Fall Magazine 2020

FALL 2020 

Lasting 

impressions 

The long-term impacts of conservation

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. 

TM 

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Conservancy of Canada. 

FSC is not responsible 

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saving resources by 

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which contains 30% post-consumer 

fibre, is EcoLogo, Processed Chlorine 

Free certified and manufactured in 

Canada by Rolland using biogas energy. 

Printed in Canada with vegetable-based 

inks by Warrens Waterless Printing. 

This publication saved 25 trees and 

88,796 litres of water*. 

Watch NCC in action! The new TV documentary 

series Striking Balance, Season 2, 

explores UNESCO biosphere reserves in 

Canada, including five breathtaking NCC 

project areas. Catch it, streaming now, at 

tvo.org/programs/striking-balance. 

COVER 

Hazel Bird Nature Reserve, Ontario 

Photo by Kristina Smith. 

THIS PAGE 

Hazel Bird Nature Reserve, Ontario 

Photo by Kristina Smith. 

TKTKTKTKTKTKT 

GENERATED BY: CALCULATEUR.ROLLANDINC.COM. 

* 

2 WINTER 2020 natureconservancy.ca

FALL 2020 

CONTENTS 

Nature Conservancy of Canada 

8 

Dear friends, 

TKTKTKTKTKTKT 

As I sit down to write this, hundreds of thousands 

of monarchs from across Canada have begun their 

almost 5,000-kilometre flight south to their overwintering 

grounds in Mexico. As with so many living 

creatures, the monarch’s life cycle of constant 

change and evolution is fascinating to me. And just 

as the monarch must constantly evolve, so too, 

must the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). 

After 23 years at NCC, it’s time for me to 

hand over leadership to the next generation 

of conservationists. 

When I joined NCC more than two decades ago, 

never did I dream that it would get to be where it 

is today. That has happened thanks to you — our 

wonderful supporters across the country, who have 

challenged us to do more, faster. Your passion and 

enthusiasm for conservation have inspired me. 

What has also inspired me is the energy and drive 

of our staff, almost half of whom today are younger 

than 35 years. Watching them, I am confident that I 

am leaving NCC in good hands. I’m even more confident 

because of the recent appointment of our new 

president and CEO, Catherine Grenier. As you’ll read 

in our Force for Nature profile in this issue, Catherine 

is just who we were looking for to guide our 

vision for the future of conservation in Canada. 

Although I’ll be officially retired from my post, 

I will remain at NCC for the next eight months in 

my role as senior advisor to the president and CEO. 

And I plan to remain connected with NCC, even 

once I formally retire. 

Thank you for your support of NCC’s mission. 

I’m proud of what we have accomplished together, 

and remain ever grateful to you. 

Yours in nature, 

John Lounds 

John Lounds 

Senior advisor to the president and CEO 

7 18 

14 Local actions, global impact 

Canada is home to plants and animals found nowhere else on the planet. 

We need to protect them — for the next generations, and for the world. 

6 Percival River Nature Reserve 

This cherished patch of wild PEI is a great example of the Maritimes’ mixed 

Acadian forest and rich wetland habitat. 

7 Visions of joy 

While researching how to make the outdoors a more welcoming and 

inviting space for Black people, PhD student and writer Jacqueline L. Scott 

extends her vision with binoculars. 

8 A lasting impact 

Tall grass ecosystems such as the Rice Lake Plains were once plentiful in 

Ontario. Today, all but three per cent is lost. The Hazel Bird Nature Reserve 

is an example of NCC’s long-term stewardship impact across the country. 

12 Riddell’s goldenrod 

Often confused for a weed, this plant, with its showy yellow flowers 

on tall stems, is a common sight in late summer and early fall. 

14 Project updates 

Conserving the Golden Ranches of Alberta; growing the Green Mountains 

in Quebec; plans for Saskatchewan’s Sandhills; Weston research fellowship. 

16 In good hands 

Incoming president and CEO, Catherine Grenier, talks about why nature 

and conservation are important to her, as she joins NCC this fall. 

18 Mutual respect 

A chance encounter with a black bear on BC’s Sunshine Coast Trail. 

natureconservancy.ca 

FALL 2020 3

COAST TO 

COAST 

Local 

actions, 

global 

impact 

Canada is home to plants and animals 

found nowhere else on the planet. 

We need to protect them — for the 

next generations, and for the world. 

E 

very nation has a unique role in saving 

our planet’s endangered species. As Canadians, 

it’s important that we know about 

the plight and prospects of wildlife from around 

the world. But it’s most critical that Canadians 

know about the fellow species that share our lands 

and waters, especially those that are threatened. 

These are the plants and animals that we steward 

and can take action to protect. Our decisions 

alone will determine their future. 

If you live in Canada, you share your country 

with about 80,000 known wild species. This 

Canadian collection of known plants and animals 

includes a small but important group that 

live only here. And many of them are at risk 

of disappearing. 

About 300 plants and animals occur only in 

Canada and nowhere else in the world. No other 

country can protect them. NatureServe Canada 

and the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) 

recently released a report on this select group of 

nationally endemic wildlife. If we want to pass on 

the full richness of the world’s wildlife to the next 

generations, we need to protect all of these species. 

We can use this time of social distancing to 

nudge closer to nature; to learn a little more about 

even just one of our endangered species that lives 

only Canada. Learning why they might disappear, 

and learning what we can do to save them. 

