Biology Internship Program reported in Atikokan Progress
Atikokan Progress,
Monday August 31 2015,
M.McKinnon
In addition to the Ridley Wilderness Youth Program, the Quetico Foundation sponsored a biology intern this summer to work with Park biologist Brian Jackson (he moved over from his position as area biologist earlier this year).
Kiara Gannon, who will enter her second year of biology studies at the University of Victoria shortly, worked 16 weeks this summer, mostly in the Park.
While Gannon was based at the area office in town, most of her summer was spent doing field work in the Park – hands-on, front-line biology – usually gathering data for several long-term monitoring projects. The involved several different extended trips into the Park.
To monitor songbirds, the biologists would set up recording devicesl the tapes go to bird song experts, who can identify species based on the call. The listened for ruffed grouse drumming. They searched for snowshoe hare scat (not too successfully); the animals are quite common at French Lake, however).
