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CHRIS ELLINGWOOD
An avid birder for over 30 years, Chris has worked as a
biologist for over 20 years studying birds and plants for government
and private consulting firms. Birding by ear is his specialty and it
is used conducting numerous citizen based bird surveys, competitive
birding events and as part of his job. He was the regional coordinator
for Lindsay area during the 2nd breeding bird atlas and his team won
the Carden Challenge 24 hour birding event in 2006. Birding by ear is
one of the hardest challenges for birders, that requires constant
training and friends that can help you learn more species.
Janet Grand is no stranger to the world of natural history. She has been President of the Orillia Naturalists Club and The
Couchiching Conservancy, and has worked for several provincial and
national environmental organizations. She has worked as a consultant
in the natural heritage protection field for over 20 years. She
currently enjoys interpreting natural history to her customers at the
Bird House Nature Company, a birding and nature store in downtown
Orillia.
Margo has a multi-faceted interest in nature: plants, birds,
insects, herbs, mammals etc. While working on her degree in
Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo, she was
involved in a research project studying anti-predator behaviour of
shorebirds in the eastern Canadian Arctic. She has been studying the alvars of Manitoulin Island for over 15 years & is very interested in
alvar communities & their structure
Following thirty-two years in the
classroom and in senior administrative positions at Toronto’s York
University. David now enjoys the freedom of being able to enjoy nature
every day, right in his own Lake Dalrymple back yard. When not
involved in some sort of community service, David can be found on the
Carden Alvar birding or in his lakeside studio carving song birds for
clients around the world.
LARRY KITLEY
Larry Kirtley born
in Oshawa December 18 1948. Went to school in Oshawa and completed
high school in Whitby. Started in General Motors in 1973 where I had
the opportunity to work as an industrial photographer for several
years. I have had my photos published Industrial magazines and cover
shots on brochures and I have 1 photo in a school geography book. I am
thrilled .to have 5 photos in the new birding atlas
While working in
General Motors I qualified and became a member of the PPO Ontario
(Professional Photographers of Ontario) in 1986 which I am still a
member today. I spent 25 plus years as a Wedding Photographer and
changed that to a Nature Photographer four years ago. I love to
capture birds, animal and scenery. I love to share my information and
help people who are starting out with nature. I teach two photography
classes a month at church and teach twice a month to the CAW retirees
at local 222 in Oshawa.
The last 8 years
before my retirement in June 2005 I had the opportunity to work in the
substance abuse field for General Motors and the Canadian Autoworkers,
assisting members their dependants and retirees and their dependants
who struggled with addictions. I have been a member of Alcoholics
Anonymous since January 3. 1985.
I am a staunch
supporter of Canon digital equipment and use their lenses which give
me great photos.
Janet Lapierre,
currently works as a
biologist for Wildlife Preservation Canada, the lead organization
coordinating recovery efforts for the Eastern Loggerhead Shrike in
Ontario. Janet is
a graduate of the Wildlife Biology program at
the University of Guelph, became interested in birds during a fourth
year field ornithology class. Since then she has traveled to various
locations around the United States to help run banding stations, nest
search and territory map. In the summer of 2006 Janet worked as a
shrike intern at the Carden captive breeding field site where she was
part of a successful season, releasing 63 young fledglings. This
summer, Janet is back as the Carden biologist and is responsible for
surveying the wild shrike population.
Ron Reid is
Executive Director of The Couchiching Conservancy, based in Orillia.
Over the past five years, he has been instrumental in projects to
conserve over 6000 acres of natural lands, and has raised over
$500,000 for conservation. Ron has been Chair of the Ontario Nature
Trust Alliance and a Board member of many conservation organizations. During his career, he has worked for Ontario Nature, and provided
consulting services for over 20 years to a wide range of government
and non-government clients. He is co-author of three books and dozens
of magazine and newspaper articles.
His wife, Janet Grand, owns the Bird House
Nature Company. In his spare time, Ron builds bird houses and bat
boxes for her, and sometimes they even get to go canoeing or birding
together. They have two “almost-grown” sons, and live on the Black
River in Washago.
Last fall, Ron was awarded a “Conservation
Pioneer” designation by the 1000 delegates at the A.D. Latornell
Conservation Symposium in recognition of his lifetime of service to
the conservation of Ontario’s natural heritage.
Joan moved to Orillia 11 years ago from
Toronto and became fascinated with the natural beauty of the area. The
Orillia Naturalists' Club provided information, friendship and
exploration. She is a past president of the club, still on the
executive and a member of the board of the Couchiching Conservancy.
