Conservation notes from another northern nation

Sparsely vegetated volcanic landscape east of Lake Myvatn, North Iceland, with geothermal steam in background (Photo by Paula Noel/NCC staff)
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to travel in Iceland this fall, a country that, despite its relatively mild climate, is situated further north than Iqaluit! Thanks to the warming influence of the Gulf Stream current, Iceland temperatures...
Canadian conservationists, worldwide

Joel White (Photo by Bertil Kinnby)
We nature lovers get many opportunities to support our environment on home turf and abroad. During my research at a marine biology conference in Plymouth, U.K., I met Joel White (30), a native of British Columbia, who moved 6,440 kilometres away...
The flight of the monarch inspires an international relay run

Monarch (Photo by NCC)
This is the story of the Monarch Ultra: an international relay run involving 46 ultra runners who ran along the monarch’s migratory route from Peterborough, Ontario, to Macheros, Mexico, this past fall. I yearned to understand the...
Connecting the rivers for our future

Stehelin property, NS (Photo by NCC)
After three years of data collection covering 600,000 kilometres of rivers and streams, and collaboration between two countries and four provinces, Josh Noseworthy, director of conservation science at the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC)...
#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...
Nature knows no borders: Why Canada–United States conservation matters

Green Mountains, QC (Photo by NCC)
Have you ever crossed the Canada–U.S. border by land? If so, you’ve probably noticed that the transition from one country to the other is almost seamless, not counting the mandatory stop at the customs office. I have vivid memories of...
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...
Think globally, conserve locally

Blanding's turtle (Photo by Gabrielle Fortin)
At the beginning of May, representatives of 132 governments around the world released a United Nations report that issues a stark warning: the accelerating deterioration of nature is jeopardizing humanity’s collective future. The report is...
My bucket list adventure in the Galapagos Islands

Kristyn Ferguson in the Galapagos Islands (Photo by Jeff Verberne)
For many biologists, the Galapagos Islands are usually near the top of their list of places to see in this lifetime. On my bucket list they were annotated with an “!”. When my mentor and good friend James Duncan passed away suddenly in...
My time with Canada's nature

A leisurely walk with NCC colleagues (Photo by Clement Wong)
Canada is the place where I was born, but I moved to Hong Kong at a young age for the long-term. This summer, I had a valuable chance to come back to my hometown and volunteer with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) to help with stewardship...