LEARN MORE ABOUT 

CANADA’S ENDEMIC SPECIES! 

natureconservancy.ca/ourstosave 

TKTKTKTKTKTKT BOB GIBBONS / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO 

4 FALL 2020 natureconservancy.ca

61 

Here are six all-Canadian plants and animals that you are helping the 

Nature Conservancy of Canada to protect. 

1Queen Charlotte hairy woodpecker 

BRITISH COLUMBIA | Known from the area near the 

Kumdis River Conservation Area. NCC will be conducting 

additional surveys for this species. 

1 1 

1 2 

This subspecies is found only on Haida Gwaii and is 

distinguished from mainland hairy woodpeckers by its 

brownish underparts and extra black bars on its back and 

tail. It nests in tree cavities in mature old-growth forests. 

More information is needed on its population and trends. 

1 3 

1 4 

4 

1 

1 5 

5 

1 

5 

1 6 

1 

61 

2 

Wood bison 

ALBERTA | Birch River Wildland Provincial Park 

Wood bison are the cousins of plains bison and live 

in the boreal forest. They are the largest land animal 

in the Americas. They were nearly wiped out by overhunting 

in the 1800s. Wild populations occur in the 

Yukon, Northwest Territories and northern Alberta and BC. 

1 

Locations of NCC properties and projects listed 

3 

4 

Cain’s screw moss 

ONTARIO | Prairie Smoke Nature Reserve on the Carden Alvar 

This globally rare moss is less than two centimetres in height 

and has slightly twisted leaves. It is currently known to exist 

only in Ontario, where it is restricted to specialized alvar 

habitats on the Bruce Peninsula and Carden Alvar. These 

limestone plains occur in only a few places in the world. 

Victorin’s gentian 

QUEBEC | Pointe aux Pins, Batture de l’Isle-aux-Grues and 

Pointe de Saint-Vallier 

This striking blue flower can only be found along the 

upper intertidal zone of the estuary of the St. Lawrence 

River in Quebec. It is currently found in fewer than 30 sites 

and is vulnerable to shoreline disturbance from trampling 

and all-terrain vehicle traffic. 

TKTKTKTKTKTKT 

BISON: JOHN E. MARRIOTT. VICTORIN’S GENTIAN: TAB TANNERY(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0). 

5 

Short-tailed swallowtail 

NEW BRUNSWICK | Miscou Island, Point Escuminac Nature 

Reserve, Barachois and Tabusintac Estuary 

There are two subspecies of short-tailed swallowtail that 

occur only in eastern Canada. It primarily lays its eggs on 

Scotch lovage. This large butterfly lives in coastal marshes, 

dunes and headlands. These coastal areas are threatened 

by development and sea level rise. 

6Magdalen Islands juniper 

QUEBEC | Magdalen Islands NOVA SCOTIA | Sable Island 

NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR | Grand Codroy Estuary 

This evergreen shrub can be found only on Quebec’s 

Magdalen Islands, on Sable Island off the coast of Nova Scotia 

and in southwest Newfoundland. It can be found growing on 

wind-swept sand dunes and rocky barrens. This variety of the 

common juniper can be distinguished by its longer cones. 



BOOTS ON 

THE TRAIL 

Wetland habitat at the Percival River Nature Reserve. 

1 Percival River Nature Reserve 

Percival River 

Nature Reserve 

This cherished patch of wild PEI is a great example of the 

Maritimes’ mixed Acadian forest and rich wetland habitat 

New Brunswick 

Prince Edward Island 

Charlottetown 

Nova Scotia 

In a wild corner of PEI, just 40 kilometres 

west of Summerside, lies the Percival 

River area. This low-lying area was always 

considered too wet for agriculture, so much 

of its forests remain undisturbed. 

Cherished by locals and explored by 

only a few, the forest here is mainly made 

up of spruce, along with aspen, birch, 

ash and eastern white cedar, characteristic 

of the Maritimes’ mixed Acadian forest. 

Eastern white cedar is uncommon on 

PEI, but provides an array of benefits to 

wildlife. Its seeds are eaten by many 

species of small birds and mammals, and 

its understory provides year-round protection 

for wildlife. 

Along with its important forest habitat, 

the Percival River feeds into Egmont Bay and 

includes ecologically rich wetland habitats 

that are critical to the life cycle of the many 

migratory waterfowl, shorebirds and seabirds 

that can be found here. 

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) 

has conserved 221 hectares (547 acres) of 

coastal salt marsh, freshwater wetlands and 

forest surrounding Percival River. 

SPECIES TO SPOT 

The Percival River Nature Reserve provides 

habitat for a variety of unusual fungi. The 

area boasts the widest diversity, including 

several rare species of lichen, in the province. 

Many species of lichen are sensitive to air pollution 

and their presence and variety indicate 

a healthy environment. Ferns and wildflowers 

also flourish in the forest here. 

NCC. 

6 FALL 2020 

natureconservancy.ca

BACKPACK 

ESSENTIALS 

American black duck family. 

Hiking on the Percival River Nature Reserve. 

DUCKS: ISTOCK. HIKERS: STEPHEN DESROCHES. JACQUELINE: BRIANNA ROYE. 