She is a Lady of the Lake and involved with protection of the Lake
Simcoe watershed.
Easy water access led to a love of
kayaking. Summers are spent on the surrounding lakes and rivers at
every opportunity.
A day spent following a kingfisher,
surprising a heron or a beaver is the best day of all.
Richard has been an avid fisherman for most of his life gradually
increasing his skills until he achieved the highest level,
fly-fishing. He offers guided tours and fly-fishing seminars from his
shop in Orillia.
BOB BOWLES
Bob Bowles is a name
recognized by naturalists and the community for his knowledge of and
dedication to the natural environment as an environmental consultant,
writer, artist, nature photographer, educator and naturalist. Few know
the Carden Alvar better than Bob since he has been involved right from
the beginning in biological inventories, work shops, and field surveys
for this area and has compiled and maintained complete flora and fauna
checklists for the area. He took the lead role in the formation of
both the Muskoka Field Naturalists and Carden Field Naturalists and
served as their first president. Bob started the Carden Alvar
Christmas Bird Count, Butterfly Count, and Dragonfly Count over ten
years ago and compiles results each year in partnership with Bird
Studies Canada, Ontario Nature and the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
He is the Eastern Canada Coordinator for the North American Butterfly
Association and has introduced many people to the Carden Alvar through
ecotours and workshops that he conducts every year. Bob has set up and
maintains both the Simcoe Nature Board and Carden Nature Board which
allows naturalists to post observations of interest from these areas.
Bob has been well
recognized for his community and environmental dedication in recent
years. He has been awarded the top three awards and is an honorary
life member of Ontario Nature, awarded a “Conservation Pioneer” award
at the 2006 A.D. Latornell Conservation Symposium, the top awards for
both the Severn Sound Environmental Association and Lake Simcoe Region
Conservation Authority in 2006 and 2007 and several conservation clubs
and naturalists clubs awards. For his community work with the
environment Bob received the Province Of Ontario 2006 Leading
Volunteer Award, 2006 Order Of Orillia and 2007 Orillia Citizen Of The
Year Award. Bob is executive director of Kids For Turtles Environment
Education and is working with young members of the community and their
families with other volunteers to involve the public in the education
and protection of the world around us.
JEREMY PIERPOINT
Jeremy Pierpoint and
his wife Sharon Arnaud moved to the Kirkfield area 9 years ago having
fallen for a beautiful restored schoolhouse in Argyle that was built
in 1875. Looking for a career shift, they purchased the Sir William
Mackenzie Inn in 2001. Today, they are full-time inn-keepers and
continue to grow and expand the marvelous historic home of Sir William
and Lady Mackenzie. Jeremy is past chair of the Tourism Advisory Board
for the City of Kawartha Lakes and is a current board member with the
recently formed Kirkfield and Area Historical Society. They are
frequent hosts to the birding community at the Inn and take great
pleasure in sharing stories with their guests. For the past two years
they have been fortunate to have a pair of nesting merlins just 15
yards from the Inn. They are hopeful that they will see their return
for the 2008 breeding season.
ELEANOR REED
Eleanor Reed is a Registered Professional Forester who has 25 years of
experience in forests across Canada. She now works as a consultant to
private woodlot owners, offering services such as forest management
plans, assistance with timber sales and tree planting. Eleanor lives a
few kilometres east of Uphill on an ‘off the grid’ woodlot/micro-farm
with her husband Paul, a United Church minister, and their 3 children:
Daniel (15), Sarah (13) and Jonathon (13).
CHERYLE SNACHE
Cheryle Snache is
a member of the Chippewas of Rama and has been using native plants in
many ways. Cheryle will share a recipe for making a healing salve from
local plants.
COLLEEN
COONEY
Colleen Cooney is an
educator and has been enjoying learning to appreciate plants in all
their beauty. She lives in north Severn Township and has been involved
in exploring medicinal and edible plants in that area with the
Naturopthic Doctors of Ontario and the Ontario Herbalists'
Association.
ROBERT (ROBBIE) PRESTON
Robbie is a stranger to Nature. That is why he enjoys and shares his
love of it. Nature is so vast and diversified yet it encompasses
everything we see, feel and/or normally take for granted. One just
can’t know it all.
Born in Kingston before the war, before TV’s, before computer’s he
enjoyed growing up on the families five acres of patch farm and forest
on the eastern edge of the Frontnac Alvar. As a Boy Scout he soon
learned the nature of the land around him. His scouting achievements
of becoming a Gold Cord Queen Scout saw him selected to attend the
5th World Scout Jamboree at Niagara-on-the-Lake in 1955.
