The scent of a turtle

Scientists turn to man`s best friend to help in recovery efforts for one of our most endangered reptiles. Text and Photography by Conor Mihell   Charging along a frenetic course... Read Full Article

The renegade

Unabashed tree lover Diana Beresford-Kroeger declares that forests hold the solution to climate change as well as countless cures for a multitude of ailments including cancer. Text... Read Full Article

The Problem with Landfills

Tuesday, December 14, 2010 By Conor Mihell That the majority of Ontarians don’t have a clue where their garbage ends up after its left at the curb has as much to do with society’s... Read Full Article

Frontier conservation

Northern Connections, Ontario Nature’s new program based in the far north, is bringing isolated communities together to create a unique environmental voice that speaks for the big... Read Full Article

Big lake warming

Friday, August 13, 2010 By Conor Mihell In April, Minnesota-based naturalists Kate Crowley and Mike Link began a five-month, 2,575-kilometre walk around Lake Superior. Their goal:... Read Full Article

At your service

Can you put a price tag on the ecological functions – water filtration, clean air – provided by the good earth? Making the business case for nature. By Conor Mihell Sometimes we... Read Full Article

Back on track

By Conor Mihell Wednesday, May 12, 2010 A 300-kilometre-long rail line linking the northern Ontario cities of Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie was raised from the dead when provincial... Read Full Article

Development crushes turtles

Tuesday, March 30, 2010 By Conor Mihell The city of Ottawa is pushing through the completion of a four-kilometre extension of Terry Fox Drive to access areas for new housing developments.... Read Full Article

Why fear the bear?

Myth and misinformation have sullied the bruin’s reputation.  In truth, the big mammal evolved as a prey species that learned to survive through caution and stealth. By Conor Mihell Jim... Read Full Article

Finally: less logging in Algonquin

  Wednesday, February 3, 2010 Posted By Conor Mihell The ink is nearly dry on a new forest management plan for Algonquin Provincial Park that will increase the amount of logging-free... Read Full Article

Protecting an Island Paradise

Thursday December 17, 2009 Posted by Conor Mihell The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has brokered the largest conservation deal in Ontario history by raising $7.4 million to purchase... Read Full Article

Long Live the King

Monday October 26, 2009 Posted by Conor Mihell A unique land use partnership north of Sault Ste. Marie has resulted in the long-term protection of one of Ontario’s highest points... Read Full Article

Blasting Lake Superior

Tuesday September 22, 2009 Posted by Conor Mihell Joel Cooper can’t say enough about the big lake that looms just outside the patio doors of his modest year-round home near Wawa,... Read Full Article

Saving a spectacular shoreline

by Conor Mihell A seven-year land-use debate now near conclusion in northern Ontario could result in the world’s longest stretch of protected freshwater coastline. Negotiations between... Read Full Article

The eagle rises again

Friday August 28, 2009 Posted by: Conor Mihell After more than 35 years of endangered species status, bald eagles living south of the French and Mattawa rivers were downgraded to... Read Full Article

Why we can’t save this forest

What went wrong with the Environmental Assessment Act? Conor Mihell investigates how a law that was meant to protect the environment ended up helping industry. by Conor Mihell Across... Read Full Article

A road runs through it

But shouldn’t. Our parks are supposed to be wilderness sanctuaries, yet the trees are logged, the waterways polluted and the trucks keep rolling through. Ontario Nature lobbied hard... Read Full Article

Saving King Mountain

by Conor Mihell Standing tall just north of Sault Ste. Marie, a unique forest ecosystem of sugar maple and yellow birch blankets the slopes of one of Ontario’s highest peaks, the... Read Full Article

River power for the power-hungry

by Conor Mihell The Ontario Power Authority (OPA), the province’s electricity planning agency, has set its sights on the Albany River, a wild waterway flowing for 980 kilometres through... Read Full Article

Better late than never: Contaminated sites to be (finally) cleaned up in the Far North

Wednesday August 5, 2009 Posted by: Conor Mihell The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) has committed to cleaning up Cold War-era Mid-Canada Line (MCL) missile detection... Read Full Article

The greatest lake

When 10,000 square kilometers of Lake Superior became Canada’s first national marine conservation area, environmentalists and paddlers cheered. But with all the fine print buried... Read Full Article

My Turn: Phil Cotton

Putting conservation on the map As told to Conor Mihell People call me Uncle Phil. It’s a term of endearment I’ve come to appreciate after four summers of canoeing, portaging and... Read Full Article

Trial and error

By Conor Mihell The legalities surrounding cross-border pollution have always been murky, but legal clarity may be forthcoming as a result of a case now before the courts in Sarnia.... Read Full Article

The dept. of oil and water: Trees and mining combined in new ministry

Friday July 17, 2009 Posted by: Conor Mihell A late June “mini shuffle” of government portfolios at Queen’s Park could put economic development above environmental concerns... Read Full Article

Tree follies

by Conor Mihell Following a devastating series of layoffs in northern Ontario’s forest industry triggered by downturns in the U.S. market, the prospect of opening a wood-processing... Read Full Article

Mine Fields

Ontario’s antiquated legislation allows the mining industry to stake claims almost anywhere and operate without full environmental assessments. Responding to the demands of First... Read Full Article

Places to grow

Rain gardens soak up stormwater, reduce runoff and are a magnet for wildlife. Bonus: they’re practically maintenance free By Conor Mihell Read Full Article  Read More →

Up in smoke

by Conor Mihell Over a mere 10-year period, Vale Inco’s Copper Cliff smelter has showered Sudbury with a staggering 674 tonnes of carcinogenic nickel particulates – the equivalent... Read Full Article