NCC Magazine: Fall 2019

FALL 2019 

The best 

medicine 

Spending time in nature is good for your health. 

Doctors now have the research to prove it.

Nature Conservancy of Canada 

245 Eglinton Ave. East, Suite 410 

Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4P 3J1 

magazine@natureconservancy.ca 

Phone: 416.932.3202 

Toll-free: 877.231.3552 

The Nature Conservancy of Canada 

(NCC) is the nation’s leading land 

conservation organization, working 

to protect our most important natural 

areas and the species they sustain. 

Since 1962, NCC and its partners have 

helped to protect 14 million hectares 

(35 million acres), 

coast to coast to coast. 

The Nature Conservancy of Canada 

Magazine is distributed to donors and 

supporters of NCC. 

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This publication saved 29 trees and 

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COVER 

Hikers on NCC’s Alfred-Kelly Nature 

Reserve, a Nature Destination in Quebec. 

Photo by Guillaume Simoneau. 

THIS PAGE 

Fundy National Park, New Brunswick. 

Photo by Zack Metcalfe. 

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GENERATED BY: CALCULATEUR.ROLLANDINC.COM 

* 

2 FAL 2019 natureconservancy.ca

FALL 2019 

CONTENTS 

Nature Conservancy of Canada 

Dear friend, 

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For most Canadians, the concept of a hectare may 

seem vague. So what would it mean if I told you that, 

based on a recent accounting of the total lands you 

have helped us conserve since 1962, our total came 

in at 14 million hectares (35 million acres)? That’s 

a big number! 

And how big is 14 million hectares? If you think of 

Canada’s geography, it’s about 25 times the size of 

PEI, or about four times the size of Vancouver Island. 

Describing those hectares in this way makes our collective 

efforts to conserve our country’s natural legacy 

much more understandable, and something in which 

you, as donors and partners, should take great pride. 

Thank you. 

If you’ve been a supporter of the Nature Conservancy 

of Canada (NCC) for some time, you may note that 

this represents a significant boost in our tally of total 

land conserved. But we didn’t get there overnight. 

Every number of years, NCC undertakes a review of 

how we measure our conservation impact. This time 

we more fully accounted for the lands we have directly 

acquired, conserved and currently steward, as well as 

the broader impact of our work through partnership. 

Your support has meant that the past several years 

have seen an unprecedented increase in the pace of 

our work, particularly in large landscape-scale projects. 

This includes our work to help relinquish private 

rights in lands (such as timber, oil and gas), thereby 

removing impediments to conservation. In particular, 

we now count the Birch River Wildland Provincial Park 

in Alberta (contributing to the world’s largest boreal 

forest protected area) and the new Tallurutiup Imanga 

National Marine Conservation Area in Nunavut (Canada’s 

largest protected area) among major projects 

that have benefited from our work to remove private 

resource rights. 

And so I’m sharing with you 14-million reasons to 

feel good about nature. 

Nature makes us all feel good, and in this issue of 

our magazine, you’ll read about why more doctors than 

ever before are prescribing time in nature to improve 

their patients’ well-being. And thanks to your belief in 

our mission, there are now more places for Canadians 

to connect with nature and boost their health. 

Thank you for your support of our mission, 

John Lounds 

John Lounds 

President 

natureconservancy.ca 

8 

14 16 

14 Back from the brink 

Learn how the Nature Conservancy of Canada is helping bring back species 

at risk of extinction. 

6 Ralph Wang Trail 

Immerse yourself in the diversity of Canada’s endangered native prairie 

habitat with a walk down the trail at this Nature Destination in Manitoba. 

7 Paddle on 

Former Ottawa Riverkeeper Meredith Brown explores Canada’s lakes and 

rivers with her handmade whitewater paddle. 

8 Prescribing nature 

For the sake of a healthy and sustainable future, time in nature is essential. 

Doctors now have the research to prove it. 

12 Greater sage-grouse 

Learn about a bird whose courtship dance is one of North America’s most 

incredible wildlife spectacles. 

14 Project updates 

Listening for the bat signal in Saskatchewan; Making Darkwoods whole in BC; 

PEI nature reserve donated by local family. 

16 Birds of a feather 

The Nature Conservancy of Canada’s newly appointed Weston Family senior 

scientist, Ryan Norris, discusses how you can get involved in conservation. 

18 Stories, snakes and sons 

Looking back on many visits to Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park in Alberta. 

FALL 2019 3

COAST TO 

COAST 

Back 

from 

the 

brink 

The Nature Conservancy 

of Canada’s restoration 

work is helping protect 

endangered species and 

is even bringing back 

species at risk of extinction 

In May of this year, the United Nations 

released a Global Assessment Report on 

the outlook for species biodiversity worldwide. 

This report found that up to one million 

unique species are at risk of extinction due to 

human-related effects, such as climate change 

and habitat loss. The truth is, we are losing 

species at an alarming rate, and every day 

species are put at risk of disappearing from 

the Earth forever. 

That’s where you and the Nature Conservancy 

of Canada (NCC) come in. Efforts to conserve 

and restore animal and plant populations in the 

wild are an ongoing and important part of our 

conservation strategy. And while addressing 

the underlying causes for population decline is 

a crucial step, we need more habitat protection 

and restoration to bring these species back from 

the brink of extinction. 

Wildlife conservation efforts can take many 

forms — from captive breeding programs designed 

to boost populations to the restoration 

and protection of key habitats. Across Canada, 

species at risk are struggling to cope with the 

loss of native habitats, invasive species and 

rapidly changing climate patterns. But dedicated 

conservationists are working hard to restore 

populations and protect species biodiversity. 

