From releasing raptors back into the wild to building shelters during a survival night, there's little that Stephanie Sitkowski does not share about her Lakeland College experience.

Stephanie Sitkowski in a tent

Known as greeneyedgirl626 on Instagram, the second-year environmental sciences student is using the platform to share her adventures in the college's wildlife and fisheries conservation (WFC) major.

“I'm enjoying my program even more than I thought I would. My instructors are passionate about what they do. They're excited to teach me, which gets me excited to learn no matter the subject,” Sitkowski says.

In WFC, Sitkowski is learning and putting into practice how to protect, conserve, reclaim and sustain wildland, parks, lakes, rivers and wildlife. She shares that Field Week, which introduces students to real-world scenarios through hands-on learning, was one of many experiences that allowed her to put her education into action.

Stephanie Sitkowski holding an owl

“We're getting our hands dirty in a good way. During Field Week, I released an owl back into the wild. I also weighed, measured and determined the sex of a deer mouse before releasing it back into the wild, and I learned how to do surveys and river velocity assessments at the Battle River. It's never been a dull moment around here.”

With a university background, Sitkowski explains that instructors break or make a program. Her Lakeland instructors demonstrate the latter.

“The environment and the passion that the instructors create for us facilitates success. They give us valuable skills and information on prospective job opportunities. I can tell they want to create the next generation of conservationists.”

Sitkowski was set on becoming a conservation officer when she entered the WFC program, but that goal has since changed the more she's experienced in the program. Now, she hopes to enter a career that she can pursue her passion in and make a difference, whether that be reclaiming oilfield sites or working with dogs to sniff out invasive water species.

 

Photos: Top-Stephanie lies in her shelter, made of natural materials, during WFC's annual survival night. Bottom- Stephanie cradles an owl before releasing it back into the wild.