User: | Open Learning Faculty Member:
My field project took a while to jump start, I had to change my subject of interest and location due to the unforeseeable weather changes in the prairies. First we had flooding (dikes were built and flood evacuations were issued), and any area near the river was closed off for almost two months. Followed by crazy wind storms, and tornado’s touching down – so again a new location was needed to carry out my research. So in summary, I had many changes to the design before actually implementing the final one.
Once if was formed, and after data collection was finished no other issues came up – which is really nice.
Engaging in the practice has altered my appreciation for how ecological theory is developed. I think that ecology observation studies require a lot of patience, time, and the ability to adapt with changing conditions – as nature is constantly changing.
This was a wonderful course, and I really enjoyed stepping out of my usual biological study stream. Ecology was refreshing and the topics very fascinating and applicable to everyday life.
