Meet Nina Veselka

 

What is your position title?

Resource Management Officer - Ecological Integrity Monitoring

When did you first come to Jasper?

I first visited Jasper in 2010 and moved here in 2021 when I got a job with Parks Canada.

What was your education/career path?

I got my Bachelor of Science from Western University in 2010, and my Master of Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2013. I took several field courses in my undergrad to build my skill set, and shortly after that I got my first field job, monitoring bat populations in upstate New York. After finishing my master’s degree, which examined the structure and function of bat thumbs, I moved to Alberta in search of work. I worked with a not-for-profit institute collecting biodiversity data throughout the province, and then as a wildlife monitoring biologist for the provincial government, before moving to my current role with Parks Canada.

What do you do for Parks Canada?

In general, I oversee songbird and species-at-risk monitoring for birds and bats. In the summer, I am usually in the field collecting bird and bat acoustic data, conducting occupancy surveys on black swifts and bank swallows, and servicing wildlife cameras. The winter is filled with data management and processing. Most recently, I have been involved in updating Jasper’s Multi-species Action Plan, which details specific actions or activities that will be taken to help recover species at risk.

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

Stay curious and don’t be afraid to ask questions! There are still many aspects of the natural world that are poorly understood, and just because someone hasn’t figured them out yet doesn’t mean that you can’t.