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Sights of the sky: Stargazing and nighttime photography in Saskatchewan

Night sky above Old Man on His Back Prairie and Heritage Conservation Area, SK (Photo by Alan Dyer)

Night sky above Old Man on His Back Prairie and Heritage Conservation Area, SK (Photo by Alan Dyer)

When the sun sets on our prairie province, the night sky comes alive with some pretty magnificent sights. Despite my extremely limited knowledge of astronomy and stargazing, I often find myself gawking in wonder at evening skies. Luckily for me,...

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5 ways to celebrate a physically distanced Thanksgiving

A fall-themed pumpkin display (Photo by Anna Tukhfatullina, Pexels)

A fall-themed pumpkin display (Photo by Anna Tukhfatullina, Pexels)

The global pandemic has undoubtedly changed the ways we go about our everyday activities, especially how to interact with family and friends. These unusual times call for creative tweaks to how we celebrate the special days, like Thanksgiving....

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A throwback to working in Backus Woods

Forest canopy in Backus Woods, ON (Photo by Neil Ever Osborne)

Forest canopy in Backus Woods, ON (Photo by Neil Ever Osborne)

I had the pleasure of working for the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) for the summer of 2019 as a conservation technician out of the Norfolk County, Ontario, office. When I first came to Norfolk, I was expecting to see mostly farmland and...

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A thank you letter to NCC

Leigh Gustafson (Photo by Brendan Kelly Photography)

Leigh Gustafson (Photo by Brendan Kelly Photography)

For as long as I can remember, I have loved animals. I used to spend my spare time sprawled in the grass with a pencil in hand, drawing pictures of my favourite animals from my Dad’s Mammals of North America atlas. I incessantly dreamed of...

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Driving Miss Hazel

Hazel Bird Nature Reserve, ON (Photo by NCC)

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...

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A place that’s for the birds: Newfoundland and Labrador’s Codroy Valley is a haven for wildlife and a boon for bird lovers

Grand Codroy Estuary, NL at sunset (Photo by Mike Dembeck)

Grand Codroy Estuary, NL at sunset (Photo by Mike Dembeck)

The saying “for the birds” is often used to state that something or somewhere has little worth or none at all. But when Claudelle Devoe says that the Grand Codroy Estuary in friendly Newfoundland and Labrador is for the birds, she...

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Ecotourism in Canada

Ecotourism offers experiences for people to discover and enjoy natural habitats. (Photo by Galyna Andrushko)

Ecotourism offers experiences for people to discover and enjoy natural habitats. (Photo by Galyna Andrushko)

As climate change becomes more of a reality, people are beginning to reconsider the ways in which they travel. Ecotourism, as many travellers already know, is a type of tourism that offers experiences for people to discover and enjoy natural...

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The incredible migration at Johnson's Mills Shorebird Reserve

Semipalmated sandpiper (Photo by NCC)

Semipalmated sandpiper (Photo by NCC)

From late July to mid-August, the scene at the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) Johnson’s Mills Shorebird Reserve on the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick is awe-inspiring. There are days when as many as 140,000 semipalmated...

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