The job is also spectacular in scope. She has seen extensive parts of the district courtesy of helicopters and other aircraft. Enneson counts highlights such as seeing the different landscape of Manitoulin Island, the shining quartzite hills of the LaCloche Conservation Reserve and the rugged beauty north of Lake Wanapitei (where she was helping with black bear population monitoring) as moments that stand out in her line of work.
“It’s a real treat and a different perspective seeing it from the air,” Enneson said.
Since 2015, Enneson has been involved in fish stocking programs in the region. The spring season is the most hectic time as this is the key stocking time as the ice comes off the lakes in northern Ontario. Enneson and many others from the MNRF help ensure thousands of fish are stocked in lakes to enhance the fishing opportunities for anglers each year. The MNRF team go off established lists of lakes they stock and the lakes go on one, two and three-year cycles for stocking. Size of the lake is one of the main factors in determining how many and how often a lake receives stocking. The MNRF also relies on feedback from anglers about individual lakes to help figure out stocking numbers.
The stocking has many benefits from providing additional fishing recreation opportunities in urban and rural areas; it helps divert fishing pressure from sensitive lakes and restoration of fish species previously affected by environmental issues.
“The fish stocking program in northern Ontario is active and robust,” Enneson said. “We will continue in the future exploring ways we can best use stocking to adapt to ecological issues such as climate change, invasive species and recovery of species at risk.”
One element of the fish stocking Enneson has a keen interest in is the lake trout restoration effort by the MNRF in the Sudbury District. It leaves Enneson and everyone who has worked for it with a good feeling and making a difference in nature.
“It is a success story and I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of it,” Enneson said. “I like the history of it and the fact it is a restoration program. We’ve been successful in restoring lake trout to some of these lakes where they were historically wiped out.”
Whether it is work or play, Enneson is bound to be outdoors.
“I love to be outdoors for my job or in my spare time,” she said. “I like to hike and canoe and look for reptiles, amphibians and work on my plant and bird identification skills.”