info@naturecanada.ca 
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 →
/* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:””; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} 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… 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!
The planet will thank you all year long! The new year is an ideal time to introduce simple, easy changes to your lifestyle that can have a major impact for the health of our planet. Whether you’re on the road or at home, there are plenty of ways to tread more lightly on this Earth – here are just a few. Five Resolutions for the Road Get your vehicle’s body into shape Most people resolve to get their body into better shape in the New Year. Why not make the same resolution for your vehicle? Basic vehicle maintenance, including measuring your tire pressure, checking for leaks once a month, and regular tune-ups, will help keep your vehicle in top working… read more →
Think Food. Feeders in the winter provide an extra energy source for birds that stay in the area during winter. Provide a number of feeder styles and types of feed (sunflower, thistle, unsalted peanuts, sliced fruit, seed scattered on stamped down snow) to attract many different birds to your yard. Feeders can also be easily attached to windows using suction cups. Place feeders where they are sheltered from predators and weather, and clean feeders regularly.Small space? No problem! Some feeders are available with a suction cup attachment that can be stuck right to the window! Don’t remove dead flower heads in the autumn. Don’t cut back old annual or perennial plants. The seed heads that are left in place on… read more →
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 →
Students on Ice participants in Torngat National Park What happens when you place 65 young people from all walks of life, 45 teachers, mentors, musicians and coaches on a floating classroom on the rugged coast of Labrador and Nunavut? You get a recipe for life shaping experiences. It was into this mixture that I was invited by Geoff Green, Executive Director of Students on Ice, to experience the Students on Ice (SOI) initiative – an international effort that aims to provide students from around the world with inspiring educational opportunities at the ends of the Earth and, in doing so, help them foster a new understanding and respect for the planet. I intercepted the Students on Ice in the Torngat… read more →
Photo: L-lines via Flickr Do you have a cellphone? An iPod? Chances are you do – and so do your children. We live in a world that’s increasingly connected online through social media, instant messaging and email. Young people in particular live online in a way that their parents could never have imagined just five years ago. With the emergence of Facebook, Twitter and a plethora of social media channels, adults and children alike are spending more time online and less time interacting with people face to face. When it comes to connecting with nature, there’s a certain nostalgic view some of us carry around about how “in the good old days” spending time in nature meant watching the stars… read more →
Congratulations to Savannah from Holy Name School in Ontario whose name was selected from over 7,700 entries in our Grand Prize draw! Savannah and her family will be heading to Jasper National Park this summer for the ultimate family adventure. Savannah and her family will travel in luxury aboard a VIA Rail train through the breathtaking scenery of Canada’s spectacular Rocky Mountains. Upon arriving at Jasper National Park, they will learn to camp and stay in a cottage tent for a good night’s sleep between four unique adventures including the Ice Explorer tour on the Athabasca Glacier, Miette Hot Springs, Palisades Stewardship Education Centre, and white water rafting. Savannah also wins a Parks Canada Discovery Pass so that her whole… read more →