Many of us who are lucky enough to have achieved their career aspirations can think back to a period in their life when they realized “this is what I want to do.” No matter the career, these crystalizing moments are almost always born from personally connecting with their topic or field of interest. These deep feelings of connection are often what inspire people to act to improve our environments and societies.

However, there are often barriers that can prevent equal access to these self-realizing and connecting experiences. For example, in the world of ecology these experiences often come in the form of field courses that can cost thousands of dollars, which can put them out of reach for many. Beyond the financial, though, there are also long-standing systemic barriers that can put these experiences even farther out of reach for equity-deserving groups, such as Indigenous, Black, and/or Racialized (BIPOC) students.  The exclusion of BIPOC voices from conservation and ecology means that this important work is largely being done with a very limited viewpoint: that of the white settler operating within Western scientific frameworks. This can create blind spots that could be avoided through the inclusion of more diverse perspectives. Also concerning is the reality that BIPOC students may have difficulties in actualizing their ambitions because of these inequalities. Luckily, there are incredibly hard-working groups that dedicate themselves to creating such opportunities, one of which we had the wonderful fortune of collaborating with last summer: FREED. 

Field Research in Ecology and Evolution Diversified (FREED) is a grassroots organization founded and organized by current and former students in Southern Ontario universities with the goal of improving the accessibility of field research experiences for BIPOC undergraduates. Focusing on the fields of evolution, ecology, and conservation biology, FREED offers financially accessible, multi-day field courses that provide foundational field experiences to BIPOC students to help them stand out in increasingly competitive job markets. 

Last August, WPC staff participated in one of two weeklong field courses hosted by FREED in iconic Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario. Attended by 15 students from Guelph and McMaster Universities, the week consisted of daily workshop events in which students practiced field research techniques relevant to a variety of wildlife groups, such as birds, mammals, plants, and a personal favourite of ours: bumble bees! Taylor Kerekes and Cole Blair of our Native Pollinator Initiative, joined by WPC’s Conservation Programs Director Hazel Wheeler, ventured into the Algonquin wilderness to deliver a workshop to FREED students on bumble bee ecology and survey methods, allowing participants to get an up-close experience with these critical pollinators.