Oil companies don't enjoy the best reputation among environmentalists. But one Canadian firm is giving budding conservationists a chance to start making a difference.

Thanks to funding by Shell Canada Ltd., Jonathan Belliveau is spending the summer working in an area related to his field of study. The 20-year-old is majoring in geography and minoring in environmental studies at Mount Allison University in Sackville, N.B.

Since June, Mr. Belliveau has acted as a guide to the hundreds of visitors who come to watch the flocks of shorebirds located in the Johnson's Mills Interpretive Centre, in the Upper Bay of Fundy. Each year, thousands of shorebirds congregate to feed on the tiny mud shrimp found in the area's mudflats before embarking on the long journey to winter in South America.

Mr. Belliveau says the internship is doing a better job of preparing him for his career than some of the summer jobs he's had in the past. "Rather than learning about shorebirds in books or articles, this internship provides me with the opportunity to gain useful career experience firsthand in the field," he says.

Mr. Belliveau is among a group of 16 university and college environmental science students hired by Shell Canada to collect field data and restore habitats over the summer at properties across the country owned by Nature Conservancy of Canada.

Shell Canada, a supporter of NCC for more than 20 years, provided $250,000 in funding this year for the internship program. "We were looking for something that would do more than buy a piece of land," says Linda Sharp, a spokeswoman for Shell Canada. "This program supports biodiversity and puts an investment in young people."

Mr. Belliveau and another intern are working in Johnson's Mills not only as guides, but collecting and analyzing scientific data. In Quebec, a student is co-ordinating a project to protect underground water resources in the Adirondack foothills. In British Columbia, interns are examining Swishwash Island in the Fraser Delta and the Campbell River Estuary, seeing if there are any problems arising in these areas, such as invasive species, and looking for ways to enhance the properties. In Manitoba, a field botanist intern is examining the management of mixed grass prairie.

Meanwhile, in Ontario and Alberta, students are recording field data, restoring habitats and marking property boundaries.

One of those interns is Nic DeGama-Blanchet, who lives in Calgary and is taking a master's course through correspondence at Oxford Brookes University in England.

The 40-year-old moved to Alberta with his wife last August, and immediately tried to find out what jobs were available in the conservation field. He heard about the Shell Canada program, applied and was accepted this summer.

Most days, Mr. DeGama-Blanchet wakes up around 6 a.m., gets in his truck and goes to one of the NCC sites, where, among his many jobs, he interprets air photos and lists all the plants or wildlife he can find.

His days can be long, lasting into the evening. But he doesn't complain. "This is what I want to do -- to work with an organization that preserves habitat," he says.

John Lounds, president of the NCC, knows that summer jobs like this are rare for students. "When I was growing up, it was easy to go work in a local factory," he says. "There were very few jobs like this that were offered."

NCC and Shell Canada sent word about the program to schools across the country. Mr. Lound says there has been a growing need to care for, or do stewardships on, the NCC properties.

"We would sporadically have staff involved in it," he says. "But we've not been able to do it on this scale. And it's a great experience for the students." He's hopeful that the program will continue next summer.

"It's one thing to acquire properties. It's another thing to care for those places," he says. "This is helping students build their career, to help them go further faster so they can play a leadership role in conservation."

Mr. Belliveau stumbled upon this internship. He had met someone at Johnson's Mills, who told him of the summer jobs planned.

But Mr. Belliveau doesn't take his job for granted. In past summers, he's worked in greenhouses, doing landscaping, and even at a computer access centre for rural communities.

With this job, Mr. Belliveau says he gets a chance to improve his communication skills and has a greater knowledge of the shorebirds and conservation in general. He is entering his fourth year of study at Mount Allison, and will likely travel for a bit after graduating, before pursuing a career in the conservation field.

"I feel this job will help me in my career," he said.