ARTICLES
CANADIAN GEOGRAPHIC
For years, TJ Watt has returned to the same locations on Vancouver Island to photograph ancient forests before and after logging. His stark before-and-after images reveal the scale of change that can happen in a matter of days.
Before and after photos show devastating effects of intensive logging on B.C.’s old-growth forests
TJ WATT
Big tree hunters: Saving the last
untouched areas of the planet
TJ WATT
Some of British Columbia’s largest remaining trees are still undocumented. TJ Watt ventures into remote forests to find ancient giants, using photography to document what remains and what could be lost.
We Had All Kinds of Water
SARA HYLTON
For nearly 30 years, Neskantaga First Nation has lived under a boil-water advisory. Photographs by Sara Hylton accompany Brandi Morin’s reporting from the community, documenting the consequences of a water crisis that has shaped daily life for a generation.
Life in Fort Chipewyan has long been closely connected to water. Sara Hylton’s photographs and interviews document how industrial development and a changing climate are affecting the northern Alberta community and its relationship with Lake Athabasca.
Lifeblood: Fort Chipewyan’s Relationship to Water
SARA HYLTON
The magic in the mud:
Sandpipers’ migration superfood
ISABELLE GROC
Each spring, western sandpipers stop at Roberts Bank to refuel on something almost invisible. Nutrient-rich biofilm in the mud helps power their extraordinary migration, and Isabelle Groc investigates why the habitat that produces it is so hard to replace.
Filmmaker Nick Hawkins’ fight to save
wild Atlantic salmon, one frame at a time
NICK HAWKINS
Wild Atlantic salmon have disappeared from many rivers where they once thrived. Nick Hawkins is documenting the species across its entire life cycle and geographic range, capturing life stages and behaviours that are difficult to observe in the wild.
The history of Arctic exploration has often left women’s voices out of the record. Jessica Houston travelled through Tallurutik with an all-female expedition team, listening to Inuit women whose knowledge and stories offer a different perspective on the region’s past and present.
Beyond Her Horizons: Listening
to the women of Tallurutik
JESSICA HOUSTON
Documentary filmmakers find
1895 steamship wreck in Lake Huron
YVONNE DREBERT
While filming the effects of invasive quagga mussels, Yvonne Drebert and Zach Melnick made an unexpected discovery 85 metres beneath Lake Huron: the remarkably intact wreck of the Africa, a steamship that disappeared in 1895.
All Too Clear: Beneath the surface
of the upcoming feature film
YVONNE DREBERT
Invasive quagga mussels have transformed the Great Lakes from the bottom up. Yvonne Drebert and Zach Melnick take Canadian Geographic behind the scenes of All Too Clear, using underwater ROVs to reveal ecological changes that are largely hidden from view.
Muskox populations on Banks and Victoria islands were falling sharply, and researchers were trying to understand why. Susan Kutz’s work points to a complex mix of disease, parasites and a rapidly warming Arctic as possible drivers of the decline.
Arctic muskox populations dropping
SUSAN KUTZ
Last Bastion of Ice
ANNA CRAWFORD
In 2020, the Milne Ice Shelf lost 40% of its area almost overnight. Glaciologist Anna Crawford joined researchers at Milne Fiord to understand what the collapse means for one of the Arctic’s last remaining ice shelves and the ecosystem it once enclosed.
Sleeping giant: Inside the Mount Meager volcano
CHRISTIAN STENNER
Deep inside Mount Meager, caves carved by volcanic heat and glacial ice provide access to one of Canada’s most unusual environments. Christian Stenner joins scientists exploring this hidden system and the clues it may hold about the active volcano beneath them.
Nunavut’s hunt for healthy food
PATRICK KANE
In Nunavut, access to healthy food is tied closely to the land. Patrick Kane’s photographs document how hunting, fishing and gathering remain central to food security and Inuit culture, while showing the pressures that make those traditions increasingly difficult to sustain.
Maia Wikler on memory, resistance
and the hidden scourge of “fast furniture”
MAIA WIKLER
Much of today’s inexpensive furniture is designed to be replaced, not repaired. Maia Wikler traces its environmental cost from discarded household objects to the forests that supply the wood, connecting our consumption habits to the landscapes where their impacts begin.
The hidden life of Canada’s frozen lakes
with Andrew Budziak and Andy Bramburger
ANDREW BUDZIAK
Beneath the ice of Canada’s frozen lakes, microscopic algae help support aquatic food webs and produce oxygen. Andrew Budziak and scientist Andy Bramburger explore this little-understood winter ecosystem and what shrinking ice cover could mean for the life that depends on it.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
For generations, Indigenous communities have used fire to care for landscapes and reduce wildfire risk. Kira Hoffman is helping bring cultural burning back to British Columbia's forests, combining Indigenous knowledge with fire ecology to restore a practice suppressed for more than a century.
