Canadian Geographic

Remote Paradise: the wonder of B.C.’s Triangle Island

Canadian Geographic — 2022-04-13 06:00:00

One of the most stunning aspects of Triangle Island is its jagged cliffs and rugged shorelines, which are shaped by the extreme weather experienced here.

As he approached the fog-shrouded cliffside, photographer Ryan Tidman began to notice specks of black breaking through the low-hanging cloud. Drawing closer, he realized he was seeing a natural wonder — thousands upon thousands of common murres circling the island as they prepared to nest. Though a mere dot in the ocean 45 kilometres off the northern tip of Vancouver Island, Triangle Island is home to more than two million birds. It’s in what’s officially called Anne Vallée (Triangle Island) Ecological Reserve, after a researcher who died there in 1982.

Governor General Mary Simon named Patron of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society

Canadian Geographic — 2022-04-12 09:00:00

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada. (Photo: Sgt Johanie Maheu, Rideau Hall © OSGG-BSGG, 2021)

The Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS) is honoured to announce that Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, has accepted to become Patron of the Society. In so doing, Her Excellency maintains a tradition of vice regal patronage that extends back to 1929 with the Society’s founding Patron The Rt. Hon. Viscount Willingdon.

A library full of sound: how a new collection of underwater sounds will help protect marine life

Canadian Geographic — 2022-04-11 09:30:00

The sounds of Arctic marine mammals, like these bowhead whales, could be used to learn more about how they'll be impacted by increasing ship traffic (Photo: NOAA)

Forget that rule about keeping quiet in the library. I want my library to be full of noise, including sounds from a world that is mostly invisible to human eyes: the ocean.

I am Mutehekau Shipu: A river’s journey to personhood in eastern Quebec

Canadian Geographic — 2022-04-08 14:45:00

I’m on my way to meet the sea when I hear the voice. It’s faint at first, a few stray notes climbing on the mist from a waterfall. As I approach the precipice creating the cascade, I see a human on a rocky outcrop. Wearing a red and green bonnet of the type Innu women have worn for centuries, she’s beating a drum. She sings.

Wildlife Wednesday: The giant crocodiles that once roamed prehistoric B.C.

Canadian Geographic — 2022-04-06 09:00:00

The American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) can grow up to six metres in length — only half the size of the giants that roamed B.C. in the cretaceous period. (Photos: Tomás Castelazo, CC BY-SA 2.5)

The B.C. of the cretaceous period — around 95 million years ago — was rather different to the B.C. of today. For one, although the continent of North America had drifted away from Europe, it wasn’t connected to South America and was connected to Asia. Mountains were popping up to the east of the province, volcanoes were creating new land to the west. Oh, and gigantic crocodiles the length of a bus were scratching and sliding along the muddy bottoms of the northeast’s lakes and rivers.

Leroy and Leroy: There’s always something to do

Canadian Geographic — 2022-04-05 16:00:00

Leroy in Banff. (Photo courtesy Leroy and Leroy)

When Moose Jaw, Sask. comedy duo “Leroy and Leroy” began posting their short video hot-takes on Instagram and TikTok in 2021, their hope was to get up to 10,000 followers.

Adventure Blog: RCGS-supported expedition heads to B.C.’s Monashee Mountains

Canadian Geographic — 2022-04-05 14:00:00

One of our scenic food cache sites near the end of our traverse. The plywood box is buried about 50 cm in the snow. (Photo: CMH Monashees)

The Royal Canadian Geographical Society is supporting a stellar lineup of eight 2022 expeditions, including this ski traverse of B.C.’s Monashee Mountains. The team, which includes Mark Grist, Douglas Noblet, Isobel Phoebus and Stephen Senecal, has charted a 500-plus kilometre route that starts in Grand Forks and ends near Valemount. They estimate the expedition, set to begin in April, will take up to 42 days.

Excerpt: 305 Lost Buildings of Canada

Canadian Geographic — 2022-04-01 14:15:00

305 Lost Buildings of Canada by Alex Bozikovic (left) and Raymond Biesinger (right). (Photo: Courtesy of Alex Bozikovic/Raymond Biesinger)

Cities are always changing. When we see a building go down, it’s generally because changes of taste and commerce have made it seem dispensable. But sometimes the forces at work are more dramatic: winds, floods or fire.

In the 19th century, neighbourhoods and buildings burned regularly. Wood-frame construction and the limits of firefighting technology meant that, once a blaze began, it would often consume a large area. Even a major building clad in masonry, like the Moncton Sugar Company mill on that city’s waterfront, could go.

Unravelling the genetic secrets of an ice age relic

Canadian Geographic — 2022-04-01 08:00:00

The deepwater sculpin's Arctic heritage, proclivity for cold water as deep as 350 metres, and largely Canadian distribution all give weight to its status as a Canadian icon. (Photo: courtesy of Brian Weidel, United States Geological Survey)

Sifting through the scarce benthos in the frigid oligotrophic depths of Canada’s deepest lakes, a seemingly humble fish is busy making a living. It’s been living this way since the end of the last ice age.

Trans Canada Trail celebrates 30 years of connecting Canadians

Canadian Geographic — 2022-03-31 12:00:00

The iconic peaks of the Three Sisters rise above a section of the Trans Canada Trail in Canmore, Alta. (Photo: Mira Budd/Can Geo Photo Club)

As a nation, Canada has always been a faintly preposterous idea. It stretches across six time zones. It touches three of the world’s five oceans. All of the European Union’s 27 countries would fit into our 8.97 million square kilometres twice over, with room to spare.