2022
Alyssa worked with the Invasive Species Team for the Nature Conservancy of Canada this summer in the Saugeen Bruce Peninsula! She is assisting 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 in a Master's candidate in the MSc stream of the BEMA program, and worked with the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks for his placement over the summer. 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 in a Field Biologist & Crew Lead role for 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. He is working within the Coquihalla mountain range in BC's Fraser Valley, where he was able to lead a team in conducting a wide range of species surveys, including bird sweeps, amphibian salvages, wildlife relocation, mountain beaver telemetry and bear den locations. He was also able to develop a stakeholder presentation and report on mountain beaver relocation efforts.
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 over the summer in Peterborough, as a Natural Heritage Information Technician. Working specifically with the Conservation Land Tax Incentive Program (CLTIP), 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 WSP-Golder in Vancouver over the summer, in their Mine Water Environment group. She worked on a variety of environmental monitoring projects, including collecting surface water quality biological samples. She was "grateful for the collaborative and supportive working environment at WSP-Golder!"
Emily L. worked with Matrix Solutions in Guelph, Ontario over the summer in an ecologist role. She gained experience and learned about 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 over the summer, participating in a variety of stewardship activities such as planting pollinator gardens (photo). She was also involved in the important work ORCA does in assessing the health of rivers in the watershed every year, including collecting surface water and benthic macroinvertebrate (aquatic insect larvae) samples. 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 gained experience in conducting wildlife road mortality surveys along campus roads, identifying species mortality hotspots for appropriate installation of mitigation measures, and monitoring invasive common reed (Phragmites australis) patches. She reported that, "the BEMA placement was a great addition to the program as it supplements what has been learned and provides the essential real-world experience!"
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.
Alyssa Densmore worked as a Project Coordinator with Ecology Action Centre's Marine Team in Halifax this summer for her placement. She worked on the Citizen Science Eelgrass Monitoring Program, which aimed to address eelgrass presence, health and density across Nova Scotia; increase public awareness of seagrass importance; and advocate for increased monitoring and conservation of Atlantic Canadian seagrass meadows. In her own words, "It was my responsibility to recruit, train and monitor participants in conducting sea kayak surveys using time lapse photography and GPS tracking data. In addition, I conducted image analysis alongside volunteers and prepared data to satisfy national database standards."
Adam Herman worked with Scales Nature Park for his placement, getting great experience in monitoring reptiles in southern Ontario, as part of the SNP's 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.
Michelle Correa worked with Hortico Nurseries Inc in Waterdown, ON for her placement, shown here monitoring endangered butternut trees as part of Hortico R&D work on native Ontario plants.
Lauren worked with Otonabee Conservation in Peterborough, ON 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.