Karlee McLaughlin is a young student with a bright future – even though her current research project has her investigating the dark depths of Clear Lake in Riding Mountain National Park (RMNP) for a species of fish with the unfortunate name of “slimy sculpin”.

Monitoring this ungainly little fish will provide valuable information about the condition of not only this species but also the overall ecological health of the entire lake. McLaughlin will spend the summer working for Parks Canada where she will trap, measure and tag slimy sculpin in Clear lake to find out more about how they are doing and what can be done to protect them.

This spring McLaughlin graduated with a diploma in Environmental Technologies: Land and Water Management from Assiniboine Community College (ACC).
In the fall she will transfer into environmental studies in the geography department at Brandon University (BU) through an articulation agreement between the two institutions that was established last year. McLaughlin is the first student to take advantage of this new program which will give her both a diploma and Bachelor of Science degree within four years.

“I am interested in everything from protection of our environment to remediation and restoration of habitat that becomes damaged by human activity,” said McLaughlin.
“I enjoy educating the public about their role in managing ecosystems and creating practical and useful programs for them to implement. I think most people don’t realize how big of an impact their actions have, and more importantly how much power they have to change things for the better.”

Even though she has only finished the first two years of her studies, this hard-working young woman has already developed a booklet to be used by cottagers in the Lake of the Prairies Conservation District as part of an environmental project management course that she took at ACC last year. Her advisor on this project was Rick Baker from the Agriculture and Environment department at ACC. The booklet focuses on a number of different bioengineering techniques that can be used for shoreline restoration. She hopes to develop similar documents for other conservation districts.

Now that McLaughlin has embarked on her new research project in her old stomping grounds – she was raised in Onanole and her parents still live there – she is conscious that the information she gathers over the course of her work on Clear Lake will be used to inform future Wasagaming community plans and RMNP management strategies as well as develop a monitoring program that will keep a careful eye on any changes that might threaten Clear Lake.

This cold, clear, deep lake is unique on the prairies and is important not only as a vacation destination for a quarter of a million visitors every year, but also as an economic anchor in the Parkland region. It is a place that no one wants to see polluted or degraded.

Every year Parks Canada hires several students like McLaughlin to assist resource management specialists during the busy field work season in order to collect as much data as possible. Collaborating with other agencies allows Parks Canada to access scientific knowledge and expertise, and it gives students an opportunity to conduct research for their educational needs.
Taking a proactive role in research and monitoring that focuses on issues relevant to preserving and protecting natural and cultural resources, Parks Canada is committed to using science to help understand and protect national park ecosystems for the benefit of all Canadians, now and in the future.
Because of her interest in educating the public, one opportunity that McLaughlin is looking forward to is being able to work closely with the new Citizen Science program that RMNP has developed.

Community members can join the slimy sculpin research project and get involved in a real “hands on” way. “Members of the public are invited to sign up for this two day learning activity,” explains Christian Tremblay, the person who is heading up the Citizen Science initiative for RMNP.

The first day will involve working alongside McLaughlin to set the traps and collect data about water chemistry. Then two days later the volunteers will return to retrieve the traps and analyze the catch as well as use an underwater camera to identify the ‘substrate’, or substances at the bottom of the lake such as gravel, mud, sand, or plants, in which the sculpin were caught.

“Visitors have told us that they are looking for the opportunity to learn, and to take part in real and relevant science projects,” said Tremblay.

“They also want to be a part of the search for solutions to environmental problems.”
To find out more about this and other Citizen Science opportunities in RMNP, ask at the Visitor Centre, or call 204-848-0573.

On Saturday, July 24 and Sunday, July 25, RMNP will host the Clear Lake Celebration Weekend. Not only will you be able to meet Karlee McLaughlin and the other students working in RMNP this summer, you will be able to take in a “dock talk” where they will explain their work.