Postcards from the Field: Sarah Piett

Shell Conservation Intern Sarah Piett

Greetings from Guelph, Ontario!

I thought when I started as a Shell Conservation Intern that this would be a great opportunity, but I had no idea what was in store for me. This summer has been more than I could have expected. I’ve been assigned to Mid-Western Ontario which includes the area ranging from Cambridge, west to Goderich, and up the Bruce Peninsula to Manitoulin Island. So, on my second week of work I was off to Manitoulin Island for a three-day conference about alvars, globally rare limestone plain ecosystems. While on the island, we had a chance to visit a prospective NCC property, Foxey Prairie, which is a beautiful Bur Oak savanna. The rest of the summer has followed the same fast pace; from camping on the Bruce Peninsula and finding many rare species (such as the Eastern Massasauga, Eastern Ribbon Snake, Ram’s-head Lady’s Slipper, and Roundleaf Ragwort), to getting up before the sun rises to do breeding bird surveys.

Bur Oak savanna on Manitoulin Island

I am currently living in Guelph and attending the University of Guelph. I’m enrolled in the Environmental Science program and am majoring in Earth and Atmospheric Science. It has been such a great experience to work in my field of study; the hands-on skills I’m learning at NCC are truly invaluable. In the fall I will return for my last year of university. After that I will be entering the working world where I feel confident that the skills I learned at this job will benefit me and ease the transition from student to working professional.

Bye for now,

Sarah Piett

More Ontario postcards>>