This blending of 10,000 scouts from around the world made taking the
family Kodak Brownie out of the question. He used his newspaper
profits to replaced it with a state of the art, Baldina 35 mm. and
Robbie’s life changed.
Later in life, while working as a graphic artist for a photo engraver,
he at times was allowed to work in the firms dark room where he soon
showed a talent for improving images with needed adjustment, This was
way before the days of computers and things like Photoshop. In the
early seventies, Robbie, with a friend ran a custom photo print
business from the friend’s basement.
In
the Eighties another friend sold him a Canon TD with several lenses
and filters. A trip to the east coast saw that camera stolen. The
camera was replaced by his insurance but to his bad luck none of the
lenses or filters fitted the new camera. So the replacement insurance
gave him all new matching 35mm Canon equipment in 1986.
In
2002 he acquired a Sony P1 digital point and shoot and started to
shoot digital images. A two month trip to Australia in 2003 with both
the 35mm Canon and the Sony P1, in his ditty bag saw only one roll of
film shot with the 35mm Canon and over 1500 images taken with the
digital. A return trip in 2004 was a great test as he added the video
side of digital photography to his ditty bag for his walk abouts.
Now that he is retired and has a summer retreat north of Burks Falls,
Ontario, his time for nature has grown. In 2005 Robbie gave away all
of his Canon film equipment and switched to a Nikon D70s digital SLR.
Robbie’s return to the world of the camera(s) since 2002 and his magic
of being in the right place at the right time plus his thinking out
side the box has opened some eyes to the beauty he exposes that is
around us every day, that most of us miss.
With his Nikon digital equipment, Mac computers and Epson K3 printer
he is able to create his own finished prints on stocks that give his
works a 150+year archival life.
He
is an artist that has never stopped learning. 2006 found Robbie in
Utah for specialized training in digital wildlife and landscape
photography with world renown Nikon elite, Moose Peterson, Joe McNally
and Vincent Versace. Robbie’s latest works confirm his newest skills
from those four intense 18 hour days.
As
an old scout — an outdoorsman — the camera(s) gives Robbie the tools
and the excuse to find and capture those microseconds of life that
most people fail to see, feel or ever experience.
That is what his Nature is about. Nature in it’s own reality which
can be a thing of beauty, — a harsh fact of animal life, — lulling
waters and/or calming landscapes — but it is real. He was there and
his shutter clicked at the right time.
It
is these art forms in photography that Robbie loves to share with
others.
The accolades his images have collected is growing. In 2007 he was
asked to speak on his work and skills at the First Annual
International gathering of the “American Brugmansia & Datura Society”
held at Elgin Air Force Base in Floridia. The “Kawartha Field
Naturalist” awarded him three “Firsts in Class” and one “Honorable
Mention” plus “Best of Show” in their First Annual Photo Contest.
JENIFER DOUBT
Jennifer Doubt is a moss specialist and manager of the National
Herbarium of Canada, at the Canadian Museum of Nature. Jennifer first
collected mosses on the alvars of the Bruce Peninsula while studying
botany at the University of Guelph, and she took up bryology in
earnest with M.Sc. research at the University of Alberta. In 2006,
she returned home to Ontario after 10 energetic years of Alberta-based
botany and ecology, encompassing work as a botanical educator and
education co-ordinator, as herbarium curatorial assistant, and as
consultant in a wide array of survey and assessment projects for
academic, industrial, government and non-government organizations
across Canada. Jennifer’s work at the Canadian Museum of Nature now
allows her to combine favourite roles of collector, researcher,
educator, provider of botanical resources and services, botany
cheerleader, and meeter of fascinating people. She escapes frequently
to trails & natural landscapes … but look for her also on the hockey
rink and in the back row of the Ottawa Community Concert Band.
Now based in
Ottawa, Linda Ley was raised and educated in Victoria and Vancouver,
British Columbia. The opportunity to work as a research and
curatorial assistant to a prominent researcher in bryology at the
National Museum of Natural History (now the Canadian Museum of Nature)
brought her to Ottawa in 1969, where over the years she specialized in
the identification and collection of the liverworts of eastern North
America. Lately, Linda has been working as an independent contractor,
offering technical assistance to researchers in several fields of
botanical research (phycology, lichenology, vascular plants, as well
as bryology), and is a member of the Vascular Plant, Lichen and Moss
Subcommittee of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in
Canada (COSEWIC). Linda has always enjoyed poking into nature, often
inching along through various ecosystems with hand-lens and camera.
She can also frequently be seen covering a lot more ground in much
less time on her equine companion, indulging in a life-long passion of
all things equestrian.
