NCC-SU20-EN

SUMMER 2020
Nature’s
leading edge
Nature-based solutions can help reduce carbon emissions
and mitigate the impacts of climate change

Nature Conservancy of Canada
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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
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2 WINTER 2020 natureconservancy.ca

SUMMER 2020
CONTENTS
Nature Conservancy of Canada
Dear friends,
8
TKTKTKTKTKTKT
Many of us have had our lives turned upside
down in the past few months. But perhaps nature
has also provided you with little flashes of joy and
a respite from the news.
Despite lockdowns and physical distancing, the
Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) team has
been working hard to keep our promise to conserve
the natural areas that sustain us all.
This spring, we continued to add conservation
lands to our portfolio. Starting in early May, as
restrictions began to ease in some provinces, some
of our field staff began their summer stewardship
work and we started to reopen our trails. I urge you
to continue to check our website on a regular basis
for updates on access to the natural areas near you.
I want to assure you your gifts remain hard at
work, protecting Canada’s most precious natural
spaces and the species that live there. We will not lose
sight of this vital work, even in these trying times.
Finally, I also want to acknowledge the anger
and sadness brought to the forefront by recent acts
of racism and injustice here in Canada and around
the world. Conservationists cannot remain silent on
systemic racism nor the marginalization of Black,
Indigenous and People of Colour, LGBTQ+ people,
persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented
groups.
At NCC, we believe that nature needs to be accessible
to everyone, and recognize that this is not
yet the case. Our values are rooted in a respect for
people and nature. We can and will do more to
amplify voices of minority communities and vulnerable
people in our work and through our influence.
I hope you and your loved ones are safe and look
forward to celebrating nature with you just as soon
as it is safe to do so.
John Lounds
John Lounds
President & CEO
16 4
14 Protecting Canada’s endemic species
These plants and animals are uniquely Canadian; they’re not found
anywhere else in the world.
6 Buffalo Pound
Explore wide open grasslands along a beautiful shoreline in Saskatchewan’s
Qu’Appelle Valley.
7 A pocketful of action
With her Swiss Army Knife in hand, writer and editor Kim Gray is always
ready for adventure and possibility.
8 Nature’s way forward
NCC’s Darkwoods property in BC provides a blueprint for how nature-based
solutions can help reduce carbon emissions and mitigate the impacts of
climate change.
12 Gulf of St. Lawrence beach pinweed
The future of this highly specialized beach dune species is threatened by
rising sea levels and coastal development.
14 Project updates
An ever-growing success in New Brunswick; new digital project in Ontario;
improving road safety in Quebec’s Laurentians.
16 Bring nature home
Connect virtually to Canada this summer and become a Force for Nature
from home.
18 Making memories
Family memories made one paddle stroke at a time.
natureconservancy.ca
SUMMER 2020 3

COAST TO
COAST
Ours to save
These plants and animals are uniquely Canadian;
they’re not found anywhere else in the world
Canada has thousands of species of conservation concern. Some are rare
provincially, while others are at risk in the entire country or imperilled
globally. Most have a range that extends beyond our borders and we share
responsibility for their conservation with other countries. But there is a select
group of species that occurs only in Canada, known as nationally endemic species.
To support the conservation of Canada’s endemic species, the Nature
Conservancy of Canada (NCC) and NatureServe Canada have developed the
first comprehensive report on this group of uniquely Canadian wildlife. The
report highlights over 300 of Canada’s nationally endemic plants, animals and
insects, and maps hot spots across the country where they can be found.
NCC is already helping to protect many of these, including the Gulf of St. Lawrence
aster and Newfoundland marten. But more conservation efforts are needed
to prevent their extinction. In addition to guiding NCC’s work, the report will
be an important resource for other groups across Canada. Here are some of the
endemic species from across the country that NCC is already helping to protect.
LEARN MORE ABOUT
CANADA’S ENDEMIC SPECIES!
natureconservancy.ca/ourstosave
ROBERT MCCAW.
4 SUMMER 2020 natureconservancy.ca

