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This blog post was contributed by reader Emma Mardle. Persuading people to appreciate the importance of the environment for its intrinsic value has always been difficult. However, persuading them to appreciate its importance for its monetary value may be a different matter. There are examples – many, in fact – of situations wherein man and nature have worked to each other’s mutual advantage. Humanity has fought for the preservation of an aspect(s) of the natural world because to do so preserves profit and enjoyment, and that aspect of nature has accordingly benefited from humanity’s protection and lobbying. Generally in the past such protection has been intrinsic upon the killing of some portions of the protected population for sport, which has… read more →
Recent research on Monarch Butterflies shows a sharp decline in its numbers since monitoring began nearly 20 years ago. Part of the problem lies in the parallel decline of milkweed – a plant that Monarchs rely on for food and protection. Milkweed, often eradicated through the use of pesticides, is vital to the Monarch’s ability to survive and reproduce. Here are 3 things you can do in your own yard, terrace, community garden or other green space to be a good neighbour in your NatureHood! Plant native species—they have adapted to your local soil and climate conditions so they don’t need watering or fertilizers (or pesticides!) to thrive. Include plants the butterfly will need at all four stages of its… read more →
The Board and staff of Nature Canada are honoured to have Senator Janis Johnson as the Honorary Chair of Nature Canada’s Women for Nature Initiative. Senator Johnson has dedicated her career to serving Canadians in politics, business and arts and has served in many prominent positions in her community and her country. Her passion for social justice and equality for women led her to study political science, graduate to a career working in politics, and run her own business. In the 1980s, Senator Johnson became the first woman to establish and chair the federal Progressive Conservative Women’s Caucus. Subsequently, she became the first female National Director of the PC Party of Canada in 1983. She was called to the Senate… read more →
Over 500 members shared “Raise Your Voice” promises for protecting nature this year. We welcome others to also consider making a “Raising My Voice” promise to protect and celebrate nature in the coming months as part of our 75th anniversary celebrations. Post it to Facebook or Tweet it to your friends. Here are just a few of our favourites: Give my grandchildren nature books. – Rosemary Recycle everything I can and compost even more. – Ansel Plant milkweed for the butterflies. – Eunice Helping to establish a local nature park. – Glenda Take kids of all ages on nature walks and teach them about it. – Rosamund Monitor and manage bluebird boxes. – Paul Grow flowers in my garden for… read more →
OTTAWA (April 3, 2014) – Nature Canada is proud to announce the winners of this year’s Canada’s Coolest School Trip contest. For their fantastic (and catchy!) video, the grand-prize goes to the talented students from École Antoine-Roy in Gaspé, Quebec. Not only did they produce an amazing video about Forillon National Park and a series of ‘making of’ videos‘, they also succeeded in engaging their entire community in the contest. They garnered the support of a car dealership, a radio station and many other groups in their community. The award-winning video: “This is really a fantastic story. How often do you see kids get this engaged in Canada’s history and natural spaces,” asked Nature Canada’s Paul Jorgenson. “The winning class didn’t… read more →
Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Canada’s Coolest School Trip contest! For their fantastic (and catchy!) video, the grand-prize goes to the talented students from École Antoine-Roy in Gaspé, Quebec. Not only did they produce an amazing video about Forillon National Park and a series of ‘making of’ videos‘, they also succeeded in engaging their entire community in the contest. They garnered the support of a car dealership, a radio station and many other groups in their community. Nature Canada is proud partner in this year’s Canada’s Coolest School Trip contest. The contest is open to any grade 8 class (secondary 2 in Quebec). The grand prize includes a four-day all-expenses-paid trip to Gulf Islands National Park Reserve and Fort… read more →
Everyone is familiar with the old saying “April showers bring May flowers” but how many people can say they’ve tracked the changes in springtime weather that bring us those oh-so-beautiful May flowers? With spring just beginning and those good old April showers on their way, now is the perfect time to become a backyard scientist and track the changes in the weather with your very own homemade weather station! Weather stations used by meteorologists to track and predict the weather can be complicated and very expensive, but you’d be surprised at how simple and fun it can be to make your own basic weather station, and you never know what kind of results you’ll get when making your own predictions!… read more →
Winter is a magical time of year. Nature is at its most serene under a blanket of snow. Although many species migrate south to warmer climes, those that stick around are a treat to see in barren forests and open fields. To celebrate the many reasons to love winter, we’ve collected some of the most breathtaking photography from the Nature Canada Flickr Group. Feast your eyes on these splendid photos of the natural world – from lumbering porcupines to hard-working woodpeckers, a great diversity of photos captures the essence of a winter wonderland. Do you have photos of nature you would like to share? It’s easy to join our Flickr Group and upload your favorite nature photos!
Looking back over the past year, we’ve had so many people share their love of nature by entering the Nature Canada Photo of the Month Contest. Every month, we let our Facebook fans select the winning photo. It hasn’t always been easy – we’ve had a great number of fantastic photos submitted but only one winner every month! We would like to celebrate these photos, and the love for nature that they represent, in a slideshow that you can watch and share with your friends and family. These beautiful photos are a great reminder of the wildlife we cherish and are working to protect for future generations. Enjoy! Thank you to everyone who submitted photos and joined the Nature Canada… read more →
Ice formation, Stan Wojtaszek With Fall well underway, Canadians are saying “see you soon” to lakes and ponds all across the country for yet another winter. Swimming, paddling, fishing and visits to the lakeside cottage have, among other things, been put on hold for awhile. But now is a great time to reflect on the many ways that lakes and ponds help us connect to nature throughout the year; how they are part of our experience of the ‘true north, strong and free’. And I can’t forget all the opportunities lakes offer for pond hockey, ice-fishing and skating during the winter months! Canadians love their waterscapes, it’s pretty much a fact. Saskatchewan-based author Allan Casey explores the almost intrinsic relationship… read more →