Canadian Representative to
TWS Council
Dr. Evelyn Merrill Ph.D., CWB®
CSTWS Representative to Council
Professor, Department of Biological Sciences
University of Alberta
|
|
|
Every year brings new challenges to TWS, but I hope this COVID period is unique and …done soon. TWS had already started to move in the direction of more remote linkages before COVID hit, so it was well positioned to confront the transitions from establishing virtual offices to having virtual meetings to conferences. Luckily, we had the leadership and expertise of Ed Thompson, TWS’s CEO, to herald us through these times. As most of you may know, Ed is stepping down from his position as of the end of August and a search for his replacement is in full swing. During his tenure, Ed built on other’s efforts to really solidify and advance TWS finances, create new business partnerships and to foster an incredibly creative and hard-working group of professionals in his staff-- who make things happen! I encourage you to send Ed a note and thank him for his dedication to TWS over the past 3+ years.
On other fronts, membership has remained above 11,000 (+2.5%), certification applications are 142% over targeted goal, Journal impact factors continue to rise, partnerships, both strategic and financial, are regrowing and conference planning for 2022 in Spokane, WA is underway. There was increased participation in the 2 TWS Organizational Units meetings over the in-person sessions at the annual conference, an incorporation support package for Sections/Chapters has been completed (Units in Canada have and continue to pave their own way due to different tax laws), and a webinar seminar series was initiated, sponsored by TWS working groups (next one: 2 Sept -3-4PM ET on One Health for Wildlife sponsored by Wildlife Diseases WG). Staff advocated on key US policy issues related to Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, funding to Cooperative Research Units, support letters were sent for efforts of the International Year of Range and Pastoralists, and funding reauthorization for wildlife highway crossings --to name a few. Revisions of two position statements on Invasive Species and Energy Development are now posted. TWS is stepping up actions on the policy front, and we welcome the 2021 Joe Burns Memorial Wildlife Policy intern, Brielle Manzolillo. Brielle has a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Pace University, and M.S. in Forest Sciences with an emphasis in Natural Resource Policy from Colorado State University. Her M.S work focused on policy strategies to promote effective wolf reintroductions, a topic, I am sure, brought many lessons learned. For more details on any of the above see the TWS website.
A reminder that the 28th TWS Annual Conference will be held virtually this year on 1-5 Nov 2021. Presentation submission is closed but registration remains open. Plenary session talks are by Dan Riskin, Biologist, TV Host, and Author and Carolyn Finney, Storyteller, author, cultural geographer and environmentalist. Both will talk about culture and environmental issues. Finally, membership voted to approve the changes in the TWS Bylaws, and updating that, in my view, was key.
To close, looking back on the last 3 years of being your Canadian Representative to TWS Council, I have to tell you how rewarding it has been, and sincerely thank you for the opportunity to continue. In asking myself what I gained over this period (beyond a better understanding of the inner workings of TWS), I realize it is an intensified version of the things we ALL join TWS for – learning about wildlife issues and the diversity of associated values, cultures, and legal jurisdictions, investing your efforts hoping you can have an impact on the wildlife policies you support, networking broadly by working with your peers, learning from them and recognizing them for their efforts, and reaching out to students and early career professionals to learn from them. In the process, forging incredibly rewarding, life-long friendships.
|
|
Certification Committee
Don Barnes M.Sc., CWB®
Retired Lakehead University Thunder Bay ON
ON Representative CSTWS Certification Committee
Member CSTWS Education Committee
Member TWS Conservation Education Awards Committee
President-Elect OCTWS
Chair OCTWS Membership and Recruitment Committee
Email: CSTWSCertificationCommittee@gmail.com
|
|
|
Vacancies on the Certification Committee Membership
CSTWS Board Rep—Erin McCance stepped down from her role as CSTWS Board Representative because she is no longer the CSTWS Executive Director. In the last newsletter, I mentioned that the Board should be selecting someone to take her place.
SK Chapter Liaison Officer—Adam Sprott stepped down from his SCTWS Liaison role when he took on the CSTWS Presidency. In the near future, the SCTWS Executive will be seeking Adam’s replacement.
CSTWS Curriculum Review Committee (CRC) Task Team Update— Currently, very few Canadian students/biologists are becoming certified as Associate Wildlife Biologists (AWB®s). The underlying reason for this dilemma is that Canadian students/biologists have had difficulty in meeting TWS certification course requirements. To rectify this problem, the CSTWS Board struck the Curriculum Review Committee (CRC), whose mandate is to assist Canadian colleges/universities in aligning their existing degrees with potential TWS certification.