Indicates an example of an NCC property or natural area where NCC is protecting habitat for this species.
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Pacific Steller’s jay
(carlottae subspecies)
The Steller’s jay, carlottae subspecies, is found
only on Haida Gwaii, where many endemic
species occur, because of its isolation and
ice-free areas that remained during the last
glaciation period. Sometimes called the Pacific
Steller’s jay, this subspecies is larger and darker
than the Steller’s jay found throughout western
North America.
NCC has protected habitat that may be used
by the Steller’s jay, carlottae subspecies, in the
Kumdis River Conservation Area
MANITOBA
Harris’s sparrow
This handsome sparrow is commonly seen at
feeders in the U.S. during the winter, but it is
the only songbird that exclusively breeds in
Canada. Harris’s sparrow nests in open tundra
near thickets. It has been declining in the past
few decades possibly due to habitat loss and
climate change.
NEW BRUNSWICK
Gulf of St. Lawrence aster
The tiny annual plant lives only along the moist
sandy shores and salt marshes of the Gulf of St.
Lawrence and is restricted to just a few sites. Its
numbers can vary greatly each year, depending
on habitat conditions. It is threatened by coastal
development and sea level rise.
Miscou Island
NOVA SCOTIA
Atlantic whitefish
The global range of this critically endangered fish
is now restricted to the Petite Rivière watershed. It
once only entered fresh water to spawn and then
lived in the sea, but these migrations have been
cut off by dams. Invasive species threaten wild
populations, and the Atlantic whitefish’s recovery
will depend on captive breeding.
TOP TO BOTTOM: HARRIS’S SPARROW: ROBERT MCCAW, LAKE LOUISE ARNICA : JE9H/INATURALIST, SALT MARSH COPPER : KMELVILLE/INATURALIST, EASTERN WOLF: ROGGER/INATURALIST, WHOOPING CRANE: ROBERT MCCAW.
ALBERTA
Lake Louise arnica
This globally imperilled yellow wildflower is
found only in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta
and BC. Also known as snow arnica, this species
grows at high elevations on exposed alpine
slopes and rockslides.
Castle-Crowsnest Watershed Natural Area
SASKATCHEWAN
Whooping crane
The endangered whooping crane was once
down to about 20 birds. Thanks to captive
breeding and habitat protection, there are now
more than 600. There are continued efforts to
establish breeding colonies in the U.S., but the
only self-sustaining wild population nests in
Wood Buffalo National Park.
Big Valley Complex (during migration only)
Ellice-Archie Community Pasture, Fish Lake
Drain Parklands (during migration only)
ONTARIO
Eastern wolf
Thousands of people have heard its call at annual
public wolf howls in Algonquin Provincial Park.
The eastern wolf is a complicated species that
hybridizes (crossbreeds) with both larger grey
wolves and smaller eastern coyotes. It once
ranged into the northeastern U.S., but the main
population is now centred within Algonquin Park.
Loughborough Wilderness Block,
Martha Webber
QUEBEC
Copper redhorse
Copper redhorse can be found only in the St.
Lawrence River and its tributaries in Quebec. This
large fish lives along the marshy edges of islands
and spawns in the Richelieu River. It is threatened
by water pollution, habitat loss and dams.
Îles du Fleuve Saint-Laurent, Richelieu-Yamaska
NCC has developed a freshwater conservation
blueprint for the region that is supporting
partner-led initiatives for the species’ recovery.
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
Salt marsh copper
Also known as maritime copper, this small
butterfly occurs only in salt marshes along the
Gulf of St. Lawrence coasts of Quebec, New
Brunswick, Nova Scotia and PEI. It can be locally
common, especially where sea lavender grows.
Some of its habitat is threatened by coastal
development and rising sea levels.
Percival River
NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR
American marten
(Newfoundland population)
This unique subspecies of American marten lives
only on the island of Newfoundland. It primarily
eats small mammals, including snowshoe hare.
Once listed as endangered, its numbers have
increased thanks to habitat protection.
The Grasses
natureconservancy.ca
SUMMER 2020 5

BOOTS ON
THE TRAIL
Buffalo Pound Lake provides drinking water
for one-quarter of Saskatchewan’s population.
Buffalo Pound
Explore wide open grasslands along a beautiful shoreline
in Saskatchewan’s Qu’Appelle Valley
Northern leopard frog
There’s a gentle breeze blowing, and
you’re sitting in a patch of native
prairie above the Qu’Appelle Valley,
on a rock that’s still warm from the hot
afternoon sun. You can smell sagebrush and
maybe even the light scent of prairie rose
rising up. You close your eyes, breathe
in the fresh, fragrant air and listen to the
songs of grassland birds. The Nature
Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) Buffalo
Pound property in Saskatchewan offers
these vibrant sights and sounds for you
to explore.
Buffalo Pound consists of 866 hectares
(2,140 acres) of native grasslands, which is
one of the most endangered ecosystems in
the world. The property, 40 kilometres from
Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, includes seven
kilometres along the north shore of Buffalo
Pound Lake.
A RECREATIONAL TREASURE
Buffalo Pound Lake is a cherished recreational
area, valued by young and old alike
as a popular place to hike, bike, swim and
kayak. The lake stores the drinking water
for a quarter of Saskatchewan’s population,
including the cities of Moose Jaw and Regina.
The native grasslands around the lake
help keep this water clean and hold back
flood waters.
JASON BANTLE. INSET: ADOBE STOCK.
6 SUMMER 2020 natureconservancy.ca