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KEN GILLESPIE PHOTOGRAPHY/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO. 

4 FALL 2019 natureconservancy.ca

Here are six species at risk 

that NCC is helping to conserve 

Piping plover 

Blanding’s turtle 

American badger 

In Atlantic Canada, piping plovers nest 

only on sand and pebble beaches with 

scattered vegetation. These endangered 

birds require peace and quiet 

away from human disturbance to raise 

their young. In Nova Scotia, the birds 

breed on fewer than 30 beaches in 

total, and the distribution of suitable 

habitat is similarly sparse throughout 

the rest of Atlantic Canada. NCC has 

partnered with provincial governments, 

Bird Studies Canada, the Island Nature 

Trust, Nature NB, Intervale and other 

conservation organizations to identify 

and protect piping plover nesting 

beaches and clean up shoreline 

habitat in the Atlantic region. 

Blanding’s turtle is considered 

endangered throughout its Great 

Lakes and St. Lawrence ranges. 

In these areas, road mortality is 

among the biggest threats to its 

survival. NCC conservationists are 

actively engaging with the public to 

teach drivers how to safely stop and 

help turtles cross the road. With new 

tools such as carapace.ca, a website 

developed by NCC and the Province 

of Quebec, anyone can snap a picture 

of a turtle they see on the road 

and contribute to a citizen 

science database. 

In 2004, NCC biologists working on 

the Kootenay River Ranch property 

in central British Columbia discovered 

the presence of endangered 

American badgers. The 1,250-hectare 

(3,089-acre) stretch of the Upper 

Columbia River Valley offers 

a continuous grassland habitat free 

of roads and other human development, 

which so often disturb and 

create human-animal conflict for 

badger populations. This protected 

natural area also provides scientists 

with the opportunity to conduct 

ongoing research on the endangered 

species to further improve 

restoration efforts. 

SWIFT FOX: CREDIT: ROBERT HARDING/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO. ALL OTHERS: ROBERT MCCAW. 


Monarch 

The global population of monarchs 

has been decreasing at a rapid rate. 

This is thought to be a result of habitat 

loss in both its wintering ground in 

Mexico and throughout its summer 

ranges in Canada and the U.S. NCC is 

working to restore breeding, feeding 

and stopover habitats across the 

country and is actively planting 

milkweed (the monarch caterpillar’s 

host plant) and other native wildflowers 

in Manitoba to improve and 

expand feeding and breeding habitat 

throughout the province. On Pelee 

Island in Ontario, we are restoring 

wetland and meadow habitat for rare 

and at-risk species, such as monarchs. 

Swift fox 

The swift fox represents an amazing 

conservation success story. Although 

the species was once extirpated 

(locally extinct) in Canada due 

primarily to habitat loss, in 1973 

a reintroduction program was 

launched that has seen a return of 

approximately 650 swift foxes to the 

Prairies of Alberta and Saskatchewan. 

As the species still faces threats from 

genetic isolation due to habitat 

fragmentation, NCC’s work to secure 

and steward the remaining grassland 

habitat that serves as linkages 

between the populations is vital. 

Plains bison 

An icon of the Prairies, the plains 

bison once thundered across much 

of western North America, but by the 

turn of the 20 th century overhunting 

had reduced the total population to 

as few as 300 individuals. Since being 

reintroduced to Saskatchewan’s Old 

Man on His Back Prairie and Heritage 

Conservation Area in 2003, NCC has 

maintained a herd of genetically 

pure bison on the property. NCC staff 

now manage the grassland prairie 

for grazing and keep a close eye on 

the health of the population. 


BOOTS ON 

THE TRAIL 

Burrowing owl 

Ralph Wang Trail 

Immerse yourself in the diversity of Canada’s endangered 

native prairie habitat at this Nature Destination in Manitoba 

The Ralph Wang Trail, located near 

Pierson, Manitoba, provides a glimpse 

into the past, when native prairie once 

stretched beyond the horizon. Today, grasslands 

like this are rare, as are many of the birds 

and plants you’ll encounter along the trail. 

Grasslands such as those around the 

Ralph Wang Trail have long been synonymous 

with Canada’s Prairie provinces. They provide 

critical stopovers for migratory birds and habitat 

for waterfowl and rare and endangered 

species, including ferruginous hawk, burrowing 

owl and prairie butterflies. Grasslands also 

protect our water, sequester and store carbon 

and provide a precious and sustainable source 

of grazing land for livestock. 

The Ralph Wang Trail is also a travel corridor 

for wildlife and makes for a good place to 

see deer, fox, coyote and other animals. The 

eastern cottonwood trees provide an oasis 

for songbirds, while the prairie is home to 

a variety of rare grassland birds. 

HABITAT 

Along the trail, the land transitions between 

the uplands of native mixed-grass prairie and 

the wet meadows of the lowlands. As the trail 

moves closer to the water, the vegetation 

changes from grasses and wildflowers to 

willows, sedges and prairie cordgrass. 

Mixed-grass prairie surrounding the trail 

may at first look like a field of knee-high 

grass, but upon closer inspection you can’t 

help but notice its diversity. When the snow 

melts, the prairie comes alive with a colourful 

variety of grasses and wildflowers, including 

a combination of drought-tolerant short-grass 

prairie plants and tall grass prairie plants that 

grow in moist soils. 

NCC. BURROWING OWL: ROBERT MCCAW. 


