TLC for LTC’s Watershed

August 15, 2018

Mira Williamson

Location: Trenton, ON

Nestled near Prince Edward County, Trenton, ON is home to over 1,500 hectares of natural open space and 2,070 square kilometres of watershed regions managed by Lower Trent Conservation (LTC).

One of 36 of Ontario’s Conservation Authorities, LTC is a community-based non-profit working to preserve the beautiful lands in the Trent River valley. Their goal is to ensure a healthy and environmentally diverse watershed; one that can be enjoyed by residents and visitors.

The public can enjoy 17 LTC-maintained properties for free, 10 of which are conservation areas, thanks in part to the efforts of the Conservation Lands Staff.

“This job is the best balance between office work and being outside,” said David Beamer, Manager of Conservation Lands.

Beamer works with two students hired through Project Learning Tree Canada’s Green Jobs in Green Spaces initiative.

LTC student Joey Boretski.

It’s Joey Boretski’s third summer with LTC, and the Environmental Technology Major at Loyalist College wishes to pursue a conservation career monitoring waterways and aquatic species post-grad.

“I’ve always been interested in conservation,” said Boretski. “I spent a lot of time outside as a kid enjoying nature, and I’ve always wanted to do my part to give back and keep nature beautiful.”

Rachel Hoekstra, the other Green Jobs student, will be entering her third year in Veterinary Technology at St. Lawrence College in the fall and hopes to eventually attend Guelph University for Wildlife Biology and Conservation to pursue a career in wildlife research.

It’s her first time working for a conservation authority, and she’s learning a lot about the important work they do.

“I don’t think most people would realize…the extent we monitor the water at,” said Hoekstra. “I didn’t know we had to take bio-inventory of all the different organisms we find in the field and in the aquatic system.”

The students spend their days outside, doing tasks like weeding, mowing grass, clearing trails, painting gates, and more. They also assist with some cool projects, such as their “Garden for Nature” native tree, shrub, and wildflower planting areas that help local butterfly and animal populations thrive.

LTC student Rachel Hoekstra.

Their job is to enhance, protect, and restore LTC’s properties, something they take seriously, but also enjoy.

One common goal unifies the three staff: the desire to keep the lands pristine. They all expressed frustration with some people’s disrespect for the parks and lack of understanding about the importance of maintaining ecological integrity and diversity.

“I think that the hardest part is dealing with vandalism and garbage and people not appreciating nature as much as the rest of us do,” said Beamer. “There’s still too broad of a spectrum between those who have a great appreciation, understanding, and respect for nature, and those that consider it a lower priority.”

Although the work is not always glamourous, Boretski and Hoekstra are in good spirits no matter the task, joking around with each other and just feeling genuinely happy to spend their day outdoors in the parks. It’s hard work maintaining all of LTC’s properties, but both students find their job fulfilling because they believe it makes a difference to nature and the people who love it.

“Most people don’t know exactly how much work goes into maintaining the parks and ensuring that all the waterways and the drinking water is safe,” said Boretski. “My favourite task at this job would be doing the trail work, maintaining the trails and making sure that the trails through the forest are beautiful and safe to walk in.”

For the two students, spending quality time outdoors as kids translated to a desire to preserve nature.

“I’d thank my dad for getting me interested in this because I’ve been brought up going camping and going on canoe trips, so I’ve really come to appreciate the natural resources and the natural environment,” said Hoekstra. “And I thought I would really like to pursue something like this as a future career.”

Boretski, for his part, believes more youth would be interested in pursuing a path in conservation if they spent more time outside like he did. And after spending the morning with the Conservation Lands Staff, I can certainly say that the outdoor “office” space is one of the job’s best selling points.

Does a career in conservation sound appealing to you? Beamer has some parting advice for those looking to snag a job in conservation:

“Volunteer,” he said. “You’re going to get a lot of experience and knowledge from going to school, but you need to get some experience out in the field.”

Visit http://www.ltc.on.ca/ to learn more about Lower Trent Conservation.

David Bearmer and Rachel Hoekstra in Procter Park.