Ecology

Algonquin Park. Photo by Dan Beare.

Think You Know Nature?

With the May long weekend signalling the arrival of summer, I wasted no time leaving behind Toronto for the quiet solitude of Algonquin Provincial Park. Hiking amongst 400-year-old trees, sighting rare birds, stopping on the highway to spot moose and enjoying the call of loons on the lake helps you […]

Fingerling Chinook salmon at Port Credit Harbour

Swimming Against the Odds

There was a general sense of anticipation when the Ministry of Natural Resources truck backed in next to the Port Credit Harbour marina in Mississauga, Ontario. Everyone there at the water’s edge knew how important the truck’s cargo was to the overall health of the silty Credit River flowing brown into […]

The Province of Ontario's 25-year Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe

Implementing the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe

The Neptis Foundation is well known for its research reports on land use and transportation issues in the Toronto region. It is one of the few outfits currently publishing material at a regional scale of analysis in Canada. So when Neptis releases a new report, it’s a bit of an […]

rusty_blackbird_Steve_Byland-Fotolia_57789209

Redefining Recovery: A New Model for Saving Species At Risk

Imagine you’ve just opened your eyes, and you’re in the hospital. You’ve had surgery after a catastrophic heart attack. You’re lucky to be alive. A nurse comes to check on you. “Oh, you’re awake,” he says, then promptly puts you in a wheelchair, pushes you beyond the sliding doors, and […]

A researcher at the Experimental Lakes Area in Ontario.

We Saved the ELA: Now What?

When Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced on May 17, 2012 that funding for the Experimental Lakes Area would no longer be renewed by the federal government, scientists and environmentalists saw this for what it was – another salvo in Harper’s ever-expanding conflict with science and the products of that research.

Cacao pod and seeds.

How Chocolate Works: The Science of Cacao Production in Peru

The basics of cacao production are fairly straightforward, but a healthy crop requires specific conditions to flourish and balancing all of the contributing factors can get pretty complex. High-quality, rich, aromatic chocolate is produced from proper cultivation techniques that farmers have been sharing for centuries. With 90 per cent of Peru’s cacao production being […]