Ferruginous hawk 

BACKPACK 

ESSENTIALS 

SPECIES TO SPOT 

• burrowing owl 

• chestnut-collared 

longspur 

• ferruginous hawk 

• grasshopper sparrow 

• LeConte’s sparrow 

• loggerhead shrike 

• monarch 

• moose 

• mule deer 

• sharp-tailed grouse 

• Sprague’s pipit 

FERRUGINOUS HAWK: ROBERT MCCAW. PORTRAIT: JESSICA DEEKS. 

COMMUNITY EFFORT 

In 2012, the Regional Municipality of Edward 

(now the Municipality of Two Borders) 

entered into an agreement with the Nature 

Conservancy of Canada (NCC) to ensure the 

ongoing protection of the prairie. Though 

the land remains municipally owned, a conservation 

agreement places certain restrictions 

on development. 

For almost 40 years, Ralph Wang was the 

reeve of the Regional Municipality of Edward. 

An amateur birdwatcher and with a lifelong 

interest in conservation, Wang worked 

with NCC’s Manitoba Region to set up a 

conservation agreement on land owned by 

the municipality. 

This area is protected and managed by 

the Municipality of Two Borders in cooperation 

with NCC and a local cattle producer. 

SEASON 

April 15 to November 15 

TRAIL 

Type: loop Difficulty: easy 

Round-trip distance: 1 km 

Surface: mowed grass 

DIRECTIONS 

From Pierson, drive west on Highway 3 for 

1.6 kilometres. Turn south (left) on Antler 

Road and proceed for 8.8 kilometres. The 

Ralph Wang Trail will be on the east (left) 

side of the road.1 

Nature Destinations 

Learn more at naturedestinations.ca 

Paddle on 

Former Ottawa Riverkeeper Meredith Brown explores 

Canada’s wilderness by navigating its lakes and rivers 

with her handmade whitewater paddle 

When you live in the world’s largest freshwater ecosystem, [the Great 

Lakes basin], you learn how to paddle! My favourite way to explore our 

Canadian wilderness is through the endless network of lakes and rivers 

that ultimately connect us to our neighbours and to our oceans. As rivers carve their 

path across the landscape, they meander and create patterns of rapids and pools. 

The rapids are my favourite — for the sounds, the earthy smell and the challenge of 

making it down the hydraulic patterns caused by river rocks and elevation changes. 

For navigating rivers, I travel by canoe with my handmade whitewater paddle. It 

was made using sustainably harvested, local wood by my friend Andy Convery, who 

is an artist, educator, canoe builder, paddle maker and wilderness guide. The paddle 

was a gift from my husband, Ronnie, who I also love to bring into nature with me.1 



Fall at NCC’s Alfred-Kelly Nature Reserve, 

a Nature Destination in Quebec 

BY Zack Metcalfe, author and freelance writer 

Prescribing 

For the sake of a healthy and sustainable future, time in nature is essential. 

Doctors now have the research to prove it. 

TKTKTKTKTKTKT 


GUILLAUME SIMONEAU 

It was too cold even for insects. 

The glassy surface of Lake Superior 

faithfully reflected a ruby sky as 

the sun rose over Ontario’s Pancake 

Bay Provincial Park, crisp beams 

of light cutting through the branches of oldgrowth 

maple, birch, oak, spruce and pine. The 

mist burned away, and birdsong swelled to 

fill the open chambers of this lakeside wood. 

I was alone. 

A week on the road, living out of my car 

and hastily erected tents, had me wound 

pretty tight, but here I felt calm for the first 

time in days, even exultant. 

While I wasn’t aware of it in the moment, 

the natural cathedral in which I stood was orchestrating 

profound changes in me, lowering 

my blood pressure and heart rate, and stemming 

the flow of the stress hormone cortisol. 

My anxieties, tribulations and ruminations 

were dissipating while feelings of happiness, 

curiosity, vitality and awe were welling up. 

The health benefits of time in nature, 

once the stuff of folk wisdom, are now the 

subject of medical interest. Among children, 

regular doses of nature have the long-term 

benefits of improved self-esteem, vision, 

body weight, attention and overall academic 

performance. In surgical recovery rooms, 

patients with windows overlooking greenery 

are less dependent on painkillers. Having 10 

more trees on your city block improves selfperceived 

health, equivalent to being seven 

years younger, or $10,000 a year richer. 

These findings and others are no longer 

theoretical, speaking to a phenomenon as 

powerful as it is mysterious. 

Continued, next page >> 

nature 

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Students at Trent University explore 

the school’s natural areas and 

conduct research on the benefits 

of time in nature. 

Relatedness 

Lisa Nisbet, associate professor at Trent 

University’s department of psychology in 

Ontario, has focused her career on this 

subject. While we walked the edge of campus 

in early June, she expounded on the benefits 

of even 15 minutes in natural settings. 

Nisbet’s research has focused on how time 

in nature influences our treatment of nature, 

examining what she calls nature relatedness. 

In simple terms, nature relatedness is how 

much a person appreciates nature as a whole 

— not just the cute or scenic parts — and to 

what extent they understand the complex relationships 

tying it all together. Holding 

swamps and sunny beaches in equal regard for 

their unique diversity means you’re on the 

right track. Regarding yourself as a small piece 

of an enormous ecological puzzle, better still. 

To determine a person’s level of relatedness, 

Nisbet and her colleagues established 

the Nature Relatedness Scale: a test of 21 

items, which gives a score between 1 and 5, 

with 1 representing poor nature relatedness. 

