From the Field: Summer Positions with the Institute for Wetland and Waterfowl Research

The Institute for Wetland and Waterfowl Research (IWWR) conducts scientific research that leads the conservation work done by DUC. With over 800 publications,their research informs and guides on-the-ground conservation and contributes new knowledge to our understanding of wetlands waterfowl, watershed health, biodiversity and more.

The seasonal employees featured here spent the summer working on the Wetlands in Working Landscapes project, researching the productivity of wetland landscapes on agricultural fields and pastures, and the impacts of agriculture on these ecosystems.

Griffin Damude (he/him)

Conservation technician in Camrose, Alta.
2nd year Ecosystem Management at Lethbridge Polytechnic

Very few days look the same for Griffin while working on the Wetlands in Working Landscapes project. “Tasks can vary from waterfowl drone surveys, eDNA sampling, aquatic invertebrate collections, and water sample collection,” he explains.

The team’s work includes using a variety of tools to understand the impacts of agriculture on ecosystems. Analysis of eDNA (species’ genetic material found at a specific location in soil or water) allows researchers to identify the variety of organisms within an ecosystem and assess the biodiversity of a site. The use of drones for waterfowl surveys can provide accurate and efficient counts of waterfowl in a wetland.

“The highlight of the summer was being able to work on different parts of this project and learn new skills along with seeing a variety of wildlife and being able to work everyday outdoors,” says Griffin says.

Griffin considers the chance to learn and practice skills like identifying waterfowl during aerial surveys, wildlife identification, and sampling eDNA assets in his plans to pursue a career in environmental science and wildlife biology.

Kayla Caruso (she/her)

Conservation technician in Colonsay, Sask.
Master of Science in Biology from the University of Saskatchewan

Believe it or not there are benefits to waking up at 3:00 a.m., you might just see the sunrise while conducting drone waterfowl surveys! With ducks most active in these early mornings, Kayla and the Wetlands in Working Landscapes team in Saskatchewan brave the pre-dawn hours for the best counts of local waterfowl.

“The early mornings gave us great light for flying and offered a front-row seat to the wildlife waking up,” says Kayla. “Along with ducks and ducklings, we saw short-eared owls, beavers, muskrat, deer, and foxes.”

When not flying drones, Kayla might be collecting water and invertebrate samples, deploying wildlife cameras or collecting eDNA samples in the wetland study sites.

Kayla’s proud to have added new tools to her “fieldwork toolkit” this summer including a Drone Pilot Certificate, and water quality and eDNA sampling experience. These skills and a summer sharpening her duck identification abilities are all skills Kayla hopes to apply towards a future career in conservation.

Jenna Scott (she/her)

Conservation technician in Brandon, MB
Undergraduate degree in Biology (concentration in Applied Ecology and Conservation) from Memorial University of Newfoundland

Jenna Scott is returning for a second year on the Wetlands in Working Landscapes project, joining Griffin and Morgan in the Prairie Pothole region. With plans to work as a conservation biologist, Jenna is interested in how human activities affect landscape and wildlife communities. Through this position, Jenna has seen the impacts of landscape change up close while learning more about conservation and research methods and practising a whole set of new skills.

“I’m lucky that the work varies from week to week,” says Jenna “On a typical day I could be wearing waders and knee-deep in a Prairie Pothole wetland, collecting bugs in a net, and pumping water through eDNA filters. Other days I could be setting up wildlife camera traps or recording data for the next aerial drone survey.”

Jenna loves visiting new sites and getting familiar with the quirks and charm of each new location. “I could tell you which corners have a hawk that flies overhead, which basin has a muskrat or the most ducks in it, or a funny story about falling into a deep wetland,” she says. “Each field site has its own personality and surprises once you get to know it.”

Morgan Penner (she/they)

Conservation technician in Brandon, Man.
5th year Biology Honours at University of Manitoba

Morgan Penner is currently working on an Honour’s undergraduate degree and beginning to think about their Master’s degree and a future as a professor, but in the meantime, she can be found wading through a wetland for this week’s water samples.

“I love going out every day and seeing new animals and plants. I am not from this area, so being able to experience the different ecosystem has been super fun,” explains Morgan. “I have added many birds, insects, and mammals to my ‘life list’ over the summer, including badgers and bobolinks.”

While working with the Wetlands in Working Landscapes team, Morgan is contributing to our growing understanding of the productivity of wetlands on agricultural fields and pastures in Manitoba. “The goal is to determine how the differences in the wetlands impact the duck populations on them.”

Busy field days are spent rotating through 10 field sites and depending on the week, collecting water samples for invertebrates, eDNA, greenhouse gas and water testing, as well as conducting drone surveys, before returning to Brandon to prepare samples to be sent to the lab.

Being introduced to new ideas, fields, and study methods has been informative this summer and has given Morgan new ideas for what future work could look like. “I also appreciate all the connections I have made; I am always looking for new people to share ideas with and potentially work with in the future.”