IN THIS EMAIL:
 

- Learn about how wildlife photographers are practicing ethical wildlife photography and the importance of setting guidelines 

- Read about five new mini forests that were planted in cities across Canada in 2023 as part of a national pilot project to combat biodiversity loss and create new green spaces in urban areas
- Discover more about the Peace-Athabasca Delta and how activity outside of Wood Buffalo National Park could threaten its future

- Ready for your next adventure? Take a look at Adventure Canada's small-ship expedition exploring the stunning coast of Labrador

Wildlife photographers on the thrill of the chase  — and the importance of setting ethical guidelines 

By Rhiannon Russell with photography by Brittany Crossman, John E. Marriott, Peter Mather, Abdulla Moussa, Jesse and Susan Villemaire, andJenny Wong  

When John E. Marriott heard a cougar had been spotted in a meadow near the Trans-Canada Highway in Banff National Park, his heart leapt at the chance to see it for himself. Marriott was in his early 20s, working for Parks Canada and dabbling with photography as a hobby. He quickly headed out to the meadow with his brand-new telephoto lens. He found the animal at an elk kill and, thrilled, began snapping photos. 

Motorists driving the highway could see Marriott, and they began pulling over to try to spot what he was photographing. The next thing he knew, a park-warden friend was on the scene. “What the fuck are you doing, John?” he scolded.

Now, 30 years on, Marriott says he made nearly every mistake in the book that day. He didn’t bring bear spray, he approached too closely, and he caused a traffic jam. He didn’t notice it then, but the cougar wasn’t happy about his presence — when he looks back at the photos, he can see it was stressed, with its ears pinned back.

Planting a network of mini forests across Canada 

Five new mini forests were planted in cities across Canada in 2023 as part of a national pilot project to combat biodiversity loss and create new green spaces in urban areas — and the work is just beginning
 

Good things take root when a community comes together to plant a mini-forest. Neighbours meet and connect. Urban wildlife find leafy refuge from the concrete and glass landscape of the city. The air gets cleaner and cooler. 

That’s the ethos and the vision behind a national pilot project to introduce new green spaces into urban environments and combat biodiversity loss in Canada by planting mini forests. The project, led by Green Communities Canada in collaboration with Dougan & Associates, Canadian Geographic and Wilder Climate Solutions through the Network of Nature, aims to transform identified sites using an innovative tree-planting method modelled after the Miyawaki forest technique. 

Mapping water flow in the Peace-Athabasca Delta  
 

While most of the delta lies within the federally protected Wood Buffalo National Park, activity outside the park could threaten its future

By Chris Brackley with words by Michela Rosano 
 

The Peace-Athabasca Delta in Alberta is one of the world’s largest inland freshwater deltas, supporting more than one million migratory birds and 279 different animal species, including the globe’s largest free-roaming herd of wood bison. (Photo: Russ Heinl/Shutterstock)
 

If the boreal forest acts like lungs for the Earth, the Peace-Athabasca Delta in northern Alberta is a beating heart, one of many sacred ecosystems that march our blue speck of a planet forward in the collective hum of existence. The rivers, lakes, marshes and grasslands comprising one of the world’s largest inland freshwater deltas serve as a refuge for more than one million migratory birds each year, as habitat for 279 different animal species, including the globe’s largest free-roaming herd of wood bison, as an enclave for native grasses and sedges, and as the lifeblood for the local Cree, Chipewyan and Métis peoples. This combination of outstanding ecological and biological attributes led to the park’s UNESCO World Heritage Site designation in 1983.
 

While 80 per cent of the delta lies within the federally protected Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada’s largest, no park is an island. Upstream of the vital waterways that intersect in the delta lie hydroelectric dams, uranium and coal mines, pulp and paper mills, wastewater dumps and oil sands tailings ponds. Effluent from these industrial operations ultimately flows back to the heart, the delta.

Canadian Geographic Adventures
 

Experience the rugged beauty of the Torngat Mountains. Cruise along the coast and marvel at the stunning peaks, deep fjords, and towering cliffs. Visit the historic Battle Harbour, a charming village that was once a bustling hub for the cod fishery. Discover the heart and soul of Labrador in Nain, a quaint community where you’ll be greeted with open arms by some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet.
 

Get inspired!