To date, this scale has been translated into 

over a dozen languages, adopted by a number 

of environmental organizations (including the 

Nature Conservancy of Canada [NCC] with its 

Nature Quiz program – naturequiz.ca), and 

applied to over 10,000 people, from office 

workers to conservation professionals. The 

average Canadian scores around three on 

the Nature Relatedness Scale. 

What Nisbet found is that the more time 

people spend in nature, the higher their nature 

relatedness tends to be, and the more 

We all know that when we go out into 

nature, we feel calmer, less stressed, 

happier, but now we have numbers to 

back these feelings up. 

likely they are to engage in environmentally 

conscious behaviours. And the more time we 

spend in nature, the more likely we are to 

want to protect it. 

“It’s very difficult for the average person to 

be an environmental citizen unless they have 

an intrinsic motivation to protect nature,” she 

explains. “If you don’t see or understand the 

consequences of pouring paint down the drain 

or putting pesticides on your lawn, you’re just 

not going to take the appropriate action.” 

“We need to make nature a habit,” she adds. 

Best medicine 

Ten years ago, Dr. Melissa Lem wrote her first 

prescription for nature to a young man battling 

attention deficit disorder. She was confident 

in the demonstrated benefits, but was 

still hesitant to prescribe something so radically 

new, fearing it would sound “crunchy 

granola.” All the same, it was well-received. 

Since then, she’s become an advocate 

for nature prescriptions, championing them 

at conferences, during guided tours through 

the provincial parks of BC and in her family 

medicine practice. Lem prescribes time in 

nature for depression, stress, attention 

disorders, even concussions; 30 minutes 

a pop, two hours a week, minimum. 

“We all know that when we go out into 

nature, we feel calmer, less stressed, happier, 

but now we have numbers to back these feelings 

up,” she says. 

Lem sits on the board of the Canadian 

Association of Physicians for the Environment 

(cape.ca), an organization whose mission is to 

better human health through environmental protection. 

It’s thanks to doctors such as Lem that 

such things will eventually find their way into 

medical textbooks, and that green prescriptions 

will become commonplace in medical clinics. 

“Doctors and nurses are consistently rated 

among the five most trusted professionals 

in Canada,” Lem says. “When we say something, 

patients listen. If we could get health 

professionals to mobilize and prescribe nature 

more frequently, I think that would be 

quite powerful.” 

Just such an endeavour is brewing at the 

South Georgian Bay Community Health 

TAYLOR ROADES. 


TAYLOR ROADES. 

Centre, near Wasaga Beach, Ontario. Ruth 

McArthur is a nurse with the District Health 

Authority and board member of the Wasaga 

Beach Healthy Community Network, the 

group ultimately responsible for crafting 

these prescriptions. McArthur says the 

size and scope of the program is fundingdependent, 

but she and her colleagues 

expect to be able to write their first 

prescriptions sometime this fall. 

As they have thus far been imagined, these 

prescriptions will come hand-in-hand with 

maps of accessible parks near Wasaga Beach, 

and perhaps park passes from Ontario Parks 

(who is a partner with the health network). 

The group hopes to raise awareness among 

health centre clients and other health care 

practitioners about the benefits of spending 

time in nature. 

Coming home 

In July, I met Tyler Coady, a young man of 33, 

strong and very well-spoken, who greeted me 

with a joke and a smile in downtown Charlottetown, 

PEI. Coady suffers from post-traumatic 

stress disorder (PTSD) — the consequence 

of a roadside bomb he encountered 

during his military service in Afghanistan. 

“One of the things I missed the most being 

overseas was green space,” says Coady. 

“PTSD disrupts pretty well every aspect of 

your life,” he explains. It’s plagued him with 

unwelcome flashbacks and constant, crippling 

anxiety. Coady initially withdrew from society. 

Counseling, medication and peer support 

were integral to his ongoing recovery, but so 

was his purchase of a small farm and regular 

hikes through its wilder corners. 

While in busy areas, Coady must actively 

suppress his PTSD symptoms. When he’s in 

nature, however, staying calm is no work at all. 

Whatever hold nature has on the human mind, 

it’s especially pronounced in people like Coady. 

Making use of a master’s degree in military 

psychology, he’s been coordinating peer support 

groups for other Island veterans with mental 

injuries, helping them find peace in nature. 

The Island Nature Trust, a valued NCC 

partner, is among the oldest private land trusts 

in Canada, protecting over 1,600 hectares 

(over 4,000 acres) of PEI wilderness since its 

founding in 1979. Recognizing the special 

need among veterans for nature, they offered 

Coady the use of their largest protected 

area — replete with forests, wetlands, trails 

and old access roads for those struggling 

with mobility. 

“There is broad recognition now that we’re 

only going to protect what we love. Trying 

to compartmentalize people and the rest of 

nature doesn’t work,” says Megan Harris, 

executive director of the Island Nature 

Trust. “We are not separate from nature, 

and there are things we need in nature. 

Those needs are sometimes compounded 

when our minds have been tested in the 

extreme, as with veterans.” 

Nature For All 

For its part, NCC has created a number 

of programs to increase the connections between 

people and nature. Its Conservation 

Volunteers program empowers Canadians to 

participate in hands-on conservation, restoration 

and research on their properties across 

the country. NCC also has close to 40 Nature 

Destinations (naturedestinations.ca), which 

offer access to a suite of properties ready to 

receive the eager hiker, amateur birder or 

nature novice. 

“We’re pleased to share these select sites 

to help Canadians of all levels of ability and 

experience to connect with nature,” said 

Erica Thompson, NCC’s director of engagement. 

