Stories From the Field
-
Forests, wetlands and grasslands: The superheroes of flood control
Forests, wetlands and even grasslands help to slow down erosion, absorb water and provide a natural buffer to lakes and rivers. Read more »
-
How a hunt club became NCC’s newest conservation area
NCC is proud to be the new owner of the Flight Club marsh and part of a landscape-scale collaboration to ensure the Big Creek marshes continue to provide critical habitat for waterfowl and other species.Read more »
-
Salamanders of Pelee Island
Pelee Island is home to three species of salamander: red-spotted newt, small-mouthed salamander and blue-spotted salamander. It is also home to a unique population of unisexual (all-female) salamanders found nowhere else in Canada. Read more »
-
Blazing a path for butterflies
NCC staff completed their first prescribed burn in the Southern Norfolk Sand Plain this spring - part of a multi-year habitat management project funded by the Canada Nature Fund to restore grassland habitat for the endangered mottled duskywing.Read more »
-
Native gardening...delivered!
On Friday, May 22, 2020, International Day for Biological Diversity, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) and partners brought nature to families’ backyards in the Campbellford area through NCC’s Youth for Conservation project.Read more »
-
Discover the plants and animals of Pelee Island
Pelee is the largest in a series of islands known as the Western Lake Erie Islands, and provides habitat for many rare species at the far northern edge of their range. Here are just some of the many species that inhabit this special place.Read more »
-
Help bluebirds in your own backyard
Build your own, Hazel Bird-approved, bluebird nest box and learn more about this unique bird. Read more »
-
All’s fair in love and pollination
Learn how orchids are some of nature’s most accomplished tricksters.Read more »
-
Pelee Island is for the birds
In the warm, green-blue waters of Lake Erie, Ontario’s Pelee Island is a haven for hundreds of species of migratory birds. NCC welcomes you to discover what we are doing to protect this special place, and to come visit. Read more »
-
Flats for fish: Building habitat on the Mad River
This July,15 intrepid NCC Conservation Volunteers, staff and interns embarked on a three-day adventure to build some much-needed fish apartments on the Mad River.Read more »
-
Restoring nature’s kidneys
Wetlands are among the most productive and important ecosystems on Earth. They provide habitat for wildlife, act as nurseries for fish, reduce flooding and clean our water. But over the last century, many wetlands across Ontario have been lost due to human activity.Read more »
-
A day in the field, courtesy of Parkbus
Thirty-three eager and enthusiastic volunteers from Toronto, via Parkbus, helped NCC plant prairie grasses and wildflowers to assist with our restoration efforts on the Hazel Bird Nature Reserve.Read more »
-
The Bats of Happy Valley Forest and Pottageville Swamp
Bats are an important part of the ecosystem. Ontario has eight species of bats that depend on mature forests, wetlands and a healthy insect population.Read more »
-
Celebrating the birds
This May, NCC hosted its second Hazel Bird Day on the Rice Lake Plains.Read more »
-
Monitoring for myotis in Happy Valley Forest
Throughout the past summer, NCC and the Toronto Zoo have been recording the echolocation calls of bats on and around NCC’s conservation lands in Happy Valley Forest.Read more »
-
The conservation success of an unsung holiday hero
The shining star of Thanksgiving spreads, this native North American gobbler wasn’t always in abundance. Read more »
-
Episode Four: The Home of the Butcher Bird
This is the story of a globally rare ecosystem discovered by chance – and why it matters.Read more »
-
Saving the shrikes
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has announced the protection of 31 hectares (78 acres) of key eastern loggerhead shrike habitat north of Napanee.Read more »
-
Bringing back the butterflies
By removing invasive species, reintroducing regular disturbances, such as prescribed burns, and planting native grassland species, NCC is working hard to get the butterflies back on the Rice Lake Plains.Read more »
-
Treasure hunting in the Minesing Wetlands
On a warm, sunny July morning, armed with field guides, nets and plenty of sunscreen, 20 volunteers and dragonfly experts descended on the Minesing Wetlands, 12 kilometres outside of Barrie, Ontario, in search of a rare gem – the elusive and at-risk Hine’s emerald dragonfly. Read more »
