Kawartha Land Trust (KLT) recently welcomed two new volunteers to the organization. Students Rylee Goerlitz and Katherine McEwan are KLT’s Conservation Data & GIS Technician team’s newest volunteer members.
Rylee and Katherine will use their GIS and data management skills to organize and incorporate spatial data into digital maps, perform some analysis, and assist with creating KLT’s Partners in Conservation program stewardship guides.
Meet Rylee Goerlitz
Rylee Goerlitz is a second-year student in Fleming College’s Ecosystem Management Technician program and a recent Biological Sciences graduate from Brock University. She has a strong passion for herptiles and birds and can often be found in local wetlands and forests with her field guide and a pair of binoculars.
Rylee relayed that she decided to volunteer as a Conservation Data & GIS Technician with Kawartha Land Trust because of its mission to protect ecologically significant lands in the Kawarthas.
“As well, I have developed a passion for GIS through my courses at Fleming College. I believe in the importance of data-driven decisions about conservation and the implementation of GIS software in SAR recovery strategies.”
While volunteering at KLT, Rylee looks forward to learning more about the applications of GIS software in conservation, working with the team to create Partners in Conservation stewardship guides for landowners looking to learn more about their land, and supporting KLT’s work to protect land in the Kawarthas.
Katherine McEwan
An avid paddler, camper, and hiker, Katherine McEwan is a first-year Ecosystem Management student at Fleming College. Nature has always been the place where she feels most at home and she loves being immersed in nature through her studies.
“I am excited to have a lifetime ahead of me in this sector,” Katherine said. “I have a particular love for plants and they way they alter their environments.”
Katherine made the decision to volunteer with KLT because she was excited about the chance to learn more about data and GIS work as they’re related to conservation efforts.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the projects we’re working on come to fruition as field season gets under way and the maps and [Partners in Conservation] stewardship guides we’re working on now get flushed out with field inventories.”
From the field to the office, KLT’s amazing team of volunteers contributes in countless ways to help protect the land they love. We’re grateful to all of KLT’s volunteers past and present for their vital contributions.
Posted March 20, 2023.