How Forester Kira Hoffman is
harnessing the healing power of fire
KIRA HOFFMAN
There’s a frozen labyrinth atop Mount Rainier.
What secrets does it hold?
CHRISTIAN STENNER
Beneath Mount Rainier’s summit lies a shifting network of caves formed where volcanic heat meets glacial ice. Christian Stenner and his team mapped the frozen labyrinth in unprecedented detail, revealing how some passages have shifted or disappeared while much of the cave system has remained remarkably stable.
Explore an Underwater Kelp Paradise
in This 360-Degree Video
BRIAN TIMMER
Fifty-year-old records uncovered a dramatic transformation beneath the Salish Sea. By retracing surveys from the 1970s, Brian Timmer and his colleagues found that roughly 1,300 acres of bull kelp forest had disappeared as ocean temperatures rose. His work is helping reveal the scale of this hidden loss and inform efforts to restore these underwater forests.
Stolen Slumber
RYAN TIDMAN
Vancouver Island black bears have an unusual solution to the region’s cold, wet winters: sheltering inside massive hollow old-growth trees. Over three years, Ryan Tidman documented these hidden dens and what their disappearance could mean as old-growth forests are logged.
COMING SOON →
OTHER COVERAGE
TJ WATT
Ancient forests and old-growth conservation
8 ARTICLES
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THE WASHINGTON POST
“‘Freak of nature’ tree is the find of a lifetime for forest explorer”
THE INDEPENDENT
“Rare tree hunter in Canada finds ‘freak of nature’ 1,000-year-old cedar”
CBC NEWS
“BC big tree hunter documents grandest old-growth tree he’s ever seen”
THE GUARDIAN
“Canada: images of felled ancient tree a ‘gut-punch’, old-growth experts say”
THE GUARDIAN
”‘A distressing reality’: our beautiful planet under threat – in pictures”
CTV NEWS
“Clear-cut of Vancouver Island's ancient trees shows faults in B.C.’s deferral system”
TORONTO STAR
“Giant trees still fall amid old-growth funding lag for B.C. First Nations”
MY COMOX VALLEY NOW
“Old-growth cedars harvested because of database errors, says environmental group”
CHRISTIAN STENNER
Glaciovolcanic caves and exploration
1 ARTICLE
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EXPLORERSWEB
“Beneath Glaciers, to Study Volcanoes: An Interview with Caver Christian Stenner”
SHELLY ELVERUM
Inuit identity, whaling history and community research
1 ARTICLE
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NUNATSIAQ NEWS
“Pond Inlet youth to study ties between centuries-old whaling industry and Inuit culture”
KEHKASHAN BASU
Youth environmental education and stewardship
2 ARTICLES
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BROADVIEW
“This environmental advocate leads youth through small actions and big ideas”
EARTH DAY CANADA
“The Journey to Embodying Change”
RHIANNON KIRTON
Elk, grassland health and Indigenous food security
1 ARTICLE
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COLUMBIA MOUNTAINS INSTITUTE OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
“What’s the Future of Grasslands and Rangelands in the East Kootenay?”
JESSICA KOLOPENUK
Indigenous science, technology and research governance
1 ARTICLE
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THE PANDEMICENE PROJECT
“COVID-19 Conversations with Dr. Kim TallBear and Dr. Jessica Kolopenuk”
ZENON CZENZE
Bats, heat waves and thermal stress
1 ARTICLE
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PHYS.ORG
“Overheating bat boxes place bats in mortal danger during heat waves”
ANNA CRAWFORD
Arctic ice loss and the Milne Ice Shelf
1 ARTICLE
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NUNATSIAQ NEWS
“Glaciologist using 3D models to study loss of shelf ice at Milne Fiord”
RYAN TIDMAN
Vancouver Island wildlife conservation
2 ARTICLES
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PACIFIC WILD
“Photography & Conservation: An Interview with Ryan Tidman”
THE NARWHAL
“Bringing the endangered Vancouver Island marmot back from the brink”
YVONNE DREBERT
Quagga mussels and Great Lakes ecosystem change
1 ARTICLE
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WISCONSIN PUBLIC RADIO
“Quadrillions of invasive mussels are damaging the Great Lakes, documentary shows”
JESSICA HOUSTON
Women, Inuit knowledge and Arctic exploration
2 ARTICLES
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NUNATSIAQ NEWS
“All-female crew set to sail Franklin’s Northwest Passage route”
ARCTIC FOCUS
“Beyond Her Horizons: Analyzing women’s roles in Arctic exploration”
KATERI MONTICONE
Ecological corridors and habitat connectivity
1 ARTICLE
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NATURE CONSERVANCY OF CANADA
“Making connections”
BRIAN TIMMER
Kelp forests and Salish Sea restoration
2 ARTICLES
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UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA NEWS
