5 ways to celebrate a physically distanced Thanksgiving
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....
The magic of nature
Denise Harris with her granddaughter (Photo by NCC)
When I first started going to my neighbourhood park, I often saw disturbing human behaviour; some from children as young as three. In the "School of Life," where my field-testing on educating others about our waterfowl neighbours initially failed,...
Ode to a nature commute – part 1, fall
Early fall along the Bow River (Photo by Gayle Roodman/NCC staff)
Living in a city of a million people means noise, traffic, concrete and a need to go, go, go, right? What if I told you it also means immersing yourself in urban nature? The mighty Bow River flows through Calgary, and city planners had their...
Lasagna garden
My dog, Kahlua, in her new backyard (Photo by Carys Richards/NCC staff)
This summer I purchased a house, and alongside the responsibility of being a first-time home owner came the excitement of having my own yard to create a garden in. When I took possession of the house, the backyard looked a lot like this: flat and...
A summer of reconnecting with nature
Toronto's Don Valley (Photo by Adam Hunter/NCC staff)
This past summer, Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) staff across the country were fortunate enough to receive two days to spend connecting with nature. Called Nature Days, these were meant to be used anytime between summer solstice (June 21) and...
Grandfather nature
My grandfather and I on a sailboat at the 2013 Hunter Family Reunion at Inver Huron Beach, ON (Photo courtesy of Adam Hunter/NCC staff)
I partly owe my love of nature to my grandfather. He likely developed his own fascination with nature from growing up on a farm in the historic Meadowvale Village in Mississauga, Ontario. When I was three years old, my grandfather moved into a...
Bring on the alternative lawns!
A cottontail among a red clover and black medic clover patch (Photo by Mike Dembeck)
Weeds: What are they? Unwanted, non-traditional turf? But what if there was something more to all those pesky patches of plants? For some, there’s nothing more satisfying than a healthy lawn full of lush, green grass. For others, like...
Keep Halifax Wild
Colpitt Lake inside the Halifax Wilderness Park (Photo by Adam Cornick)
The international City Nature Challenge was bigger than ever this year, pitting 159 urban centres in a competition to identify the most diversity of living things, from New York to Hong Kong, Athens to Cape Town. This year was particularly...
Go wild for wildlife
Short-eared owl (Photo by Tony Campbell)
March 3 is World Wildlife Day, an annual event started by the United Nations General Assembly in 2013 to help raise awareness and encourage the celebration of our planet’s wildlife. In honour of this occasion, here are some ideas for...
A city for nature lovers
Downtown Vancouver (Photo by Adam Hunter/NCC staff)
Last September I travelled to Vancouver, BC. It was my first time on Canada’s West Coast, and I was really impressed. While I enjoyed exploring the city itself, it was the nature activities that really stood out for me. Stanley...
