In Atlantic Canada, white sharks are an increasingly noticeable presence, a shift that's likely tied to climate change. For @green-economy.bsky.social, I reported on why people say the region may not be doing enough to prepare corporateknights.com/natural-capi...

There's a new apex predator in Atlantic Canada

Canada’s Maritime region must adapt quickly as it plays host to a growing seasonal population of white sharks

corporateknights.com

In the Canadian Arctic, governments are planning a significant expansion of all-season roads. Some Indigenous groups worry about what that could mean for migratory caribou, as guardian work already suggests that roads have an impact. My story for @mongabay.com news.mongabay.com/2026/06/as-c...

As Canada eyes Arctic road expansion, Indigenous guardians race to understand caribou

For years, Wayne Mercredi spent hours driving the Tibbitt to Contwoyto winter road. Leaving early in the morning to take advantage of limited daylight, he’d travel the road’s 400-kilometer length (250...

news.mongabay.com

By teasing DNA from ancient ground squirrel poop, scientists have reconstructed the mammoth-steppe ecosystem of hundreds of thousands of years ago—a window with lessons for our current period of environmental turmoil. My story for @biographic.bsky.social with edits from @colinschultz.bsky.social

bioGraphic@biographic.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Life in the Last Ice Age, as Told by Squirrel Scat Ancient DNA, preserved for 700,000 years in ground squirrel poop, offers a new view of Pleistocene ecology by @moiradonovan.bsky.social www.biographic.com/life-in-the-...

Legal experts and NGOs say the dismantling of climate policies and proposed reforms of environmental regs may be the biggest rollback of environmental rules in Canadian history - and will create a massive blind spot when assessing projects' long-term impacts

CBA/ABC National@cba-nationalmag.bsky.social · 2mo ago

On this World Oceans Day, legal experts say the Carney government is pushing an unprecedented rollback of Canada’s environmental laws and protections. @moiradonovan.bsky.social has the details. www.nationalmagazine.ca/en-ca/articl...

Atlantic Canada's first hyperscale data centre is proposed for a neighbourhood on the outskirts of Saint John. But the project threatens old growth forest and wetlands— and the community is fighting back. My story for @thenarwhal.ca with edits by @michellecyca.com thenarwhal.ca/lorneville-a...

New Brunswick residents battle an AI data centre | The Narwhal

The proposed data centre and its on-site gas plant in Lorneville, N.B., would raze wetlands and forest and be one of the province’s largest greenhouse gas emitters

thenarwhal.ca

There's increasing evidence that fish feel, and though the science isn't settled, researchers and fish farmers are undertaking projects to help fish have painless deaths - and enriching lives. My story for Offrange (with astute edits from @jessehirsch.bsky.social) ambrook.com/offrange/stu...

Are Fish Sentient?

Research suggests they may be able to enjoy a massage, recognize themselves in a mirror, and get depressed. Are fish welfare standards next?

ambrook.com

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

Noema Magazine@noemamag.com · 5mo ago

“Many of the planet’s microbiomes are under serious threat, with untold numbers of species & ecosystems flickering silently out of existence.” — @moiradonovan.bsky.social #microbes #microbiome #conservation #environment

“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...

At odds over Aboriginal title

Two very different decisions on Aboriginal title and private property rights expose a gap in Supreme Court doctrine

nationalmagazine.ca

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/...

These N.S. volunteer firefighters have found themselves on the frontlines of climate change | CBC News

A new episode of Atlantic Voice details how one Nova Scotia fire department is dealing with floods, fires and the mental toll it all takes on its small group of volunteers.

cbc.ca

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

Jesse Hirsch@jessehirsch.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Used cooking oil has grown so expensive that organized crime is now deeply involved. @moiradonovan.bsky.social takes a look at the greasy gold rush: ambrook.com/offrange/sup...

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/...

At-sea observer program is ‘broken’ advocates say but electronic tools and AI could help | CBC News

Advocates say the observer program for Atlantic Canada’s fisheries is "broken," with many fisheries failing to meet required levels for monitoring by at-sea observers.

cbc.ca

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

CBA/ABC National@cba-nationalmag.bsky.social · 8mo ago

"The government seems to be taking out a mortgage on future generations to pay for the crisis today," says David Wright at the University of Calgary's faculty of law. nationalmagazine.ca/en-ca/articl...

