Peterborough Field Naturalists Host Ontario Nature 2007 AGM

Speaker profiles Kevin Callan presents Misadventures in a Canoe A humorous look at paddling Ontario’s wilderness Author and avid canoeist, Kevin Callan, will be sharing slides, film and stories of his most memorable (mis)adventures across Ontario. You can count on humour liberally sprinkled over this informative presentation touching on the Kawarthas, Quetico, Temagami, Killarney, French River, Algoma and Algonquin. Kevin’s style has been described as a mix of Bill Mason and the Red Green show. You’ll leave inspired by the beauty of wilderness canoeing, but also convinced never to tag along on one of Kevin’s trips. Kevin is the author of eleven books, including the best-selling Happy Camper and A Paddler’s Guide series, the latest being A Paddler’s Guide to Quetico and Beyond. Callan has presented across North America and has been a key speaker at all major canoe events for almost 20 years. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, writes for periodicals and is field editor for explore magazine. He is a winner of three National Magazine Awards and a number of film awards, including “best of” in the prestigious Waterwalker Film Festival. For the last 15 years he has taught Environmental Issues and Sciences at Fleming College. He lives in Peterborough, the birthplace of the modern-day canoe.
Dr. Reed F. Noss, Ph.D. Reed Noss is the Davis-Shine Professor of Conservation Biology at the University of Central Florida, President of the Florida Institute for Conservation Science, and an international consultant and lecturer. He has a B.S. in Education from the University of Dayton, a M.S. in Ecology from the University of Tennessee, and a Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Florida. He has worked as an ecologist for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Florida Natural Areas Inventory, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency during his 35+ years in the environmental field. Dr. Noss is the author of more than 250 scientific and semi-technical articles and several books. He was Editor-in-Chief of Conservation Biology, the leading journal in the field, from 1993 through 1997, is Past President of the Society for Conservation Biology (1999-2001), and is currently President of the North American Section of the Society (2006-2008). From 1993 through 1996 he held a Pew Scholars Fellowship in Conservation and the Environment. He is certified as a Senior Ecologist by the Ecological Society of America and is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He serves on many boards, committees, and advisory panels, including the Board of Governors of the Society for Conservation Biology and (until recently) the Board of Trustees of the Florida Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. He was appointed by Florida Governor Jeb Bush to the Acquisition and Restoration Council, which makes recommendations to the governor and cabinet on state land acquisitions and management, for a five-year term (2006-2011). His present research involves the application of science to conservation planning on regional to continental scales.
Amy Handyside Amy Handyside is Senior Planner with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources' Southern Region. With MNR, she has worked on the Greenbelt, crown land planning and the Natural Spaces Program. Ms. Handyside holds a Master's degree in Ecological Economics from York University.
Andrew Gordon Andrew M. Gordon received his B.Sc.F. (Forest Environment) from the University of New Brunswick in 1978 and a Ph.D. (Forest Soils/Ecology) from the University of Alaska in 1985. Since 1984, he has been a faculty member in the Department of Environmental Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, where he currently holds the rank of full professor, and is Director of the Agroforestry Research and Development Program. His research interests lie in the investigation of ecosystem-level processes in both agricultural and temperate/boreal forest systems. He has spent considerable time developing and promoting agroforestry systems in temperate regions for their ameliorative and restorative properties. He has also been involved in a number of rehabilitation initiatives, both locally and globally (e.g. Nepal, Ghana, Argentina, Bolivia, etc.) including the use of both intercropping and riparian systems to reduce nutrient loadings to streams and other water systems. Dr. Gordon has a strong appreciation for the utilization of trees, forests and vegetation within the context of landscape level restoration of ecological processes. He is a licensed professional forester in the province of Ontario and a member of numerous professional organizations. He is also the Canadian representative to the International Energy Association (Short Rotation Biomass Fuels), a former Theme Director of CRESTech’s (an Ontario Centre of Excellence) Controlled Environments Research program, currently in collaboration with NASA to develop biological plant systems for extended space missions, and a former co-director of C.A.A.R.N. (the Canadian Afforestation and Agroforestry Research Network), an emerging BIOCAP network. Dr. Gordon is the author and co-author of over 100 research publications in both refereed and non-refereed journals, book chapters, technical communications, etc. He has advised over 40 M.Sc. and Ph.D. students, served on numerous University of Guelph academic and administrative committees, and in 1997, won the ‘Best of the Web’ award for the best distance education course in North America. Dr. Gordon has considerable international experience in research, development and curriculum development in many countries and currently directs a long-term CIDA Tier 1 project in Ghana entitled: “Agroforestry practices to enhance resource-poor livelihoods in Ghana”.
