Environmental Assessment Office
Experts to attend Burns Bog technical review
17/11/1999
VICTORIA - World-renowned experts will attend a series of technical sessions as part of the Burns Bog ecosystem review.
Four sessions will be held in late November to involve local, regional and international scientific experts in analyzing the ecological integrity of Burns Bog. Discussions will consider areas required to sustain the bog.
The purposes of the technical review meetings are to:
* Ensure comprehensive coverage of principles, concepts and appropriate comparisons/studies.
* Identify critical gaps and limitations of existing information and analyses.
* Provide advice on the merits, strengths and weaknesses of proposed models and concepts.
* Propose and discuss critical indicators and measures of sustainability for Burns Bog.
Several leading experts in their fields have agreed to participate. They include men and women from Canada, the United States, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The technical review meetings will be held at the Delta Town & Country Inn. The meeting schedule is as follows:
Wildlife & Fisheries Thursday, Nov. 25 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Hydrology Friday, Nov. 26 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Ecosystem Processes Monday, Nov. 29 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Regional & Global Significance Tuesday, Nov. 30 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
The sessions are open to the public to observe. Time will be scheduled for members of the public to ask questions and make comments.
Field studies conducted in the late summer and early fall will be used in the technical review meeting discussions. Data from these field studies are available to the public using Internet mapping technology.
A link from the Burns Bog ecosystem review Web page will provide Web users the opportunity to view various electronic layers of information. Access to this information is expected to help the public and review agencies prepare submissions and contributions to the ecosystem review analysis.
In addition, the field study reports are being made available to the public at local information sites. Public submissions containing input to the Burns Bog ecosystem review analysis will be accepted until Dec. 1.
Written submissions can be sent to: Burns Bog Ecosystem Review c/o Environmental Assessment Office PO Box 9426 Stn Prov Govt Victoria, BC V8W 9V1
fax: (250) 387-2208
E-mail: eaoinfo@gems5.gov.bc.ca
- 30 -
Contact:
Alan Calder, (250) 952-6507 A/Project Assessment Director Environmental Assessment Office
Joanne McGachie, (250) 356-5334 Communications Manager Environmental Assessment Office
For more information visit the EAO Web site: http://www.eao.gov.bc.ca/special/burnsbog.htm or at local information sites:
Project Registry 1st Floor - 836 Yates St., Victoria Phone: (250) 356-7441
Vancouver Public Library Main Branch Science and Technology Division 4th Floor 350 West Georgia St., Vancouver
Delta Public Library George Mackie Branch Fraser Valley Regional Library 8440 - 122nd St., Delta
Delta Public Library Delta South Tsawwassen Branch 1321a - 56th St., Delta
Delta Public Library Ladner (Delta Pioneer) Branch 4683 - 51st St., Delta
The Burns Bog Conservation Society 202 -11961 88th Ave., Delta Tuesdays to Saturdays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
BACKGROUNDER
PARTICIPANTS in the BURNS BOG TECHNICAL REVIEW MEETINGS
The following experts are attending the technical review.
Ton Damman, Research Professor, Division of Biology, Kansas State University Professor Emeritus, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut Dr. Ton (A.W.H.) Damman is a Professor Emeritus with the University of Connecticut's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and is currently a Research Professor at Kansas State University's Division of Biology. Ton has established a long and distinguished career in wetland ecology and has published widely on the ecology, biogeochemistry and vegetation of peatlands, vegetation-habitat relationships, vegetation classification and mapping, ecological approaches to land classification and plant geography of eastern North America. He has conducted the majority of his work in Newfoundland and Eastern Canada, throughout the Eastern US, and in Northern Europe. Dr. Damman has been the recipient of numerous academic awards and honours, and is leading expert on the ecology of raised bog ecosystems.
Klaus Dierssen, Professor, University Kiel, Germany Dr. Klaus is a professor of Plant Ecology at the Botanical Institute, Kiel University, where he is also Director of the Ecosystem Research Centre (…ZK). His scientific interests include plant ecology of temperate and arctic regions, especially mires, salt marshes and alpine vegetation, as well as conservation ecology and landscape planning. His publications (mostly in German, some in English and French) include mire vegetation studies in Scandinavia, the British Isles, and Germany, as well as a range of other topics.