BACKPACK
ESSENTIALS
Bobolink
American badger
SPECIES TO SPOT
The property provides habitat for at-risk species,
such as:
• American badger
• bobolink
• burrowing owl
• northern leopard frog
• Sprague’s pipit
Buffalo Pound supports fish, waterfowl
and other migratory birds and is part
of a critically important wildlife habitat
corridor that stretches across southern
Saskatchewan.
A pocketful
of action
With her Swiss Army Knife in hand, writer and editor
Kim Gray is always ready for adventure and possibility
BOBOLINK, BADGER: AITW PHOTOGRAPHY. KIM GRAY: LORI ANDREWS.
VISITING BUFFALO POUND
NCC’s Buffalo Pound property is approximately
a one-hour drive from Regina. Travel
northwest on Highway 11 to Chamberlain,
then head south on Highway 2. Follow the
highway until you arrive at the Qu’Appelle
Valley and turn right onto the approach just
before you reach the lake. Another option:
travel west on Highway 1 to Moose Jaw, then
turn north on Highway 2. Follow this highway
until you reach Buffalo Pound Lake.
Cross over the lake on the highway and,
immediately after the lake, turn left onto
the approach to the property.
COVID-19 UPDATE
Visit natureconservancy.ca/propertyaccess
for up-to-date information on our properties
before you visit, and practice safe physical
distancing when on-site.1
Like so many nature-loving
Canadians, I’ve always carried
a Swiss Army Knife in my backpack.
You never know when you’re
going to need one, right?
My relationship with
this popular little pocketknife
goes back to when
I was a young girl. My
grandfather, a hardy
outdoorsman, packed
a medium-sized, classically
red version with him
everywhere he went.
When no one was looking,
he’d let me peel my own orange with
it — exhilarating for me because I knew
my parents would think I was far too
young to handle something so dangerous.
Ever since, I’ve seen this clever tool
as a symbol of adventure and possibility.
I recently custom ordered a Swiss
Army Knife featuring the logo of
Toque & Canoe — my digital
travel magazine — on its
sleek, white exterior.
Today, it lives in
a sweet-smelling
moose hide case,
which was handstitched
and beaded
by Métis artist Kim
Brothers of Moonstone
Creation in Calgary.
I pack my knife with me
everywhere I go, so I’m always ready
for action. Peeling oranges is
my specialty.1
natureconservancy.ca
SUMMER 2020 7

Nature’s
way forw
NCC’s Darkwoods property in
BC provides a blueprint for how
nature-based solutions can
help reduce carbon emissions
and mitigate the impacts of
climate change
BY Brian Banks, journalist and freelance writer
STEVE OGLE.
8 SUMMER 2020
natureconservancy.ca

ard
If you’ve ever flown in a helicopter,
you’ll know it fires up your adrenaline. But it’s
something else again when that trip takes you over
the top of a mountain in the middle of the Nature
Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) 63,000-hectare
(156,000-acre) Darkwoods Conservation Area in southeastern
BC, then drops you into a rare, old-growth inland temperate
rainforest on an adjacent valley floor below.
At that point, the adrenaline blends with feelings of
reverence and inspires statements like:
“Thrilling.”
“Immeasurable value.”
“Incredibly impressed.”
Elizabeth Willmott, head of Microsoft Corp.’s carbon
negative program, shared these comments during and after
a site visit to Darkwoods — aloft and on foot — on a hot,
blue-sky day last August.
Based in neighbouring Washington state, it’s Willmott’s
job to lead Microsoft’s commitment to operate carbon negative
by 2030, reducing its carbon by over half by 2030 and removing
the rest. The purchase of carbon credits — to offset emissions
that cannot currently be avoided — is part of that effort.
And last year that included buying credits from the Darkwoods
Forest Carbon Project, NCC’s carbon credit program.
That sale established Microsoft as one of NCC’s largest
carbon credit purchasers to date. NCC organized last summer’s
visit to Darkwoods to show Willmott the property’s
incredible natural attributes first-hand, as well as the valuable
conservation work her company’s offset purchases are
helping to support.
“To see the acreage protected in reality is such a huge,
huge source of excitement for us,” says Willmott.
It’s an excitement shared by everyone connected with
Darkwoods, including Rob Wilson, NCC’s director of conservation
finance. “Darkwoods is a globally significant conservation
project,” says Wilson, with habitat for grizzly bears,
wolverines, mountain goats, bull trout and dozens of other
threatened plant and animal species, as well as connections
to other protected areas.
Darkwoods’ potential for carbon credits has been an important
part of how NCC funded such a significant conservation
project and reduce potential carbon emissions that
could have resulted from intensive logging and development.
“The property would have been substantially deforested over
a 15- to 20-year period had NCC not purchased it,” says Wilson.
Protecting the trees at Darkwoods results in the continued
storage of an estimated 19 million tonnes of carbon dioxide
(CO 2 ). Over the next century, Darkwoods will continue to
sequester significant additional amounts of carbon.
NCC developed the project with a team of carbon project
development experts to ensure it meets the rigorous requirements
of the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), the leading
international voluntary carbon market standard. In fact, Darkwoods
is VCS’s largest forest carbon project in North America.
Since the program’s launch in 2011, NCC has used the funds
generated through carbon credit sales to help cover the costs
of managing the biodiversity of Darkwoods and other projects.
“Our first mission is to conserve that land and its wildlife,”
says Wilson. “And a carbon project has really supported our
conservation goals.”
Continued, next page >>
natureconservancy.ca
SUMMER 2020 9

