Postcards from the Field: Jessica Piskorowski

Shell Conservation Intern Jessica Piskorowski

Hello from Southwestern Ontario!

As a co-op student at University of Waterloo, it is a personal priority of mine to experience distinct employment opportunities. This internship has been no exception — it has certainly proven itself to be unique.  It has exposed me not only to the inner workings of a non-government organization but, most importantly, to the realm of conservation and stewardship. Even my long-time familiarity with Carolinian Canada could not have prepared me for the unique nature of the most southern inhabited areas within this ecological region. As part of my work for the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), I have seen globally significant alvar communities and endemic species such as the endangered Lake Erie Water Snake and learned first-hand the unique aspects of Pelee Island life.

Middle Point Woods, Western Lake Erie Islands Natural Area, Southwestern Ontario

This summer, as a Shell Conservation Intern, I have been busy in the field and in the office completing an ecological restoration plan for a globally significant alvar community on Pelee Island. Ecological restoration aims to rejuvenate the land previously disturbed by human activity and turn it back into a functional ecosystem. Due to the developed nature of Southwestern Ontario, an important part of our conservation and stewardship workplan includes the ecological restoration of our NCC’s properties. For the restoration plan I am writing, I will have to determine the most effective way to restore Alvar communities on Pelee Island. It has been a great way to put the post graduate certificate I obtained in ecosystem restoration at Niagara College this past school year to practical use. I’ll also be monitoring recently restored agricultural land in the Southern Norfolk Sand Plain Natural Area to determine how passive and actively restored areas compare over time.

This fall I will be entering the final year of my undergraduate degree in environment and resource studies. I am designing my honours thesis to contribute to the scientific research NCC uses to guide the restoration of their Ontario properties. The field skills and understanding of conservation science I acquired this summer will be instrumental towards completing my thesis and crucial in my future career path.

Take care,

Jessica Piskorowski