Brian Gilvsey Raised on a Tobacco farm in Oxford County, Southern Ontario. Graduated Glendale High School (1977), University of Western Ontario, Honours Business Administration (1981). Tobacco farmer for 25 years, diversified into Texas Longhorn Cattle under Y U Ranch banner in 1993. Brian is married, wife Cathy, Children Paula (11) and Joe (9). Enjoys, children, outdoors, basketball, good food.
Cathy Neilsen Cathy Nielsen graduated from University of New Brunswick with a B.Sc.F. in 1981. She worked in forestry in New Zealand then became the owner/operator of a landscaping business in Alice Springs, Australia. She returned to Canada in 1983 and joined Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, first as a Forester then Biodiversity Specialist with the Science and Technology Transfer Unit. In 2004 she joined the Landscape Science and Technology section within Environment Canada, in Ottawa where she currently coordinates the development of voluntary biodiversity agri-environmental standards. Cathy is a director on the board of ON and chairs the Conservation and Science Committee. Cathy is also a landowner in eastern Ontario.
Dave Reid Dave was raised on a farm in Norfolk County of southwestern Ontario. He graduated from Delhi District Secondary School in 1971, and from University of Guelph in 1975, Honors in Biology, Fish & Wildlife. Mr. Reid has 20 years of experience as a Biologist with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, in Long Point Area of Aylmer District, and 12 years experience as stewardship coordinator for Norfolk Land Stewardship Council. He lives in Simcoe, Norfolk County with his wife, Sue, a elementary school teacher and his two children, 21 yr. old Garrett and 24 year old Meagan. Dave enjoys hunting, fishing, birding, walking, wine making, reading, cooking and crokinole.
David Donnelly David Donnelly is one of Canada’s leading environmental lawyers and advocate for smart growth. He has represented public interest groups and ratepayers in some of Ontario’s key environmental battles, including: the year-long Oak Ridges Moraine hearing before the Ontario Municipal Board; Walkerton Commission of Inquiry; and, 1.8 million acre Greenbelt Plan for Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe. He has been an advisor to government on law and planning reform, including the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act and Ontario Environmental Bill of Rights, and is a frequent media commentator. He goes to court regularly to protect greenspace, aboriginal cultural heritage, and to prosecute environmental offences. David has a law degree from the University of Windsor and a Master's degree in Environmental Studies from York University. David is a Registered Professional Planner. He is also the former executive director of Environmental Defence Canada.
Debbie Ramsay Debbie Ramsay is currently Manager of the Biodiversity Section in the Ministry of Natural Resources. The Section was created to provide a focal point towards implementation of Ontario's Biodiversity Strategy, provides Secretariat support to the broad-based Biodiversity Council, and encompasses some of the key programs to implement the Biodiversity Strategy (including Species at Risk, Natural Heritage Information Centre, Habitat Unit). She is also a member of the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Biodiversity Working Group. Debbie has an undergraduate degree in Geography, a Master of Environmental Studies in Planning. Previous positions within Natural Resources include Manager of Planning and Executive Assistant to the Assistant Deputy Minister. She also previously held the position of Senior Planner with the Niagara Escarpment Commission, and was extensively involved with the biosphere reserve network across Canada. She also holds an adjunct position with the University of Waterloo.
