The Nootka Sound Watershed Society is pleased to announce our first summer intern.
Amanda Booth will be working with Stewardship Coordinator in August. Fieldwork to address data gaps identified from MC Wright Habitat assessments will focus on our priority rivers: Tahsis, Sucwoa, Leiner and the Tsowwin. These rivers have multiple impacts limiting salmon production, and they are receiving silviculture treatments thanks to a Coastal Restoration Fund grant. It is important to have a habitat baseline (pre-treatment) that this work aims to address. Pools and trees in-stream will be inventoried and additional fieldwork will address key knowledge gaps like off-channel habitat quantity and quality, and species use. This fieldwork supports NSWS's pursuit of additional funding and grants for additional stream restoration and enhancement work.
Amanda Booth hails from North Vancouver and grew up hiking the local mountains. Her love of hiking later led her to become a snowshoe guide for both Mount Seymour and Cypress Mountain. Amanda spent many winters as a guide and loved to teach her guests about winter safety and about the local flora and fauna. She is a North Vancouver and Okanagan Streamkeeper (www.pskf) and is engaged in the Pacific Streamkeepers Federation Stream Walks project.
In her 20's Amanda left Canada to explore resulting in a five-year travel adventure. During this time she visited many countries in SE Asia and Central/South America; as well, she lived in Australia for two years and visited New Zealand. Along the way Amanda had the opportunity to visit and/or volunteer with some animal rescue organizations. These experiences led Amanda to the University of Northern British Columbia where she enrolled in the Wildlife and Fisheries BSc. An animal lover to the core, Amanda hopes to spend her career assisting in the preservation of our aquatic and terrestrial habitats and studying animals most vulnerable to human actions. This summer Amanda is working at Moutcha Bay Resort near Tahsis BC, and enjoys spending her free time kayaking up the Conuma River and any opportunity to get out on water.