Postcards from the Field: Myriam Huard

Shell Conservation Intern Myriam Huard

Hello from the far away Gaspé peninsula

I was fortunate this summer to experience the beautiful region of my ancestors. I can assure you that working near the sea is very motivating in the morning. Even working in the office becomes pleasant when the view is so nice. I've always been interested in coastal habitat and their protection and this summer gave me a unique opportunity. I will graduate in December from the University of Sherbrooke with a degree in Ecology and I will later do a Masters in Ecological research.

Salt marsh of Malbaie, Gaspé Coastal Habitats Natural Area, Quebec

This summer, as a Shell Conservation Intern, I had the chance to participate in several exciting projects; from the monitoring of our properties in Gaspesie to the inventory of several birds species. The properties I have visited so far are incredibly varied from each other. There are islands in the Bay of Gaspé, a bog in Bridgeville, a salt marsh in the Malbaie and other incredible ecosystems. All these different environments allow the cohabitation of about 200 birds species through the seasons. I also had to put into practice what I saw in my degree, by studying the impact of off-road vehicles on our land. As well I proposed a way to annually measure erosion on some of our land.

My experience to date has been incredible: I've put theory into practice, I've improved my plant and bird identification and I've learned a lot of marine plant species. But, the most important is probably that I learned the importance of conserving the wonderful environments that Canada has within its borders. The Nature Conservancy of Canada is an organization that pursues this goal through science and hard work and I'm proud to work for them this summer.

Cheers,

Myriam Huard