Working: Restoring damaged ecosystems
Diploma program opens doors in ‘emerging’ environmental field
After more than a decade in construction and warehouse work in British Columbia, Joe Enns decided at 29 he was ready for a career change.
“The outdoors was an enjoyable part of my life growing up,” says Enns, “so I wanted a job where I would be out in nature. I also wanted my work to mean something instead of just being a transaction that traded time for money.”
Enns, now 35, enrolled in the two-year diploma program in fisheries, wildlife and recreation at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). He stayed an additional two years to complete the new bachelor of technology degree program in ecological restoration. Launched in 2009, the program offers field training that focuses on damaged ecosystems and provides the knowledge needed to restore them.
“Ducks Unlimited has been restoring wetland habitat in North America for 75 years and in B.C. the provincial Habitat Conservation Trust Fund has been doing restoration work for 30 years,” says Doug Ransome, program head at BCIT. “The industry has been there but there were very few places to get a degree in the field. Our program offers students more opportunities in an area that continues to be referred to as an emerging discipline.”
While completing his studies, Enns worked seasonally with the Pacific Salmon Commission on the Fraser River and also spent time as a park ranger. Today he is a full-time fisheries biologist with the Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) in Penticton, where he monitors steelhead salmon habitat in watersheds throughout the Okanagan Valley.
ONA represents eight First Nation member communities. Its priorities include protecting, enhancing and preserving the environment, fish and wildlife resources within traditional territories. ONA is a partner in the Okanagan River Restoration Initiative, one of the largest restoration projects in Canada.
Habitat has been heavily degraded in the area due to development, agricultural pressure, dikes and river straightening.
“This makes it good for invasive species but bad for steelhead salmon,” Enns says. “I look at river substrate, pools versus riffles, and temperature and discharge of streams over seasons to identify sensitive areas. I then figure out restoration activities that need to be done to keep the salmon coming back in increasing numbers.”
In addition to fish habit, restoration ecologists might create or restore wetlands, remove and replace invasive species or help to restore provincial parks, adds Ransome.
“Consulting companies and First Nations continue to be strong employers, and openings also exist with regional and provincial government, and non-governmental organizations.”
There are also growing opportunities for green jobs in the resource sector.
“One interesting trend that we are seeing is significant growth in what we call sustainability-related jobs,” says Cheryl Knight, executive director with the Calgary-based Petroleum Human Resources Council of Canada. “For example, environmental-technician jobs in the oilsands are expected to increase by 89 per cent over the next 10 years.”
Enns suggests students concentrate on their passion, whether it’s for birds, plants, reptiles or, as in his case, fish.
“It makes the job easier if you are passionate about what you are studying or doing.”
But he cautions students to be strategic because a position might not be waiting when they finish school. Many of these kinds of jobs are not posted online, so interested job-seekers need to network and then seize whatever opportunities come their way, he says.
A background in economics is highly beneficial because most restorations have to show an economic and social benefit alongside the environmental, he says. Communication skills are also at the top of the list: presentations to stakeholders and gathering input from them are important aspects of the job.
Enns clearly loves his new occupation.
“I’ve run boats on lakes during the summer, trapped juvenile salmon, watched sturgeon jump, hiked the backcountry and got paid to do it,” he says.
“I can’t find a downside to that.”