Category Archive for ‘News’

This blog post was written by Julie Lopez, the Digital Campaign Organizer at Nature Canada. Jenny Jachtorowicz is a second year student at Carleton University, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Forensic Psychology. Jenny first became involved with Nature Canada as a Young Woman for Nature mentee for the Women for Nature mentorship initiative, shortly after being a member of the Youth Council with Ontario Nature. As a student of Forensic Psychology, Jenny will have a unique entry point to the environmental industry, and her Women for Nature mentor, Margaret Beckel, the Director of the Museum of Nature, has helped her connect the dots between her passion, studies and professional aspirations. Joining her love for the environment to her interest in… read more →

This blog post was written by Julie Lopez, the Digital Campaign Organizer at Nature Canada. Sevrenne Sheppard is a Young Woman for Nature that hails from Vancouver Island, and that will be graduating this October with a Bachelor of Arts in Environment and Ecological Determinants of Health in Society with a minor in Urban Systems Geography at McGill University, in Montreal, QC. Sevrenne first became involved with Nature Canada as a Young Women for Nature following the suggestion of a former colleague that she apply for the Young Women for Nature mentorship initiative. Sevrenne successfully applied to the mentorship initiative – effectively combining her love for the environment and interest in connecting with women who share similar passions, values and… read more →

Nature Canada, along with 30 other leading nature conservancies and environmental organizations, signed a joint Declaration on Plastics. This declaration highlights that 2018 is the time for a national waste reduction strategy, and that it, if implemented correctly, could lead Canada to zero plastic waste by 2025. Plastic pollution is incredibly harmful to the environment and wildlife across Canada and in the oceans that surround us from coast, to coast, to coast. While many Canadians recycle their plastics – this is not enough. In Canada, less than 11 per cent of all plastics are recycled – meaning nearly 90 per cent of plastics end up incinerated, or in our landfills, lakes, parks and oceans. Once in the environment, plastics contaminate… read more →

This post was written by Dr. Daniel Cox, from the University of Exeter. The original article can be found here. People living in neighbourhoods with more birds, shrubs and trees are less likely to suffer from depression, anxiety and stress, according to research by academics at the University of Exeter, the British Trust for Ornithology and the University of Queensland. The study, involving hundreds of people, found benefits for mental health of being able to see birds, shrubs and trees around the home, whether people lived in urban or more leafy suburban neighbourhoods. The study, which surveyed mental health in over 270 people from different ages, incomes and ethnicities, also found that those who spent less time out of doors than… read more →

Here at Nature Canada, we have found the next generation of voices for nature! A third grade class from the Lakeview Public School in Ottawa created a business, Sunny Seeds, with the proceeds of  $676.00 in sales donated to Nature Canada. Last Thursday, on June 7th, our NatureHood Program Manager, Jill Sturdy was invited to visit the class and present the work that Nature Canada is doing. Although, Jill had brought gifts for the students the true surprise was the level of enthusiasm, commitment and passion that the class showed. When the Grade 3 class first started their business, they partnered with BMO to develop the business model. After setting the groundwork of their business plan, they researched several local charities… read more →

The Canadian Wildlife Service announced a proposed National Approach to Species at Risk Conservation (“National Approach”) at the May 30-31, 2018 meetings of the Species at Risk Advisory Committee (SARAC). SARAC is an advisory committee to Environment and Climate Change Canada that includes representatives from industry and civil society groups including Nature Canada. The National Approach will be considered by federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) Environment Ministers at their June 28, 2018 meeting. FPT Ministers had already decided in February 2017 to make a strategic shift to multi-species and ecosystem based approaches and more targeted and collaborative efforts on shared priority places, species and threats. Criteria and considerations for identifying priority places set out in the National Approach: a defined… read more →

What do slime and wildlife have in common? Ask the Grade 4 class at St. Anne’s Elementary School in Kanata, ON, who created a project to help wildlife using slime. As part of the Entrepreneurial Adventure program offered through The Learning Partnerships, the students created their own business as a way to develop enterprising skills, financial literacy, innovative thinking and social responsibility. Through their creativity and dedication, they made and sold slime over a 4-month period, and were successful in raising over $1,800 for Nature Canada! I first met the students at the end of February 2018, where I gave a presentation about Nature Canada, the importance of spending time in nature, and what they can do to help wildlife.… read more →

This blog was written by guest blogger Katherine Forster. As an urban biophilic entrepreneur, Katherine  divides her time between promoting sustainable and ecological gardens to urban and suburban faith communities and sharing her joy of urban nature through her Wild. Here. online initiative. Backyard birdwatching can be a fun pastime for both humans and cats.  Planting native plants in your garden helps attract more local and migrating birds.  Birds, as do most wildlife, need three things: food, water and shelter (both for safety and for nesting).  Many larger trees and shrubs provide two of these three requirements: nourishment for birds in many forms, including nuts, berries, seeds and even insects (that are attracted to the tree pollen and nectar). They… read more →

Written by intern Gabriel Planas. What is it? Lac St.-Pierre is a widening of the St. Lawrence River 75 Km downstream from Montreal and about 120 km from Quebec City.  Lac St. Pierre is considered the furthest inland where there is still a distinct tidal effect. The lake is shallow, rarely reaching depths greater than 3m.  Aquatic plants are abundant with many species such as Water Celery. These factors make Lac St. Pierre excellent habitat for fish species at risk such as Lake Sturgeon, Copper Red Horse and Striped Bass. Lac St. Pierre has four IBAs that provide habitat for tremendous numbers of waterfowl and other species.  Between 500,000 and one million Greater Snow Geese annually migrate over lac St.… read more →

This blog is written by Nature Canada guest blogger Tina-Louise Rossit. Canada is cold. We know it, tourists know it, and the wildlife know it. But despite the cold, we’ve been doing fine with clothing and heating devices to help us through. Well, same goes for our Canadian wildlife! Over the course of evolution, these animals developed remarkable features to survive our winters, and maybe even better than any man-made technology! Today’s honourary species is an expert at hibernation. The Wood Frog, Rana sylvaticus, has amazed scientists with their ultimate freezing method. They can freeze their bodies, stop their heartbeat, and remain in this state all winter. Then, springtime hits, and they come back to life. It’s spectacular. Ready to… read more →