Over the past few months, a steering team made up of myself and 4 professors who have had their curricula endorsed by TWS Certification Review Board (Dr. Mike Gillingham, University of Northern British Columbia; Dr. Everett Hanna, Lethbridge College; Dr. Rick Baydack. University of Manitoba; Dr. Brian McLaren, Lakehead University) and Don Barnes (Chair, Certification Committee) have been working on populating the CRC with selective Canadian professors. Our selection process was governed by regional considerations, TWS presence, and demonstrated interest. To date, we have targeted 11 professors each representing their respective universities: Drs. Adam Ford (UBC Okanagan), Cole Burton (UBC Vancouver), Jim Schaefer (Trent U), Daniel Fortin (U of Laval), Mark Boyce (U of A), Kathreen Ruckstuhl (University of Calgary), Ryan Brook (U of Saskatchewan), Mark Brigham (U of Regina), Graham Forbes (UNB), John Fryxell (U of Guelph), and Yolanda Wiersma (Memorial U).
The approach that the steering team has adopted involves six elements:
- Identify and contact key educators associated with select post-secondary institutions.
- Ask these targeted educators to submit an AWB® application to the Certification Review Board (CRB) using courses available at their institutions.
- Enlist the help of four post-secondary faculty, with experience in CRB review of their curricula, to serve as consultants for those submitting AWB® applications.
- Enlist the CRB to evaluate and provide feedback to these institution specific AWB® applications.
- Assess the feedback from the CRB and explore options on how to proceed.
Thus far, four professors have agreed to participate: Adam Ford, Jim Schaeffer, Ryan Brook, and Graham Forbes.
Three professors have decided not to participate: Cole Burton and Daniel Fortin have decided not to join because of workload issues; Yolanda Wiersma cites poor course compliance with TWS requirements.
Newest AWB® and CWB® in Canada
It is with great pride that I announce that a past student of mine from Lakehead University, Erin Desjardins, recently acquired the designation of Associate Wildlife Biologist (AWB®). Her indigenous roots make her unique amongst the other 8 AWBs in Canada. In her contact with Dr. Evie Merrill and I she has expressed a desire to become more involved with TWS. We are working with her to see where she can best contribute. Erin is, currently, doing a MSc Thesis in conjunction with LU and the Four Rivers Environmental Service Group, Matawa First Nations Management, where she is working as a Stewardship Intern.
Since the last newsletter, Dennis Brannen, CSTWS Past President, has acquired his Certified Wildlife Biologist (CWB®). Currently, he is working as a Caribou Biologist with Wildlife and Fisheries Branch of Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development.
As Chair of the Certification Committee, I congratulate Erin and Dennis for their contribution to wildlife professionalism in Canada.
Making TWS In-Road on the East Coast
Over the past few months Dennis Brennen and I have been trying to re-connect with our biologists in the Maritimes. Dennis gained a MSc from Acadia University and has been using his contacts to help spread the good word about TWS to our eastern brethren.
I have tried to do my part by publishing a certification article in their December 2020 issue of BioLink (their newsletter). To make a further connection, I joined the Atlantic Society Fish and Wildlife Biologists (ASFWB) which surprised Dennis as membership was always reserved for east coast and NL biologists/students. In talking to ASFWB further, they are trying to dialogue more with other parts of Canada. Being a member has allowed me “to keep a finger on the pulse”, which means I receive regular communications in the form of BioLink issues, announcement of meetings, etc. I have been sharing this information with my certification committee, the CSTWS Board, and other key Canadians. This has started to pay dividends. This spring, ASFWB held a virtual seminar on “Citizen Science” to further research efforts on the East Coast. I was pleased that Dr. Everett Hanna (Lethbridge College) attended. He found it very interesting to compare western efforts to use citizens in science ventures with this practice in the east. We need more of this cross Canada collaboration.
|
|
Membership Committee
Merlin Shoesmith, Ph.D., CWB,
Retired, Manitoba Sustainable Development
Chair Membership Committee
|
|
|
The Canadian Section of the Wildlife Society currently has 358 active members. We extend a warm welcome to the 7 new members we have gained over the summer. Overall, our membership numbers have decreased by 19 over the summer but we are hopeful that people are just busy in the field and will renew as that field season busyness settles!