“The ‘great outdoors’ brings families 

and friends together, and can provide a 

greater personal appreciation of nature and 

the importance of caring for these special 

places. My recent visit to the Gaspé Peninsula, 

Quebec, including NCC’s Nature Destination 

at Pointe Saint-Pierre, reconfirmed to me 

the importance of spending time in nature, 

unplugging from all devices and celebrating 

the curiosity and inspiration that comes 

from time well-spent outside.” 

NCC is encouraging people to explore 

its Nature Destinations, both on the ground 

and online, in all 10 provinces. Visitors can 

experience a variety of activities, including 

hiking, walking, canoeing, kayaking, photography 

and wildlife appreciation. From 

Victoria to St. John’s, there are a blend of 

natural areas that are accessible in both 

urban and rural areas for people to take 

advantage of. 

NCC has several goals with its Nature 

Destinations program. It hopes to get people 

outside so they can enjoy the physical and 

mental health benefits of being active in 

nature. NCC also hopes that people will gain 

an appreciation for the ecological benefits 

that nature offers, such as clean air and 

water, and the importance of conserving 

nature for future generations. 

From indoor enthusiasts to nature lovers 

and everyone in between, NCC wants to 

make the outdoors more accessible to people. 

In preparation for going to one of the 

Nature Destinations, people are also encouraged 

to visit naturequiz.ca and take the 

six-question online Nature Quiz and receive 

a Nature Score, which will show how connected 

they are to nature. Once people 

receive their Nature Score, they can sign 

up for a virtual Nature Coach, and receive 

email tips for a happier, healthier life by 

incorporating time in the outdoors. 

Thompson is also a member of 

#NatureForAll Canada, an initiative of the 

International Union for Conservation of 

Nature, aimed at reconnecting humans with 

what remains of our natural heritage. The 

Canadian chapter is a young but growing 

coalition of NGOs, government departments, 

academics and of course NCC, bringing 

a diversity of disciplines to bear on this 

campaign of reconnection. 

The separation of human beings from 

nature has done monumental harm to mind, 

body and biodiversity; a point made only 

too clear by the people in this article. For 

the sake of a healthy and sustainable future, 

through these programs and others, finding 

ways to pursue nature is not just helping nature, 

it’s helping ourselves. Since that early 

morning in Pancake Bay Provincial Park, 

I find myself more likely to reach for hiking 

shoes than for Aspirin, and far less willing 

to spend a beautiful day indoors.1 



SPECIES 

PROFILE 

Greater 

sage-grouse 

Learn about a bird whose elaborate courtship dance is 

one of North America’s most incredible wildlife spectacles 

RICK & NORA BOWERS /ALAMY STOCK PHOTO 


APPEARANCE 

The greater sage-grouse is brownish-grey 

on top, and its tail is black and white. 

Adult males have a white band on a black 

breast and a collar of pointed white 

feathers, along with a pointed tail. Both 

sexes sport a black belly. 

Greater sage-grouse 

recovery project 

Although it was once common across the western prairie, the 

population of greater sage-grouse decreased by an estimated 

80 per cent over the past 30 years. Today, fewer than 250 wild 

greater sage-grouse remain in southeastern Alberta and southwestern 

Saskatchewan. 

The birds were designated as endangered in Canada under the 

Species at Risk Act, primarily due to native grassland habitat loss, 

fragmentation and degradation due to oil and gas exploration 

and the conversion of grassland to cropland. 

RANGE 

This species is found in western North 

America in areas where sagebrush grows, 

including southeastern Alberta and 

southwestern Saskatchewan. The bird is 

extirpated (locally extinct) from BC. 

DANCING GROUNDS 

Each spring, greater sage-grouse congregate 

in areas called leks. Here, males 

display elaborate courtship dances for 

females. As the males strut, they inflate 

and deflate their throat sacs with a 

popping sound, throwing their heads 

back, spreading their wings and fanning 

out their tails. 

SAGEBRUSH 

Greater sage-grouse populations are 

limited to sagebrush grasslands. In the 

summer, sagebrush makes up more than 60 

per cent of the adult greater sage-grouse’s 

diet, along with flowers and buds from 

forbs. In the winter, sagebrush makes up 

its entire diet. 

HELP OUT 

You can help protect habitat for greater 

sage-grouse. To find out how, visit 

giftsofnature.ca. 

In 2014, the federal and provincial governments pledged 

funding to help protect greater sage-grouse, enabling the 

Calgary Zoo to begin a dedicated conservation breeding 

and reintroduction program. 

In 2016, the zoo announced the creation of Canada’s first-ever 

greater sage-grouse breeding facility: the Snyder-Wilson Family 

Greater Sage-Grouse Pavilion. Since then, the zoo has established 

a healthy population of 54 sage-grouse that makes up the 

conservation breeding flock. 

In fall 2018, the Calgary Zoo released 66 birds at two protected 

locations. One of the sites, provided by Parks Canada, is in 

Grasslands National Park in Saskatchewan. The other is on 

Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) conservation lands in 

southeast Alberta. 

The Bell-Sage-Grouse 

Legacy Project 

Barbara Bell was a caring NCC supporter who included a gift to 

NCC in her Will. It was her wish that this gift contribute to a legacy 

for conservation while helping an endangered species to recover. 

With this gift, NCC has invested in a new conservation site 

surrounded by native grassland in prime greater sage-grouse 

habitat. This property will be named the Bell-Sage-Grouse 

Legacy Project. 