Don Pearson Don Pearson joined Conservation Ontario as General Manager in May 2005. Conservation Ontario represents Ontario’s 36 Conservation Authorities, delivering programs and services and managing natural resources in partnership with all levels of government and local communities. Prior to joining Conservation Ontario Mr. Pearson spent two years as Chief Administrative Officer of the County of Perth, where he initiated the transformation and modernization of the County’s governance and administration structure and processes. From 1981 until 2003, Mr. Pearson served as the General Manager of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority, where under his leadership the Authority earned a reputation for excellence and innovation in environmental management with particular emphasis on water quality, soil conservation and community involvement programs. With the Conservation Authority’s support, the Thames was designated as a Canadian Heritage River in 2000. Don earned a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the University of Western Ontario in 1998 and holds an Honours Science Degree from the University of Waterloo (1975). He has been an active community volunteer for the United Way of London and Middlesex (Vice-Chair, Board of Directors and Campaign Chair in 1999 and 2000), the 2001 Canada Summer Games, and has chaired the Southwestern Ontario Travel Association, the Grand Bend Harbour Committee, and the Board of the London and Middlesex Heritage Museum.
Doug Van Hemessen Doug has been involved in private land stewardship since graduating from Trent University in 1990. He spent many years with the Carolinian Canada Program and then for almost ten years delivered the Wetland Habitat Fund program to landowners in midwestern Ontario and Manitoulin Island. He developed the southern Ontario version of the Rural Landowner Stewardship Guide and is now the Victoria Land & Water Stewardship Coordinator based here in Peterborough.
Gray Merriam Gray Merriam retired in 1997. He taught, directed graduate students and did research at the University of Texas and Carleton University and had academic affiliations in Poland, Sweden, France, the Netherlands and Utah. He was President of the International Association for Landscape Ecology, Series Editor of the IALE Study Series in Landscape Ecology, on the Editorial Board of Landscape Ecology. He directed: the Landscape Ecology Research Laboratory, the Environmental Science Program, the Environment and Policy Institute, the Department of Biology and the Ottawa-Carleton Institute of Biology at Carleton University. In 1997 he received the Distinguished Landscape Ecologist Award from the United States Chapter of the International Association for Landscape Ecology and in 1999 he received the Distinguished Scholarship Award of the International Association for Landscape Ecology. In retirement, he has aimed to apply some of the knowledge from his professional career in stewardship applications on the land. He has done consulting for government agencies, conservation authorities, municipalities, and stewardship councils. He has made conference presentations to federal and provincial environmental councils, parks management groups, and volunteer groups interested in stewardship, land planning, forest management and lake management. He has provided advice and leadership for several local volunteer groups. Gray lives, year round, with his wife Aileen, an artist and lake steward, on the Salmon River on the Precambrian Shield of eastern Ontario.
Jay Malcolm Dr. Malcolm received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. from the University of Guelph and his Ph.D. from the University of Florida. After a postdoc at Queens University, he joined the Faculty of Forestry in 1997, where he was awarded tenure in 2002. His research specializes on the effects of global climate change on ecosystems and, more generally, on the effects of human activities on biodiversity. In addition to laboratory and computer studies, Dr. Malcolm has undertaken extensive field research in Canada and the Amazon and Congo Basins. Dr. Malcolm has published widely on climate change issues, including journal articles, book chapters, and technical reports for the Canadian and U.S. Governments, UNEP, WWF, the Pew Foundation, and IPCC. Consultant work has been undertaken for UNEP, the U.S. Country Study, the Canadian Country Study, EPA, Pew Foundation, WWF, David Suzuki Foundation, and Conservation International. As a leading expert in the area of climate change and biodiversity impacts and adaptive responses, Dr. Malcolm has been invited to contribute to numerous symposia and books on the subject
Ken Towle Ken Towle has been a naturalist as far back as he can remember. In 1990, he received a Masters degree in Environmental Studies from York University and has since been involved in many biodiversity conservation and ecological restoration projects for ecosystems as diverse as tropical forests and temperate prairies. As Terrestrial Ecologist for both the Ganaraska and Kawartha Conservation Authorities he is currently dealing with habitat fragmentation by defining target natural heritage systems.
Kevin Eby Kevin Eby is a professional planner, is presently Director of Community Planning for the Region of Waterloo, a position he has held since 1999. In this capacity he is responsible for the administration of the Community Planning Division, which overseas the policy and development activities for the Region. Kevin is also Chair of the RGMS Implementation Coordinating Committee and the ongoing implementation of the Regional Growth Management Strategy. Kevin has a broad range of experience in areas such as water resource protection, communal servicing, economic development, environmental planning, cultural heritage planning, and master planning.