The 358 active members are made up of:
- 2 Family memberships
- 5 Honorary memberships
- 18 Retired memberships
- 225 Professional memberships
- 101 Student memberships
- 7 Other memberships
|
|
TWS Fellows Award
The TWS Fellows Award recognizes individuals who have been TWS members for at least 10 years and have substantially contributed to advancing the wildlife profession through their actions. They are individuals who serve as ambassadors to The Wildlife Society on many levels, including engaging in various activities that benefit and promote TWS and the wildlife profession. This award is appointed for life.
The CSTWS Awards Committee is pleased to announce that Don Barnes has received a TWS Fellows Award this year. We truly believe that Don Barnes is an exceptional candidate for this award, for his many years of service to both TWS and the Canadian Section. Although Don has contributed to the wildlife profession in many ways, his contributions to the CSTWS Certification Committee are most notable. Don is always willing to discuss the certification process with anyone and has held several workshops at chapter and conference events, providing valuable information to all on becoming a certified wildlife biologist. Don is also actively involved in many other CSTWS committees and is the current president of the Ontario Chapter.
Thank you for your hard work and devotion to improving the wildlife profession.
Congratulations on this achievement!
___________________________________
|
|
|
|
Don Barnes
MSc.
CWB ®
TWS Fellow
|
|
|
In 2013, Don retired from Lakehead University after 40 years of service, where he worked to develop their first fish and wildlife management program within the Faculty of Natural Resources Management. He has been a professional trapper and avid hunter for over 50 years and is a member of TWS Hunting, Trapping, and Conservation Working Group, Director with the Northwestern Ontario Fur Trappers Association, and a member of the Ontario Fur Managers Federation and the Northern Ontario Sportsman Alliance. As a member of a Local Citizens Committee, he has been on the planning team for several 10-year MNRF Forest Management Plans. His unique background has allowed him to interact with students, trappers, First Nations, forest companies, and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF).
Don Barnes first became a part of The Wildlife Society in 1974. Since 1974, Don’s interest has always centred on student involvement culminating in the establishment of TWS Student Chapter at Lakehead University in 2006. He has maintained professional status by becoming a Certified Wildlife Biologist (CWB®). In addition, he has been affiliated with the OCTWS and the CSTWS since their inception. In 2021, he was awarded the designation of TWS Fellow. Don is President of OCTWS, Chair of OCTWS Membership and Recruitment Committee, OCTWS representative on the CSTWS Membership Committee, member of CSTWS Education Committee, and member of TWS Conservation Education Awards Committee.
|
|
BC Chapter
The BC Chapter of the Wildlife Society has been busy. Our Conservation Science Section has been working hard and is staged to release a new survey looking for input from our membership of the most important provincial issues. Our Chapter continues to work to build a better relationship with indigenous peoples and governments. We recently completed two webinars and upcoming events include: a continuing intermittent webinar program, and a fall online workshop focusing on participation of student members and early career professionals. The workshop will occur over two days and is planned for early October and will offer some great mentoring on entering and succeeding the wildlife profession. Perhaps most exciting is that we are hoping to host an spring 2022 meeting in Prince George BC, we’ve begun planning and hope to see you in person there. Please check our website and newsletter for updates.
Ontario Chapter
At our June 16th OCTWS Executive meeting, we decided to take July and August off and resume our monthly meetings in September. To ensure the OCTWS executive is kept up to date on TWS/CSTWS activities, the President, Don Barnes, will be providing monthly updates.
Julia Sunga (Treasurer) and Kelly McLean (Secretary) of the OCTWS Education and Communication Committee have been moving forward with scheduling fall seminars.
Matt Fuirst, President-Elect, and Chair of our Annual General Meeting Committee has begun preparing for the 2022 AGM by initiating dialogue with Matt Dyson (Past-President). At the September meeting, organization of this event will begin in earnest.
In addition, to helping with AGM planning, Matt Dyson continues to work with CSTWS towards the establishment of a new working relationship with TWS and CSTWS.
In June, Mariah Beyers, TWS Unit Services Manager, emailed that the Slack workspace would be available to all sections and chapters. TWS is allowing two members of each chapter/section to be connected to TWS’ Slack workspace. In response to this request, Matt Fuirst, President-Elect and Don Barnes, President, have agreed to be the OCTWS members who will be connected to this Slack Workspace.
