RESTORATION ECOLOGIST(s) NEEDED ASAP!
Project: Assess the health of a small forested area and develop a restoration strategy for the damaged understory and compacted soils in Singhampton, ON (90 min from Waterloo, rides can be arranged)
Approach: Walk through assessment and photographic review with the land owner and the community group whose been the main user of the forest for nine years
Timeline: Walk through THIS FALL before the leaves are fallen (ideally by October 10th); initial thoughts from observation will lead to developing the SCOPE of the project.
A gathering is held each summer with now roughly 1,500 people camping for a week at mid summer. The understory damage and compaction is obvious in photos from the first gatherings through this year. The group requires an ecologist's perspective to decide: 1) can the group continue to camp in the forest, either as is, or in a modified fashion? 2) What restorative activities can the group take to undo any damage to the long term health of the forest? 3) Timeline for restoration.
This could be a project for an experienced ecologist mentoring others to use as a real time case study, or a 4th year project, or appropriate for a recent graduate - ideally the candidates will have the mentorship of an experienced ecologist to guide the process.
CONTACT Jodi Koberinski for details jakoberi@uwaterloo.ca