Meet Brenda Shepherd

 

What is your position title?

Ecologist Team Leader - Monitoring

When did you first come to Jasper?

I came to Jasper in 1994 as a Parks Canada summer student to study harlequin ducks on the Maligne River.

What was your education/career path?

When I studied wildlife biology at the University of Guelph, I spent my summers working on songbird behaviour and response of birds to forestry.

After studying harlequin ducks, I became a seasonal park warden at Maligne Lake. I spent several years working with the human-wildlife coexistence team and then decided to complete my Master of Science degree at the University of British Columbia working on the response of birds to land use. Then I studied wolves for several years in the park to determine if restoration work was successful; we used some of the earliest-generation pre-digital wildlife cameras! I became an ecologist in 2002 and have so enjoyed this job as it has changed over the years.

What do you do for Parks Canada?

As an ecologist team leader, I work with a great team of resource conservation officers on ecological monitoring and species at risk. In the summer, we do field work in the park on different wildlife and plant species including songbirds and whitebark pine. We use a variety of scientific measuring tools, including remote wildlife cameras, mist nets and leg bands to monitor bird survival, and audio recorders to measure trends in songbirds. We drill stakes in the Athabasca Glacier to measure the impact of climate change on glaciers. We also work in the office analyzing data to report on the status and trends of wildlife and plants to help produce “state of the park” reports and provide scientific understanding to help with park planning and decision-making. Additionally, we work to recover species at risk; for example, we protect the nest sites of endangered birds and plant whitebark pine.

What would you tell a 10-year-old girl about science?

Do you have a passion for making a difference in the world? Do you ask “why” and “how” a lot? Do you like being around other curious people? Maybe you want to be a scientist too! Science is such a fun and rewarding career. There are so many interesting questions to try and answer! Science is an organized way to understand how the world works by carefully observing and experimenting. It’s also a great way to make positive changes that help the world and its people.