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

The Narwhal@thenarwhal.ca · 8mo ago

Canada's most lucrative fishery — and a global black market — rely on American eel. But Canada was among the countries who voted against global trade restrictions on the eel last week, and won't list it under the Species At Risk Act, @moiradonovan.bsky.social reports. thenarwhal.ca/american-eel...

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...

Land & Sea: The uncertain future of Maritime forests

YouTube video by CBC News Nova Scotia

youtube.com

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

The Narwhal@thenarwhal.ca · 9mo ago

As the federal government considers fast-tracking Wind West Atlantic Energy, Nova Scotia residents hope it will bring economic opportunity — but some worry about the unknown environmental impacts. New from @moiradonovan.bsky.social: thenarwhal.ca/offshore-win...

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...

When In Drought, Farm Your Moisture - Offrange

Can farmers pull a solution to the water crisis out of thin air?

ambrook.com

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...

What should happen to residential school sites? | The Narwhal

Across Canada, Indigenous communities are deciding how to commemorate these residential school histories on the land

thenarwhal.ca

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/...

‘It’s an all-you-can-eat buffet’: striped bass in a Canadian river are gobbling up all the salmon. Is a mass cull the answer?

Whether to kill one species to save another has split biologists, anglers and Indigenous communities in the Miramichi

theguardian.com

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/...

Groups conducting coastal restoration in N.S. say they face 'astonishing' red tape | CBC News

Groups conducting shoreline cleanups and coastal restoration say they're facing long delays obtaining permits or unclear requirements from the province, which are sometimes forcing them to cancel proj...

cbc.ca

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.

Jesse Hirsch@jessehirsch.bsky.social · 12mo ago

In the wake of the last decade's devastating wildfires, there's an urgent effort underway to grow our forests back. The problem? We don't have nearly enough tree seedlings. @moiradonovan.bsky.social looks into what's being done: ambrook.com/offrange/env...

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!)

bioGraphic@biographic.bsky.social · last yr.

Teeny Tiny Trackers Take to the Water A new generation of petite, submersible tracking tags offers a fresh look at the lives of little fishes. by @moiradonovan.bsky.social www.biographic.com/teeny-tiny-t...

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/...

Decision to refill Lake Pisiquid coming with side-effects, say some Windsor residents | CBC News

Some Windsor, N.S., residents say a two-year-old decision to close the gates of an aboiteau and keep Lake Pisiquid filled with water is unnecessary and causing other problems.

cbc.ca

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 🤓https://www.mbl.edu/education/logan-science-journalism-program/2025-sjp-fellows

Marine Biological Laboratory@mblscience.bsky.social · last yr.

📣 ANNOUNCING: the 2025 Logan Science Journalism Fellows! 🖋️ 📹 Congratulations to these twelve distinguished science and health journalists, who will be coming to the MBL in May for immersive, hands-on research training. 📲 Read more: bit.ly/4ldBA43

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...

Can we save the Atlantic whitefish? | The Narwhal

In Nova Scotia, scientists are racing to save an ancient species

thenarwhal.ca

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.

Wired is dropping paywalls for FOIA-based reporting. Others should follow

As the administration does its best to hide public records from the public, Wired magazine is stepping up to help stem the secrecy

freedom.press

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...

Can Toxic Mining Waste Help Remove CO2 from the Atmosphere?

On the coast of Newfoundland, waste from a shuttered asbestos mine has been a troubling source of contamination for decades. Now, a company plans to process the waste to draw CO2 from the air — one of...

e360.yale.edu

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

bioGraphic@biographic.bsky.social · last yr.

The American Lobster’s Baby Bust A potentially dire change in spawn timing threatens the future of lobster in the Gulf of Maine www.biographic.com/the-american...

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

Jesse Hirsch@jessehirsch.bsky.social · 2y ago

Our food crops have had their natural immune systems whittled down over years of breeding for high yields. There's now a movement underway to revive these defenses, a way to reduce pesticide dependence. New from Moira Donovan: ambrook.com/research/stu...

“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...

The ‘slippery slope’ of sharing personal data

New agreement allowing U.S. officials access to Canadian permanent residents’ information made without external consultations, critics say

nationalmagazine.ca

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...

The Personal Toll of Canada’s Broken Fishing Promises | Hakai Magazine

Indigenous fishermen on the Atlantic Coast have spent centuries—and millions of dollars—trying to get the government to uphold treaties made in the 1700s. And younger generations aren’t giving up.

hakaimagazine.com