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Summer 2022

Newsletter Archive

 

Urban Wetland Conservation - Summer Student Project

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In collaboration with the Miistakis Institute, Dr. Felix Nwaishi (Mount Royal University) and the City of Calgary, Abisola and Kaitlynn are working on a city-wide Aquatic Health Index project. The focus of the project is to develop a tool that quantifies the health of wetlands within Calgary's urban landscape. Based on ecological, hydrological and water quality indicators, Abisola and Kaitlynn will assign the wetlands a score which is intended to describe the overall health of the ecosystem. Over the summer, they will be testing the tool firsthand. As part of their testing procedure, they will be visiting wetlands across Calgary and performing a variety of environmental analyses which include conducting wetland delineations, collecting soil samples, measuring soil pH and identifying rare plants and animals. The assessment of Calgary's wetlands is to inform management decisions as well as contribute to ongoing conservation efforts. Abisola and Kaitlynn are both particularly interested in seeing how wetlands function in an urban landscape. As residents, they value the functions of Calgary's wetlands and want to improve them for the benefit of their city.