Postcards from the Field: Sébastien Bouffard

Shell Conservation Intern Sébastien Bouffard

Hello!

What would you think of a job in an enchanting place, where you can breathe in the ocean air and hear the seabirds calling, where you have a magnificent panorama and a view of the Percé Rock? It’s an adventure to indulge all the senses!

The Gaspé Peninsula is influenced by the marine climate of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It’s a place of countless, never-ending discoveries. At Point St. Peter, at the Barachois of Malbaie and the Bay of Gaspé, the number of plant species to be inventoried just in a square metre is truly surprising. This area of high biodiversity is also known for its birds, and the diversity of mammal species, both terrestrial and marine. This opportunity to collaborate with the Gaspé community, to discover its stories and to exchange ideas about finding solutions for environmental problems is both a privilege and a challenge.

Huddleson property, Pointe St-Pierre, Quebec

I’m studying bioresource engineering, so the Shell Conservation Internship program with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) gives me a great opportunity to associate environmental sciences with engineering. On one hand, I’m becoming more familiar with maritime taxonomy, and the ecology and geology of the Appalachians. On the other hand, I’d like to be able to make my own contribution to the stewardship work by standardizing land monitoring procedures, and improve access to information by creating a Microsoft Access database. I’m also working on designing a method for the qualitative evaluation of coastal terrain erosion.

Thanks to the NCC team and the generous support of Shell Canada Limited, I believe our actions this summer will benefit conservation and enhance the quality of our natural heritage, which is ultimately a great collective reward!

Sébastien Bouffard