Science that matters: Master’s student researches the potential contamination of endangered species’ nesting ponds

By Alyana Versolatto

Graduate Recruitment Officer

The threats to these majestic cranes are loss of habitat quality, lack of food, and collisions with human-made infrastructure while migrating. Amy Lacey’s research focuses on the endangered bird’s habitat, specifically a remote wetland in the Northwest Territories called the Whooping Crane Nesting Region. Found in the nesting region are shallow ponds with many varieties of aquatic plants like cattail, bulrush, sedges, and musk-grass. Northern shallow-water wetland ecosystems like this are among the most vulnerable habitats, with experts warning that climate change will exert its strongest effects on these hydrological systems.

Mercury and other heavy metals released from industrial sources like mining and pyrogenic sources like forest fires, can travel long distances via the atmosphere before depositing in ecosystems far from the original source. Contaminants can be persistent in aquatic environments and can bioaccumulate up the food chain. These nesting ponds have not been studied extensively and the risk of mercury and heavy metals to the cranes is unknown.

Whooping crane standing in tall grass. Source: Unsplash

Through her research as a Master of Science in Biology (Water) student at the University of Waterloo, Lacey’s collection of sediment cores and surface sediment from the ponds will contribute to establishing baselines that represent the natural range of variation of pollutant metals in the region prior to human disturbance. These baselines will be used to analyze and assess the degree of metal enrichment over space and time. While whooping cranes are endangered, there is hope. When the species was first listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1967, only 50 birds remained. Thanks to extensive conservation efforts and the important research of conservation biologists, the population of whooping cranes has been steadily increasing each year.

What drew you to study in the Master of Science in Biology (Water) program at Waterloo?

The Collaborative Water Program provides a unique opportunity to expand my expertise and collaborate with students from other faculties with different backgrounds. The program reflects the real-world where interdisciplinary collaboration is critical to developing effective and long-term solutions, especially regarding the environment. 

What is the working relationship like with your supervisors?

I am co-supervised by professor Roland Hall at the University of Waterloo and professor Brent Wolfe at Wilfrid Laurier University. Their guidance and leadership throughout my years as an undergraduate and co-op student inspired me to continue to work in their biology lab as a master’s student. The Hall lab specializes in the study of paleolimnology which uses lake sediments to produce long-term records of past changes in the environment. This area of science is critical now more than ever as it is nearly impossible to find ecosystems free of human impacts.

What are you looking forward to in the future regarding your studies?  

I’m excited for fieldwork trips in May, August, and September, when we travel from Waterloo to Fort Smith in the Northwest Territories. From there, we travel by helicopter to collect water and sediment samples from the ponds in the Whooping Crane Nesting Region.

How do you spend your time outside of your studies?

I am involved in community engagement—volunteering with organizations like Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum, Toronto Field Naturalists, and Elmira District Community Living. I enjoy spending my spare time skiing, playing sports, learning philosophy, travelling, and reading. My favourite place in Ontario is Lake Huron where I spend most of my summers camping and visiting the beach.