From the Field: Ontario

Postcards from the Field: Janette Harvey

Shell Conservation Intern Janette Harvey

Greetings from Peterborough:

I am so happy to be able to combine my knowledge of ecosystem management from my studies at Sir Sanford Fleming College with my interest in photography this summer as a Summer Field Technician in Ontario. Wherever I am working, I'm sure to have my camera close at hand. My main objective for the summer is to develop my grass and sedge identification skills and I can already notice an improvement. The first thing I do when I arrive on a new site is walk around and become accustomed to the area. Then I start completing a data sheet for the site by recording the soil profile, plant list, topography, flora and fauna communities and other incidental observations. I describe these vegetation communities using the Ecological Land Classification system, and then map them. At times, I'll camp for a couple of nights in a campsite close to where I'm conducting my field work.

Eastern Loggerhead Shrike Photography by NCC

Right now, I'm writing a management plan for my field work on the alvar at Napanee Plain near Kingston, ON. Alvars are globally rare limestone bedrock ecosystems that support distinctive plants and wildlife. Many species cannot survive living on an alvar because of the extreme weather conditions; the spring brings considerable flooding, the summers are very hot and the winters are very cold. If you like bird watching, Napanee Plain is the place for it. Several nesting sites for the endangered Eastern Loggerhead Shrike have been recorded there. Later this week, I will be traveling by canoe to Roziland Island, a small island located in Frontenac County, with a member of the Kingston Field Naturalists, an organization that stewards a number of NCC properties in the area.

My ultimate goal for the future is to combine photography with conservation work. I would also like to continue doing field work for a public or non-profit conservation organization.

Best Wishes,

Janette Harvey

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