Postcards from the Field: Jean-Emmanuel Arsenault

Shell Conservation Intern Jean-Emmanuel Arsenault

Hello from Southern Québec!

This summer, I have the opportunity to work in one of the richest areas in Québec – Missisquoi Bay on Lake Champlain. I’m assistant manager for the natural sites that the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) owns in the area. This is the warmest region in Québec and it’s home to several species that are at the northern limit of their ranges here, such as the Spiny Softshell turtle and several vulnerable plants. Participating in the Shell Conservation Internship Program has enabled me to discover these exceptionally diverse natural environments.

Spiny Softshell turtle at Lake Champlain

The properties acquired by NCC over the years in this region have been mainly aimed at protecting the Spiny Softshell turtle, an endangered species in Québec and the rest of Canada. During my internship with NCC, I’m working with members of the Équipe de rétablissement de la Tortue-molle (the Spiny Softshell Restoration Team) on a telemetry operation done from a boat to track the movement of turtles and find new priority sites for the protection of that species. I’ve also been coordinating our volunteers, who are members of a group called SOS Tortues (SOS Turtles). From now until the end of the summer, I will be back doing telemetry work, but this time around, I will be flying over Missisquoi Bay to look for rare flora species on NCC properties. I will also be staffing information booths in the region. The summer will fly by with all these activities.

After this summer, I will take a natural resources management course to complete my master’s degree in environmental sciences at the Université du Québec à Montréal. I will also carry on working with NCC, so I will be in a field that excites me. And at some point, between studying and working, I’ll make time to visit my family in the Gaspé and paddle my way down one of our rivers during a canoe camping excursion.

Jean-Emmanuel Arsenault

More Quebec postcards>>

Final report from Jean-Emmanuel Arsenault (564Kb, pdf)>>
(in French only)