As Geotechnical/Environmental Technologist for Morrow Environmental Consultants Inc. in Edmonton, Kirk Skocylas, 28, supervises a variety of small-to-medium scale projects in the environmental and geotechnical disciplines. He takes soil and water samples, writes environmental assessments, and does subsurface soil investigations for building foundations.

Assessing the impact an industry, project, or business has on the environment can be a slow and detailed process. It can include site inspections, historical background searches and interpretation, regulatory reviews and reporting, testing soil and water for designated substances, monitoring ground water, and drilling boreholes. Sites which require inspection can include everything from abandoned railway facilities and track right-of-ways, to underground storage tanks, former gas stations, vacant properties, and petroleum production facilities. Even observing and photographing a site at various times of the year to assess changes in vegetation and water run-off patterns, is part of a Geotechnical/Environmental Technologist's responsibilities.

Kirk has worked as the Senior Technologist for Morrow Environmental Consultants Inc. since the summer of 1998. Before that he worked for four years for AGRA Earth and Environmental Limited in Waterloo, Ontario. Kirk works alone on some sites, and supervises field personnel on larger projects. In the field, he always wears the appropriate safety equipment: steel-toed boots, gloves, hard hat, and reflective vests. When necessary, disposable coveralls, respirators and suits with internal air supplies are used. In the office he prepares detailed reports which are kept on file and used as reference material for decades to come.

"It's good work, if you don't mind getting a little dirty," says Kirk, a versatile worker who has also familiarized himself with the computer software appropriate to his business.