The Beaubassin Research Station hosted an enthusiastic group of second year students during the last weekend of September 2026. There is a strong record of collaborative environmental and historical research at the Beaubassin Research Station, which was established in 2009 through the partnership of Irving Oil, Acadia University, and Ducks Unlimited Canada. This year, the students took part in five field research skills and conservation workshop sessions to support their academic and career goals in environmental protection. The Research Station was the perfect backdrop to learn about the precious coastal habitats that form the Isthmus of Chignecto, and represent our Maritime provinces.

The students immediately donned waders upon arrival at the Research Station to join Bailey Silver, MSc candidate, and Dr. Sarah Baldwin, a post-doctorate fellow, both from Dr. Mike Stokebury’s Ecology and Coastal Environments lab at Acadia University, to check for juvenile fish downstream from a nearby fish passageway. This activity demonstrated the techniques used in ongoing research to monitor fish populations. The workshop also included field sessions with Acadia professors Dr. Mark Mallory, in which the students practiced wetland sediment sampling to assess invertebrate diversity, and Dr. Zoe Panchen, who introduced plant identification and survey methods.

The workshop included two additional sessions to provide local context on shoreline and wetland restoration and conservation in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Dr. Jeff Ollerhead, a geomorphologist at Mount Allison University, reviewed land use history and examples of nearby projects to reshape dykes and restore saltmarsh area. The final session was led by Emma Bocking of TransCoastal Adaptations, a group based out of Saint Mary’s University that restores coastal areas using nature-based solutions. Emma pulled together the pieces to leave students with a sense of how their environmental skills can be used to enact change and influence policy.

“Beaubassin was a great experience that allowed me to get a glimpse into different kinds of research. The weekend at the research centre provided a great opportunity to get hands on experience and learn about the physical environment around us, particularly wetland habitats and processes. This was an amazing and unique experience to have, especially early in my second year of university!”

– Beaubassin student workshop participant