John Jeglum, Professor, Forest Peatland Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Dr. John Jeglum specilaizes in peat soils, wetland ecology, peatland forestry, classification, succession and development, natural regeneration silviculture and environmental impacts. John joined the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in 1994 as a Professor, Forest Peatland Science. From 1968 to 1994 he was a research scientist with the Canadian Forest Service providing leadership on Black Spruce Ecosystem Silviculture, Wetland Ecosystem Classification, Strip Cutting for Natural Regeneration of Black Spruce, Peatland Forest Drainage and Sustainable productivity Group projects. Prior to that position John was an Assistant Professor, Biology and Ecology, Eastern Illinois University from 1965 to 1966. John's education consists of B.S. Botany, 1960, University of Wisconsin, M.S. Botany, 1962, University of Wisconsin and Ph.D. Plant Ecology, 1968, University of Saskatchewan.
Charlotte MacAlister, Research Fellow, Wetland Hydrology and Ecology, Centre for Land Use and Water Resources Research, Fellow, Department of Agriculture, University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne Charlotte MacAlister is an ecohydrologist and a fellow of the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Science at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK. Based at the Centre for Land Use and Water Resources Research, Charlotte's research is concerned with the monitoring, modeling and integration of dynamic hydrological and ecological processes in wetland systems. Charlotte is a consultant hydrologist to English Nature and Agricultural Development Advisory Service in the management of Wedholme Flow (National Nature Reserve, European Special Area Conservation) and Trough End Bog (Northumberland National Park). Other responsibilities include lecturing in telematics, adult access to computing skills and educational use of Information Technology. She received a first from Manchester Metropolitan University, a M.Sc. from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is currently completing a Ph.D. by publications
Geoff Scudder, Professor, Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia Dr. Geoff Scudder is an internationally recognized specialist in insect ecology, in particular biosystematics, biodiversity and conservation-related issues. He has a long list of academic awards and distinctions, including Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (1975) and Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1998). He has past and ongoing involvement in a diverse range of science review boards and international advisory groups. He has also conducted research activities throughout Burns Bog, over the years.
Jamie Smith, Professor, Department of Zoology, Associate Director, Centre for Biodiversity Research, University of British Columbia Dr. Jamie Smith is a Professor in the Dept. of Zoology, and Associate Director, Centre for Biodiversity Research at UBC. He has worked on the population and community biology of vertebrate animals for 30 years, and he teaches courses in conservation biology and vertebrate zoology at UBC. He has five years of research experience on the songbirds of Burns Bog, and has studied birds of prey and snowshoe hares in the Yukon for over 20 years. He has also been involved in workshops on federal endangered species legislation.
Richard Rothwell, Professor Emeritus, University of Alberta Richard L. Rothwell completed a B.Sc. and M.F. in forestry at the University of California, Berkeley in 1962 and 1966. Following completion of his masters he started work with the Canadian Forestry Service in Calgary in the East Slopes Watershed Management Research Program. He was involved with assessing the effects of forest harvesting on erosion and water quality. While employed with the Canadian Forestry Service, he completed his Ph.D. in the Faculty of Forestry at the University of British Columbia. He thesis research was on water use and sapwood water content of lodgepole pine. In 1976 he took up a teaching and research position in the forestry program at the University of Alberta. He taught courses in the subjects of forest hydrology, watershed management, forest management planning and forest microsites. Research activities at university concentrated on the hydrology of forested wetlands and the hydrogic impacts of forest drainage. In 1997 he retired from the university and started a consulting company, Watertight Solutions Ltd., that provides forest hydrology and watershed management services to the forest industry of Western Canada. He is a Professor Emeritus at the University and is involved on various thesis committees and professional activities with the Alberta Professional Foresters Association.
Scott Smith, Soil Scientist, Research Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Scott Smith is a Soil Scientist with the Research Branch of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada since 1983 (15 years in Yukon, 1 year in Summerland, BC). Prior to that, he worked for MacMillan Bloedel (1980- 83) as a forest soils specialist on Vancouver Island and Queen Charlotte Islands, as well as with the Research Branch of BCMOF (1975 -1980) in Williams Lake, BC, conducting inventory associated with BGC zonation in Cariboo District. He is experienced with most major ecosystems (including wetlands) in the Canadian Cordilleran, and internationally with permafrost ecosystems in North America, Asia and Europe. Education includes a BSc (Agr) McGill U 1974 and an MSc (Soil Science) U of Alberta 1979.
