Conservator

A celebration of the conservation lifestyle, the award-winning Conservator magazine is Ducks Unlimited Canada's flagship publication that aims to showcase the incredible wetland conservation work that helps clean our water, supports our wildlife and improves our lives. Hopeful and helpful, Conservator aims to empower our readers and reflect their personal conservation decisions.

Spreading our wings

Conservator

Bringing wetlands to life • On looking closer A dragonfly, iridescent wings shimmering, Sunbathes on a warm, flat, rock, Its multifaceted eyes staring out Onto a large, blurry world.

DUC BOARD OF DIRECTORS • DUC is governed by a board of directors, whose dedicated members across Canada and the U.S. work closely with staff to develop the broad policy that guides every aspect of DUC’s pursuit of our conservation mission and vision.

Nature Force: a new climate resilience initiative using natural infrastructure • INSURANCE INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIP SEEKS TO MITIGATE FLOOD RISK TO CANADA’S URBAN COMMUNITIES

Gearing up for the big ride • CYCLISTS SADDLE UP FOR CONSERVATION THIS SUMMER

Putting Canada’s wetlands on the map • THE DISCOVERY OF AN ANCIENT MAP REMINDS US HOW FAR WE’VE COME. AND HOW FAR (AND WHERE) WE NEED TO GO.

USING DRONES TO HELP RESTORE WETLANDS IN SASKATCHEWAN

EQUIPPING B.C. VOLUNTEERS TO BE CITIZEN SCIENTISTS

ASSESSING AND MAPPING BIODIVERSITY ON THE PRAIRIES

BRAIDING TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND SCIENCE

GETTING PEOPLE OUTDOORS TO CELEBRATE A CONSERVATION MILESTONE IN ONTARIO

DETAILING WETLANDS OF SOUTHERN QUEBEC

FILLING INFORMATION GAPS ON NORTH AMERICA’S SEA DUCKS

TAKING STOCK OF WHAT WE’VE GOT: A CANADIAN WETLAND INVENTORY

Generation Next • INTRODUCING THE STUDENT RESEARCHERS WHO ARE HELPING TO WRITE THE NEXT CHAPTER IN CONSERVATION SCIENCE

Ontario landowners open the farm gate to welcome scientists • “TRUE STEWARDS OF THE LAND” HELP DUC MEASURE THE POWER OF RESTORED WETLANDS FOR CLEANER WATER

THE SCIENCE OF SMALL WETLANDS

Feather Weather • SHEDDING LIGHT ON WATERFOWL MOULTING SEASON

Secrets to successful dating, by (and for) North America’s drakes • MOST DUCKS ARE ALREADY PAIRED UP BY THE TIME THEY ARRIVE AT THEIR CANADIAN BREEDING AND NESTING HABITAT. SEVEN DRAKES SHARE THEIR TIPS FOR OTHER DUCKS ON HOW TO GET THE GIRL.

Easing the squeeze • A FAMILY’S DONATION OF VITAL SALT MARSH HABITAT IS CRITICAL TO COASTAL CONSERVATION ON THE ACADIAN PENINSULA

Shoring up the resilience of key habitats in B.C.’s Fraser River Estuary • RECENT KEY RESEARCH AND INVESTMENTS SUPPORT SALMON, OTHER WILDLIFE AND COASTAL FLOOD PROTECTION ON CANADA’S WEST COAST

Little goes a long way: B.C. Marshkeeper makes his mark • CRAIG LITTLE NAMED DUC NATIONAL VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

The IMPROBABLE WORLD of CANADA’S PEATLANDS • LANDSCAPES KNOWN AS SWAMPLANDS OR PEATLANDS OFTEN GO UNNOTICED FOR THEIR ECOLOGICAL SPLENDOUR. THEY ARE AS GLOBALLY SIGNIFICANT AS RAINFORESTS, AND FUNCTION AS CRITICAL CARBON SINKS FOR ADDRESSING OUR CLIMATE CRISIS. THIS COMPELLING ACCOUNT BY JOURNALIST AND AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR EDWARD STRUZIK, BRINGS TO LIFE THESE WILD, DIVERSE AND VITAL SPACES WHILE REVEALING THEIR FASCINATING SECRETS.

PUTTING CANADA’S BOREAL PEATLANDS ON THE GLOBAL STAGE

Conservation needs to consider insects like the iconic dragonfly • PROMINENT CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST ENCOURAGES NATURE ENTHUSIASTS TO TAKE PART IN CITIZEN SCIENCE EFFORTS

DRAGONFLY SPOTLIGHT: COMMON GREEN DARNER • Dragonflies like the common green darner (right) are among the 551 wildlife species that rely on Canada’s wetlands. Each is connected to countless other animal and plant species and the health of their ecosystems as a whole. Unlike some related species,...