The OCTWS executive is still looking for an OCTWS member to replace Peter Hettinga as the OCTWS representative on the CSTWS Conservation Affairs Committee (CAC). Recently, Peter was elected as a CSTWS Board representative and would like to step down from his CAC role. Any OCTWS member interested in representing Ontario on CAC is asked to contact Don Barnes, dmbarnes@lakeheadu.ca.
Alberta Chapter
While most of our members are in the field, the summer is a great time for the ACTWS to take
care of some internal business. Here’s our brief update from Alberta:
- Our new strategic plan from 2021-2026 has been approved by our board and posted to our website, along with our annual report. https://www.actws.ca/who-we-are/
- We updated our website content, including a new page where our volunteers and their work is shared. This includes a newly approved Terms of Reference for our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusions committee. https://www.actws.ca/volunteer/
- Our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion committee has been working on new BIPOC scholarships for Fall 2021 and Spring 2022. These scholarships have been specifically funded by corporate sponsors and we’re very excited to launch them in September. A proposal with the details is going to our board this month for discussion.
- Our Conservation Affairs Committee presented to the Alberta Coal Consultation Committee and received great comments for our input. We are preparing a written submission to accompany our presentation.
- Our Hot Topic Webinars featured a two-part series about coal mining. The first webinar shared the latest research about cumulative effects and included a researcher from Australia who led a multi-year, multi-million-dollar cumulative effects assessment in eastern Australia. The second webinar discussed reclamation challenges and successes and was a great discussion about how adequate planning for reclamation and monitoring its success are integral parts of mining operations. Our next hot topic webinar will be another two-part series about the role of hunting and trapping in conservation and wildlife management.
- Our Executive Director has been invited to participate in a panel discussion about Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the wildlife profession as part of The Wildlife Society conference in the fall.
- We are planning a Wildlife EXPO for September 10-12 at a group campground in western Alberta. We already have 3 workshops (remote cameras, recreation planning, wildlife photography) scheduled and are looking for at least one more. The purpose of the EXPO is to bring members and their families together for a fun weekend of workshops, networking, and enjoying the outdoors. Registration is open and details are here: https://www.actws.ca/event/wildlife-expo-2021/ Please help us spread the word!
Saskatchewan Chapter
Saskatchewan Chapter will be holding its annual “Conservation Expo” via Zoom on Thursday October 28th. This year’s theme will be “Creatures of the Night”. The event will feature a morning learning seminar on R, lightning talks on Saskatchewan conservation and research initiatives, an afternoon keynote session, a virtual tour of the Royal SK Museum collection, and a trivia contest. Stay tuned for details coming in September.
|
|
|
Canadian Wildlife Pioneers 2021
|
|
|
Four new Canadian Wildlife Pioneers were announced at this years AGM. This newsletter will be featuring one of the new pioneers each issue! If you want to know more check out the CSTWS website here.
|
|
Ernest Thompson Seton
CSTWS Pioneer
.
|
|
|
|
Between 1925 and 1928 Ernest Thompson Seton wrote The Lives of Game Animals, a 4-volume set, the first and comprehensive descriptions of the biology of the large mammals of North America. He received the John Burroughs Medal for distinguished writing in the field of natural history. For Volume 4, he received the Daniel Giraud Award from the National Academy of Sciences in 1928.
Born Ernest Evan Thompson 1860 in England, he grew up in Toronto, Ontario and attended the Ontario College of Art where he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy in London and later the Academie Julian in Paris. In 1882 he joined his brother in Carberry Manitoba, where he began writing. He produced the Mammals of Manitoba (1886) and the Birds of Manitoba (1891), some of the first documentation of mammals and birds in prairie Canada. In 1886 he was appointed Provincial Naturalist by the Government of Manitoba and lived in Manitoba until 1930. Seton (who changed his name in 1930) then moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico.
In addition to his art (he was a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts), Seton was a prolific writer publishing mostly animal fiction which greatly captured public attention. He based many of his stories on his wildlife observations while living in Manitoba. Seton was known for his wildlife illustrations often done for other publications. Roger Tory Peterson credits Seton’s artwork as the inspiration for producing Peterson’s Field Guide to the Birds. Seton continued with his popular writing and art in the Santa Fe area as well as being an early promoter of the Boy Scouts of America including helping to write its first manual.
