Lets talk talk

Greetings interlopers,

Thank you for viewing my new blog, voluntarily or not. I will take this opportunity to clarify my academic background and aspirations to those of you who are interested. I am a third year conservation biology undergrad. I recently transferred to the University of Alberta from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology and this is my second semester here. I am looking at working with fresh water ecosystems and more specifically, conserving the fragile nature of watersheds which include wildlife and their surrounding environments.

Wetland conservation is a growing field on the job market due to an increasing demand for proactive and reactive work with corporations and their relationship with the environment. When I mention proactive or reactive work, I am suggesting some companies want to limit or restore their impact before the fact or after the damage have been done. One day I hope to work in the preventative/proactive realm of environmental work. The difference between proactive and reactive, to me is like the difference between biological conservation and reclamation. Both of which are fundamental in maintaining a healthy environment. The picture below is a reclaimed stream outside of the Lustre mine in eastern Alberta.

*Photo: Courtesy of Curtis Vieville

A common thing for students entering my field of research is that they don't realize just how much of the job is working with people as opposed to nature. A job working with an endangered species or managing a park can have up to 75% of the day simply communicating/collaborating with people. There are often up to dozens of groups (stakeholders) that you need to address, while keeping everyone as happy as possible. Here is a good example of some stakeholders groups that the Alberta Conservation Association works with

http://www.ab-conservation.com/go/default/index.cfm/about-us/member-groups/.

Communication is extremely vital to getting anything done. Conservation biology works with the land and the people that also need that land. Often these people are valuable resources of information or action. Also, people with previous experience or knowledge on the subject of your research are very important. Maintaining connections with these people is helpful as suggested in Danielle Becker's blog about employers and professionals using the internet to find people right for the job.