Thanks, all of you wonderful people!
A Conservation Volunteers event in 2015 attended by Virden Girl Guides. They got their hands dirty cleaning up old shingles and debris from the Jiggens Bluff property in Manitoba. (Photo by NCC)
As the community relations manager in Manitoba, when people want to work for the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) Manitoba Region, one of the faces they’ll often see in an interview process is mine. During these interviews, one of the questions interviewees almost always ask is, “Why would I want to work for NCC?” Easy answer. Without hesitation, I always respond, “The people!” Our science manager wants me to answer that it’s all about the chance to make a difference for biodiversity and species at risk in our province. She’s not wrong. Our stewardship manager wants me to answer that it’s all about the ability to be a part of a team that builds strong habitats that will benefit generations to come. She’s not wrong either.
But for me, it’s all about the people.
COVID-19 has been hard on many people this past year, and NCC’s staff aren’t immune to these difficult times. But we have persevered because of our greatest strength — our incredible people. I can’t say it enough.
Not only are our staff ridiculously smart, but they get up every day and they come to their jobs at NCC because they know that they make a difference. Staff work here because they care about the work that we do. From the person answering the phone to the person at the top making the toughest of decisions, they’re here with us because they care about our values and our mission, and they believe in what we do.
Even more importantly, the people of NCC extends further than our staff. It carries over to our incredible volunteers, who help with so many aspects of our work.
Need somebody to talk to you about a rare beetle that you didn’t even know existed? We have a volunteer from the Science Advisory Committee to do that. These volunteers, some of whom have been volunteering with NCC for over a decade, have a wide range of ecological knowledge. They review our diverse property and natural area plans as well provide support for research projects that answer key knowledge gaps around biodiversity and stewardship on NCC lands. They’ve even been known to do a media interview or two for NCC.
Need help fundraising for a securement project that will make a difference for generations to come? Not to worry, we have a volunteer from our regional or national board of directors to help with that. These volunteers are made up of a diverse group of leaders who bring a variety of talents, experiences and expertise to the governance of NCC. These incredible folks are key to our fundraising efforts, hosting events and working closely with staff to keep things moving forward.
Cleaning garbage, conducting property inspections or pulling weeds? Our Conservation Volunteers have you covered there too. With over 25,000 Conservation Volunteers across Canada since 2006, NCC is proud to have so many people joining forces to make a meaningful change in the world. These volunteers range from almost every age category, background and education level. They are so important when it comes to connecting NCC with our communities and providing us with important perspectives that feed our understanding of the natural world we’re all working to protect.
When visiting our website, you’ll see a statement on the homepage that reads “Proudly Canadian, we empower people to safeguard the lands and waters that sustain life.” What I want to acknowledge is that it’s the people who volunteer their most precious resource — their time — who sustain the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
Thanks, all of you wonderful people!