Barbara’s legacy will be carefully managed to support NCC’s 

role in habitat restoration and the ongoing stewardship of this 

site and of other vital prairie grassland conservation sites. 

The Bell-Sage-Grouse Legacy Project started as an agricultural 

field that had not been planted for approximately five years. 

In the coming years, NCC will undertake the restoration of this 

65-hectare (160-acre) parcel of land. This restoration work is 

a collaborative effort supported by the Alberta Conservation 

Association and Alberta Environment and Parks. 

NCC looks forward to this site becoming an intact parcel of native 

prairie that provides continuous habitat for greater sage-grouse 

and other native grassland species. 

With this investment, the impact of Barbara’s generous support 

will be felt across Alberta’s grasslands for generations.1 



PROJECT 

UPDATES 

1 

Listening for bat signals 

SASKATCHEWAN 

2 

1 

THANK YOU! 

Your support has made these 

projects possible. Learn more at 

natureconservancy.ca/where-we-work. 

Listening for bats in central Saskatchewan. 

3 

Little brown myotis and northern myotis bats are both listed as endangered 

in Canada due to devastating population declines in eastern Canada as 

a result of white-nose syndrome, an introduced fungal disease. 

The fungus is moving west, but it has not yet been documented in Saskatchewan. 

As a result, there is an urgent need to determine the population status of 

myotis bats in Saskatchewan, as well as to determine what type of habitats they 

are using for different parts of their life cycle. 

Through acoustic surveys, the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) Saskatchewan 

Region has been working to develop a better understanding of what bat 

species are found on our properties — by listening for their calls. Using an ultrasonic 

recording device in areas likely to be used by bats (such as waterbodies and forest 

trails) NCC staff record the bats’ calls as they fly around and forage for insects. 

The calls of each species are unique. By reviewing sonograms of the bats’ calls 

recorded on each property, we can determine which species are present and how 

active they are. To date, we have surveyed eight properties across the province 

and documented all eight bat species known to occur in Saskatchewan, including 

endangered little brown myotis and northern myotis. 

In summer 2018, we initiated a project to identify where little brown and northern 

myotis were using habitat in the aspen and mixed-wood forests of central Saskatchewan. 

Both species have been confirmed in the area; however, which areas 

and habitat types they are actually using and for what purpose (such as for day 

roosting or as a maternity colony) remains unclear. After catching bats with mist 

nets, we then attach radio transmitters to them. Bats with transmitters are tracked 

back to their roosting areas, which can then be identified. 

Both little brown myotis and northern myotis use tree cavities for roost sites, 

so the trees being used can be compared to others on the landscape to identify 

which trees are used by myotis bats. This information can help NCC tailor our 

management plans in the areas where these species occur to help with the 

species’ protection and recovery. 

You can also help by joining Neighbourhood Bat Watch (batwatch.ca), which 

aims to document and monitor bat colonies across Canada. The data collected 

allows scientists to track bat populations and distribution, and determine if the 

populations are stable or growing, or if they are in need of conservation action. 

Determining the age of the bat. Adult bats have a fused joint in their wing, while it is absent in 

juveniles. Shining a light from behind illuminates the joint and helps distinguish this feature. 

SARAH LUDLOW. 


2 

Making Darkwoods whole 

BRITISH COLUMBIA 

TOP TO BOTTOM: STEVE OGLE. STEVE OGLE. YAY MEDIA AS/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO. SEAN LANDSMAN. 

When NCC acquired Darkwoods in 2008, we knew 

at the time that this major accomplishment was not 

truly complete. As vast as Darkwoods was (spanning 

over 550 square kilometres), there was a missing 

piece right in the heart of the conservation area. 

For Tom Swann, NCC’s director of strategic 

initiatives and major gifts, this missing piece was 

central to the vision of Darkwoods. He believed it 

was a question of when, not if, NCC would acquire 

the unprotected land at the core of this important 

conservation area. 

“It didn’t matter who we were talking to; as 

soon as we put a map of Darkwoods in front of 

them, they would immediately point at the hole 

in the middle and ask, ‘What’s that? What’s going 

to happen to it?’” Tom recalls. 

Ten years after the initial conservation of Darkwoods, 

the timing fell into place to make it whole, 

by filling the “hole” in its centre. The landowners 

were ready to sell the property. Thanks to a trusting 

relationship built over time with NCC staff, 

they chose to prioritize a conservation sale over 

other options that would have left the land open 

to unsustainable development opportunities. 

The newly conserved lands encompass most of 

the Next Creek watershed, which nurtures pockets 

of old-growth inland temperate rainforest and provides crucial habitat for grizzly bear, wolverine, elk, 

bull trout and other wildlife. The unique forests found here are sometimes known as snow forests, 

because they receive most of their moisture from the snowpack. These snow forests harbour the 

highest tree diversity in BC. Notably, like all of Darkwoods, this land represents a stronghold for the 

endangered whitebark pine. 

“Conserving the Next Creek watershed and expanding the Darkwoods Conservation Area presented 

an incredible opportunity to fulfill a conservation vision that started over a decade ago,” says Nancy 

Newhouse, NCC’s BC regional vice-president. “We are so grateful for all of the people and organizations 

who believed in this vision of creating an internationally significant conservation impact.” 

Learn more about the people and organizations who helped make this project happen at natureconservancy.ca/bc. 

3 

PEI nature reserve donated by local family 

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND 

Thanks to a well-known family on PEI, NCC has conserved 91 hectares (226 

acres) of rare wetland and hardwood forest in Kingsboro, near Souris. The 

site was donated to NCC by Camilla MacPhee and her family, in memory of 

her late husband, Melvin MacPhee. 

