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From the field: Québec
Alain Du Cap
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| Shell Conservation Intern Alain Du Cap |
Hello from Québec!
This summer’s extraordinary internship will enable me to complete my graduate degree in August at Concordia University, with a concentration in environmental impact studies. But the experience also extends far beyond a few university credits! After two months as a Shell Conservation Intern, I realize that, in addition to having learned a great deal about the ecology of the region, I have also learned a lot about what is really involved in the stewardship of a natural environment in a densely populated area.
As soon as I started, I was assigned to the Richelieu River property that Hydro-Québec transferred to NCC in 2002. The Richelieu River is a very special place – on one hand, it is the main spawning ground of the Copper Redhorse (Moxostoma hubbsi), a fish endemic to Québec and designated as an endangered species, but on the other hand, it flows through a densely populated area and, more often than not, its shores are inhabited.
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Fryer Island in the Richelieu River |
In conjunction with Nathalie Jaume, a project manager with NCC-Québec, I mapped the Richelieu River shoreline, including eroded sites and vegetated areas, man-made shoreline structures and boundaries of the shoreline properties. Using this atlas as a new work tool, I am now preparing an inventory of priority locations for stabilization projects and natural improvements. In short, whether in a canoe or on a bicycle, I spend most of my days visiting shoreline properties in the area and identifying ways to increase biodiversity.
In the final analysis, this experience will have given me the opportunity to truly contribute to the conservation of the Richelieu River and, when it winds down, I’ll wish I could start all over again.
Alain Du Cap
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