It’s National Volunteer Week in Canada and people are urged to get involved in one of several events organized by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC).
The invitation notes that Canada has 733 wildlife species at risk and that the NCC has protected habitat for 180 of them in parcels of land it has acquired across the country. It has over 2,000 much-needed volunteers and is always looking for more.
‘Great for wildlife, good for Canadians’
“Volunteers are really critical to the work we do,” says Kailey Setter who manages the conservancy’s volunteers. “Caring for Canada is not just one person’s responsibility. It’s something we can all have a part in.
“And a lot of these projects require a lot of people to get them done. We don’t have enough staff to do them ourselves.
“So, when people volunteer to come out and help, we get more done, faster and we can have a bigger impact which is great for wildlife and good for Canadians.”
A range of activities offered
Setter lists many possible activities such as counting and recording species, building or enhancing trails and boardwalks, planting native trees, shoreline cleanups, removing invasive species and building nest boxes.
Counting plovers and monarchs
For example, people have helped count birds for the international piping plover census which occurs every five years. This migratory bird is endangered in Canada. There will be a data collection even in the eastern province of Nova Scotia in July.
To help monarch butterflies which migrate from Mexico to Canada there will be opportunity in the tall grass prairie of Manitoba in July and August to count them and the milkweed which is a plant they rely on.
‘Meet new people…see amazing places’
Setter invites people to come join the volunteers “who come back year after year to just get engaged in conservation, but also just to meet new people, build new skills, and see some amazing, off-the-beaten-track places in Canada.”
The NCC has an online list of more than planned 60 events for volunteers and more will be added throughout the coming summer months.
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