Three lessons about nature from your old Christmas tree

Dan Kraus, Nature Conservancy of Canada, guest contributor People living in the Northern Hemisphere have brought trees and boughs into their homes during the winter for thousands of years. The evergreens that we decorate with during Christmas can represent a celebration of holidays and a reminder that spring will come again. I’m a Christmas tree […]

Continue reading


Where the river stops: Why habitat connectivity is critical for healthy fish populations across Canada

Fish On in the Yukon

by Dan Kraus, guest contributor Before you read any further, stop and think about a fish migrating up a river. Chances are that fish is a salmon and that river is in BC. There’s good reason that salmon in BC have come to symbolize fish migration. The return of millions of sockeye, Coho, chum, Chinook […]

Continue reading


Manitoba’s amazing ash forests, invasive emerald ash borer, and how you can help

Black-Ashswamp-Cary-Hamel-NCC

by Cary Hamel, Julie Pelc, Andrew Holland, and Dan Kraus, Nature Conservancy of Canada Buy local. Burn local. Don’t move firewood. This is not just another green slogan put out by conservationists in the new year. Allow us to explain… Many people have heard about how non-native invasive species, including insects and plants, are one […]

Continue reading


Seeing Canada through the trees: How Canadians can lead the world in forest conservation

Black-Spruce-Bog_Whitemouth-River-watershed_Manitoba-by-Harvey-Sawatzky

by Dan Kraus, Nature Conservancy of Canada Forests define our Canadian geography and identity. One-third of our country is covered with trees, and forests occur in every province and territory. Jobs in forestry employ more than 200,000 Canadians and support many Indigenous and northern communities. Our forests are the reason why I’ve had days in […]

Continue reading