Carbon storage cycle: carbon in the atmosphere
is incorporated into plants through photosynthesis,
and is returned to the atmosphere
through respiration, decomposition and the
burning of fossils fuels. Waldron grasslands,
Alberta. Next Creek in Darkwoods, BC.
Nature-based solutions
In a broader context, Darkwoods also demonstrates
the overall potential of nature-based
solutions to help reduce carbon emissions
and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Nature-based solutions start with the recognition
that forests, grasslands and wetlands
are all carbon sinks, capturing and storing CO 2
from the atmosphere. While emerging efforts
to capture and store carbon from refineries
and other industries get plenty of headlines,
nature-based solutions may be the more effective
approach. According to leading research
published in Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences in 2017 (“Natural
Climate Solutions,” by Griscom et. al.), safeguarding
nature’s ability to store carbon has the
potential to provide more than one-third of the
CO 2 emission reductions needed through 2030
to hold planetary warming below 2 C.
There’s more. Nature-based solutions also
support co-benefits, such as water filtration,
flood control, diverse natural habitat and
recreation opportunities.
Dan Kraus, NCC’s senior conservation biologist,
calls this nature’s two-for-one solution. Another
way to look at it is to compare the value of
investing in “grey” infrastructure versus “green”
infrastructure. “A municipality can build a bigger
storm sewer system to accommodate more
frequent flooding, or it can invest in parks,
trees and wetlands that intercept and hold
water,” says Kraus. “When we protect nature,
we can also protect the ecological services
that those places provide to people.”
In the case of Darkwoods, the ecological
services are so extensive that NCC obtained
a gold-level certification under the Climate,
Community and Biodiversity Standards,
which recognizes the property’s exceptional
biodiversity co-benefits. Along with storing
carbon and protecting important habitats and
wildlife, other co-benefits include flood control,
source water protection, recreation and
community engagement.
Partners in conservation
Given its success at Darkwoods, NCC is
implementing other nature-based solutions
across the country. In Alberta, NCC has
partnered with other land trusts, ranchers,
farmers, industry and carbon project development
experts on a program that will support
native prairie grassland conservation. NCC
joined a collaborative group that worked to
create a standard approved by the Climate
Action Reserve offset registry. Under this
program, carbon credits may be generated by
participating landowners who agree to avoid
the conversion of native grasslands for agriculture
and other purposes.
“The value of carbon for forests is above
ground; the value for grass is what’s below
ground,” explains Craig Harding, NCC’s
director of conservation science and planning
in Alberta. “In native prairies, the roots can
be metres deep in carbon-rich soils. By preventing
conversion and maintaining the native
grass in its original state, and the soils
intact, you retain more carbon in the ground.”
This program differs from Darkwoods in
that NCC owns the Darkwoods property and
the carbon credits, whereas the grasslands
carbon program would see NCC working with
private landowners who are willing to put
conservation easements on their grassland
properties. NCC (or another land trust)
would “hold” the easement, which prevents
any land-use change in perpetuity, while
participating landowners would receive payments
for carbon credits sold — providing
they could demonstrate that if the easement
hadn’t been applied, their land faced real risk
of near-term conversion.
ILLUSTRATION: CORY PROULX. KYLE MARQUARDT (WALDRON GRASSLANDS). STEVE OGLE (DARKWOODS).
10 SUMMER 2020 natureconservancy.ca

