2021 Nature Vancouver Scholarships
Ally Truscott – 2021 Nature Vancouver Undergraduate Scholarship
Ally Truscott is in her first year of studies in the Fish, Wildlife and Recreation Diploma program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). She is from Pemberton and what really impressed us about Ally is how much experience she has already accomplished. She has been an active member of the Pemberton Wildlife Association since 2019 and is now on the Board of Directors.
In the last few years, Ally has participated in a number of bird and mammal studies, and last summer, coordinated the North American Bat monitoring program in Pemberton. She also volunteered with the Grizzly Bear Foundation and WildSafeBC. Ally has experience in back-country horse guiding as well as in animal rescue and rehabilitation. As she states in her application, it is her purpose “to excel in the field of wildlife management and conservation…. I strive to contribute to a province that respects and values its fish and wildlife.”
Sonia Voicescu – 2021 Nature Vancouver Graduate Scholarship
Sonia Voicescu is a 3rd year PhD Candidate in the School of Environmental Studies at the University of Victoria. In Sonia’s words: “As a student researching the impacts of environmental change, but foremost as a citizen and community member, I feel that it’s important to engage in practices that will preserve our local habitats and build relationships between people and natural systems.”
She has volunteered with a number of local organizations in the Georgia Basin; for example, with the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, Trial Island Ecological Reserve and with Rithet’s Bog Conservation Society, where she developed a habitat restoration plan for the critically imperilled Vancouver Island Ringlet butterfly. She was the “eButterfly” coordinator for the Victoria Natural History Society for 2019-2020.
Her current research with the Mountain Legacy Project “builds on the foundations of ecological restoration by examining the values that people place on mountain landscapes, and how reclamation and restoration can guide decision-making in areas that have been heavily mined.”
Sonia is the guest speaker for Nature Vancouver’s Thursday evening presentation on July 29. Sonia will give a presentation of her work via Zoom Video Conferencing. More information at the LINK.