Through my involvement at Nature NL, my work with WPC, or as a biologist about town, I often end up speaking with local groups about wildlife, conservation, Boards of Directors, careers in biology, and such. I also love giving hands-on workshops about conservation, wildlife identification, and outdoor recreation.
If you’d like me to give a talk similar to those below, I am sometimes available through Nature NL, or on my own. I can also present or lead workshops en français.
Coming up:
Talk for the Learn The Birds platform, 2021
Recently:
“Adventures in Conservation” for McMaster Outdoor Club, March 2021
We are so excited to be welcoming back MOC Alum Laura King! Laura is a biologist, naturalist, and leader who will talk about her work to conserve birds, amphibians, reptiles, plants, and more, use the magic of wild experiences to build connections to nature and wildlife, and organize resilient communities of outdoorspeople who not only love exploring our world, but speak up and work together to help conserve our spaces & species.
“Finding & landing the science job you want”, Memorial University Career Week
Covering major employers for biologists and other scientists (in Ontario and NL), consulting, federal government employment, networking during a pandemic, figuring out your dream job, the hidden job market, etc.
SciGSA Alumni Social speaker, McMaster University
“Alumni will share their experiences finishing their formal education at McMaster, identifying employment opportunities, applying for non-academic positions, establishing a career as a young professional, and other challenges in the current job market.”
GIS for conservation workshop, Geomatics Atlantic
2.5 hour interactive session covering QGIS basics, importing and editing shapefiles, geoprocessing, georeferencing, etc for conference participants
“Open source Mapping for your Community”, Geomatics Atlantic
One of the speakers for the GIS and Asset Management: Smarter Mapping, Better Decisions panel, with an intro to QGIS and examples of how it can be used for natural resource mapping for local governments
Memorial University 4th year Conservation Biology class (for Nature NL)
Nature NL – Intro to NL environmental non-profits panel
Community Sector Council’s Go Getters program (for Nature NL)
Advocacy at the federal, provincial, and municipal levels (with MacGregor Parent)
Volunteering on a Board of Directors (with Julia Sparkes, MacGregor Parent, & Sohil Pramij)
Ocean Wise’s Ocean Bridge program (for Nature NL)
The Fauna & Flora of Newfoundland & Labrador (with Emma Bocking covering NS)
Canadian Wildlife Federation’s Wild Outside leadership program (for Nature NL)
Nature advocacy (with MacGregor Parent)
Salmonier Nature Park
Hands-on bird identification workshop
Becoming an Outdoor Teen workshops
Wild plant identification (on Sugarloaf Path)
Hike & pack workshop (at Froude Avenue Community Centre)
Becoming an Outdoorswoman workshops
Birds of Newfoundland
Waterfowling 101
WISE (Women in Science and Engineering)
Nerdiness, nature, & networking: “Career advice” from a biologist
WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) (for WPC)
Test tubes, Tents, & Town Halls: Putting biological research into practice for wildlife
Nature NL (for WPC)
Indian Ocean to Atlantic Ocean: Conservation from Mauritius to Newfoundland
Speaker bios
If I’m speaking at one of your events soon, here are some bios you can use. Feel free to combine sections or adapt as needed.
General / outdoor bio
Laura is a naturalist, wild food enthusiast, educator, community leader, and biologist who enjoys working at the intersection of science, social issues, and outdoor adventure.
She is interested in the changing landscapes of conservation, the ways we relate to our spaces and species, and how recreation can be used as a pathway that draws people to wildlife conservation (as it did for her). Other professional interests include migratory bird declines, species at risk, protected areas, and the development of pro-environmental behaviours and policies. She has worked with universities, governments, non-profits, and charities over the past ten years of her career and is currently working on contaminants in frogs.
She is happiest when translating her passions into action and serves on the Board of Directors at Wildlife Habitat Canada and as President at Nature NL. She is also an instructor and volunteer with the NL Becoming an Outdoorswoman program, and an active member of Paddle NL. Laura holds a BScH and MSc in Biology and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Endangered Species Recovery. Outside of her professional life, she loves big storms, ocean snorkelling, and not cooking for herself. Her philosophies for outdoor life are “No such thing as bad weather, only bad gear”, and of course “It’ll be an adventure!”.
Spatial bio
Laura King is a biologist based in St. John’s NL with interests in wildlife conservation, ecotoxicology, and protected areas. She loves working on the spatial aspects of conservation projects as well as mapping out fun personal projects like backcountry trips, or where to find the best desserts. Her day job is with the government, and her volunteer job is serving as President at the charity Nature NL.
Nature NL bio
Laura King has been on the Board of Directors at Nature NL since 2015. She is interested in the relationship between outdoor recreation and conservation, and building Nature NL into an active and responsive charity and club. She organizes workshops and events for Nature NL, leads and co-leads events, manages volunteers and staff, and develops and manages a wide variety of internal projects. Laura works as a biologist and has presented some of her wildlife conservation stories in a Nature NL public lecture.