A group of Ecosystem Restoration students from Niagara College had a chance to broaden their horizons with week-long hands-on, boots-on experience in Norfolk County, thanks to funding from CEWIL Canada.
Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL Canada) granted $46,000 to the College's Ecosystem Restoration program which supported a work-integrated learning (WIL) experience for almost 40 students from October 16 to 21.
"Applied learning is what we do at NC. Unique, community-based projects provide immense value for our students and faculty," said Chris Treschak, Associate Dean, School of Environment and Horticulture. "They often aren't possible without the collaborative leadership of faculty and community partners. In addition to CEWIL Canada's generous support, NC's Indigenous Education and International teams played a role in bringing to life a rich, experiential learning opportunity for our Ecosystem Restoration students. And let's not forget about support from Norfolk County conservation groups and Indigenous community members."
This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada's Innovative Work-Integrated Learning Initiative and CEWIL Canada's iHUB.
"By offering innovative WIL opportunities at our institutions across Canada, we continue to see growth in students' personal and professional competencies," said Charlene Marion, Executive Director at CEWIL Canada. "The skills and competencies gained through these experiences serve to support students as they transition to the workplace, entrepreneurial endeavours, or future studies."
The funds planted seeds for the week-long WIL experience for students as a pilot project for NC's Ecosystem Restoration program that sets out to enhance real word applications related to the use of plant material to restore and manage ecosystems. Through the project, students also experienced Indigenous teachings, supporting respectful and reciprocal relationships building and consultation - an important aspect of environmental work.
Students gained WIL experience on immersive projects in the Norfolk County area, alongside Niagara College profs, local conservation organizations, and Indigenous leaders. They gathered data for long-term monitoring projects, collected seeds, analyzed soil at a plantation management site, and more. They also had opportunities to network with regional leaders during lunch and evening sessions.
The WIL activities and site tours took students to locations throughout Norfolk County, which involved several community partners including Long Point Basin Land Trust, St. Williams Conservation Reserve, ALUS Norfolk, and Nature Conservancy Canada.
"We are incredibly fortunate to have linked with conservation partners who hosted our students, provided networking opportunities and provided them experiential learning opportunities to gather data-to-design management plans that will inform their future actions," said NC School of Environment and Horticulture Professor Andrea Sinclair, who accompanied 36 students from her Plant Material Management Class to Norfolk County.
Sinclair noted that it was beneficial for students to visit the rural area with large tracts dedicated to conservation and restoration. With a strong community of restoration practitioners working on many sites in proximity, students were exposed to tall grass prairie, sand barren, oak savannah and old growth deciduous.
"It was exciting to be in Norfolk County, heart of our agricultural heritage and homebase for Carolinian Canada," said Sinclair. "This area of the province has rare ecosystems found on sand - this is not possible in Niagara so important for them to see.
"Equally important, this field camp encouraged cooperation and relationship-building, supported the important work of our community partners, and contributed to student success."
Ecosystem Restoration student Lebert Omac is pictured in the foreground on a work-integrated learning trip to Norfolk County. (Supplied photo)
“The week-long field course has been a great learning experience as I was able to apply in the field the lessons I learned in class such as conducting data gathering, surveying, mapping, flora identification and monitoring activities," said Ecosystem Restoration student Lebert Omac, who is an international student from the Philippines and currently resides in St. Catharines. Omac is a recent graduate of the Environmental Management and Assessment (EMA) program (2023).
"It was also an opportunity to get to know my classmates more and network with potential future employers as I move forward with my career," said Omac.
Sadie Campbell who enrolled in Ecosystem Restoration after graduating from university with a bachelor's degree in Landscape Architecture, enjoyed the variety of activities they had a chance to participate in.
"It was great to see how different environmental NGOs work and practice restoration and conservation. I also really enjoyed the presentations that we had in the evenings as it provided a good perspective of some of the working happening in the field I am hoping to enter," said Campbell. "I think in general this trip really helped to broaden my understanding of the scope of ecosystem restoration and the work that is happening locally in Ontario."
Ecosystem Restoration students collect seeds in Norfolk County. (Supplied photo)
The week-long work-integrated learning trip was free for students; CEWIL Canada funding covered transportation, accommodations, food, and guest speaker honorariums.
A one-year graduate certificate program, NC's Ecosystem Restoration program is one of very few programs of its kind in Canada and produces highly sought-after graduates.
This full-week field program will replace the final seven weeks of the Plant Material Management course (ENVR9145) typically delivered in the past over the 14 weeks of the fall.
Top photo: Ecosystem Restoration students Andrew Nawrot, Meghan Lavoie, Diana Hough and Sadie Campbell apply their skills in Norfolk County searching for permanent markers so to resurvey vegetation in Backus Woods. (Suppled photo)
Niagara College has a full-time enrolment of more than 11,000 students from over 80 countries, who study in 130 diploma, certificate and bachelor degree programs at specialized campuses in Welland and Niagara-on-the-Lake. Niagara College is also involved in educational projects and partnerships around the world and is consistently ranked among Canada's top 10 colleges for research funding. Learn more at niagaracollege.ca.
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