From the Field: Atlantic

Postcards from the Field: Mark Alexander MacDonald

Shell Conservation Intern Mark Alexander MacDonald

Dear friends,

I am writing to you in the midst of preparing for an extraordinary adventure. I am spending eight weeks out in the wilderness doing field work for the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). This is my second summer working with NCC as a Shell Conservation Intern, but the first time that I will be camping out in the field. I imagine I will quickly become use to the taste of dehydrated, vacuum-packed food and water purification tablets! I will be working in very remote areas with my colleagues, including fellow Shell Conservation Intern Rich LaPaix when we're out at NCC sites in the Pugwash Estuary and Lake Rossignol in Nova Scotia and the Lloyd's River Escarpment of Newfoundland and Labrador. In addition to surveying flora and birdlife, I will also be documenting rare species on the sites, including the endangered Newfoundland Marten. Right now, at the Fredericton office, I am preparing for my trip by reviewing old surveys, collecting aerial photographs, maps and routes as well as arranging necessary equipment.

Northeast Bay, Nova Scotia Photography by James Steeves

I am a recent forestry graduate from the University of New Brunswick with a minor in wildlife ecology. During my studies I had the opportunity to earn credits from McGill University as well as study abroad for two years at Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet in Umeå, Sweden learning about forest and wetland ecology. Last summer, my work as a Shell Conservation Intern took me to NCC-secured properties across New Brunswick identifying and recording flora and fauna surveys. My future plans include traveling and attending grad school.

Wish me luck,

Mark Alexander MacDonald

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