“50 years of data reveal the true extent of climate change impacts on kelp forests”
LEWIS PUGH FOUNDATION
“Brian Timmer — From Scuba to Saviour”
MALKOLM BOOTHROYD
Caribou conservation and northern landscapes
2 ARTICLES
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THE NARWHAL
“Yukon at a crossroads with volatile Fortymile caribou herd”
THE NARWHAL
“The return of the caribou”
VICTORIA ARBOUR
Dinosaur discoveries in British Columbia
3 ARTICLES
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TIMES COLONIST
“Buster, a dinosaur unique to B.C., comes to life in new exhibit”
CITYNEWS / THE CANADIAN PRESS
“Bones found almost 50 years ago recognized as B.C.’s first dinosaur species”
THE WEATHER NETWORK
“Mysterious claw identified as part of 1st dinosaur species unique to BC”
KIRA HOFFMAN
Cultural burning and wildfire resilience
7 ARTICLES
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FAST COMPANY
“Restoring Indigenous wildfire management could be a huge boost to biodiversity”
QUANTA MAGAZINE
“Wildfires of Varying Intensity Can Be Good for Biodiversity”
PACIFIC INSTITUTE FOR CLIMATE SOLUTIONS
“Why your organization needs a boundary spanner: A Q&A with Dr. Kira Hoffman”
UBC NEWS
“Cultural burning’ is important for biodiversity: UBC expert”
COMPASS
“Restorative Fire: Reframing Fire Management with Dr. Kira Hoffman”
THE NARWHAL
“Using fire to heal the land and mitigate B.C. wildfires”
THE NARWHAL
“How Indigenous cultural burning practices benefit biodiversity”
ANDREW BUDZIAK
Ice, algae and northern science
1 ARTICLE
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THE EXPLORERS CLUB 50
“Andrew Budziak — Freeze the Future”
ALEXANDER DUNGATE
AI and sustainable fisheries monitoring
2 ARTICLES
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SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE
“Could Artificial Intelligence Make It Easier and Safer to Monitor Fisheries?”
WEST COAST NOW
“This UBC Student Plans to Revolutionize Fisheries Monitoring With Artificial Intelligence”
ELLEN WHITMAN
Wildfire-driven forest change
2 ARTICLES
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THE WASHINGTON POST
“Canada’s forests may be burning faster than they can grow back”
GLOBAL NEWS
“Future of wildfires: What will happen to Canada’s scorched forests as fires worsen?”
KAITLYN VAN DE WOESTYNE
Tuktoyaktuk, coastal erosion and cultural resilience
1 ARTICLE
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WHISTLER FILM FESTIVAL
“Whistler Film Festival Announces Finalists for Producers Lab,
Screenwriters Lab and Saskatchewan Market Accelerator”
NICOLAS WINKLER
Eelgrass restoration, blue carbon and coastal ecosystems
1 ARTICLE
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CLIMATE STORIES ATLANTIC
“Restoring an unsung hero”
TAYLOR ROADES
Yukon ice patches, archaeology and Indigenous knowledge
1 ARTICLE
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CARCROSS/TAGISH FIRST NATION
“Documenting the Ice Patch”
SCOTT PARENT
Great Lakes plastic pollution and bird habitat
1 ARTICLE
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BRUCE PENINSULA PRESS
“Three Waters Foundation: Dedicated To Removing
Plastic Pollution From Lake Huron And Georgian Bay”
ISABELLE GROC
Shorebirds, mudflats and the Fraser estuary
2 ARTICLES
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AUDUBON
“Sandpipers’ Last Supper”
AUDUBON
“Let Them Eat Mud: How Biofilm Can Change Shorebird Conservation”
DALAL HANNA
Freshwater biodiversity and forestry impacts
1 ARTICLE
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CARLETON UNIVERSITY
“Freshwater Bounty: The Hidden Richness of Habitat Close to Home”
MELISSA RENWICK
Tofino, community and place
3 ARTICLES
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THE GLOBE AND MAIL
“Searching for the real Tofino”
MUSÉE MAGAZINE
“Melissa Renwick | By the tides, the sun and the moon”
ORNAMENTUM
“The Art of Carving a Traditional Dugout Canoe”
ROBERT MASAKI HECHLER
Aquatic heat stress and salmon healt
1 ARTICLE
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UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
“Using environmental RNA to understand logging impacts on Pacific salmon”
NICOLE HOLMAN
Deep-sea biodiversity and conservation
1 ARTICLE
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OCEANOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE
“Deep-sea expedition uncovers rare octopus nursery”
MAIA WIKLER
Ancient forests, logging and forest consumption
3 ARTICLES
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ATMOS
“Bounties, Mafias, and the Climate Cost of IKEA’s Fast Furniture”
BRIARPATCH MAGAZINE
“Ancient Remnants: The Fight to Protect Old Growth”
VALERIA VERGARA
Whale communication and underwater noise
1 ARTICLE
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THE GUARDIAN
“How decoding beluga whales’ chitchat may save them — and teach us more about ourselves”