The annual UMFK summer expedition has become a very popular course offering for both university students and community members. Trips in recent years have taken participants to Anticosti Island and Park de la Gaspesie, Quebec. Through the intensive on-site study and exploration we are able to introduce our students to new environments that they would otherwise only read about or see a video of. This trip will expose them to different types of flora and fauna. To prepare for the expedition, Selva and Smith visited the islands last summer to identify what areas of study they could introduce the students to and what activities would be possible.
Current plans are to conduct several excursions to study marine, sub-arctic and boreal ecosystems.
Additional tours and visits on the islands are planned to incorporate the interesting history and culture of the region. While conducting their scouting expedition on St. Pierre et Miquelon, the two UMFK professors met two individuals, a biologist and a historian, who were recruited to help with the week-long course by sharing their information with the students. We are very pleased that we will have two experts on the islands to assist us. St. Pierre et Miquelon is a small archipelago comprised of seven islands, the three larger of which are St. Pierre, Miquelon, and Langlade. The French territory has a population of 7,000 inhabitants.