies and snakes.” At the word snakes, I could see her squirm...
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...
Innovative learning experiences are putting the art back in science
The Herbarium Project, 2017, Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver, BC (Photo by Four Eyes Portraits)
If you’ve heard the terms “science art” or “sciart,” you’re probably familiar with the idea of using visual art to represent, explain or bring attention to some aspect of science. The wonderful realm of science...
Heard it from a Scout: Discovering the winter night sky
Discover the winter night sky (Photo by Steve Owst CC0)
One of my most relevant memories during my Scouting years happened at a winter camp in E. C. Manning Provincial Park in BC on a frigid February night. Our patrol was made up of a group of eight Scouts, between 11 and 13 years old, camping in a...
Heard it from a Scout: Turning over a new leaf for forest conservation
Where better to start contributing to forest conservation than within the Scouting community, where youth strive to enjoy, explore and protect nature every day? (Photo by Scouts Canada)
What would a tire swing be without a branch to hang from? How about a summer picnic with no shade, or summer adventuring without camping in comforting forests? Scouts and nature lovers alike understand the feeling of calm and sense of home within...
Heard it from a Scout: How we can take a LEAP for the environment
Hiking allows you to explore nature and get moving! (Photo courtesy Scouts Canada)
No matter who we are, where we live or what we do, we interact with the environment daily. For children, nature is often a playground. For some adults, it can be a place of silent refuge. Regardless of one’s relationship with the outdoors,...