Seton died on October 23, 1946 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. During his lifetime Seton produced over 40 book length works and numerous popular as well as scientific journal articles. Since 1981 Nature Manitoba (formerly Manitoba Naturalists Society) has presented the Ernest Thompson Seton Medal to a Manitoban for work of particular merit in some aspect of Manitoba's natural history that has stimulated the interest of the public.
|
|
Interested in learning more about conservation and land management challenges in Canada?
We encourage you to check out the Canadian Conservation and Land Management (CCLM) Knowledge Portal website. The CCLM website is divided up into 3 main sub portals: Caribou, Wetland Knowledge and Land Management! The site will certainly be a valuable source of information for all.
We encourage you to check out the website HERE.
|
|
|
|
Birding in Cambridge Bay
By Dani Nowosad
|
|
My name is Dani Nowosad and I specialize in Arctic freshwater systems. For anyone who follows me on social media, this may surprise you, since I do spend a significant amount of time looking for and photographing birds! Birding became an important hobby for me as the pandemic set in and as I recovered from multiple head trauma injuries. It helped keep me grounded and presented an attainable challenge that was engaging, got me outdoors, and perhaps most importantly, was a different subject than what I work on full-time for grad school.
My doctoral research is based out of Iqaluktuttiaq, Kilinoyak, Nunavut (Cambridge Bay, Victoria Island, Nunavut) in regions that are included in the Inuit Land Settlement. I spend my field seasons tromping around ponds and lakes to catch freshwater invertebrates, and then processing samples in the Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS). I am working closely with the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics at the University of Guelph on the Arctic BIOSCAN project, which aims to DNA barcode all Arctic life. My role is to build the freshwater invertebrate DNA sequence reference library.
To learn more about my research, visit this link: https://ibol.org/barcodebulletin/illuminations/2021-25-05-dna-barcode-research-in-the-canadian-middle-arctic-that-works-to-include-indigenous-locals/
This field season, I have opted to allow for time to stop and observe birds if we happen upon any. There are three species of loons that visit this part of the Arctic - Pacific (pictured), Yellow-billed, and Red-throated. I learned of these nesting sites from bumping into a wildlife photographer who was observing their behaviour for his upcoming book. Dr Wayne Lynch took time to describe the different behaviours we were seeing from the Pacific loons - his portfolio spans 4 decades and countless subjects.
Due to the very late spring thaw this year, many birds nested later in the season than usual. This benefitted me because all the babies started hatching shortly after I arrived! Pictured here is a baby Black-bellied Plover (above), whose parents were calling nearby. We were driving home from a field site and we saw some nuggets running alongside the road, which ended up being these guys. Their colouration is designed to perfectly blend in to the mossy tundra.
|
|
|
To check out more from Dani Nowasad follow these links:
Twitter Instagram Email
|
|
|
Wildlife Job Board and Opportunities
|
|
|
Available: 2-year Post-doctoral Fellow position (PDF) in spatially modeling harvest strategies for CWD management. PDF is expected to remain current on the literature on CWD, compile population and harvest data, integrate new aspects for CWD transmission into existing harvest model, and work with wildlife managers and economists to devise harvest scenarios to evaluate cost/benefits. Deadline 10 Sept 2021. See details of job announcement on: https://grad.biology.ualberta.ca/merrill/
Regional Fisheries Biologist, The Pas, MN. Application due September 2nd, 2021. More info here.
Environmental Program Coordinator, Lake of the Woods District Stewardship Association. Deadline September 12th, 2021. More info here.
2021 Native Student Professional Development Program: Apply by September 10th. The program provides numerous benefits, including complimentary registrations to TWS' Annual Conference, a one-year membership to both TWS & NPWMWG, workshop and book stipends, mentorship connections, networking opportunities, engagement with TWS leadership and more. More info here
The Transboundary Grasslands Partnership virtual event, October 19-21, 2021.
https://www.pcap-sk.org/rsu_docs/documents/tgp-poster-web.pdf
Sask Environmental Society - Sustainability Speaker Series
Electricity in Saskatchewan: Current Status, Future Prospects. September 21, 2021
https://environmentalsociety.ca/events/sustainable-speakers-series/
The Prairie Habitat Joint Venture webinar series
Integrating Human Dimensions Objectives in Landscape Conservation Planning: Policy Implications.
Dr. Anastasia Krainyk, United States Geological Survey
Thursday, November 12th @ 11am (CST)
For more information, contact the Policy Coordinator jk.pattisonwilliams@gmail.com
... and Many More!
Please check out our Facebook page and website for frequent job postings
|
|
|
|