TAKE A WALK 

Take a walk along the scenic red dirt Co-Op 

Road to the end, where you’ll meet up with 

the shore. Along the way, you’ll pass NCC’s 

Percival River Nature Reserve property on 

the right. When you reach the shore, turn 

right, along the beach. Continue your journey 

along the beach and past the impressive salt 

marsh. Then, turn around and retrace your 

steps back to the start. 

GETTING THERE 

From Summerside: 

• Take Highway 2 west out of Summerside, 

and turn left on Route 11 toward Enmore. 

• Follow Route 11 until you reach the intersection, 

and then turn right on Enmore Road. 

• Cross the bridge over the Percival 

River. You can now see the parcels of 

land that make up NCC’s Percival River 

Nature Reserve. 

• Continue driving until you see the Co-Op 

Road. Do not drive down this road; park 

safely on the roadside here and begin your 

walk along the road. 

STAY SAFE 

Please stay safe and respect physical distancing 

and local health directives when visiting 

NCC properties.1 

Visions of joy 

While researching how to make the outdoors a more welcoming 

and inviting space for Black people, PhD student and 

writer Jacqueline L. Scott extends her vision with binoculars 

My spirits soar watching birds fly. These creatures of air, land and water 

are spectacular. This is why I carry binoculars in my backpack. Birds 

don’t stand still waiting to be identified. It’s a flap of wings in the breeze, 

a melody heard in the trees, a slosh and a splash that pleases. 

My binoculars extend my vision, bringing beauty closer to my eyes, feeding my 

wish to spy the prettiest birds on Earth. Through the lens I spot the cormorant’s 

blue eyes, a red-tailed hawk’s stripes and a glimmering diving duck. And once every 

decade, another Black birder. 

Spring and autumn are bird-filled days of tracking the avian migration. Who will I see 

this year on my hikes or in my birding patch? It might be a new flash of joy to add to my 

life list. My binoculars sharpen my eyes to the splendour and mystery of birds.1 



A lasting 

Tall grass ecosystems such as the Rice Lake Plains were once plentiful 

in Ontario. Today, all but three per cent are lost. The Hazel Bird Nature 

Reserve is an example of the impacts of NCC’s long-term stewardship 

actions across the country. 

BY Patricia Hluchy, award-winning writer and journalist 

TKTKTKTKTKTKT 

KRISTINA SMITH. 


Today, less than three per cent of the original 

tall grass ecosystems remains in Ontario. 

impact 


October weather in southeastern 

Ontario doesn’t get any better. By 8 a.m., the 

temperature at the Hazel Bird Nature Reserve 

is already 10 degrees, beneath a cloudless sky. 

Oblique autumn sunshine makes the colours 

of the prairie grasses and turning oak leaves especially 

vibrant. Gerry Bird, son of the legendary naturalist after 

whom the reserve is named, spots a variety of avian species: 

a small flock of eastern bluebirds, a northern harrier, an 

eastern phoebe, a sharp-shinned hawk, a northern goshawk 

and an eastern meadowlark, the latter listed as threatened 

provincially and nationally. 

As our group tours the 118-hectare (292-acre) site, about 

a 90-minute drive east of Toronto, we also spot an eastern 

hog-nosed snake. It, too, is considered threatened in Ontario 

and federally, but it is making a comeback at Hazel Bird thanks 

to almost a decade of stewardship by the Nature Conservancy 

of Canada (NCC), which bought the property in 2011 as part 

of its efforts to conserve the Rice Lake Plains. 

Our visit took place in the fall of 2019. And this autumn, 

NCC is marking the 15 th anniversary of its natural area conservation 

plan for the Rice Lake Plains — the organization’s 

first such strategy to look at conservation from a landscape 

approach. The plan outlined the actions that were needed to 

protect this natural area. It has guided NCC’s efforts to rehabilitate 

the plains’ degraded and now-rare ecosystems. 

In the past, Ontario was a mix of forests, wetlands and tall 

grass ecosystems — prairie, oak savannah and oak woodland. 

Today, after centuries of development, these once plentiful 

plains are now one of the rarest ecosystems in the province. 

To develop and implement the plan, NCC has joined 

forces with partners, including the Alderville First Nation, 

private landowners, conservation groups and governments, 

to conserve and restore habitats in the rolling hills of the 

40,500-hectare (100,000-acre) plains. They are part of the 

glacial landform known as the Oak Ridges Moraine, with its 

preponderance of dry, sandy loam soil. Today, just 10 per 

cent of the original tall grass ecosystems remains on this 

continent, and less than three per cent in Ontario. Their 

decline has also put pressure on animals that rely on these 

habitats, including ghost tiger beetle, barn swallow, bobolink, 

common nighthawk and eastern whip-poor-will. 

Continued, next page >> 


Ontario 

Peterborough 

Kingston 

Gerry Bird. Location of the Hazel Bird Nature Reserve, 

ON. The reserve is a great example of the impact of 

long-term restoration efforts. 

