Postcards from the Field: Allison Archibald

Shell Conservation Intern Allison Archibald

Hello from beautiful British Columbia!

This is my third summer working as a Shell Conservation Intern for the Nature Conservancy of Canada, and I still love it! I graduated from the University of Victoria with a Bachelor of Science in Geography in April of this year. My education has greatly enhanced my ability to work in this field. Working as a Shell Conservation Intern has given me the opportunity to visit new and exciting places, as well as advance my knowledge of the flora and fauna of British Columbia. It has also given me the chance to use the knowledge I have gained through my classes, and apply it to the real world.

I began my summer by coordinating and organizing a training week for the new up-and-coming interns. This went well, and two months later, the B.C. interns are a pretty tight-knit bunch. So far this summer, I have conducted three baseline assessments, and have monitored covenants on numerous properties throughout the province. Our main focus for two weeks this summer has been the Chase Woods property in the Cowichan Valley. The property rises from valley bottom to mountain top, and hosts a great diversity of habitat types, including: stream and wetland habitat, dry bluffs, old forests, and cliff-side habitat. There are also 7 rare plant communities on the property. Since completing the baseline inventory, we have begun work on the baseline assessment report, as well as a long-term management plan.

Throughout the summer I have worked with landowners, and stakeholders to ensure that we are doing the best we can to protect British Columbia's diversity on ecologically significant lands. My experience with NCC has taught me countless valuable skills, and I seem to learn something new every day. NCC, in partnership with Shell Canada Limited, has been a wonderful asset to me, and I’m so pleased to have been given this opportunity again.

Cheers,

Allison Archibald