It’s a wall! It’s a fence! No, wait, it’s a conservation tool!
Wildlife friendly fence. You can see where the fence bisected a cattle trail, and will change how cattle move across that piece of land. (Photo by NCC)
There could be a joke that starts like this: a wildlife biologist and a rancher stand looking at a fence.... If you’re familiar with all the ways biologists and ranchers push and pull over what types of infrastructure developments are...
A great island in a Great Lake
Batchewana Island, ON (Photo by Gary McGuffin)
Like so many residents of Sault Ste. Marie, Lake Superior cottagers and travellers on the Trans-Canada Highway, Batchewana Island floats on the horizon of my summertime memories. I remember childhood picnics with my grandparents at Batchawana Bay...
How AI can benefit conservation
The Where to Work tool that allows users to set priorities on parameters such as (biodiversity, climate and ecosystem services) and receive a visualization of potential areas that is suitable for the goals we want to achieve.(Screenshot courtesy of NCC and Carleton University)
AI, or artificial intelligence, is in the news a lot lately. The stories range from very positive to doom and gloom. With all the talk about AI these days you might wonder, does AI play a role in the work that the Nature Conservancy of Canada...
Birding for beginners
Child with binoculars (Public Domain)
I wouldn’t consider myself a birder, but I am one of the many people who started getting more tuned into the nature around me when the pandemic started. Working from home and making a habit of taking walks around my neighbourhood has made me...
Sparrows, sparrows, everywhere!
Harris's sparrow (Photo by Mhairi McFarlane/NCC staff)
I must admit to having a bit of a soft spot for sparrows. Often overlooked by people, and underappreciated by many, written off as “just” sparrows by birders, or “just” a brown bird by people in general, I think they do...
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...
Native plants look different across Canada
My garden has come a long way in two years! (Photo by Jaimee Morozoff/NCC staff)
As my colleague Wendy mentioned in her blog post, native plant gardening is full of trials and tribulations. Depending on where you live in Canada, sometimes the “typical” native plant looks quite different. Across the Prairie...
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...
Happy Pi Day! The importance of 3.14 in nature
Pi pie (Photo by Wikimedia Commons, Paul Smith)
March 14: it has many of us sharing photos of pies, Π and pies with Π on them. But our fascination with the number 3.14 goes beyond a good excuse to eat baked goods. The mystery and wonder of pi is evident everywhere around us, including in...
Close encounter with a barred owl
Barred owl at night (Photo by Quincin Chan/NCC staff)
This blog was written by Damien Cheung (with the help of his mom, Quincin Chan). I went to Arrowhead Provincial Park in Ontario for the Fire and Ice Night event with my family on a weekend in January and stayed in a cabin in the park. We had...