At 13, Melvin began working in his parents’ grocery store in Souris, later 

called Clover Farm. In the 1980s, he developed a mall in Souris and became 

one of the larger local employers. He was widely regarded as a communityminded 

business leader. Melvin was inducted into the PEI Business Hall of Fame in 2005, and died in 

2010 at the age of 78. 

The Camilla and Melvin MacPhee Nature Reserve features a large undisturbed peat bog; a type 

of freshwater wetland that is rare on the Island. It also features an older-growth forest of red maple, 

sugar maple and yellow birch; a combination of native hardwoods that is no longer common on PEI. The 

area provides habitat for eastern wood-pewee, listed under Canada’s Species at Risk Act, as well as 

many provincially rare plants, such as herb-Robert and nodding trillium. 

Partner 

Spotlight 

TD Bank Group (TD) is supporting 

the Nature Conservancy of 

Canada (NCC) through its 

corporate citizenship platform, 

The Ready Commitment, 

as the presenting sponsor 

of NatureTalks. 

The NatureTalks Cross-Country 

Speaker Series visits cities across 

Canada, providing thoughtprovoking 

content and discussions 

led by a diverse panel of experts. 

As presenting sponsor, TD is 

supporting a large network of 

community leaders and socially 

conscious citizens who are coming 

together to explore and value 

nature as a resource, a source of 

inspiration and a place that 

sustains life. 

Through The Ready Commitment, 

TD aspires to use its business, 

philanthropy and people to 

help elevate the quality of the 

environment so that people 

and economies can thrive. This 

is part of its commitment to 

help create a more inclusive 

and sustainable tomorrow. 

TD and its national foundation, 

TD Friends of the Environment 

Foundation, have supported NCC 

for over 30 years. From 2012 to 

2016, TD and NCC worked 

together to help protect forested 

areas across Canada. TD helped 

NCC protect more than 16,000 

hectares (40,000 acres) in seven of 

Canada’s eight forest regions. From 

coastal forest in British Columbia, 

to boreal forest in Saskatchewan, 

to Acadian forest in Nova Scotia, 

support from TD has helped NCC 

protect important forested habitats 

across all 10 provinces. 

To learn more about TD’s 

commitment, visit 

td.com/vibrantplanet. 

natureconservancy.ca

FORCE FOR 

NATURE 

Birds of 

a feather 

The Nature Conservancy of Canada’s newly appointed Weston Family senior 

scientist, professor Ryan Norris, discusses how you can get involved in conservation 

MIKE FORD. 


Open grassland spans the 80 hectares 

(200 acres) of Kent Island, New Brunswick, 

neighbouring Grand Manan Island in the 

Bay of Fundy. For 12 years each spring, you could 

find Ryan Norris on a patch of land occupying just 

300 square metres of this quaint island. 

ROBERT MCCAW. 

“I could stand in the middle of my study site and see ocean on 

both sides,” recalls the associate professor in the Department 

of Integrative Biology at the University of Guelph in Ontario. 

“Sometimes I would see whales go by.” 

Norris was there to monitor the island’s population of savannah 

sparrows; part of a four-decade-long, ongoing study on the population 

ecology of this species, originated by American ornithologist 

Nat Wheelwright and now facilitated by Norris and his research lab. 

It was here on Kent Island that Norris evolved his understanding of 

how migratory birds fit into the country’s larger conservation picture 

under the threats of climate change. Based on his research observations, 

Norris notes, “We’re losing birds.” 

“At the start of my career, I never considered myself a conservation 

biologist. Now, ecologists have no choice — we all need to be 

conservation biologists,” says Norris. As the climate rapidly changes, 

there is no separation between ecology (the study of species and 

their relationships with the environment) and conservation biology 

(the study of how we save species), he explains. “It’s why I’m here 

at the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC).” 

This spring, Norris was appointed NCC’s Weston Family senior 

scientist. In this role, Norris will apply conservation research to what 

is arguably one of the most urgent issues of our time: the protection 

of plants and animals and the natural habitats they need to survive. 

Norris will also develop and lead the new Weston Family Conservation 

Science Fellows Program, which will support conservation 

leaders of the future. The program will offer hands-on opportunities 

to graduate students who are studying species at risk, invasive 

species or effective conservation. 

It’s exciting for people at every 

level to contribute and be involved 

in conservation science. 

“I envision this program as a way to develop and mentor the next 

generation of ecologists,” Norris explains. “I hope it becomes a global 

example for training conservation leaders.” 

Norris brings with him his experience as an ecologist and leader 

in migratory bird and monarch butterfly research. He started his 

research lab at the University of Guelph in 2006 to focus on the effects 

of varying seasons on migratory and resident species, such as those 

found here in Canada. 

An effective science communicator, Norris hopes to shed light on 

the impacts of climate change on migratory species. 

“The conservation of these species depends on knowing where 

they go during migration and how climate change influences their 

Savannah sparrow 

success in the wild, or lack of thereof,” he 

says. “In my position with NCC, I hope to 

strengthen collaborations with academic 

partners, progress our knowledge on species 

and use this information to make evidencebased 

decisions about how to better conserve 

natural spaces across Canada.” 

Norris believes everyone can do their 

part to help protect habitat and the species 

that live there. The opportunities for citizen 

scientists to contribute to conservation 

efforts in Canada have never been greater. 

