Sharing a quiet forest with a Canada lynx
Canada lynx (Photo by Mike Dembeck)
Sitting for hours inside a cramped, cold blind waiting for wildlife doesn't sound exciting — but it is. Being able to observe animals in their natural surroundings isn't just a thrill, it's a passion, and one that doesn't come easy and is...
Little fairy ponds
Stream flowing through the site near Porter's Lake, NS (Photo by Sally Hilton/NCC staff)
There is never a dull moment at the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). While some staff venture into the field looking for species and monitoring various habitats, others contribute to the action from afar. Everyone has an important role to play...
Black ash, beetles and beavers
Kayla, Olivia and Jen caging a black ash tree (Photo by Julia Ball/NCC)
By Julia Ball, Kayla Fisher and Olivia Lymburner Three of us, Julia Ball, Kayla Fisher and Olivia Lymburner, had the pleasure of being conservation interns with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) in Newfoundland and Labrador during the summer...
Fifty years ago
Abraham Lake Nature Reserve, NS (Photo by Len Wagg)
Fifty years ago, as a junior forester, I was introduced to “Big Red.” Towering above the other red spruce trees in a classic example of old-growth Wabanaki (Acadian) forest, Big Red was located near the trailhead of the Nature...
Surviving the storm: What happens after the trees come down?
Downed trees in Gillies Grove after the freezing rain thunderstorm in spring 2023 (Photo by NCC)
Whenever we experience a big storm in eastern Ontario, my thoughts turn to the Gillies Grove Nature Reserve. Home to some of the last remaining old-growth forest in eastern Ontario, this Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) project is considered...
Healthy forests are gifts that keep on giving
A forested path (Photo by Mariam Qureshi)
Have you ever been in the forest and felt a sense of peace? If so, then you know the importance of the forest to human health. But the forest is more than just a place to get away from it all; it is a vital ecosystem. A healthy forest provides...
Tree girdling
Scotch pine girdling (Photo by Chirathi Wijekulathilake/NCC staff)
I am a conservation intern at the Nature Conservancy Canada (NCC) in Newfoundland and Labrador, and in this role I often have family and friends asking me what NCC is, what their role is in the conservation community, and most commonly, what my...
It takes an aspen to make a forest
Aspen Parkland in the fall, Saskatchewan (Photo by Don and Karol Dabbs)
They say it takes a village to raise a child, but what if the child and the village were one in the same? This hypothetical “village” makes its home in forests as the most widespread tree in North America. And while on the surface it...
Deep in a thousand-hectare woods: Protecting the magic of Happy Valley Forest
Aerial view of Happy Valley Forest, ON (Photo by Mike Dembeck)
One day it rained red in Happy Valley Forest, and I was there to see it. This was not the red rain of cast-off maple leaves in the fall. This rain painted the tree branches in the spring. And I have witnesses. This is how it went down. It was...
Being happy volunteering in Happy Valley Forest
Squeaky clean signboard at Happy Valley Forest (Photo by Yoke Wong)
In April 2019, my Tiles and Trails hiking group leader, Daisy, asked if any members would be interested in doing trail maintenance at a nearby nature reserve. I had done trail cleanups in the past, so trail maintenance was a natural fit. Plus, it...
