Jenny Fulton, this year’s OFAH/BrokerLink Fish and Wildlife Conservation Award recipient, had an eventful summer wading hip-deep into Lake Ontario tributaries releasing Atlantic Salmon, plotting the tracks of a highly invasive plant species on the Trent-Severn Waterway and planting the roots to what appears will be a promising career in fish and wildlife conservation.
The OFAH/BrokerLink Fish and Wildlife Conservation Internship is an 18-week contract with the OFAH’s Fish and Wildlife Department. BrokerLink provides OFAH members with savings on home and auto insurance and has been sponsoring this internship for the past three years.
This summer Fulton worked with the Lake Ontario Atlantic Salmon Restoration Program (LOASRP), where she participated in the classroom hatchery program and the Atlantic Salmon stocking program.
These experiences contributed to a larger restoration effort to bring back the salmon to Lake Ontario. Working with the Invading Species Awareness Program (ISAP) this summer, Fulton was also instrumental in the monitoring of an invasive aquatic plant called Water Soldier on a section of the Trent-Severn Waterway north of Campbellford.
The monitoring work will be used to control the plant population and ensure it doesn’t spread to other waterbodies.
Fulton also assisted with the Asian Carp Awareness Campaign to promote awareness of these invasive fish species to prevent their spread. She also learned valuable information from fish and wildlife staff, including a better understanding of many of the policies and procedures designed to protect, maintain, and enhance the wise use of our natural resources.
These are just some of the highlights of the OFAH/BrokerLink Fish and Wildlife Conservation Internship in 2014. “I am very thankful to be given this opportunity and I’m sure this internship will open the door for future opportunities in fish and wildlife conservation,” Fulton said.
Jenny will be returning to the University of Guelph this September to pursue a Masters of Environmental Science where she plans to focus her studies on the conservation of wetlands and migratory bird species. The BrokerLink internship provides the opportunity to acquire knowledge and skills in a natural resources work environment, experience networking with resource professionals and agencies and engaging the public in awareness and outreach. Visit www.ofah.org/fish-and-wildlife-conservationinternship for more information.