​Hello, my name is Shacynne Anne Sarroza and I am the recipient of the Pam Bent Conservation Award from The Kensington Conservancy. I am a recent graduate of Fish and Wildlife Conservation at Sault College. I am from the Philippines and hold a Bachelor’s degree in Fisheries while currently working on my master's thesis for Aquaculture. I am also a registered Fisheries Professional, an international judge of freshwater ornamental fish in Asia, and have a National Certificate for Organic Agriculture Production.

I grew up in Barotac Nuevo, a beautiful town in the province of Iloilo, Philippines whose main industry and capital are in fishing and agriculture. Growing up, my brother and I always received a science workbook as a summer gift from our parents. I believe this is where my passion for science started. My father is a big fan of nature and animal documentaries, which led to my dream of being part of a conservation team while watching an episode of National Geographic. Our dreams are sometimes challenged by the resources we have. Studying fisheries is not my first choice of degree but where am I now in life and career made me believe that redirection can be a blessing in disguise. My fisheries journey started while being part of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and a partnership with a private company for the sex-reversal production of Tilapia. It continued as an Aquaculturist in charge of Tilapia production, selective breeding of freshwater fish species, and fish health management. Then I took on the role of an international judge for ornamental fish shows in Asia and during Aquarama in China. I had the privilege to represent the Philippines in Guppy Fish competitions in the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore. I became overly passionate and started holding free training seminars for guppy fish groups that want to learn selective breeding and culture techniques for ornamental fish species.
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When COVID hit, I was locked down in my hometown and decided to take my Master’s after things started to settle down and managed to finish the academic requirements. This is when my urge to pursue conservation was ignited again, and now I am a graduate of Fish and Wildlife Conservation at Sault College. During my studies with Sault College, I was sent to Brazil where I finished my internship with the Federal Institute of Minas Gerais Machado. I finished my internship with courses in forest restoration techniques, fish culture, phytopathology, plant biotechnology, coffee quality techniques and farming technology, equine therapy, butchery, and canine handling and drug detection. As a result of this internship opportunity, I published a scientific paper on the micropropagation of Cattleya loddigesii in a temporary immersion bioreactor with the generous help of the people I worked with in the biotechnology department. The focus of the study is to successfully introduce an in vitro-grown threatened species of native Brazilian orchid to the wild.
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Currently, I am looking for job opportunities to enter the fish, wildlife, and natural conservation workforce, and am very excited about what the future holds for me!

It offers scenic views of the St. Joseph Island Bridge to the south and the Wilson Channel to the east. 

The Turtle Rock Preserve has been identified as part of the Great Lakes Heritage Coast, which is one of nine signature sites in Ontario’s Living Legacy Land Use Strategy. To quote the vision for the Great Lakes Heritage Coast, “the coast should be preserved in its wild and pristine state, and its ecological diversity and scenic beauty protected and restored for the benefit of current and future generations.” ​

“To help combat biodiversity loss and climate change, the Government of Canada has committed to the goal of having 30% of our nation’s land and water protected by 2030,” says Carter Dorscht, Executive Director of The Kensington Conservancy. “We are currently working to have our nature preserves, including the Turtle Rock Preserve, included in the Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database so that they contribute towards achieving this vital goal.”

Once the ice is out, the Turtle Rock Preserve will be accessible to the public by boat for light recreational use, such as bird watching, botanizing, and other nature appreciation activities. It will also make for a great stop to have a break or a picnic while paddling in the area. 

“The Turtle Rock Preserve has a variety of habitats, including forest, wetland, shoreline and exposed rock. During our site visits we have already documented over 90 different species such as ruffed grouse, red-breasted nuthatch, north american river otter, snowshoe hare and white-tailed deer. The amount of biodiversity on the property is impressive, which is why it is so important to see it protected,” says Corinne Wilkerson, Land Stewardship Coordinator of The Kensington Conservancy.  

The Kensington Conservancy would like to thank the community members who made generous financial contributions to our Land Protection Account that made this new nature preserve possible. 

The Kensington Conservancy is a charitable land trust that has helped protect over 1,200 acres of ecologically-sensitive land in the St. Joseph Channel area since 2006. If you are a landowner and would like to explore options that ensure your land remains protected in its natural state forever, please contact The Kensington Conservancy at [email protected] or 705-782-2200.
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