While emerging efforts to capture and
store carbon from other industries get
plenty of headlines, nature-based solutions
may be the more effective approach.
Blooming Point, PEI
MIKE DEMBECK.
“Currently, by placing a conservation easement
on their land, owners give up some
rights to their property and its future potential
value,” says Harding. “This would be a way for
us to provide them with a new tool that rewards
their land conservation efforts and uses
their easement as a basis for generating additional
income from carbon credit sales.”
The group hopes to launch a pilot program
later this year to test the concept’s viability,
with possible expansion into Saskatchewan
and Manitoba.
Learning in a living lab
The stewardship of Darkwoods, with the aim
of conserving and, in some cases, enhancing
biodiversity and ecological services, as well
as storing and sequestering carbon, is guided
by a property management plan that is updated
every five years. Current responsibility
for executing that plan and providing day-today
oversight falls to Adrian Leslie, NCC’s
project manager for the West Kootenay
region since 2015.
“The property management plan has six
different conservation, or biodiversity, targets
we focus our conservation efforts on
— things like improving habitat, protecting
species at risk” Leslie says. “Whenever we
make any management decisions, we always
consider how that action might impact the
wildlife, habitats and ecological services for
each of those targets. Carbon sequestration
is one of those targets, and so carbon’s considerations
are incorporated into everything
we do.”
Considerable ambition, care and effort
is required to fulfill the plan’s objectives. To
improve forest health, actions include prescribed
burns, thinning of younger trees and,
from time to time, limited selective timber
harvesting. Leslie, a forest biologist, is clearly
in his element.
“Prescribed burns might have a short-term
negative impact on the release of carbon,
but the reason we do them is to consume the
smaller fuels and reduce the chances of a larger,
more catastrophic fire in the future,” he
explains. Likewise, on parts of Darkwoods
that were logged and then replanted in the
past, younger trees tend to get overgrown.
Left unchecked, this reduces biodiversity
and raises fire risk. “We have a program of
thinning out these plantations and promoting
native species that are expected to do well in
a changing climate — species like ponderosa
pine, which is well-adapted to drought and
has very thick bark that can survive a wildfire,”
says Leslie. Selective harvesting, he
adds, is another tool to improve forest health.
“With climate change, we’ve seen a lot of
stress and mortality in western red cedar.
So, we might go into an area, take out some
dying trees and leave the other trees as
a way of reducing wildfire fuel loads and
improving forest health.”
When it comes to benefiting wildlife
habitat, one key measure NCC has taken
is the closure and rehabilitation of old logging
roads — more than 200 kilometres
worth. Population studies on grizzly bears in
Darkwoods, underway since 2008, show that
these restoration methods, coupled with
actions to boost the conservation area’s natural
connections to adjacent protected landscapes,
have been successful in improving
the population’s well-being. What had been a
genetically isolated group of 50 or 60 bears
now numbers closer to 80, with signs of genetic
mixing with bears from other locales.
This research, Wilson notes, just scratches
the surface of the science taking place at
Darkwoods, including climate change studies,
aquatic studies, and restoration studies of
endangered species and ecosystems. “Because
it has scale and it’s protected, you can
study things over time,” notes Wilson. “It’s
an amazing, living lab.”
Though it’s unclear how things might
unfold in the coming months due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, action on climate
change and biodiversity protection remains
essential. According to Wilson, there is
increasing interest in these types of naturebased
solutions, and he expects that interest
to keep growing. 1
Learn more about what NCC is doing to manage
the natural values at Darkwoods.
natureconservancy.ca/darkwoods
NATURE-BASED
SOLUTIONS IN THE
MARITIMES
PEI
Prince Edward Island’s iconic
North Shore beaches attract tens of
thousands of visitors every summer,
but they are year-round workhorses
when it comes to nature-based
solutions. The beaches and other
coastal habitats protect nearby
communities from severe storms and
erosion, both of which are increasing
due to climate change.
NCC has four nature reserves on the
North Shore, at Cascumpec Sandhills,
Conway Sandhills, St. Peters
Harbour and Blooming Point. By
conserving the forests, wetlands and
grassy dunes on these beaches, NCC
is helping to maintain the ecological
integrity of PEI’s coastline, with the
co-benefits of habitat for shorebirds
and maintaining the attractiveness
of the “Little Red Island.”
Forest around Riverside-Albert
NEW BRUNSWICK
In New Brunswick, there is another
nature-based solution: NCC has
helped protect the drinking water
for the village of Riverside-Albert by
conserving an old forest in the hills
and ravines surrounding the village.
Many of the trees in the forest are
more than 100 years old, with deep
roots that filter and store the
groundwater. Conserving this forest
helps ensure the village’s water
supply is clean and plentiful while
providing the co-benefits of
protecting habitat for rare plants
and many species of wildlife.
natureconservancy.ca

SPECIES
PROFILE
Gulf of
St. Lawrence
beach
pinweed
The future of this highly specialized beach dune species is
threatened by rising sea levels and coastal development
DAVID MAZEROLLE.
12 SUMMER 2020
natureconservancy.ca