Lee-Anne Milburn Lee-Anne Milburn received her PhD from the University of Guelph studying non-farm rural landowners. She has received two Canadian national research awards, and is currently teaching at North Carolina State University. Living rural for a greener world: non-farm land use decisions and open space systems
Paul Grey Paul coordinates the Climate Change Program for the Ministry of Natural Resources. He attended the University of Waterloo and York University when dinosaurs ruled the Earth. He has worked on a variety of natural asset management projects in Ontario, Alberta, Northwest Territories, and Zimbabwe.
Mark Carabetta Mark Carabetta is Conservation Science Manager at Ontario Nature. He has been involved in landscape-scale conservation planning and ecological restoration for more than 10 years, with a focus on forested and freshwater habitats. Prior to joining Ontario Nature, his positions included Director of Conservation Science at the Connecticut Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, and Environmental Scientist at a private consulting firm. He is a certified Professional Wetland Scientist, holds a Bachelors degree in natural resources management and engineering from the University of Connecticut, and a Masters degree in botany from Connecticut College.
Russ Powel Russ Powell was born on a farm in Lambton County. He received a Bachelor of Science in Forestry from the University of Toronto in 1965 and a Diploma in Public Administration from the University of Western Ontario in 1964. Russ is presently Chief Administrative Officer for the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority and serves as Chair of the Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation and Member, Greenbelt Advisory Council to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Russ and his wife Dawn live on the Oak Ridges Moraine at Fleetwood Ridge Farm.
Wayne Caldwell Wayne Caldwell is a Professor at the University of Guelph School of Environmental Design and Rural Development and is Director of the Sustainable Rural Communities Program. He also has a career long affiliation with the County of Huron Department of Planning and Development. Dr. Caldwell has lectured across North America on the future of rural communities. His primary focus has been on planning and change in rural and agricultural communities. He is an active researcher in the area of farmland preservation, rural conflict resolution, governance of nutrient management and community based approaches to environmental issues. Caldwell is a founding member and past Chair of the Ontario Rural Council. He is also a founding member of the Huron Stewardship Council, and the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation. He was appointed by the Ontario Government to Chair the Provinces Nutrient Management Advisory Committee and he is President Elect of the Ontario Professional Planners Institute.
Wendy Francis Wendy Francis is Director of Science and Conservation for Ontario Nature, having held that position since summer 2005. In that role she is responsible for success in all program areas, supervises 5 staff, and leads several campaigns. She has a 20-year history of conservation activism, as a volunteer and then staff member with the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society in Calgary. Wendy also helped found and is former Board Chair of the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, a collaborative international vision for cores and corridors in the Rocky Mountains. Wendy’s experiences give her a wealth of knowledge about conservation campaigns, environmental law and policy, board development, and organizational management. She holds bachelors degrees in biology and law, and a Master’s degree in Environmental Law.
More of our line-up of great speakers Helen Thompson, Trent Bruce Pond, MNR Leora Berman, The Land Between Collaborative Mike Oldham, NHIC Mike Cadman, CWS Janine McLeod, NHC Alderville William Martin, MNR Richard Straka, City of Peterborough Ian Attridge, KHC Todd Farrell, NCC Graham Cameron, MNR Wasyl Bakowsky, NHIC Martin Obbard, MNR Al Dextrase, MNR Jeff Bowman, MNR Rick Beaver, Alderville First Nation John Zomer, Trent John Jennings, Trent Kathy Hooke, Historian Margaret Steffler, Trent Neil Steffler, Fleming Ray Bonenberg, MNR Becky Cudmore, DFO Nick Mandrak, DFO Todd Morris, DFO Michael Fox, Trent Paul Gray, MNR Cara Webster, City of Toronto Joe Cebek, Trent J.P. Pawliw, Generation Solar Renewable Energy Systems Inc. Terry Rees, FOCA Chris Magwood, Camelback Construction, Fleming College Rick Stankiewicz, Nature Photographer Ben Walters, Nature Photographer Bill Kemp, Renewable Energy Colin Jones, Entomologist Peter Burke, Illustrator Cathy Dueck, Director, Peterborough Ecology Park