Postcards from the Field: Wendy Frise

Shell Conservation Intern Wendy Frise

Hello,

I’ve had a great start to the summer working for NCC in southwestern Ontario. I was excited to get into field work right away and have had the chance to explore a wide diversity of natural areas such as Clear Creek Forest and Stone Road Alvar. One of my favorite work locations is Pelee Island where I’ve helped with spring botanical inventory work, marked property boundaries with GPS, made plans for an upcoming Volunteer for Nature event, and narrowly escaped a horrible death by poison ivy.

One of my principal tasks is to collect baseline information at an NCC property found in Chatham-Kent County’s Turin Paw Paw Woods. It is a damp but lovely site on which wetland restoration is planned for the retired agricultural lands. I use the information I’ve gathered on site to work on a management plan back at the office. I’m also currently on a research mission to find the best methods for getting rid of the evil invasive Garlic Mustard, which is a serious threat to the native vegetation of southwestern Ontario.

Spring ephemerals at Clear Creek Forest

The mix of practical field and office work is giving me a fantastic opportunity to build on the skills I learned while taking the Environment and Resource Studies Program at the University of Waterloo, and the Ecosystem Restoration Graduate Program at Niagara College.

I’m learning so much and have been inspired to delve more deeply into plant and bird-song identification, and Ecological Land Classification techniques. It feels great to work each day with other individuals, such as members of the public, volunteers and co-workers, who share a passion for ecological conservation.

Hope you’re having a great summer too!
- Wendy Frise

More 2006 Ontario postcards>>