APPEARANCE
It might be easy to overlook the Gulf of St. Lawrence beach
pinweed, as it grows from a dense cluster of hairy leaves that
remains close to the ground. By mid-summer, 20- to 35-centimetre
stalks covered with small, reddish-brown flowers shoot up. Most
plants that flower appear to be at least eight years old.
HABITAT
Gulf of St. Lawrence beach pinweed is a highly specialized beach
dune species. It does not grow in the active foredunes that often
have dense stands of American beachgrass. Instead, it grows in
the sheltered parts of the dune that are stable and often where
beach heather and bearberry grow. This plant can tolerate some
shade, but becomes sparse in the back areas of dunes that
support jack and red pine.
RANGE
This species can only be found in five regions that are confined
to a small area of the Gulf of St. Lawrence: Kouchibouguac
National Park and South Richibucto Island in New Brunswick,
Prince Edward Island National Park, and the Cascumpec and
Conway Sandhills in PEI.
Conservation
needs and actions
Gulf of St. Lawrence beach pinweed
has been assessed as a species of
special concern by the Committee
on the Status of Endangered Wildlife
in Canada. Over 60 per cent of the
population occurs within protected
areas. The Mi’kmaq Confederacy
of PEI and the Lennox Island First
Nation are working with conservation
agencies to protect a large
population on Hog Island, PEI. The
species’ habitat can be managed
through visitor education and
community outreach. A seed bank
is also being established to ensure
there will always be a source to
reintroduce this significant plant,
should any of its occurrences be lost.
DAVID MAZEROLLE. ILLUSTRATION: CORY PROULX.
THREATS
Dune habitats are threatened by rising sea levels, habitat loss
and disturbance. Most populations of Gulf of St. Lawrence beach
pinweed grow at fewer than five metres above sea level. As storm
surges increase due to extreme weather events and rising sea levels,
critical sites could be lost. Some dune habitats have also been lost
to coastal development. Trampling and erosion from recreational
use and off-road vehicles can also occur in dune habitats.
DUNES
Dune habitats are not just critical for the endemic Gulf of St.
Lawrence beach pinweed. They provide a natural breakwater to
protect local communities, farmlands and wetlands from storm
surges. Dunes can also be important groundwater recharge
areas (areas where water drains into underground aquifers) and
provide habitat for many other species. There are many examples
from around the world of where dune removal has led to
catastrophic losses of property and even casualties.
HELP OUT
You can help protect dune habitat for the Gulf of St. Lawrence beach
pinweed. To find out how, visit natureconservancy.ca/beachpinweed.
Since 2011, the Nature Conservancy
of Canada has protected 202 hectares
(500 acres) in PEI’s Cascumpec and
Conway Sandhills. Besides providing
habitat for the Gulf of St. Lawrence
beach pinweed, these properties are
in an internationally recognized
Important Bird Area and feature
critical nesting areas for endangered
piping plovers. This work has been
supported by funding from the
Government of Canada’s Natural
Areas Conservation Program and
the Ecogift Program. The American
Friends of Canadian Nature (previously
Friends of the Nature Conservancy
of Canada) and many private donors
also contributed generously.
The future of the Gulf of St. Lawrence
beach pinweed should look bright,
except for the fact that it lives in an
area that is vulnerable to rising sea
levels. Climate change could result in
a two-metre increase in sea levels
by 2100. Protecting and restoring the
dunes where this endemic plant
grows has never been more urgent.1
natureconservancy.ca
SUMMER 2020 13

PROJECT
UPDATES
1
A success that keeps on growing
MUSQUASH ESTUARY, NEW BRUNSWICK
THANK YOU!
Your support has made these
projects possible. Learn more at
natureconservancy.ca/where-we-work.
2
3
1
The Musquash Estuary Nature Reserve, near Saint John, New
Brunswick, is the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s)
largest reserve in Atlantic Canada. Thanks to our partners
and supporters, it keeps growing! The most recent addition, at
Little Musquash Cove, protects two kilometres of Bay of Fundy
shoreline and 163 hectares (402 acres) of coastal forest, cobble
beaches and wetlands.
The Musquash Estuary is the largest and most diverse undeveloped
estuary remaining in the Bay of Fundy. NCC has led conservation
efforts for the land around the estuary since 2001, and in 2006 the
estuary was designated a federal Marine Protected Area.
With 2,200 hectares (5,500 acres) conserved so far, this nature
reserve is a popular hiking destination, and a haven for wildlife. The
salt marshes of the Musquash Estuary play a critical role in providing
habitat for fish, filtering water and buffering coastal lands from storm
surges and floods. More than half of the original salt marshes in the
Bay of Fundy have been lost or altered over the past 300 years.
The Musquash Estuary is also a key stopover site for many species
of migratory birds, including white-winged scoter, surf scoter,
black guillemot, common eider and semipalmated sandpiper. NCC’s
long-term goal is to double the protected area around the estuary,
with a little help from our partners and supporters.
Surf scoter. Hikers at Musquash Estuary.
MIKE DEMBECK. INSET: ALAMY.
14 SUMMER 2020 natureconservancy.ca

