Out in the Field with Reegan Sargent
2026, a summer to remember
By Reegan Sargent, Conservation Technician
When I joined Muskoka Conservancy in December 2025, I knew a busy field season was ahead. After months of planning, scheduling, and waiting for the snow to disappear, the floodgates opened. From early spring through fall, no two days in the field were quite the same—and that was part of the fun.
In just a few short months, we covered a lot of ground. We completed 57 of 62 annual monitoring visits, along with seven Technical Advisory Group (TAG) assessments, which involve completing full species inventories and assessing properties for species at risk. We also held nine invasive species removal outings, nine trail creation and maintenance events, and six Nature Quests, just to name a few.
Kudos to Jade, Vanessa and Delia
We couldn’t have done it without the extra hands that joined us for the season. We welcomed three summer students: Jade Walker, our Community Animator, and Vanessa Smith and Delia Bugada, our Conservation Technicians.
Jade captured the real—and sometimes hilarious—moments of fieldwork on social media (Find @muskokaconservancy on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn), while Vanessa’s eye for fungi and birds regularly added new species to our lists. Delia brought endless enthusiasm and, of course, a love for all things Chipotle.
Appreciation for our Dedicated Volunteers
Muskoka Conservancy is blessed with a large and engaged network of volunteers. And as always, you really stepped up! Together, we became a pretty efficient little field machine.
Personal Highlights
The season also brought some personal highlights, including checking two new Ontario snake species off my list—the Eastern Massasauga and Smooth Green Snake—and plenty of unexpected discoveries, from a moose antler to turtles crossing the road.
One of my favourite days was visiting Muskoka Conservancy’s Lake Joseph island protected areas by boat. As we cruised between islands, I had one of those moments where I stopped and thought, I actually get to do this as my job. It was a special reminder of why the long days, muddy boots, sweltering sun, pelting rain and biting insects are worth it.
I’m already looking forward to next season: more places to explore, new discoveries, familiar faces—and, inevitably, a few more boots stuck in the mud.
