Wildlife Vocalizations: Emily Thoroski

Wildlife Vocalizations is a collection of short personal perspectives from people in the field of wildlife sciences.

I imagine a world of peace, of happiness, of fairness, of equality, and of love. This is my vision for the world. Nothing will ever change that. Every day I wake up and I envision what could be. I think of all the things that I have and how lucky I am to be a Canadian woman living at this time in our history.

I have been a university student for the last seven years and I have a great understanding of how the environment and how the planet that we call home works and functions. Earth is run by humans. This species of Homo sapiens alters the course of the future. The future of the planet and the future of all species on Earth.

TWS members Emily Thoroski, Justine Josephson-Laidlaw, and Jessica Lang are graduate students at the University of Manitoba. They were capturing, banding and releasing merlins inside the city of Winnipeg, which contributed data to Justine’s master’s thesis studying urban merlin behavior. Credit: Emily Thoroski

I’ve been told that as a child, it is natural to exhibit fear, but I was also told that you are supposed to outgrow many of these fears and have less fear as an adult than as a child. This is not the case for me. I am more afraid than I have ever been. Each day that I live, I learn more, I see more, I experience more, and I think more. I am afraid.

Therefore, each day I wake up and I envision what could be. I work hard. I try to do all that I can to create a better future for all. I know the road that lies ahead is a challenging one, but I envision a better world every day. All of these challenges don’t knock me down, but they help me to rise and inspire me to work harder.

I make sure that I receive an education. I have a Bachelor of Environmental Science Honours Degree with a focus area of Wildlife Management from the University of Manitoba. And I am currently pursuing my Master of Environment degree from the UofM with a focus on Environmental Communications because I know that communication is absolutely critical to the future.

Emily Thoroski watches a merlin take flight. Credit: Jessica Lang, Julie Larsen Maher

I became a member of The Wildlife Society in 2016 and have been a proud member of the Manitoba Chapter Executive since then holding the role of Treasurer, and Secretary. I have attended, volunteered, and presented at the last two Annual Conferences of The Wildlife Society in Cleveland, Ohio, and Reno, Nevada. I am also a proud member of the Canadian Section of TWS and have presented at a joint conference in Canmore, Alberta in 2019. I have networked with wildlife biologists from across the world and have made life-long friendships along the way. I have spent the last four years working for environmental nonprofit organizations to help create a healthier ecosystem for all species.

I use music, one of my passions to help inspire people to get involved in environmental conservation. My friends and family know that this is me. This is who I am. I care about the environment and the species within it and I work hard to protect it. I am the Environmental Musician. Every day I wake up and I envision what could be.

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For questions, please contact Jamila Blake.

Header Image: This photo was taken in Grasslands National Park in Saskatchewan, Canada. Emily is filming scenes for her next wildlife conservation video as a Master of Environment Student at the University of Manitoba. The National Park was a stop on a road trip with fellow students and friends to the 28th Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society in Reno, Nevada in the fall of 2019. Credit: Justine Josephson-Laidlaw