Madigan Cotterill

3 days ago | canadiangeographic.ca | Madigan Cotterill

“Tortoise on the right!” Our naturalist guide Dennis Ballesteros shouts from the front of the van. I’m sitting on the edge of my seat, camera held high, ready to capture the giant. “He looks young, maybe 40 or 50 years old,” says Ballesteros. I look out the window, and sure enough, the rock-like animal is sitting just off the side of the road, partially hidden under a vibrant hibiscus bush.

2 weeks ago | canadiangeographic.ca | Madigan Cotterill

It’s a wonder any life can thrive here on the grey swath of windswept stones near Sandy Cove, northwestern Newfoundland. And yet, shooting up between cracks and crevices are three endemic plants found nowhere else on Earth: Long’s braya, barrens willow and Fernald’s braya. Their hardiness, says plant ecologist Luise Hermanutz, is that of “a true Newfoundlander.”  Map: Chris Brackley/Can Geo.

1 month ago | canadiangeographic.ca | Madigan Cotterill

It’s day five of our Kilimanjaro trek, and we have just arrived at Karanga Camp (3,963 metres elevation). For the past four hours, the sound of rain hitting the hood of my jacket has been so persistent that when I finally take cover in my polyester home for the night, I am shocked by how quiet the world is. I sit in my tent for just a moment, staring at the rain outside while dreading to take off my jacket to expose more damp layers.

2 months ago | canadiangeographic.ca | Madigan Cotterill

“Yeah, I could live here,” my brother Oliver says after just two hours in Lake Louise. It’s raining and a bit chilly (it is spring, of course). Still, our spirits are high after a day walking the Athabasca Glacier, driving the iconic Icefields Parkway, impromptu cold plunges in Bow Lake and a decent amount of sibling banter.   My three brothers and I have been in Banff for nearly a week and have collectively agreed it is one of the most scenic places in Canada we’ve ever been.

Aug 21, 2024 | canadiangeographic.ca | Madigan Cotterill

PlacesAs climate change continues to heat Canada’s waterways, researchers at the Maurice Lamontagne Institute are working to safeguard marine healthAug 21, 2024904 words4 minutes A difference of 2.5 degrees Celsius may not sound like much, but it can be catastrophic for a deep-water-dwelling organism. Many marine species have adapted over millions of years to the deep-sea environment in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.