DALE LEADBEATER
Dale A.
Leadbeater, B.Sc., B.Ed., Office Manager,
Ecology and Senior Biologist.
Dale’s background includes
managing the Vascular Plant Herbarium at the University of Toronto,
Department of Botany, independent consultation services in botany and
plant ecology to the university, consulting engineering firms,
municipalities and conservation-minded organizations, Senior Ecologist
for the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority and 13 years with
Gartner Lee Limited, currently as Senior Biologist and Manager of the
Ecology team. Her areas of expertise include botany, landscape
ecology, vegetation community analysis and classification, wildlife
assessment, functional wetland evaluation and impact assessment,
mitigation, restoration and monitoring.
Dale has been an active
board member of the Society for Ecological Restoration - Ontario
Chapter and advisory committees for Oshawa Second Marsh and Lynde
Creek Marsh in Whitby. She is a certified Ontario Wetland Evaluator
for the Provincial Wetland Evaluation System, and has taught courses
in wetland rehabilitation and ecological restoration at Sheridan
College and Trent University in addition to contributions to the
Temperate Wetland Restoration Course developed by Environment Canada
in partnership with DU and OMNR. She teaches a bi-annual field course
on Ecological Land Classification for the Ministry of Natural
Resources. Together with her extensive training in botany enhanced
with studies in wildlife ecology and geology, Dale provides a unique
perspective on the function of wetlands and the potential for
rehabilitation of wetlands in the restoration of ecosystem features
and functions.
Dale’s hobbies include the
ecological restoration of an end moraine at the edge of the Carden
plain, “living off the grid”, participating in bird races and
participation in naturalist club events. Anyone interested in the
on-going murder of invasive, non-native honeysuckle in the service of
the restoration project is welcome to visit her at her home on Raven
Lake.
MIKE McMURTRY
Mike works as Natural Areas Ecologist with the Natural Heritage
Information Centre in Peterborough. He manages information on natural
areas like the Cameron Ranch in a provincial database and makes this
information available to the conservation community. Mike also works
on a variety of conservation projects that utilize NHIC information to
identify conservation priorities and actions. He is involved in a
project called The Land Between that considers the biodiversity of the
zone in Ontario where limestone bedrock meets the granite of the
Canadian Shield, an area including the Carden Plain. Together with Don
Sutherland, NHIC Zoologist, he will be interpreting the flora and
fauna and the human history of the Cameron Ranch.
DON SUTHERLAND
Don is the Zoologist with the Natural Heritage Information Centre,
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, in Peterborough, where he is
responsible for compiling and maintaining information on the
province’s rare animal species. He has been involved in a number of
efforts to identify and conserve significant habitats in Ontario,
including the International Alvar Conservation Initiative (1994-98),
which identified the best representative examples of alvars in the
Great Lakes Basin. Don has been exploring the Carden Plain and
documenting its rare species occurrences, particularly those for
birds, since the early 1980s. Together with Mike McMurtry, NHIC
Natural Areas Ecologist, he will be interpreting the flora and fauna
and the human history of the Cameron Ranch
LINDA
LEY
Now based in Ottawa, Linda
Ley was raised and educated in Victoria and Vancouver, British
Columbia. The opportunity to work as a research and curatorial
assistant to a prominent researcher in bryology at the National Museum
of Natural History (now the Canadian Museum of Nature) brought her to
Ottawa in 1969, where over the years she specialized in the
identification and collection of the liverworts of eastern North
America. Lately, Linda has been working as an independent contractor,
offering technical assistance to researchers in several fields of
botanical research (phycology, lichenology, vascular plants, as well
as bryology), and is a member of the Vascular Plant, Lichen and Moss
Subcommittee of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in
Canada (COSEWIC). Linda has always enjoyed poking into nature, often
inching along through various ecosystems with hand-lens and camera.
She can also frequently be seen covering a lot more ground in much
less time on her equine companion, indulging in a life-long passion of
all things equestrian
ZOE LEBRUN-SOUTHCOTT
Zoé Lebrun-Southcott currently works for Wildlife Preservation Canada
as the Carden Biologist for the Eastern Loggerhead Shrike monitoring
and recovery program. Zoé graduated from York University with a
Master’s in Environmental Studies and has since been working with
endangered species both in the field and in the policy arena. Her
experience includes working on the recovery of the Great Lakes Piping
Plovers and researching endangered Golden-cheeked Warblers and
Black-capped Vireos in Texas. Zoé has also helped to operate bird
banding stations in Ontario and has worked with the Sierra Club of
Canada on initiatives to improve policy for species at risk throughout
Canada.
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