Postcards from the Field: Kai Peetoom

Shell Conservation Intern Kai Peetoom

Greetings from BC!

I’m so glad to be back for my second summer as a Shell Conservation Intern with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). Working as a baseline and monitoring technician has substantially increased my experience in the conservation field. Having just graduated from McGill University with a BA in Environment and Development, this internship provides me with a valuable opportunity that will help me in my career aspirations.

Through my work I’m learning how to document conservation management issues in diverse ecosystems and regions. These issues include managing invasive species, determining conservation priorities, protecting conservation target species and ecosystems, assessing human use, monitoring natural and anthropogenic disturbances and tracking restoration activities.

Cloudburst Creek Property, Brackendale, B.C.

I love that this job has enabled me to work in some of the most distinctive and spectacular ecological areas of the province, by visiting salt marsh estuaries, old-growth forests and Garry Oak meadows. This summer I’ve worked mostly on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, performing baseline and monitoring surveys in NCC protected areas.

I’m excited about heading to an NCC property situated on Vargas Island soon to perform a baseline survey, followed by a baseline inventory report and a management plan. These documents are important for ensuring conservation and stewardship of NCC properties. Vargas Island is located on the west coast of Vancouver Island within the Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, a globally-significant ecological area of coastal temperate rainforest. There are wolves residing in Vargas Island, which I hope to observe while surveying the property!

To me, the most memorable parts of doing this work are getting to see rare plants and elusive wildlife  while traveling to remote corners of the BC coast. 

Kai Peetoom