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This blog was written by Alexa Pezoulas, a practicum student from Carleton University, department of Environmental Studies. Each Wildlife Wednesday blog will focus on a different species at risk. The Burrowing Owl is unlike most other owls. It lives in burrows underground, is active during the day, the female is smaller than the male, and its favourite foods are insects. This owl is drably coloured, with a mix of brown, white and beige spotting. To protect the female and the young, the male typically remains outside of the burrow to keep watch, standing upright on his long thin legs, so that he can see further. The Burrowing Owl can stand a whopping, 23-28cm tall! When threatened, the Burrowing Owl makes a… read more →
This blog was written by Alexa Pezoulas, a practicum student from Carleton University, department of Environmental Studies. Ever wonder how life is in the deep blue sea? What lives among coral reefs, undersea mountains and volcanos, grooves and caves? What the differences are between freshwater and saltwater biodiversity? What’s the biggest species? The fiercest? The weirdest? Well, we wondered too; and thus, let’s go Swimming with Species to find out all about animals that lurk in the waters around Canada! Today’s species is the Sei Whale! The Sei Whale gets its name from the Norwegian word, “seje” which means Pollack. It is fitting seeing as how the Sei whale is often found with the Pollack in Norway. The Sei whale is found… read more →
This blog was written by Alexa Pezoulas, a practicum student from Carleton University, department of Environmental Studies. Ever wonder how life is in the deep blue sea? What lives among coral reefs, undersea mountains and volcanos, grooves and caves? What the differences are between freshwater and saltwater biodiversity? What’s the biggest species? The fiercest? The weirdest? Well, we wondered too; and thus, let’s go Swimming with Species to find out all about animals that lurk in the waters around Canada! Today’s species is the Porbeagle Shark! The Porbeagle shark is found in open seas in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. In the North Atlantic, if you are anywhere from Newfoundland to New Jersey to Greenland and Russia, you might have the opportunity… read more →
This blog was written by Alexa Pezoulas, a practicum student from Carleton University, department of Environmental Studies. Every Wildlife Wednesday blog will focus on a different species at risk. Called ‘rock rabbit’, ‘whistling hare’ and ‘coonies’ by naturalists, this collared pika greatly resembles a small rabbit, but one with very short ears and small limbs. The Collared Pika is small (15-20cm in length) with a chubby body and rounded ears. It has grey fur, a bobbed tail and long whiskers. They get their common name, Collared Pika, from the distinctive patch on the nape of their neck, which looks like a collar! The Collared Pika weights approximately 160g, which is less than 1 pound! Pikas do not hibernate, so they… read more →
This blog was written by Alexa Pezoulas who is a practicum student from Carleton University, department of Environmental Studies. Ever wonder about unusual creatures? What’s it like to be cold-blooded? Or to breathe with your skin? Ever think about what it’s like to have scaly skin and no limbs? What about hoping versus walking? Or having a shell on your back? What’s the smartest species? The cutest? The strangest? Well, we wondered too; and thus, let’s go Herping Around in Canada and learn about snakes, lizards, toads, frogs, and turtles! Today’s species is the Blanding’s Turtle! Is that an army helmet laying on the ground? NO! It’s a Blanding’s Turtle! The shell of a Blanding’s Turtle is medium-sized, dome-like and resembles… read more →
Nature Canada is pleased to support Take Me Outside Day, an initiative that encourages educators and schools across Canada to extend its classroom outdoors and provide opportunities for students to explore and learn in an outdoor setting. It is a day to highlight the importance of spending time outside, being physically active and connecting with nature. On October 24th, teachers are encouraged to commit to taking students outside for at least an hour to engage in fun and creative activities. It can be as simple as extending recess, to spending the morning playing games and exploring in the schoolyard. Take Me Outside has developed a list of ideas and activities teachers can do with their students on their website. This… read more →
This blog was written by Andrea Lesperance, who is currently an articling student at Nature Canada. The National Energy Board has done right in deciding to consider impacts of marine shipping on marine birds in its reconsideration of the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion. As previously announced, Nature Canada and Nature BC, represented by Pacific Center for Environmental Law and Litigation, are intervening in the NEB’s reconsideration hearings. In our latest submission to the NEB, we argued that it must consider impacts to aquatic birds. Recently, the NEB issued a series of decisions regarding the hearing process for the Trans Mountain Pipeline reconsideration. The NEB’s decision related to (1) marine birds; (2) cross-examination; (3) “project” boundaries; and (4) broader consideration of… read more →
This blog was written by Andrea Lesperance, who is an articling student at Nature Canada. On October 3rd 2018, I attended the Special Advance Screening of Sharkwater Extinction – an action-packed journey following late filmmaker Rob Stewart across four continents in his attempt to investigate the illegal shark fin industry that is leading to the global extinction of sharks. This movie is a beautiful tribute to Rob Stewart and his tireless efforts to conserve sharks. The imagery engaged is stunningly gorgeous – it draws you into the mysterious aquatic world and evokes compassion for the world’s oldest creatures. The film is heart-wrenching as it tells the story of violence inflicted upon sharks daily. Sharkwater Extinction highlights the fact that over… read more →
This blog was written by Andrea Lesperance, who is an articling student at Nature Canada. Nature Canada and BC Nature are intervening on the National Energy Board’s reconsideration of the TMX Expansion to ensure a proper assessment of oil tanker impacts from the Trans Mountain Expansion Project – one which considers risk to marine bird species. The Trans Mountain project would increase Edmonton to Vancouver pipeline capacity from 300,000 to 890,000 barrels per day, and result in oil tanks moving almost daily through the Salish Sea past critical Important Bird Areas such as Boundary Bay. Increasing oil tanker traffic with Trans Mountain bitumen in the Salish Sea, with its powerful winter storms and narrow curving channels, will increase the risk… read more →
Congratulations to the Deh Cho First Nation and federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna on their declaration of Edéhzhíe, a 14,250-square-kilometre plateau as an Indigenous Protected Area on October 11. Located west of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories, Edéhzhíe covers an area twice the size of Banff National Park with boreal forests and wetlands, and wildlife that includes caribou, moose, wolves and myriad songbirds. It also contains a portion of Mills Lake, which is a key habitat for various migratory birds, including 12 per cent of Canada’s eastern population of Tundra swans. Edéhzhíe has been a place of cultural and spiritual significance for Indigenous people for generations, and likely for millennia. Natural resource development will not be allowed in the Indigenous… read more →
