2024
Madison is working as a Protection Areas Technician with the Canadian Wildlife Service (ECCC) in the Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area for her placement. She is conducting habitat/species monitoring and reporting of priority bird species (species at risk); Mission Monarch surveys for the Montreal Insectarium; and partnering with the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory (PEPtBO) for bird banding activities, including engaging the public on the bird banding process and its purpose (shown in photo). She is also collecting visitor data for the Connecting Canadians with Nature Initiative, including giving presentations to stakeholders and the public.
Brooke is completing her placement as a scientific diver with the ScubbleBubbles Foundation (Facebook, Instagram), a non-profit organization dedicated to ocean conservation in Aruba. She is assisting in coral restoration activities, including tree and fragment installation, as well as maintenance; and she is also involved in water quality monitoring and beach clean-ups.
Kiara is working this summer with A Greener Future (Facebook, Instagram), a non-profit organization focused on reducing the impacts of litter & educating the public on environmental conservation along the Great Lakes. As a Data Assistant, she handles data input, cleaning, analysis & management for all the litter counts collected during cleanups. She also organizes local litter cleanups along Lake Ontario shorelines, from Kingston to Trenton, engaging with volunteers, and is working to develop an open-source platform to make litter collection data accessible to the public, researchers and government organizations!
Julia is completing her placement at the Ontario Forest Research Institute in Sault Ste. Marie this summer, in the Genecology and Adaptation Branch! As an Assistant Forestry Technician, she is investigating tree seed genetics for adaptations to environmental conditions (climate change & fungus resistance), including planting jack pine seedlings for a trial experiment to test heritable genes related to optimal tree formation. She is also monitoring blister rust resistance on hybrid pine species needles using high power microscopy in the lab, and is maintaining the national seed archive database. This includes conducting germination tests and viability analyses on archived seed samples, which have been in long-term storage for the purpose of collecting a historical genetic record and the possibility of future use.
Weitian is working as a Land Stewardship Assistant at Trent’s Planning Department, involving the Trent Lands & Nature Areas Plan. He is conducting species surveys on Trent lands (reptiles, amphibians, plants, mammals, and insects) and has been able to significantly improve his species ID skills through fieldwork. He is also identifying potential wildlife corridors by placing trail cameras and has developed an invasive species tiered list based on their abundance, ecological impact, and the feasibility of control (Tier 1-5: prevention, eradication, suppression, local control, and monitoring)!
2023
Jennifer worked with Professor Melanie Logan in the Environmental Technology Program at Fleming College's Frost Campus (Lindsay, ON). Among other activities, she was involved with measuring water flow and analyzing water quality parameters in streams of concern over the summer, which contributed to Fleming’s collaboration with Kawartha Conservation.
Gillian worked with Trent's Planning Dept. on a number of monitoring projects including surveying for turtles on the Trent-Severn Waterway (shown in photo) and other species (monarchs, bats, birds, and invasive Phragmites). On this turtle sampling day in 2023, 5 different species were recorded!
Wendy worked remotely with the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS). She supported CWS regional offices with researched intelligence about cumulative impacts to migratory bird species on their respective protected areas, i.e. Migratory Bird Sanctuaries & National Wildlife Areas. Based on this work, proven mitigation strategies can be shared that not only protect and conserve target species, but also to safeguard ecological integrity of the CWS Protected Area Network as a whole.
Grace also worked in a Habitat Data Officer role with the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS). She was able to build on her prior GIS skills and experience in this position, which involved GIS, data management, and data analysis skills to map species-at-risk critical habitats. She was also able to participate in some field surveys for monarch butterflies near Big Creek National Wildlife Area.
Hannah is an MSc candidate in the BEMA Program and completed her placement with the Yukon Government. She worked on pika surveys, small mammal trapping, caribou surveys, camera trapping project for wolverine, and drone surveys of muskrat push-ups. Hannah was also involved in writing a paper on the effect of environmental and socioeconomic variables on bison harvest and hopes to continue working with Yukon Government after completing her thesis.
2022
Alyssa worked with the Invasive Species Team for the Nature Conservancy of Canada in the Saugeen Bruce Peninsula! She assisted with field surveys, data collection and control of invasive species, such as Phragmites (common reed).
Paulina worked with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority as a field assistant for erosion hazard monitoring. She was involved with monitoring erosion along streams and slopes of public and private properties and identifying any deficiencies which may negatively impact erosion control structures from providing stability. In her own words, "the placement was a great opportunity to gain real work experience in the environmental field and build your network."
Duncan is an MSc candidate in the BEMA program, and worked with the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks for his placement. As an intern biologist for the Kawartha Highlands Signature Provincial Park, he was involved in monitoring lake water quality, analyzing stream flow, and surveying terrestrial species throughout the Park.
Alex completed his placement with A.E.W. Ltd Partnership, a First Nations owned ecological monitoring company that conducts wildlife research and environmental monitoring on behalf of Nlaka'pamux Nation Tribal Council on their traditional territory. As Field Biologist & Crew Lead, he worked in the Coquihalla mountain range in BC's Fraser Valley, conducting a wide range of species surveys, including bird sweeps, amphibian salvages, wildlife relocation, mountain beaver telemetry and bear den locations.
Sarah W. worked with the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks at Bon Echo Provincial Park as a Resource Technician. Sarah was involved with species at risk monitoring, invasive species management, and educational programming for park visitors.
Brighton worked with the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources & Forestry in Peterborough, as a Natural Heritage Information Technician. She worked on mapping analysis and data management, as well as helping with managing landowner inquiries about the program and encouraging the stewardship of the province’s natural heritage features.
