Lower Trent Conservation is celebrating its 50th anniversary! To celebrate this milestone, we have released our ’50 in 50′ historical blog series (posts continuing throughout the year).
This special series features 50 articles highlighting some of the achievements, milestones and events of the past 50 years. We hope you enjoy them!
Hiring summer students is an annual tradition started in the early years of the Conservation Authority. While the number of students hired each summer has varied over the years, one thing has remained unchanged. Every summer, Lower Trent Conservation gets a breath of fresh air and new life – an influx of students bounding with energy and ideas.
At the end of each summer, these young adults head back to school with hands-on experiences, enhanced skills, and a clearer understanding of the many aspects of watershed management.
Below is a snap shot of some of the projects carried out over the years and made possible through a myriad of federal and provincial employment programs:
- 1972 – Eight young people were hired through Project SWEEP (Students Working in an Environmental Enhancement Program), to work on properties at Glen Miller, King’s Mill, and Proctor Park Conservation Areas.
- 1975 – Five university students were hired through Experience ’75 to develop a flood warning system and complete a resource inventory of the Cold Creek watershed. An additional eight high school students were also hired through Experience ‘75 to work with field staff on Conservation Authority properties.
- 1979 – Thirty-four young people worked on various conservation projects through Young Canada Works, Katimavik, and Experience ’79.
- 1988 – Through SCOUR ‘88 (Students Cleaning Out Urban Rivers), 14,886 kilograms of garbage were removed from 201 kilometres of creeks and rivers.
- 1991 – Twelve young people were hired through the Environmental Youth Corps Program to assess Cold and Shelter Valley Creeks and implement various shoreline improvement projects.
- 2003 – Nine students were hired for work terms ranging from seven to 15 weeks to conduct field work on headwater streams, carry out Conservation Area maintenance, provide children programming for the Goodrich-Loomis Nature Camp, and collect surface and groundwater data.
- 2017 – Six students were hired through Canada Summer Jobs and Summer Experience Program to assist with water monitoring programs, invasive species awareness, conservation area maintenance, land stewardship services, community events, and youth education.
If you are a student interested in working with us, jobs will be posted annually on our website http://www.ltc.on.ca/about/careers/ in early spring.
Visit us again soon for the next feature in our “50 in 50” blog series.