Toronto 

Lake Ontario 

CANADA 

USA 

New York 

vollias Hazel Bird Nature Reserve 

Rice Lake Plains 

Tall grass awakening 

On my visit last year, we walked most of the 

Hazel Bird Nature Reserve. It was an idyllic 

stroll, given the site’s vast sightlines and variety 

of terrain, which also includes sand barrens 

and a stunning view from a lookout, and 

its wealth of plants and animals. Our guide 

was Val Deziel, NCC’s coordinator of conservation 

biology for Central Ontario East since 

2012. Passionate about the Rice Lake Plains, 

Deziel points out that non-native Scotch pine 

dominated the Hazel Bird Nature Reserve 

before NCC got involved. “If NCC hadn’t 

bought this property, looking east this land 

would be 80 per cent Scotch pine,” said Deziel, 

a native of the area. “We’re fighting one 

battle at a time: first get rid of the Scotch 

pine, then plant the oaks and prairie plants 

and bring it back to a savannah.” 

NCC staff call it the “tall grass awakening.” 

The Rice Lake Plains is North America’s easternmost 

tall grass landscape, and NCC’s work 

there follows decades of similar success in 

the Prairie provinces. 

Taking out the pines is labour-intensive 

work. But Deziel and her team have accomplished 

a whole lot more by getting rid of 

other non-native invasive species, including 

dog-strangling vine, common buckthorn 

and spotted knapweed. Meanwhile, they have 

reintroduced native wildflowers and prairie 

grasses. They have also planted New Jersey 

tea, a once-prolific prairie shrub that the 

mottled duskywing butterfly, which is endangered 

in Canada and at risk throughout its 

global range, likes to lay its eggs on. 

Once NCC is invested in a landscape, we’re 

there for the long term as stewards of the land. 

The creation of the Hazel Bird Nature 

Reserve has been hugely gratifying for Bird, 

the seventh and youngest child of Hazel 

Bird, who died in 2009, just short of her 

89 th birthday. She was born and grew up 

nearby, becoming a widow in the 1950s. 

A decade later she became known as “The 

Bluebird Lady,” for creating and monitoring 

nest boxes for bluebirds — then a rare species 

in Ontario — throughout the area, including 

what is now the reserve. “Looking 

back, I realize now that my mom was ahead 

of her time in recognizing, back in the 1960s, 

the significance of the unique tall grass prairie 

and oak savannah habitat,” says Bird, a 

retired teacher at Ontario’s Lakefield College 

School, who continues to be its director of 

international programs. “To witness firsthand 

the commitment of NCC staff, donors 

and volunteers to restore and preserve the 

Hazel Bird property — and the Rice Lake 

Plains Natural Area in general — has been 

an inspiration to our entire family, as we all 

know the profound sense of love and connection 

that our mom felt for her beloved 

‘bluebird country’.” Today, the Hazel Bird 

Nature Reserve is a Nature Destination, and 

welcomes visitors to come learn about the 

unique tall grass habitat. 

Conservation blueprint 

NCC’s collaborative efforts to take a landscape 

approach to the Rice Lake Plains — 

and areas elsewhere in Canada — are part of 

its adoption of “systematic conservation planning,” 

says Dan Kraus, senior conservation 

biologist for the organization’s national office. 

Around 2000, NCC and other conservation 

organizations around the world began to use 

imagery of land cover, as well as information 

from new databases on rare species and rare 

habitats, to select priority areas for conservation. 

“We’ve been able to take this big-picture 

perspective and identify where the places 

are that we urgently need to work to protect 

nature,” says Kraus. 

Initially NCC developed conservation 

blueprints across southern Canada to identify 

areas with high biodiversity values that 

were also under threat. Areas like the Rice 

Lake Plains. 

Once the Rice Lake Plains were identified 

as important through the conservation blueprint, 

it was clear that NCC needed a more 

detailed action plan to guide its work in this 

important area. This resulted in NCC’s first 

natural area conservation plan (NACP). The 

NACP was intended to be a dynamic blueprint 

to engage other conservation partners 



TOP TO BOTTOM: MIKE DEMBECK; NCC; DEAN MULLIN; THOMAS FRICKE. 

and set clear goals on what all parties needed 

to achieve to protect the Rice Lake Plains. 

Each has very clear priorities on the properties 

NCC needs to protect and how to manage 

the landscape to conserve the most important 

species and habitats. 

“Part of the planning process is to constantly 

re-examine what we’ve done and incorporate 

any new information on the area,” 

says Mark Stabb, NCC’s program director for 

Central Ontario East. “This ensures that we 

are always using the most current information 

to guide our conservation work.” 

“Although we occasionally have these big 

announcements of just amazing, huge projects 

that are protected, a lot of our work is over the 

long term and at a local scale, where every year 

we’re adding a little more,” reflects Stabb. “And 

after 15 years, it’s actually quite amazing what 

we’ve accomplished in the Rice Lake Plains. 

Return of fire 

A major factor in restoring the 

tall grass/oak savannah ecosystems 

of the Rice Lake Plains 

has been the implementation of 

meticulously planned prescribed 

burns. “Even in the first NACP, 

we recognized that returning fire 

to this landscape was essential,” 

notes Deziel. “Prescribed burns stop the encroachment 

of woody species like small trees 

and shrubs, and prepares the soil for conditions 

that the prairie likes. It keeps it open. 

Seeds of plants that had been dormant can 

come alive after burns, which is one of the 

many reasons that the Alderville First Nation 

has long practised controlled burns.” 

