Finding my way: A journey into conservation

Jon working with the prescribed fire team (Photo by NCC Staff)

By Jon Carson, Conservation Intern

There are many reasons why someone might wish to change careers. Some good, some bad, but they all inevitably lead you to the same question: what am I going to do with my life?  The process is never easy. It takes looking inside yourself, understanding what motivates you, how you are going to accomplish it and, eventually, taking that first step into the unknown. Changing careers will involve learning new skills and going outside your comfort zone.

It’s difficult and scary, but also incredibly rewarding.

My decision to switch careers was fuelled by many things, the greatest of which was losing my father at the end of 2022. This kind of event forced me to reconsider many aspects of my life, especially what brings me joy and purpose. It fanned the flames of action and pushed me out of my complacency and routine. And, after much consideration and soul searching, I realized that where I found myself was not where I wanted to be. I decided to take the first step to creating change: leaving my career in order to attend university for the first time at age 32.

So, what drew me to conservation? I had known since I was young, through fishing, hunting and learning about the outdoors in an informal, but dedicated way, that I loved the natural world. I had also spent significant time in wild places touring on my bicycle, from Australia to Southeast Asia, the U.S., Central America and throughout Manitoba.

However, there was a moment when I realized that I wanted to work in conservation. It came while I was flying home from one of my last visits to see my dad. I was in the middle of a three-seat row, and I watched the documentary Artifishial, which delves into the declining wild salmon population. In the film, there is a scene narrated by zoologist Dr. Carl Safina, who describes the wild salmon life cycle and its unique role as a keystone species as: “distilling the richness of the ocean, and then enlivening it.” The film further illuminates the corrupt relationship humans can have with our natural world and, while watching it, I found myself crying while sitting next to a stranger. Crying because of fish. Yet, I allowed the tears to come, because salmon, and all living organisms, are important. Sometimes, our treatment of this planet, and the damage we can cause can be heartbreaking. It’s the sort of thing worth crying over. It’s also the sort of thing worth working to change.

The passion to pursue anything comes from the heart, yet if it remains just a passion, with no avenue for it to bear fruit, then it can fizzle and die. Which brings me, in a way, to where I am now.

After finishing my first year at the University of Winnipeg, I was incredibly fortunate to land an internship position with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). Despite my being new to this field, I felt welcomed and supported, and I was able to learn and diversify my experience and increase my exposure to all manner of conservation work.

Through the tutelage of my colleagues, and the many educational opportunities I have had, I was able to experience and learn so many new things. My time with NCC has opened my eyes to the plight of endangered native species and ecosystems, like Poweshiek skipperling, western prairie white-fringed orchid, and the charming beauty of the tall grass prairie. My time with NCC has been a place where my passion has been allowed to expand. A place where I can be planting avian audio monitoring units in a marsh one day, participating in prescribed fires that regenerate the landscape the next, and then conducting invasive species control on ranchland in the Interlake.

So, quitting my job and taking a step out the door into something new, unknown, scary and uncertain, but ultimately so rewarding, has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. And I contribute that in no small part to the amazing opportunity I have had while working at NCC.