Making a Difference through Science: The CASC Intern Profiles

 

Making a Difference through Science: The CASC Intern Profiles

From mid-2010 to March 2011, the Canadian Association of Science Centres’ (CASC) conducted the Science Interns Outreach Project, as part of Natural Resources Canada’s Science and Technology Internship Program. These profiles celebrate a few of the interns who benefited from this funding.  The profiles highlight the benefits of the NRCan internship program both for these individuals and for the field. 

CASC File 29: Protecting Habitat for Turtle Species at Risk

Imagine being responsible for more than four dozen baby turtles, all just a few months old. You’re giving them a head start in life, trying to prepare them for the real world.  This, and more, is just another day in the office for Magda Kula; not only is she playing surrogate mother to 51 Blanding turtle hatchlings, she’s studying where they’ll have the best chance of survival.

“They’re really adorable,” says Magda, who has an honours B.A. in geography and a post-graduate certificate in geospatial management, and is interning at the Toronto Zoo. “I feed them, clean their tanks, weigh them weekly. We want to get them so they’re old enough to survive in the wild.”

These particular turtles will be released into a national park in Nova Scotia. But there are other hatchlings coming, and those will be released closer to home – in the Rouge watershed, an urban area on the edge of Toronto. Before that can happen, Magda and others are studying which areas of the watershed can best support a population of Blanding turtles – a species now classified as ‘at risk’.

Magda uses Geographical Information Systems (GIS) technology to do landscape analysis that helps determine which places are optimal for wetland restoration.

“Maps tell you a thousand things,” says Magda. “They’re helping us find wetland habitats where the turtles can survive and where they’ll have the best nesting and over-wintering locations.”

“Magda has technical skills we don’t have,” says Bob Johnson, the Toronto Zoo’s curator of reptiles and amphibians. “She can produce data in two or three months that would take us years. The speed and understanding she has are wonderful.  We could never do what we’re doing without her.”

Magda’s work will provide valuable information to natural resource managers about sustainable use and best management practices for critical habitats.

“I’m learning both sides – the technical and the environmental,” says Magda. I’m all about helping animals. I’ve always been interested in conservation.  It’s great to be able to use my technical background to help make a difference.”

For more information visit:

http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/careers/10