With apps like eBird and iNaturalist, the 

public can submit species observations 

to larger databases. 

“Public-contributed data is being used for 

high-level research. This information adds 

to the data that scientists are using to piece 

together information about species behaviours, 

habitat and migratory patterns,” he states. “It’s 

exciting for people at every level to contribute 

and be involved in conservation science.” 

While he has wrapped up his time on 

the Bay of Fundy for now to work on other 

research projects, Norris reflects fondly 

about his time on Kent Island, both professionally 

and personally. 

“I watched my daughter grow up on the 

island. She was five months old the first time 

she visited it. Now she’s six years old. It’s still 

one of my favourite places to be. I actually 

just got back from there.”1 

The Weston Family senior scientist position and the 

Weston Family Conservation Science Fellows Program 

are both made possible through the generosity of 

The W. Garfield Weston Foundation. 



CLOSE 

ENCOUNTERS 

Stories, snakes and sons 

Chris Fisher, author, filmmaker and television host 

NatureTalks 

Chris Fisher will be 

a speaker at this fall’s 

NatureTalks events. 

Learn more at 

natureconservancy.ca/ 

naturetalks. 

Driving across Alberta’s grasslands, the horizon 

reaches about as far as you can see. The land 

is flat, stretched taut over the skin of some of 

Canada’s best grasslands — which are among the world’s 

most endangered ecosystems. Travelling through this 

landscape in no way prepares you for your first glimpse of 

Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park/Áísínai’pi — a UNESCO 

World Heritage site. Dipping over the crest of the Milk 

River valley, hoodoos — the sun-bleached bones of the 

Prairies — become visible. This is the land of the Blackfoot 

people, where petroglyph tablets share stories of 

generations and vindicate the park’s inclusion into the 

UNESCO club. Just as eroding winds shaped the iconic 

pillars of the hoodoos, these curvaceous landforms 

have shaped millennia of visions. 

Looking back on my many visits to Writing-on-Stone, 

I now realize that by getting lost in this hoodoo maze as 

a child, I was actually finding something within myself. 

By spending time in places like this, the compass of my 

life was set to align with birds, bugs and fresh air. 

I recently returned to the park with my two young 

sons. It was my chance to help them discover something 

in this sacred place. Unbeknownst to us, we had 

pitched our tent on a highway for reptiles and amphibians. 

Bullsnakes, wandering gartersnakes and even a rattlesnake 

slithered through our site, between their upcountry 

hibernacula and their riverside summer grounds. 

Most slithered through uncelebrated, but a couple 

provided a showcase. We admired a yearling rattler at 

a distance, until it was safely moved by park staff. I later 

formalized introductions between my boys (plus a throng 

of onlookers) and a bullsnake calmly coiling in my arms. 

I shared information with them about the snake; but these 

moments are always more about feelings than facts. Feelings 

are our memories’ trigger. 

I’m proud that my sons continue to react well to every 

snake they meet. It’s hard to know whether they remember 

anything from their first intimate encounter with that 

bullsnake. But such moments crucially inform our character 

and the values upon which they are inscribed.1 

CORY PROULX. 


What Will We Leave 

For Them? 

Invest in what matters most 

The Nature Conservancy of Canada's Landmark Campaign is the largest 

private conservation fundraising campaign in Canadian history. Reaching 

our target of $750 million will mean the completion of 500 conservation 

projects from coast to coast to coast, and the protection of the countless 

species that depend on this habitat. 

Together, we can protect Canada’s natural legacy. 

Donate today at LeaveYourLandmark.ca. 

Thank you to all of our donors for supporting the Landmark Campaign. 

There's still time to get involved; together, we can reach the campaign target. 

With your help, we will conserve more land faster, connect more Canadians 

to nature and inspire the next generation of conservation leaders.

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YOUR 

VOICES 

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Thank you for your continued support of the Landmark Campaign! 

The success of the Landmark Campaign would not be possible 

without your support. Together, we have raised over $615 million to 

date to conserve more land, connect Canadians to nature and inspire 

the next generation of conservation leaders. You have helped to 

complete over 400 conservation projects from coast to coast to coast. 

Thank you for investing in nature. 

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NEW PROPERTIES 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. 

Protecting 

the landscape 

“I received the Spring 2019 issue 

of your publication. I am a former 

employee of Parks Canada (retired 

over six years ago) and still active 

in outdoor activities. I’m also a volunteer 

with NCC, monitoring the MacFarlane Woods 

Nature Preserve on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. 

I also, when able, take part in other NCC activities on 

Cape Breton Island. 

“I was surprised and elated to see the article on 

the Beaver Hills Biosphere Reserve in Alberta, as I was 

an early team member on the Beaver Hills Initiative 

(BHI) as a geomatics specialist from Parks Canada. My 

work with the BHI included mapping out undisturbed 

areas within the boundaries, working with various 

working groups within the BHI on planning issues on 

how to protect the area. 

“Thanks for bringing the BHI, now the Biosphere 

Reserve, to people’s attention. I presented papers 

nationally and internationally on the BHI and the 

work we were doing to protect the landscape. Our 

work was recognized widely and copied in such 

places as the eastern slopes around Denver, Colorado, 

in their planning for land use. 

“Keep up the great work across Canada. I will be involved 

for as long as my health holds up.” 

~ Rod Thompson has been a monthly donor since 2018 

SEND US YOUR STORIES! magazine@natureconservancy.ca 

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: BRENT CALVER, COSTAL PRODUCTIONS, COURTESY OF ROD THOMPSON.

NCC Magazine: Fall 2019

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