Paige worked with the Mine Water Environment group at WSP-Golder in Vancouver, where she was able to leverage her Chemical Engineering degree background for this technical role. She worked on a variety of environmental monitoring projects, including collecting surface water quality biological samples.
Emily L. worked in an ecologist role with Matrix Solutions, where she gained experience in conducting Ecological Land Classification (ELC)/vegetation inventories, wildlife inventories, amphibian surveys, barn swallow monitoring, Species at Risk (SAR) screening and SWH (Significant Wildlife Habitat) assessments. In her own words, "I'm so excited to be working on a wide variety of ecological projects and work with such an encouraging and multi-disciplinary team."
Kaitryn worked with Otonabee Region Conservation Authority in the Peterborough area, participating in a variety of stewardship activities, including planting pollinator gardens (photo) and collecting surface water and benthic macroinvertebrate (aquatic insect larvae) samples as part of the watershed health assessment conducted annually. Results from these data are used in a “Watershed Report Card” that helps inform management decisions if conditions degrade.
Emily T. worked with Trent University's Planning & Development Dept. on the new Trent Lands and Nature Areas Plan. She was involved in monitoring Trent's 11 Nature Areas to protect species at risk, control invasive vegetation, and maintain trails for visitor safety. She also gained experience in conducting wildlife road mortality surveys along campus roads and identifying species mortality hotspots for appropriate installation of mitigation measures.
2021
In May 2021, M.BEMA students completed in-person, remote & hybrid placements due to the ongoing COVID19 pandemic (Year 2). These are a few of their stories:
Autumn Jordan worked as a Conservation Coordinator with Nature Canada for her placement, and was involved with swallow monitoring and bird conservation programs. She gained great experience in science communication, writing several web articles for Nature Canada.
Alyssa Densmore worked with Ecology Action Centre's Marine Team in Halifax, in a Project Coordinator role for the Citizen Science Eelgrass Monitoring Program. She was tasked with recruiting, training and monitoring participants in conducting sea kayak surveys using time lapse photography and GPS tracking data, as well as image analysis alongside volunteers and preparing data to satisfy national database standards. Project goals were to increase public awareness of seagrass importance and advocate for increased monitoring and conservation of Atlantic Canadian seagrass meadows.
Adam Herman worked with Scales Nature Park for his placement, getting great experience in monitoring reptiles in southern Ontario, as part of their annual conservation work.
Jessica Consiglio worked with Trent University researchers, Dr. Tom Hossie & Dr. Dennis Murray, on the endangered small-mouthed salamanders (Ambystoma texanum) in southwestern Ontario. In this photo, she was checking a pitfall trap paired with a fencing array that allowed for a mark-capture-recapture study of dispersing salamanders.
Abby Godja worked with Kawartha Land Trust in the beautiful Kawarthas region, as a Conservation Technician who assisted with ecological surveys of properties & communication of scientific information.
Kelly Rintoul worked with Blazing Star Environmental across southern Ontario for her placement, conducting farmland surveys for species at risk (grassland birds) to better evaluate effectiveness of best management practices.
Lauren worked with Otonabee Conservation in the Peterborough area for her placement, shown here collecting water samples as part of its yearly watershed health assessment program which also feeds into the Provincial Water Quality Monitoring Network program.
Brianna worked with Kawartha Conservation in Lindsay, ON for her placement, collecting various types of data throughout the watershed.
2020
Making the best of COVID-19 restrictions through virtual placements
City of Oshawa - hosted 3 students who worked on developing an Urban Forest Management Plan (Josh), developing a Community Stewardship Program (Philipa), and updating the City's Naturalization Plan from 1998.
Nature Conservancy of Canada (Toronto) - Whitney worked on measuring viability of Landcover Targets, determining target metrics & creating maps.
OMNRF (Midhurst) - Jordan monitored & assessed human-bear conflict, and used GIS for wildlife habitat landscape assessments.
OMNRF (Peterborough) - Lauren is developing an invasive species risk assessment model for terrestrial plants in Ontario, using a Bayesian Network model.
Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (Environmental Remediation Management Division) - Paula assisted with Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) packages for the Near Surface Disposal Facility & other projects
City of Pickering - Kate updated the City's Salt Management Plan & monitored restoration of construction sites.
Parks Canada (Niagara Region) - Brian developed a Restoration Plan for Niagara Shores Hybrid Butternut Grove & a Vegetation Maintenance Plan for Niagara National Historic Sites
Parks Canada (Pacific Rim)/Dr. Erica Nol (Trent) - under the supervision of Dr. Nol, Matt compiled & analyzed bird count data from old & second growth forests, and contributed to a scientific paper.
Dr. P. Whitney Lackenbauer (Trent) - Jackson reviewed several initiatives related to Arctic & Northern issues around environment, climate change, vulnerability & resilience for the North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network (NAADSN)
Frost Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology (Trent) - Dr. Paul Frost hosted 2 students who compiled & analyzed water quality data for ongoing lake monitoring programs in the Kawarthas; Kelvin developed water quality reports for cottager associations & Mohamed prepared a scientific report of current & historical Kawartha lake water quality.
2019
Placement Profile (June 2019): Garrett T. at PGL Consultants (Whitby, ON)
Garret completed his professional placement with PGL Consultants Ltd. where he collected sediment samples from a stormwater management pond for a study, with a Ponar Sediment Sampler (shown in photo) and he also got experiend in working on Phase 1 Site Assessments and other monitoring projects at PGL.
Placement Profile (July 2019): Darlee G. at Toronto Region Conservation Authority (Vaughan, ON)
Darlee completed her professional placement with the TRCA this summer, where she assisted on species monitoring projects with the conservation authority and used camera traps to identify species and analyze their behaviour and communities.