A love of Vancouver Island and the environment meant a job with the Nature Trust of British Columbia was perfect for Steve Godfrey.
A youth crew supervisor with Vancouver Island HSBC Conservation, Godfrey has a long history with the group.
“I worked on the crew a few years ago while I was in school and ended up really enjoying the job,” he said. “Then when this position became available, I didn’t hesitate to get back in touch with The Nature Trust. I love living on the Island, and this job gives me the opportunity to see a lot of spectacular places here most people don’t even know exist. Sometimes it feels like there aren’t a lot of untouched natural places left in our province.”
The Nature Trust hires crews each summer to tackle a wide variety of conservation activities on properties across the province and learn valuable skills for future employment.
Training includes first aid and bear awareness as well as the safe handling of power tools.
Godfrey’s crew worked in the Nanaimo River Estuary and Buttertubs Marsh conservation areas this year.
“Through my employment with the Nature Trust, I’ve met so many hard working, intelligent people with the same goals of habitat conservation, it gives me hope that undisturbed wildlife and productive natural ecosystems will continue to be a part of BC’s legacy for generations to come,” said Godfrey.
The crews perform on-the-ground work as well as attending workshops from specialists in the field on topics such as bird counts and forest and wetland ecology.
For more information, please go to www.naturetrust.bc.ca.