Volunteer Spotlight: Janice Fairfax
For the Central Algoma Land Trust’s second Volunteer Spotlight, we are excited to feature Janice Fairfax. Since 2022, Janice has been a dedicated volunteer with our Water Quality Monitoring Program. We asked her to share a little about herself and her experience volunteering with CALT, which you can read below.
“I moved to the Algoma region in 2018 after searching for my dream place for several years. When I discovered St. Joseph Island, I was hooked and eventually found a property to call home; beauty, peace and quiet, wilderness and solitude. Being on an island, I was also a short drive to many launch sites for kayaking and fishing which had become a big part of my life after retirement.
“I had coached different levels of sports when younger, but a physically demanding full time job and a farm to run left no time or energy to consider volunteering again. Retirement changed that. When I saw the notice in 2022 from The Kensington Conservancy (now Central Algoma Trust) looking for volunteers to do water testing for the Water Rangers, I knew I wanted to get involved. The program involves taking water samples at locations of your choice, testing them on a regular schedule and entering the readings in the Water Rangers database where the data is collected and used to determine water quality. I test several places surrounding the island and a couple of lakes on the mainland. For most of the sites, I take samples from my kayak and a few I access from shore. It is a perfect combination of contributing to the research of the quality of our precious water and enjoying the peace and solitude while exploring it. Sadly, our data in this area is insufficient, so if you have time to commit, we could definitely use more volunteers to be Water Rangers.
“I have also enjoyed many activities that the Central Algoma Land Trust sponsors such as guided hikes, birdwatching excursions and paddling tours. The work that they do is important, acquiring land to preserve and protect sensitive areas crucial to wildlife, plant life and water quality. I am proud to play a small part in it.”
The Central Algoma Land Trust depends on the generous support of our local community to carry out our work. Please consider making a donation to help advance conservation efforts across the Central Algoma region. Your contribution will help protect the natural spaces and wildlife that make this area so special.
