In 2025, I learned something surprising: scientists were starting to freeze samples of threatened microbial ecosystems in the name of conservation.
For @noemamag.com I explored how this is part of the emerging idea of microbial conservation — a practice scientist say we need before it's too late
“I think it’s inevitable that this is going to make its way to the Supreme Court,” says Merle Alexander, principal at Miller Titerle + Company, and a member of Kitasoo Xai'xais First Nation. @moiradonovan.bsky.social has more. www.nationalmagazine.ca/en-ca/articl...
My documentary for CBC's Atlantic Voice. As climate change intensifies, a growing burden is falling on volunteer first responders. The group of Nova Scotian firefighters I spoke to are reckoning with how to protect their community - but it's taking a heavy personal toll www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Once in a while an editor suggests you take on something that seems like a head-scratcher at first. Thanks @jessehirsch.bsky.social for asking me to do this story on the rise in used cooking oil theft - and the greasy practices flowing from attempts to find alternatives to fossil fuels
FOI documents show in some Atlantic Canadian fisheries, at-sea observers cover less than 1% of trips - for CBC Nova Scotia, I dug into documents and spoke to advocates about why the observer program is broken, and how electronic monitoring could help www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
According to legal experts, Canada's backtracking on climate policy — including the Alberta MOU — opens the country up to legal, political and environmental risks. My story for @cba-nationalmag.bsky.social
American eel aren't just the basis of a lucrative Canadian fishery — they're also threatened by black-market trade. For @thenarwhal.ca I explored why advocates say Canada's vote against global trade restrictions at CITES shows a lack of leadership on a global wildlife crime
In Canada's Maritime provinces, much of the forest is in private hands, which is often clearcut when aging owners sell. For the CBC program Land & Sea, I profiled the people exploring a solution: protecting the forest, using the carbon contained within it www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKF8...
Offshore wind could provide clean energy not just for Nova Scotia, but for the whole country. For @thenarwhal.ca, I travelled to the communities who see offshore wind as key to their future, and spoke with the fishers worried it could consign some fisheries to the past
During droughts, farmers are starting to "farm their own moisture."
@moiradonovan.bsky.social looks into the next frontier in water procurement for agriculture, pulling water out of thin air:
ambrook.com/offrange/env...
Very grateful to the survivors who were willing to share their insight and experiences for this story, and to @michellecyca.com for the thoughtful edits (not to mention Darren Calabrese for the stunning images)
Across Canada, remnants of the residential school era — former school sites and buildings — stand as a painful testament to the past. For @thenarwhal.ca I spoke to survivors leading the complex work to reckon with those remnants, and preserve a record of that history thenarwhal.ca/truth-reconc...
In the Miramichi, Atlantic salmon populations are dropping precipitously. Salmon conservation groups say the culprit is clear: striped bass. But as I explored in this story for @theguardian.com, the picture is murky, especially in a changing climate www.theguardian.com/environment/...
In Nova Scotia, the provincial government is fast-tracking mining and other resource development - meanwhile, groups restoring ecosystems face nearly insurmountable red tape, forcing some to cancel projects. My story for CBC Nova Scotia www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
For Offrange, I dug into a hidden hurdle in adapting our forests to climate change: tree seedlings. We need billions of seedlings to restore forests being lost to fire and other impacts - and nurseries are nowhere close to that number. I heard about the ways people are trying to fill the gap.
Until recently, tools for tracking fish were too big for small swimmers, limiting our ability to understand the lives of diminutive species.
New technology is changing that - a potential boost for conservation. My story for @biographic.bsky.social (with edits from @colinschultz.bsky.social!)
In 2023, a controversial artificial lake was refilled, ostensibly for wildfire mitigation. Two years later, some residents are questioning the legitimacy of the government's decision - my story for CBC Nova Scotia www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
So grateful to be one of the journalists selected for this year's program - and very excited for the opportunity to dig into the scientific process with a group of fellow nerds 🤓www.mbl.edu/education/logan-science-...
The Atlantic whitefish is one of Canada's most endangered species; after 14 million years, its range has shrunk to three small lakes, and a set of tanks in a university basement. For @thenarwhal.ca I explored the race to save the species thenarwhal.ca/atlantic-whi...
They're called public records for a reason. Starting today, WIRED will *stop paywalling* articles that are primarily based on public records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, becoming the first publication to partner with @freedom.press to offer this for our new coverage.
Using mine tailings for carbon removal offers an opportunity to tackle climate change - while remediating environmental hazards. But some fear the attempt to address future threats could exacerbate past harms. My story for @yalee360.bsky.social e360.yale.edu/features/asb...
Climate change is reshuffling ecosystems in complex ways. In the Gulf of Maine, this includes baby lobster and their prey dropping out of sync - a shift that could have dire consequences for a lucrative fishery. My first story for @biographic.bsky.social
Pesticides come with a host of problems, from biodiversity loss to human illnesses. Scientists are looking to plants' innate defences for alternatives, with 'plant vaccines' that boost natural immunity. My story for Ambrook Research
“You’re now blurring the distinction between Canada and the U.S. when you’re sharing so much information,” says immigration lawyer Len Saunders. “Where does it stop — what’s next?” @moiradonovan.bsky.social has the story. www.nationalmagazine.ca/en-ca/articl...
Many thanks to @judeisabella.bsky.social for the astute edits, and for supporting this project. Hakai's willingness to invest in stories like these is a testament to what a special publication it was - and will be, as bioGraphic 🐟
Despite a Supreme Court decision affirming Indigenous communities' right to fish for a moderate livelihood, dozens of Mi'kmaw fishers still find themselves before the courts. For @hakaimagazine.com —and in collaboration with Ku'ku'kwes News— I profiled one of them
hakaimagazine.com/features/the...