BRIAN KUSHNER. MIKE DEMBECK. GERRY KAISER.
Belted kingfisher.
2
Ontario region launches new iNaturalist project
ONTARIO
This year, NCC’s Ontario region added 28 properties and 17 natural areas as projects on the popular
citizen science app iNaturalist.
The iNaturalist mobile app lets users record and identify species and learn more about the natural
world around them. As part of a growing citizen science movement, iNaturalist can be used both in
remote locations and in people’s backyards. People can even submit observations from their balconies
or windows.
Several of NCC’s properties and natural areas have a section on the iNaturalist website that highlights
key features and habitat types visitors could expect to see there. Any observations submitted to iNaturalist
from these areas are automatically included in NCC’s iNaturalist project. The project allows the public to
learn more about the biodiversity of the area and to share species observations with NCC staff.
NCC staff in other provinces have already been using iNaturalist data to inform its management actions.
In New Brunswick, the app has helped track wildlife movements on NCC lands. Ontario staff have used
the app to engage the public in nature appreciation, to inventory properties and to be alerted to new
populations of invasive species.
Moose.
3
Improving safety on Route 117
in the Laurentians
THE LAURENTIANS, QUEBEC
NCC’s efforts to improve safety for both motorists and
wildlife in the Laurentians have received a boost.
NCC recently announced the purchase of 27 hectares
(66 acres) in Ivry-sur-le-Lac, on Route 117. The plan is
to use the property to build a wildlife crossing under the
road. This will help reduce collisions between motorists
and wildlife and allow animals to move more freely.
This acquisition is part of a larger wildlife corridor
project NCC is working on with many groups and
government agencies to protect and expand wildlife
corridors across the province.
The property, known as Wildlife Crossing Ivry,
includes forest and wetland habitats. Conserving and
restoring these corridors is critical to keeping habitats
connected for wildlife and to help plants and animals
adapt to climate change. Moose and many species of
waterfowl and forest birds are found here.
Partner
Spotlight
The Government of Canada has
long partnered with the Nature
Conservancy of Canada (NCC) to
advance privately protected areas
across the country.
Most recently, we are working
together through the Natural
Heritage Conservation Program
(NHCP), part of the federal
government’s $1.3-billion Nature
Fund. Launched with a government
investment of $100 million,
the program is administered by
NCC with contributions from
partners Ducks Unlimited
Canada, Wildlife Habitat Canada
and the country’s local land trusts.
NCC and partners will match the
government’s investment 2:1,
with generous donations from
Canadians. The result: more than
$300 million to protect 200,000
hectares (494,210 acres) of
priority habitat, including habitat
for species at risk.
The NHCP is designed to support
partnerships with Indigenous
communities for conservation
planning, stewardship and
securement. It will also help
land trusts to grow their capacity
and effectiveness.
The NHCP is a made-in-Canada
model for conservation success.
It brings Canadians together to
protect the species and natural
spaces we love. Thank you to
the Government of Canada and
our partners at Environment
and Climate Change Canada
for continuing to support
private conservation.
natureconservancy.ca

FORCE FOR
NATURE
Bring nature home
Connect virtually to Canada this summer and become
a Force for Nature from home
Nothing beats summer in Canada. After the snow melts
and the wildflowers begin to bloom, landscapes across
the country morph into a lively canvas teeming with life.
This summer, though, things will look a bit different. We are
in an unprecedented time. Since mid-March, Canadians have
hunkered down in their homes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While some provinces are beginning to ease restrictions, the
physical isolation to combat COVID-19 has influenced how we
travel and our access to each other and to nature. This has
meant that we haven’t been able to send our staff and photographers
out to capture images for the summer edition of the
magazine, as we normally would have done.
So, in this issue of the Nature Conservancy of Canada
Magazine, we’re breaking with our traditional format, and making
you our Force for Nature.
Connecting with nature, even virtually, can benefit your
health and wellness and help you form positive new habits. The
Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) invites you to connect
with nature at home in easy, fun and accessible ways.
ISTOCK.
16 SUMMER 2020 natureconservancy.ca

Here are 5 ways you can connect with nature remotely this summer
from the comfort and safety of home:
1
Become a citizen scientist
Explore what nature has to offer, just steps
away from home. From that mystery tree growing
along your street, to the insects beneath the
rocks in your garden, your backyard is thriving
with life just waiting to be discovered. Record
what you hear, see, smell and touch, and share
what you find online through the iNaturalist app
and on social media.
2#Take5withNature
and green your feed
This Earth Day, NCC launched
its #Take5withNature program
to help bring nature into homes
across the country. This daily dose
of “greenspiration,” shared online
through NCC’s Twitter, Facebook
and Instagram platforms, encourages
you to #Take5withNature
from the comfort and safety of
your home. Follow along with our
daily inspirational activities and
share your experiences on social
media using #Take5withNature!
take5withnature.ca
4
More nature,
less Netflix
One of the green linings of
staying inside is the quality time
spent with family, especially
children. There’s no better time
than now to inspire your children
or grandchildren to learn more
about our country’s landscapes
and species. Stop streaming and
help foster a life-long love for the
great outdoors, by participating
in the hands-on activities in our
online Kids’ Corner.
natureconservancy.ca/
kidscorner
5Make a virtual
connection
Did you have to postpone
your trip to an NCC property
this summer? Well, now you can
visit some of NCC’s natural areas
without leaving your home —
with our virtual hikes.
natureconservancy.ca/trekker
ADELA KANG.
3Attend a virtual
nature talk
Put on a pair of your best sweatpants
and join NCC for a NatureTalks
webinar. This program engages
audiences in urgent Canadian
conservation topics. Led by experts,
the talks bring communities
together to share knowledge and
enhance connections.
natureconservancy.ca/naturetalks
We’ve also created a resource centre
to help you connect with nature
virtually. You can find online hikes
of properties, fun activities (like
recipes, puzzles and crosswords),
a conservation learning centre
and nature videos to watch.
Whether you’re alone, with your
family or roommates, in a house
or an apartment, nature is closer
than you think.
natureconservancy.ca/
bringnaturehome
natureconservancy.ca
SUMMER 2020 17