Stabb assesses what’s been accomplished 

so far at the Rice Lake Plains. “Once NCC is 

invested in a landscape, we’re there for the 

long term,” he says. “We become stewards of 

the lands we acquire, whether at the Rice 

Lake Plains or in other places where we invest 

our donors’ money. That’s exciting because 

over time, they see the results of the 

long-term investment in a biological sense, 

but at the same time we build relationships 

with the community and partners. The Rice 

Lake Plains partnership is such a great example 

of people coming together, sharing information 

and collaborating in various ways 

toward the positive end of conservation.” 

For her part, Deziel cites the challenges 

ahead while looking over a portion of restored 

tall grass prairie at the Hazel Bird Nature Reserve. 

“The prairie had more than 20 species 

of vegetation per square metre — that was 

the original diversity,” she says. “I don’t know 

if we’ll achieve that, but I’m going to try. 

Really, restoration is the science of hope.”1 

New Brunswick’s Musquash Estuary is NCC’s largest 

conservation area in Atlantic Canada. 

LONG-TERM CONSERVATION 

MUSQUASH ESTUARY, 

NEW BRUNSWICK 

Natural area conservation plans 

help coordinate NCC’s actions and 

ensure it is allocating scarce conservation 

resources to the most urgent 

actions. Take the Musquash Estuary 

Nature Reserve in New Brunswick, 

for example. The only large, ecologically 

intact estuary remaining on the 

Bay of Fundy, this nature reserve is 

NCC’s largest conservation area in 

Atlantic Canada. 

Since 2000, NCC has protected more 

than 2,220 hectares (5,400 acres) of 

marshes, coastal forests and beaches 

surrounding the estuary. NCC is 

working with community partner 

Explore Lorneville to conserve 

land and restore the lighthouse 

that sits on it. 

The land surrounding the estuary 

is a haven for migratory birds, 

white-tailed deer, moose, bobcat, 

harbour seal and black bear. 

“The amount of community support 

and participation is a really special 

thing about our work at the 

Musquash Estuary,” says Paula Noel, 

NCC’s program director in New 

Brunswick. “Even before we began 

conserving land there, we were part 

of a local effort to designate the 

estuary as a federal Marine Protected 

Area (MPA). That initiative was 

successful in 2007, and it is the first 

and only MPA in the province.” 

TALL GRASS PRAIRIE 

NATURAL AREA, MANITOBA 

Southeastern Manitoba’s Tall Grass 

Prairie Natural Area includes the 

largest intact stretches of that 

ecosystem in Canada, but it also 

features other habitats, including wet 

and dry tall grass prairie, marshes and 

fens, savannah, some dense woodlands, 

riverbanks and river. Many 

species found here are of national 

and global conservation concern. 

NCC started working in the area in 

1993. Cary Hamel, NCC’s director of 

conservation in Manitoba, notes that 

while the core of NCC’s involvement 

in the area is conserving the area’s 

biodiversity and ecological integrity 

— activities in partnership with 

private landowners, governments 

and other conservation groups — in 

recent years it has also expanded its 

focus on community partnerships 

and outreach. “One of the things 

we’ve done,” Hamel says, “is help with 

the costs of watering systems, so that 

cattle have healthy sources of water 

to drink from but that also keep them 

from degrading wetland areas.” 



SPECIES 

PROFILE 

Riddell’s 

goldenrod 

Often confused for a weed, this plant, 

with its showy yellow flowers 

on tall stems, is a common sight in 

late summer and early fall 

KRISTEN MARTYN. 

12 FALL 2020 


CORY PROULX. 

DESCRIPTION 

Riddell’s goldenrod blooms in the fall, with bright yellow flowers 

on round and flat-topped clusters. Each stem can reach up to 

one metre in height. Its long, narrow leaves have a winged stem. 

It can be distinguished from other goldenrods by its distinctive 

curved and unfolded leaves. 

Part of the aster family, goldenrods are vascular perennial plants. 

Most of the 100-plus species (and dozens of hybrids, varieties 

and subspecies) are found only in North America. 

IT DOESN’T MAKE YOU SNEEZE! 

Although many people accuse goldenrod as being the cause of 

their allergies, this is not the case. Unfortunately, it flowers at the 

same time as common ragweed, which is the real culprit. 

POLLINATOR HOST 

Goldenrod’s yellow flowers provide an abundant source of 

nectar for bees and butterflies, and are a reliable pit stop for 

monarchs on their annual migration to Mexico. 

Goldenrod also hosts a fly that lays its eggs in the stem. These eggs, 

and the resulting larvae, cause the goldenrod host to form a gall — a 

hard ball on the stem — where it remains over the winter, providing 

the bird-equivalent of a protein bar. 

RANGE AND HABITAT 

Riddell’s goldenrod can be found in open tall grass prairie, wet 

prairie, roadside ditches and railway corridors. There are fewer 

than 50 known sites in Canada. Here, Riddell’s goldenrod is 

restricted to tall grass prairie remnants in southwestern Ontario 

and southeastern Manitoba. It is also found across the mid-west 

United States, south to Arkansas and Georgia. It is rare in many 

states across its range in the U.S. 

THREATS 

The primary threat to Riddell’s goldenrod is habitat loss. Its tall 

grass prairie habitats are among the most endangered ecosystems 

in the world. In Ontario, less than three per cent of the tall grass 

prairie remains, and in Manitoba less than one per cent remains. 

Many of the remaining patches of tall grass prairie are threatened 

by fire suppression (fire helps maintain open prairies) and 

invasive species. 

