Kristen Noel, from Enfield, Nova Scotia, is a 2019 BSc graduate in biology from Université Sainte-Anne. Her passion for the preservation of wildlife in the face of climate change has been expressed in volunteer activities that include monitoring the migration of Northern Saw-Whet Owls and the population of Black Ducks in southwest Nova Scotia. Here, Kristen captured and banded the ducks and tiny owls and applied radio transmitters to the owls. She also volunteered with an Environment and Climate Change Canada project targeting endangered Roseate Terns. As a wild bird care apprentice at Le Nichoir wild bird rehabilitation centre in Quebec, she examined and treated many species of injured and orphaned birds.

Kristen began pursuing a master’s in biology at Acadia in September 2019. To help conserve Common Eiders in Nova Scotia, she will compare their natural nesting conditions to artificial nesting structures that protect sea ducks from predation.