Canada in bloom: Rare treasures of Strathcona Provincial Park
Western columbine from Strathcona Provincial Park (Photo by mspringle, iNaturalist, CC BY-NC 4.0)
As a keen hiker, I spend much of my time gazing in wonder at some of the incredible views on offer across Canada’s magnificent hiking trails. From the awe-inspiring, snow-capped peaks of the Rockies, to the rugged coastline of western BC, it...
A journey through Alaska’s breathtaking landscapes
Justine standing on the rocky side of Meade Glacier (Photo courtesy of Justine Coutu)
Right after the end of my communications internship at the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), I had the pleasure of embarking on a 12-day journey through Alaska. We travelled by land and sea, everyday discovering more and more of the...
Well conserved: Six Canadian national parks worth visiting
Riding Mountain National Park, MB (Photo by Mike Bender)
Canada is an incredibly picturesque country, with vast swaths of wilderness and epic national parks. Canada's parks are some of the best places to experience and connect with nature. From coast to coast, there are parks with turquoise glacial...
Dive into Grand Cayman's pristine waters
Me diving in Grand Cayman (Photo by Rick Lambert)
In April, I went on a week-long scuba diving trip to Grand Cayman with 12 other members of a Toronto-based scuba diving club I belong to. While I had been diving in the Caribbean Sea several times before this trip, this was my first time doing it...
Backpack Essentials: Head outdoors like a field scientist
Backpack Essentials (Image by NCC)
This blog post is part of the Backpack Essentials series, a series that explores the items that NCC staff carry with them when heading outside. It is inspired by the quarterly Nature Conservancy of Canada Magazine and our Nature Destinations...
Alvar explorations of a wandering biologist (part two)
Esme on the alvar in Malham Cove, U.K. (Photo by Esme Batten/NCC staff)
In part one, I explained what alvars are, where they occur and their importance. Now, I talk about my alvar explorations in the U.K. On Boxing Day in 2018, I set off early in the morning from Cornwall, in the southwest end of the U.K., to drive...
Ecotourism in Canada
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...
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...
Five of nature's most fascinating families
Pod of orcas (Photo by Robin Agrarwhal CC BY-NC)
If you thought human families were the only relatives with complex relationships, think again. In honour of Family Day, check out some of the animal kingdom’s fascinating families below: Orcas Orcas (also known as killer whales) are...
Digging deep into Groundhog Day
Groundhog (Photo by Cephas/Wikimedia Commons)
Groundhog Day is a tradition that has always been dear to my heart, probably because it also falls on my birthday. Even though I’m not a groundhog, my family and friends used to tease me by saying that if I didn’t see my shadow on my...
