Photo 1: Kelsey Atatise standing beside a huge white pine on the 3080m portage into Cache Lake from Lindsay Lake. Photo Credit: Katherine Tripp. Photo 2: Offering tobacco prior to obtaining an increment core form a red pine. Photo Credit: Kelsey Atatise. 

I started working as part of the Quetico Foundation Research Team in the year 2020, with this field season being my second year as part of the team. I decided to work for the Foundation because I have a keen interest in biology and in working in a natural environment, and believe it is important to make a positive impact on the environment for future generations. There are a variety of subjects that I wish to study in post-secondary in the near future, including environmental sciences and biology. The work that I have been part of with the Quetico Foundation will help me achieve these goals. Throughout the two years that I have worked for the Quetico Foundation, my role as a research team member consisted of various fieldwork projects focused on collecting all scientific data for the Park Biologist. The main goal of collecting this data is to support the management of Quetico Provincial Park’s ecosystems with a focus on supporting and increasing the ecological integrity of the park. Being given the chance to help support the management of Quetico Provincial Park’s ecosystems these past couple of years has been an invaluable learning experience.