Category Archive for ‘News’

This blog post was contributed by Nature Canada guest blogger Sherry Nigro. The benefits of spending time in nature are endless. Daily contact with nature has a positive impact on our social, psychological and physical health, and is an important factor to keep us connected to our natural environment. In the last few decades humans have become more sedentary, and less inclined to spend time in nature. This is causing a disconnect with nature, and with our own well-being. This week, to celebrate Mental Health Week in Canada, we are discussing the impact of nature on your mental health. How nature affects mood The National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health reports that there are several pathways by which time in… read more →

Featuring Women for Nature member’s Janet Bax. Written by fellow Women for Nature member Sharolyn Mathieu Vettese.  Sharolyn: You have had a long illustrious career in both government and academia.  From what you’ve seen, do they work together or in tandem when it comes to protecting the environment? Janet: Academia and government have very different roles to play, but they’re equally important.  One of government’s primary roles is to develop programs and policies that work to create that economic well-being in the interest of the people. Academia advances the science and knowledge.  When I think of my career in government, we called on scientists to give us the underpinning for policies.  Working with home grown scientists, there was always a collaborative spirit. I… read more →

This blog was written by intern Gabriel Planas Why Feed Wild Birds? Spring can be a stressful time for migratory birds, after arriving from their wintering grounds it can be difficult to find the food and resources they need to survive. Many of the berries and seeds these birds depend upon for food will have been eaten over the winter and will not have begun to grow back yet. Furthermore, these birds will also be attempting to build nests, fight for territory, find a mate, and incubate their young. This is no small task due to natural bird habitats are being destroyed by urban and industrial development projects as well as climate change. Preparation While well-constructed bird feeders are not… read more →

This blog post was written by Jaime Clifton and provides the summary of the keys points of discussion during the latest Women for Nature E-Dialogue. Changing the Conversation and Nature Canada’s Women for Nature just led the final e-Dialogue from the Biodiversity Conversations: How important are the common loon and polar bear to Canadians series. Over the last 8 months, over 20 female researchers, practitioners, and civil society leaders explored local to global actions and strategies for biodiversity conservation. Since the series began in September 2017, several critical reports have been published. WWF’s 2017 Living Planet Report for Canada in 2017 disclosed that 50% of species in our country are in decline. The newly published 2018 State of the World’s… read more →

Published: May 5 2018 Price: $ 24.95 Authors: John Acorn, Alan Smith & Nicola Koper Published By: Greystone Books Written by Nature Canada’s writing intern, Gabriel Planas Best Places to Bird in the Prairies is a wonderful guide, aimed at getting the average Canadian out of their stuffy home and onto the bird populated trails of the prairies. Three of Canada’s most experienced and respected birders came together to give their two cents on the best places to go bird watching in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Each author outlines their favorite birding spots in the province in which they reside, providing a unique personal perspective on each location. Alongside these descriptions by the authors are guides to properly find and… read more →

One of my best wilderness experiences happened on a rafting trip on the Firth River in northern Yukon in June 2006.  One day, a good part of the Porcupine caribou herd—we counted 10,000–crossed the flooding river and trotted past our camp on their way north to calving grounds on the coastal plain of Alaska’s Arctic Refuge. Now U.S. President Donald Trump has recklessly decided to open up of the coastal plain to oil and gas development. The population of the Porcupine herd is still strong at 218,000 (unlike many other caribou herds across Canada), but the last thing they need is oil and gas development on their calving grounds. These caribou are extremely important as a food source and culturally… read more →

This post was written by guest blogger Tina-Louise Rossit. Canada is pretty lucky; we’re home to many animals that stay year-round annnnd we’re also a perfect summer home for a number of species! Around springtime, Canadians get to enjoy seeing spectacular birds, mammals and fish that migrate to Canada for summer. Some animals have pretty neat characteristics that set them apart. Sometimes it’s a funny appearance, other times it’s a unique behaviour, but there’s always an interesting evolutionary history. Learning about them makes us appreciate how fantastic wildlife actually is! Today’s honourary species is a fan favourite for bird watchers; hummingbirds! Have you ever noticed you can’t really focus on their wings, even if you take a photograph? Ever wonder,… read more →

“Environment and Climate Change Canada has failed to provide national leadership to conserve Canada’s biodiversity,” says Julie Gelfand, Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development. The Environment Commissioner’s Spring 2018 audit report focused on federal performance with respect to six of the nineteen so-called Aichi Targets developed in 2010 under the Convention for Biological Diversity. In her report, Gelfand said that “Environment and Climate Change Canada has focused its leadership efforts on attending international meetings on behalf of Canada.” “(T)he Department narrowly defined its role as Canada’s National Focal Point… “The Department’s priorities and efforts as National Focal Point did not include working with federal, provincial, and territorial partners to identify specific actions and initiatives required to achieve Canada’s biodiversity… read more →

This guest blog was contributed by the Lilly Paddlers, Jocelyn Dockerty and Ledah McKellar. Let’s have a look at a lot of our Outdoor Education programs. Who are your students? Are they diverse? Does your school intentionally try to provide outdoor education for a diverse cross section of their student populations? Or is it the other way? Are our outdoor education programs present simply to entice the typical outdoor education student? You know the one. They are comfortable outside. They have used a Leatherman before. You also have to remind them not to bring it to school. They climb rocks and stuff. Their parent(s) may provide recreational opportunities that include fishing, camping, hiking, or even a bonfire or two. But… read more →

This blog is written by Steve Gahbauer, who has been regularly contributing Nature Notes for many years. It is undeniable that climate change is one of the greatest problems that we are facing around the world. It is redrawing the boundaries of where plants, animals and living organisms can survive. The problem is that not only is the climate changing but that it is changing so fast. Nature always adapts, but can it do so quickly enough? The fast global warming creates a whole host of problems affecting birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, aquatic creatures, insects and plants in different ways. Roughly half of all animal species are on the move. The average range of poleward shift for land-based species has… read more →