Ken Brock, A/Head, Habitat Conservation Canadian Wildlife Service, Pacific Wildlife Research Centre Ken Brock has been with Canadian Wildlife Service for 5 years. He is currently A/ Head, Habitat Conservation, and has worked on agricultural stewardship, liaising with local governments, providing CWS' input into land claims, and reviewing environmental assessment proposals. He has a B.Sc. in Biology from McGill University and a Masters in Environmental Studies from York University.
Charles Tarnocai, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Charles Tarnocai expertise is in soil genesis and classification; wetlands and peatlands; soil database systems; ecology; international expertise on cryogenic soils; organic soils and paleosols. Charles has worked on the following projects: soil taxonomy and classification; North American Soil Carbon Database; Circumpolar Soil Database and North American Multi-Layer Soil Database. Charles is affiliated with many soil groups, holds several honours and has published more than 200 articles. Charles obtained his B.Sc. from the University of British Columbia and a M.Sc. from Oregon State University in 1966.
Richard Hebda, Curator of Botany, Royal B.C. Museum, Adjunct Professor, University of Victoria Dr. Richard Hebda is currently the Curator of Botany and Earth History at the Royal B.C. Museum and is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biology and School of Earth and Ocean Sciences at the University of Victoria. Richard's research focuses on vegetation and climate history in B.C. and Lowland Mexico and he is the Provincial expert on Burns Bog Ecosystem Review. Richard is the author or co-author of more than 50 scientific papers, co-author and co-editor of three books and author of more than 150 popular articles. Richard completed his Ph.D. in Botany at the University of British Columbia on a study of the vegetation and paleoecology of Burns Bog in 1977.
Richard A. Sims, Senior Ecologist, EBA Dr. Sims is a senior ecologist with EBA, possessing a strong background in applied spatial and temporal analyses in the resource sector field. He has been involved with a wide variety of ecosystem modeling and mapping and classification applications, in particular, involving the use of GIS for sustainable resource management, decision-making and trade-off analyses. Richard has over 25 years experience in environmental forestry, wetland ecology, vegetation/soil-site relations, regional site mapping and national land evaluation and assessment. He has overseen past ecological studies related to bogs and is a recognized leader in Canada in ecological studies.
Dr. Sergei B. Yazvenko, Senior Research Ecologist, LGL Limited Dr. Sergei Yazenko has almost 20 years of experience in botanical, ecological and palaeoecological studies in various ecosystems around the world. Sergei joined LGL Limited in 1996 as a Senior Research Ecologist. In much of his work he has developed and used paleoecological tools, in particular those utilizing pollen, to reconstruct historical vegetation patterns and to infer land use history. Since joining LGL Sergei has conducted vegetation and wildlife studies in an investigation of the environmental impacts of a proposed highway in BC and has developed riparian vegetation databases and devised optimal strategies for the restoration of riparian forests for a number of watersheds on Vancouver Island and the Queen Charlotte Islands. Sergei received his Ph.D. from Moscow State University where his research focused on the historical reconstruction of natural and stressed forest systems.
ADDITIONAL PARTICIPANTS The following are also attending. Their biographies were unavailable at the time of this information release.
Don Eastman, University of Victoria
Colin Levings, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Ian McTaggart-Cowan
Dave Nagorsen, Royal BC Museum
Geoff Scudder, Professor, Department of Zoology, University of B.C.
Paul Glaser, Professor, Wetland Ecology, Geology & Geophysics, University of Minnesota
Allen Banner, Regional Forest Ecologist, B.C. Ministry of Forests
John Christy, Oregon Heritage Program / The Nature Conservancy
Doyle Wells, Research Scientist, Ecology CFS/AFC/FH, Natural Resources Canada
Charles Tarnocai, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Land Evaluation
Eric Taylor, Atmospheric Environment Service
Terry Taylor