HELP OUT 

Help protect habitat for species at risk at giftsofnature.ca. 

A diverse 

group 

The more than 30 

goldenrod species 

found in Canada occur 

in almost every type of 

habitat, including bogs, 

prairies, forests, along 

rivers and on the tundra. 

There may be no other 

group of flowering plants 

that has evolved to 

embrace and adapt to 

the diversity of Canada 

better than goldenrod. 

Although some species 

of goldenrod are very 

common, and even 

“weedy,” this diverse 

group actually includes 

a few that are at risk, 

including Riddell’s 

goldenrod. This species is 

an example of the many 

at-risk species associated 

with the tall grass prairie. 

Conservation 

needs and 

actions 

In the Manitoba Tall 

Grass Prairie Preserve, 

Nature Conservancy of 

Canada staff have been 

engaged in ongoing 

monitoring and management 

work for the species. 

Its conservation needs 

include the protection 

and stewardship of the 

tall grass prairie and 

prairie restoration projects. 

Management activities 

include prescribed burns, 

grazing, haying, removal 

of invasive, non-native 

species and prairie 

restoration. Riddell’s 

goldenrod has been 

planted in tall grass 

restoration sites in 

southern Ontario, and 

in Manitoba this species 

has been found in at 

least one location after 

restoring the site 

to prairie.1 



PROJECT 

UPDATES 

1 

Conserving the Golden Ranches 

BEAVER HILLS, ALBERTA 

1 

4 

3 

THANK YOU! 

Your support has made these 

projects possible. Learn more at 

natureconservancy.ca/where-we-work. 

4 

2 

Conservation organizations are celebrating the 10-year anniversary 

of the Golden Ranches Conservation Area — one of the largest 

partnership initiatives on private land in the Beaver Hills Biosphere. 

The biosphere is internationally recognized as a critical area for nature, 

as it contains a vast number of wetlands that provide habitat for migratory 

birds. Located about 30 kilometres east of Edmonton, Golden Ranches 

contains approximately eight kilometres of important shoreline habitat 

along Cooking Lake’s eastern shore. 

This property also acts as a natural link between already protected 

spaces: the Cooking Lake–Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area and 

Ministik Lake Game Bird Sanctuary, both of which help ensure safer 

passage for the wildlife that move through the area. 

The Golden Ranches Conservation Area was privately owned and 

operated as a working ranch since 1950. In 2010, the owners elected to 

sell portions of their land while donating others, in collaboration with 

several conservation partners, to ensure that it remained intact. 

Today, agricultural activities still occur on the property, while bird 

habitat is also conserved for the benefit of many species. 

This land is owned and managed by the Alberta Conservation Association, 

Alberta Fish & Game Association, Edmonton & Area Land Trust and 

the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). Support of the property has 

been facilitated by the Beaver Hills Biosphere Reserve Association, Ducks 

Unlimited Canada and Strathcona County. 

This property is open to the public for foot access. Visitors may spot 

a diversity of bird and wildlife species, including American avocet, 

blue-winged teal, great blue heron, tree swallow, vesper sparrow 

and many more. 

For information about NCC’s work in the area, please visit 

keepthebeaverhillswild.com. 

American avocet. The wetlands of the Golden Ranches Conservation Area provide 

habitat for migratory birds. 

BRENT CALVER: INSET: JOHN E MARRIOTT. 


2 

The Green Mountains 

are growing 

3 

EASTERN TOWNSHIPS, QUEBEC 

A new plan for 

the Sandhills 

SOUTHERN SASKATCHEWAN 

NCC. ADOBE STOCK. 

NCC recently announced the protection of 100 

hectares (247 acres) on the southern flank of the 

Sutton Mountains, in Quebec’s Eastern Townships. 

Thanks to the Krieg family, who donated a portion 

of the value of their land to NCC, this regionally 

significant natural gem will be conserved for the 

long term. 

The property, known as the Green Mountains 

- August and Linda Krieg family section, is part of 

a vast ecological corridor connecting the Green 

Mountains Nature Reserve to the Missisquoi North 

River. The property’s mature forests, which include 

maple groves over 80 years old, are home 

to eastern wood-pewees, a species designated as 

being of special concern under the Species at 

Risk Act (SARA). 

The two streams originating in this natural environment 

also provide prime habitat for spring 

salamanders, designated as vulnerable under the 

Quebec Act Respecting Threatened or Vulnerable 

Species and threatened under SARA, as 

well as for northern dusky salamanders. This land 

donation was supported by the Natural Heritage 

Conservation Program, NCC’s partnership with the 

Government of Canada. 

4 

Two projects awarded for Weston research fellowship program 

NATION-WIDE 

The recovery of a nationally endangered butterfly and the study of at-risk grassland 

songbirds are the first two projects in NCC’s Weston Family Conservation Science 

Fellowship Program. 

PhD student Emily Trendos has been selected to study the nationally endangered 

mottled duskywing butterfly in Ontario. Meanwhile, master’s student Zachary Moore will 

study declining grassland songbirds in southern Alberta. Both fellows will monitor the species’ 

populations and identify habitat management practices to support recovery efforts. 

