Employees

Environmental Impact Biologist

Employee Name:

Jason McCoy

Title:

Environmental Impact Biologist

Ministry:

Ministry of Environment

Background:

Education:Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science (U. of Guelph);Post-Graduate courses in Environmental Management and Assessment (Niagara College)
Member of the BC Public Service Since: 2005

My Role

My current role is to maintain and manage our region's automated water quality trend monitoring sites and use the data to develop/amend real time water quality objectives. I do water sampling for all bodies of water, including rivers, lakes and oceans. I then send samples into the lab to find out if they are meeting regulations and to give indications of the water bodies' health. After that, I help assess the next steps for that water body and put water quality objectives in place for recreational use and provide background data to come up with water quality objectives.

Career Path:

My career choice has always been to work in the environmental field. During university I worked for a Conservation Authority in Ontario on various environmental projects. After graduating I spent four years teaching English in South Korea. Then I did several odd jobs until I got an opportunity to work for the BC Public Service through the Conservation Corps Program, which placed me in the Lower Mainland Ministry of Environment office where I've been ever since.

What I Like Best:

I like having the chance to travel around the region and experience the beauty of the B.C. wilderness and know that I'm doing my part to protect it. Being outdoors is the main joy for me; I like the peace of being out there. I get to see what I'm working on right then and there.

Ideas At Work:

I ensure safe water for everyone living in B.C. as well as visitors to B.C. I'm looking forward to putting water quality objectives in place; I've been working on those for the last three years. We have a lot of pro-active management plans and the results are becoming more apparent. We have done some successful pilot projects, like testing the Sea-to-Sky air quality and getting municipalities involved in coming up with ideas to protect the air shed. We're taking a pro-active approach to getting the municipalities to think of the future of the air shed, instead of fixing problems as they come.

Advice:

The Environmental field is very broad so you should have a clear direction of where you want to go with your career. If you are not too sure, take the opportunity to do a few co-op terms to get a feel for the types of jobs available. Work through BC Conservation Corps, it's a gateway job to a lot of government environmental work. If you are a science lover, like methodical type work, like to work outdoors and don't mind adverse weather conditions, you'll enjoy this career.