A world without wetlands
Brighton Wetland, Eastern Lake Ontario Coast (Photo by David Coulson)
I live next to a swamp. After 20 years of having this swamp as my neighbour, it’s kind of grown on me. I enjoy the spring flush of marsh marigolds, the annual reawakening of spring peepers, and I still smile when I see a colourful wood duck...
Climate change, fire and their implications for species
Will forest fire hazard signs be over into the red more often because of climate change? (Photo by Aaron H Warren CC BY-ND 2.0)
The role of fire in forest ecosystems Forest fires are powerful and devastating. But they are also necessary for the rejuvenation of some ecosystems. Many plants are well adapted to fire. Some trees have dense bark or shed their lower limbs to...
Winter on the wet West Coast
Tow Hill, Haida Gwaii, BC (Photo by NCC)
When you picture winter, images of dripping mosses, lichens and ferns along with long, diffused yellow light rays dappling a lush vibrant green forest floor, combined with the playful cries of the bald eagle, may not be what come to mind. However,...
Dr. Crayfish, I presume?
Premek Hamr, PhD (a.k.a. Dr. Crayfish) (Photo courtesy of Premek Hamr, PhD)
At the Nature Conservancy of Canada's annual Ontario Region staff meeting last May, a few of us stepped outside to wander the shoreline of Lake Simcoe and admire the sunset. As we rooted around the rocky beach, I took a few photos of plants and...
The Nature Conservancy of Canada's mark in conservation history
J. Bruce Falls, Richard Pough, Aird Lewis and David Fowle. First exploratory meeting for the Nature Conservancy of Canada, 1961 (NCC archives)
Since 1962, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has worked to protect our country’s most important natural areas and the species they sustain. And to think it all started with a spirited group of naturalists in Toronto, Ontario, more than...
The boreal forests of Wilson Island
Wilson Island, ON (Photo by NCC)
It was time to do a deep dive into the boreal forests of Wilson Island, near the north shore of Lake Superior. The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) acquired these amazing 5,000 acres (2,023 hectares) in 2008, and it was time to conduct an...
Three lessons about nature from your old Christmas tree
Balsam fir Christmas tree pruning (Photo by Blake Wile/Wikimedia Commons)
People living in the Northern Hemisphere have brought trees and boughs into their homes during the winter for thousands of years. The evergreens that we decorate with during Christmas can represent a celebration of holidays and a reminder that...
Something’s fishy: Know your limit, fish within it
Ice fishing (CC0 1.0)
One of my favourite winter activities is bundling up and heading out to sit in front of a hole in the ice on a nearby lake for hours on end. While ice fishing isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, some of my most cherished memories are made...
Tiny beauties: Orchids on the Bruce
Broad-lipped twayblade (Photo by NCC)
As a former conservation technician intern at the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), I was lucky enough to see and learn a lot about nature and how to conserve it. When I worked for NCC, I had the opportunity to explore many different ecosystems...
Life on the tundra
Arctic poppy in the snow (Photo by Teva Harrison)
Icebergs. Polar bears. Frozen expanses of windy rock & snow. Scurvy-riddled explorers. Dogsleds... What do you picture when you think of the Arctic? A few summers ago, I had the opportunity to travel north by ship into the Northwest Passage...