The mottled duskywing is endangered in Canada and at risk throughout its North 

American range, primarily due to habitat loss. It has been lost from Quebec but can still 

be found in small numbers in southern Ontario and southern Manitoba. The butterfly 

depends on the New Jersey tea plant for survival, which requires prairies, dry open 

sandy areas or alvars. These habitats are under development pressure. 

Grassland birds, such as Sprague’s pipit and chestnut-collared longspur, are among the most rapidly 

declining groups of wildlife in Canada. Since 1970, they have declined by 57 per cent. This research will 

jump-start a long-term study into the factors behind the decline, and investigate how management strategies, 

such as grazing rotations, influence songbird success in NCC’s Waterton Park Front area in Alberta. 

This fellowship program is fertile training ground for the next generation of conservation leaders. The 

program aims to attract the brightest young scientists, with plans to add two fellows each year. 

A call for fellowships starting in September 2021 will open in October 2020. Specific applied conservation 

projects based at a Canadian university will be advertised. The application will specify whether the project 

is intended for a master’s (two years of funding) or PhD student (four years of funding). The fellows will be 

announced in spring 2021. 

Read more about NCC’s current fellows and look for the call for applications at 

natureconservancy.ca/westonfellowship. 

Recently, NCC was awarded funding through 

the Government of Canada’s Nature Fund to develop 

a new natural area conservation plan for 

Saskatchewan’s Southwest Sandhills. Located 

west of Swift Current and extending to the Alberta 

border, the area provides habitat for 38 species 

at risk. It features a mosaic of habitats, including 

sand dunes, native grasslands, wetlands and associated 

adjacent vegetation that support a diversity 

of species. 

The area has a long history of supporting ranching. 

Grazing animals are an important part of the 

ecosystem and help support a diversity of species 

to help maintain the health of the grasslands. The 

area is of historical, cultural and spiritual significance 

to Indigenous communities, with over 200 

heritage resource 

sites of archaeological 

and cultural significance 

within its 

bounds. The priority 

area also contains 

medicinal plants important 

to Indigenous 

communities. 

Partner 

Spotlight 

Through its partnership 

with the Nature Conservancy 

of Canada (NCC), Northern Keep 

is helping conserve Canada’s 

natural spaces. Every bottle of 

Northern Keep vodka sold helps 

NCC protect five square feet of 

ecologically significant land 

from coast to coast to coast. It 

also supports Northern Keep’s 

mission to Grow for Good, 

protecting the water, fields 

and forests that are integral 

to its product. 

A proud tribute to the great 

expanses of Canada, Northern 

Keep vodka celebrates our 

northern home; a land of 

abundance that enables Northern 

Keep to craft the finest vodka 

from ingredients grown in our 

own backyard. Made from 70 per 

cent rye and 30 per cent winter 

wheat, Northern Keep vodka is 

proud to produce a spirit that 

promotes sustainable practices. 

Rye and winter wheat provide 

ground cover in the spring. This 

helps to reduce soil erosion and 

provides nesting habitat for 

waterfowl and grassland birds. 

NCC has 90 priority natural areas 

across the country where we are 

continually seeking opportunities 

to conserve new lands. Our 

partnership with Northern Keep 

will provide us with the resources 

we need to protect the natural 

areas we love and the resources 

they sustain. 

If your organization is interested 

in partnering with NCC, please 

contact us: corporate.giving@ 

natureconservancy.ca. 


FORCE FOR 

NATURE 

In good 

hands 

Incoming president and CEO, Catherine Grenier, talks about why 

nature and conservation are important to her, as she joins NCC this fall 

GENEVIÈVE LESIEUR. 


Ask Catherine Grenier to describe her favourite 

place or memory of a time in nature, and you’ll 

find she’s hard pressed to answer. Not because 

her list is short, but rather because each day brings with 

it time in nature that is precious to her. 

A native of Quebec City, Grenier makes it a point to seek out nature 

wherever she is, and to integrate it into her daily life; from short, 

five-minute walks, to longer runs through the city’s urban parks and 

wooded trails, where the leaves are now turning from brilliant 

greens to deep reds and oranges. 

“No matter where I go, I always ask, ‘Where can I find some green 

space?’ Nature plays a very important role in my personal and family 

life, because it is essential to our well-being,” she explains. “I strongly 

believe it’s important to cherish it, and to build a sustainable legacy 

so that our children and even those seven generations from now can 

have the same opportunities that we have had.” 

It’s that belief in the importance of connecting with nature, first 

nurtured as a very young child during family fishing trips and at 

summer camp, that has driven Grenier to dedicate her career to its 

long-term protection. 

An award-winning leader, over the last decade Grenier has held 

executive positions with some of Canada’s foremost nature conservation 

organizations, where she has worked to create opportunities 

for Canadians to connect with nature and build a lasting legacy. As 

vice-president for national parks operations with Sépaq, she was 

responsible for the management and development of 27 Quebec parks 

and resorts. Prior to joining Sépaq, Grenier held senior roles with 

Parks Canada, where, among her achievements, she led the process to 

create Canada’s first national urban park, in Toronto’s Rouge Valley. 

“Canada is probably one of the wealthiest 

countries on Earth when it comes to our 

natural areas,” reflects Grenier. “Our love 

for nature is part of our culture, but it needs 

to be cultivated.” 

As she begins her term with NCC, Grenier 

takes over the position from John Lounds, 

who has led the organization through more 

than 23 years of exceptional growth and success. 

