Program Details

Location: Quebec City, Canada

Dates: Summer 2025: July 23 – August 6, 2025

Accommodations:  Primarily camping

Credits: 5 quarter credits or 3.35 semester credits

Language: English instruction

Courses: Environmental Wildlands Studies

Prerequisites: One college level course in environmental studies, environmental science, or similar. 18 years of age

Program Costs

Application Fee

Paid when you submit your application. Refundable until you are formally accepted into a program.

Program Fee

Your tuition for the program, paid directly to Wildlands Studies.

Group Logistics Fee

Covers most on-the-ground expenses such as transportation during the program, camping and lodging fees, park and nature reserve entrance fees, permits, study facilities and other related logistical costs. For some programs, this fee also covers a portion of your meals. This fee is paid directly to Wildlands Studies.

Estimated Airfare and Mandatory Travel Insurance

Airfare costs are covered by the student and vary depending on your starting location and airline ticket prices. Travel insurance is required for our programs. Details about airfare and travel insurance will be provided in the Logistics Packet.

Estimated Food and Personal Expenses

Our estimate for the out-of-pocket expenses you will incur during the program for items such as food, snacks, drinks, laundry, entry visa and personal items. This amount will vary from student to student depending on spending habits.

Quebec Summer 2025
$    150    Application Fee
$ 2,800 Program Fee
$   1,400    Group Logistics Fee
$    850  Estimated Airfare and Mandatory Travel Insurance
$  400    Estimated Personal Expenses

$5,600     Total Estimated Cost
Summer 2025: Program fees due by May 15, 2025

The Program

Join us as we investigate one of Quebec’s most iconic and unique marine mammals, the beloved Beluga Whale. With just under 2000 individuals remaining in the St. Lawrence Estuary of Quebec, our program will focus on discovering why these wonderful marine mammals are known as “The Canaries of the Sea” and what makes them unique among cetaceans.  Learn why this is one of the only populations of partially migratory Belugas and why they make the St. Lawrence Estuary their home year-round.    

From rugged fjords to coastal marine protected areas, boreal forests to alpine tundra, we invite you to Québec’s most picturesque and ecologically diverse landscapes, the Saguenay-St. Lawrence and Gaspésie regions. In this short program, team members will examine the summer grounds of several iconic species including the “smiling”, endangered St. Lawrence Estuary Beluga, the beautiful “painted faces” of the Northern Gannets (one of only six colonies in North America), and the last remaining herd of Woodland Caribou found south of the St. Lawrence River (known as reindeer to Europeans), with only 30 individuals left. Explore the seasonal and spatial movements of these three majestic species that traverse the St. Lawrence Estuary and surrounding areas.  

 Through a blend of field studies, expert discussions, and exploratory hiking, we will investigate the region’s biodiversity firsthand. Students will learn about the complex migration patterns of these species, how environmental changes and human activities impact migration, and the conservation and research efforts in place to protect these vital journeys. Students will conduct field surveys in the estuary and create management plans for the conservation of Belugas, Caribou, and Northern Gannets.  

 
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More Details

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Syllabus

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Manual

 

Program Photo Gallery

Brandee Diner

lead instructor

MSc in Wildlife Biology, McGill University, 2005

Brandee is a wildlife biologist who began her career studying plant-herbivore interactions in temperate forests. More recently, her interests lie in avian distribution and habitat use, and she spends most of her field season banding birds and observing plant phenology. Brandee is passionate about internationalizing curriculum and implementing field courses. She has created field courses and internship opportunities for students in Quebec, Belize, Costa Rica, Peru and Namibia. She enjoys taking students to new places to bring them out of their comfort zones and expand their world view, particularly as it relates to ecosystems and biodiversity. In addition to being an instructor for Wildlands Studies, Brandee is a faculty member at Vanier College in Montreal, Quebec, where she also serves as the coordinator of the Environmental and Wildlife Management program. Brandee co-leads our Quebec program.

Jessica Lang

lead instructor

MSc in Biology, University of Manitoba, 2020

Jess is a wildlife biologist interested in mammal ecology, conservation, and management. Her research has taken her near the Arctic treeline in Northern Manitoba, Canada, where she examined the impacts of red fox denning on vegetation and tree growth. Jess currently works as an instructor in the Environmental and Wildlife Management Program at Vanier College in Montréal, Québec. She teaches various field-based courses, such as mammal management, fisheries management, and limnology. With several years of experience working in the field, her greatest passion is empowering students to foster deeper connections with wildlife through immersive, hands-on experiences in natural environments. Jess co-leads our Quebec program.