CLOSE
ENCOUNTERS
Making memories
By the Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada
Whenever I need to decompress, my mind turns
to the boreal forest of northern Saskatchewan.
It’s a place where I spent a lot of time from
an early age, where we spent our summers canoeing as
a family, and later my parents bought a small fishing and
canoeing outfitting business in northern Saskatchewan.
Each summer our family would put a couple of canoes
on the top of a Volkswagen van and we would drive up
into the northern reaches of the province. Once there,
we would throw the canoes in a lake and paddle for
a week or two.
When I was about 15 or 16, I took a canoe trip with
my dad and a few of his friends down the Geikie River,
which very few canoeists paddle down each summer. It’s
a very remote whitewater river, and it’s a place where
you can spend a couple of weeks and not see any other
human being. It’s very wild.
It is an ecosystem that is still very much like it was
100 years ago; an ecosystem in balance. You see black
bears feeding on berries, but when you do, they don’t
stick around for very long. You see moose coming down
to drink in the river at times. If you’re very lucky, you see
boreal caribou. I’ve only actually seen one in all the years
I spent in the north.
And of course, if you like to fish, there is an enormous
abundance to catch as you come down the river, from
Arctic grayling, to pickerel.
That trip remains a very vivid memory, and it’s something
that I know many are not so fortunate to experience.
I still go to northern Saskatchewan every summer, and
I started taking my daughters every year from the age of
three. About five years ago, we flew up the Churchill River
and canoed down for a week with their grandparents. That
was something I was anxious to give them as an experience.
My parents still live in Saskatchewan. Although public
authorities have discouraged non-essential travel for the
time being, I’m looking forward to the time when I can
safely get back to the north.1
JOEL KIMMEL.
18 SUMMER 2020 natureconservancy.ca

LET YOUR
PASSION
DEFINE
YOUR
LEGACY
Your passion for Canada’s natural spaces defines your life; now it can define
your legacy. With a gift in your Will to the Nature Conservancy of Canada,
no matter the size, you can help protect our most vulnerable habitats and the
wildlife that live there. For today, for tomorrow and for generations to come.
Order your free Legacy Information Booklet today.
Call Marcella at 1-877-231-3552 x 2276 or visit DefineYourLegacy.ca

YOU’RE OUR
CONSERVATION
HEROES
YOUR
VOICES
Thanks to you, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has
raised 95 per cent of its $750-million Landmark Campaign goal;
the largest private fundraising campaign for conservation in
Canada’s history. Together, we are conserving more land faster,
connecting more Canadians to nature and inspiring the next
generation of conservation leaders.
Our incredible successes to date would not be possible without
you. You’re our conservation heroes. And now we’re asking you to
do what heroes do best — go above and beyond to make Canada
a better, healthier place for our children and grandchildren.
Join with us in raising the final five per cent of our Landmark
Campaign goal to protect our country’s precious spaces and species.
Canada will thank you.
Conserving nature’s gifts
95% ACHIEVED
RAISE
$750
MILLION
leaveyourlandmark.ca
500 PROPERTIES & COUNTING
CONSERVE
500
NEW PROPERTIES
“I have been an NCC donor for years. The simplicity
of NCC’s mission appeals to me because I understand
exactly what my money is doing. That is, conserving
land and keeping it wild.
“A connection to the natural world has always been
important to me, and I believe it to be essential to
human health. I want to live in a world that is rich with
wildlife and ensure that future generations of people
can appreciate and enjoy all of nature’s gifts.
“All of life on Earth is interconnected, and NCC works
tirelessly to preserve those bonds. Everyone benefits
from a Canada with rich and healthy ecosystems.”
~Chloe Ayers has been an NCC monthly donor
since 2006
NATURE CONSERVANCY OF CANADA
245 Eglinton Ave. East, Suite 410, Toronto, ON M4P 3J1
SEND US YOUR STORIES! magazine@natureconservancy.ca