Consistent with a previously announced 

transition plan, Lounds will serve as a senior 

advisor to NCC until his planned retirement 

in the spring of 2021. 

“I am honoured to have been selected 

to lead a team that is shaping the future of 

conservation in Canada,” says Grenier. “This 

is such a unique opportunity to accelerate 

the scope and scale of conservation in our 

country, to connect with Canadians and to 

build lasting support for nature. I can’t wait 

to get started.”1 

Jean-Paul-Riopelle Nature Reserve, QC. 

I’m inspired by NCC’s rich history of 

success and by the passion of the people 

relentlessly working to protect our 

country’s natural areas for the long term. 

CLAUDE DUCHAÎNE. 

This fall, Grenier’s career takes a new turn as she joins the Nature 

Conservancy of Canada (NCC) as its president and CEO. Thinking 

about her role, she says she is most looking forward to meeting NCC’s 

current partners and building new relationships. 

“I have a huge level of trust and respect for NCC and its unique 

collaborative and creative approaches to conservation,” says Grenier, 

who partnered with NCC in various ways in her previous roles. “I’m 

inspired by its rich history of success and by the passion of the people 

relentlessly working to protect our country’s natural areas for the long 

term. How do we build on that to take us to new heights?” 

With the increased pressures of rapid biodiversity loss and climate 

change, Grenier believes the need for conservation has never been 

greater. For conservation to increase its pace, Canadians’ love for 

nature needs to be strengthened. 



CLOSE 

ENCOUNTERS 

Mutual respect 

By Wendy Ho, NCC editorial coordinator, as told by Richard Klafki, NCC program director for the Canadian Rocky Mountains 

I’ve seen quite a few bears over the years as a wildlife 

biologist, as has my partner, Carol, while working up 

in the Yukon. But on a recent 10-day trip through the 

Sunshine Coast Trail near Powell River, BC, I had one of 

the most incredible encounters with a black bear. 

While trekking through this lush temperate rainforest, 

we took a break at Fern Gully while our friends went ahead. 

It had been raining that day; the forest was beautiful, and 

the air smelled of damp earth. I stretched out over the 

thick carpet of moss, soaking in the stillness. That’s when 

I heard some distant shuffling in the woods behind me. 

“Must be some hikers coming up behind us,” I thought. 

But 10 minutes passed and not a soul in sight. Suddenly, 

I felt a presence looming behind me; the shrubs rustled 

and I could tell it was big! 

About three metres away, Carol sat on a rock, breaking 

out a chocolate bar. I jumped up and ran quickly 

toward her, where my pack with the bear spray was. 

I said, “There’s something big coming!” She thought I was 

after her chocolate! 

I turned around and there it was, cresting a fallen log 

25 metres away — a big, lumbering, jet black, black bear 

amidst the backdrop of the bright green mosses and ferns. 

I said, “Hey, bear!” to make our presence known, and he 

looked at us, turned and ambled away into the forest. He 

respected us and our space, and we both went on with 

our day. It was amazing how such a large bear could be 

so silent and stealth-like in a thick forest. 

When you come face to face with a massive animal, 

you need to remember that this is its territory and 

respect its space. Our job is to give bears plenty of 

natural space so they can find their own healthy, natural 

foods. Their safety and ours depend on how we behave 

in bear country. 

Luckily, our encounter ended on a happy note, and 

I have that image framed in my head forever.1 

JACQUI OAKLEY. 


GIVE A 

GIFT THAT 

LASTS 

A Gift of Canadian Nature is an ideal way to show how much you care – about your 

loved ones and about Canada’s natural spaces and the species that live there. 

Purchase a Gift of Canadian Nature today and create a legacy for the next generations. 

To view all of our gift options, visit GiftsofNature.ca, or call toll-free 1-800-465-8005. 

The perfect gift for any nature lover this holiday season.

YOUR 

VOICES 

SEND US YOUR STORIES! 

magazine@natureconservancy.ca 

FREE WILLS... 

REALLY? 

Prairie delight 

NCC has partnered with the Canadian Free Wills Network, and 

we are happy to offer you the opportunity to have your Will 

written or updated by a local qualified lawyer — free of charge. 

While there is no obligation to remember NCC in your Will, please consider the incredible 

difference a gift in your Will would make in conserving Canada’s natural heritage. 

To participate in this offer, please contact Ryan Armstrong at 1-877-231-3552 x. 2254 

or ryan.armstrong@natureconservancy.ca. He’s waiting to hear from you. 

“On a hot summer day about 50 years 

ago, I was the eldest of four children 

travel camping with our parents as 

we drove from Ontario to BC. We were 

driving across the prairie, looking for 

a place to camp on this flat plain, when 

we saw the sign for Buffalo Pound and 

took the winding road down into this 

beautiful valley! With hills to climb! We 

discovered the delight of the Prairies. 

I returned as an adult and have now 

lived in Saskatchewan for many years. 

Glad to be able to contribute to 

preserving this precious land/water. 

I am already a monthly NCC donor, 

and I am on the mailing list for news 

and updates.” 

~ Susan Sorensen has been a monthly 

donor since 2012 

NATURE CONSERVANCY OF CANADA 

245 Eglinton Ave. East, Suite 410, Toronto, ON M4P 3J1

Fall Magazine 2020

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