My favourite tree is probably the American beech, not
because it’s the tallest or longest lived member of Maritime ecology, but
because it’s beautiful, and comes with a compelling history.
At one time, the majority of...
Open pen aquaculture has suffered a great many
criticisms these past few decades, but the most damning of all was shared with
me only recently by a thoughtful New Brunswick marine biologist. As she
explained it, the reason open-pen aquaculture...
The loss of wilderness to forestry, pollution,
agriculture, urban sprawl and climate change is the single most potent driver
of mass extinction.
When we say that 1 million species could go extinct in
the next few decades,...
I’ve worked several newsrooms in my time, always at
small rural papers and always as the only man on staff. As a consequence, I
became the de facto sports reporter, expected to assemble an entire section of
the paper with...
You do not have the right to a healthy environment…
There, I said it. Neither Nova Scotia nor Canada at
large has ever formally recognized your right to clean air, clean water, clean
soil, or any...
Spring can be an informative time, as
the veil of winter is pulled back to reveal the indiscretions of a season
filling our ditches. Into these reservoirs of outright laziness we discard
styrofoam, rubber tires and old boots, occasionally fridges...
It’s been a hard week. A recent UN report concluded
that one million species could be facing extinction in the next few decades, a
number so astonishing that I’ve been left to stumble from one mood to another,
from anger...
The more diverse an ecosystem, the more resilient it is
in the face of adversity. This is among the firmest precepts of biodiversity,
and is without doubt one of my favourite.
The more intact our wilderness,...
The spirit of competition is a wonderful thing, a magic
ingredient which turns speed-skating with sticks into a game of hockey, pushing
people to lengths they couldn’t otherwise justify and toward milestones we
wouldn’t otherwise notice.
Except...
The remotest island in all of Canada is a 42 kilometre
long sliver of sand gracing our continental shelf, formed 10,000 years ago by
the workings of glaciers. We call her Sable.
To this day, its...