Nature Conservancy launches volunteer initiative for National Volunteer Week

Toronto – The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is offering a fresh, new season of Conservation Volunteers events just in time for both National Volunteer Week and Earth Week.

These free, family-friendly events connect Canadians of all ages to nature, getting people directly involved the protection of our country’s species and natural areas allowing volunteers to explore unique habitat, see rare species and learn about nature from the experts.

“Our Conservation Volunteers program offers Canadians incredible opportunities to get out into nature and take part in real on-the-ground conservation work,” says Kailey Setter, Conservation Volunteers coordinator. “We all care about wildlife and wild places–they are part of our national identity–but we don’t always know what we can do to help protect them. By coming to a Conservation Volunteers event, you can have a meaningful impact on conservation and learn about nature along the way.”

Now celebrating its fifth year, Conservation Volunteers is a popular family program with many volunteers returning year after year to help move conservation efforts along, and to learn new skills and see species and habitats that sometimes exist nowhere else in the world. Shawn Wilcox and his daughter Annie are just such volunteers.

“We volunteer with NCC because we want to make a real difference for our native plants and animals,” remarked Wilcox about his family’s participation in the Conservation Volunteers program. “We always have fun, learn something new and leave knowing we’ve made a meaningful contribution to conservation.”

Now returning for her 4th year of dragonfly counting on Ontario’s Carden Alvar, 11 year-old Annie has become adept at quickly and safely capturing, identifying and then releasing – unharmed – these insects, creating a connection to nature and seeing first-hand the interdependence of all living things.

Over one thousand Canadians like Shawn and Annie get involved in exciting Conservation Volunteers events annually including:

• Tree planting
• Seed collection
• Bird and butterfly counting
• Fence building
• Habitat creation

Visit NCC’s Conservation Volunteer webpage check out the events happening across Canada at to register for your free conservation adventure today.

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• Nature Conservancy protects key habitat in northeast New Brunswick (thegreenpages.ca)
• Conserving Habitat in Rice Lake Plains (thegreenpages.ca)
• P.E.I. islands secured by Nature Conservancy (cbc.ca)