Postcards from the Field: Chris Milne

Shell Conservation Intern Chris Milne

This is a dream come true. I spent many summers growing up in Sandy Lake, just south of Riding Mountain National Park. For years, I’ve had a passion for learning about environmental issues in this area and I’ve seen so many changes over time. And now the Shell Conservation Internship Program is allowing me to work in a field that I’m committed to, with an organization of NCC’s stature.

My co-worker, Megan Wady, and I have been collecting baseline data on ecologically significant properties secured by NCC surrounding the National Park. Using aerial photos, we identify vegetation communities and then do a follow-up walk-through to locate representative sample sites where we make an inventory of all the species found there. It’s been challenging….high temperatures, humidity, dense brush, record amounts of rain – and, of course, mosquitoes. But all of this inconvenience diminishes when weighed against the experience of working to preserve such incredibly beautiful landscapes.

Aspen Parkland, just south of Riding Mountain National Park

There is great variety. There are fragments of boreal spruce and aspen mixed-wood forest mixed with pockets of grassland, bogs and marshes. We just finished collecting baseline data on a property that was logged about six years ago and has primarily new growth, and then moved directly to a natural forested area with little human disturbance. Consider this – a vast forest once connected the Riding, Duck and Porcupine Mountains, but now, only sparse fragments of undisturbed habitat remain between them. This whole experience makes me realize the critical importance of protecting and preserving the remaining undisturbed areas.

As the summer progresses, I’m getting a much better grasp of using some of the latest technology, working with GPS, and producing maps and working data using GIS. All these skills will be invaluable when I return to the Land and Water Management program at Assiniboine Community College in Brandon. Until then, I look forward to learning as much as I can in the field and from the NCC staff.

Cheers,

Chris Milne

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