LEADER BIOGRAPHIES

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.

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.

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.

JANET GRAND

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.

HARRY HALL

Harry is a semi –retired physician who has been paddling a canoe, observing, and more recently photographing nature since he was a small boy. He has used his canoe in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and as many lakes and rivers as possible in between, That includes many white water adventures both locally and remotely such as the Nahanni in the NWT and the Dumoine in Quebec.and the Orange in Africa He has traveled extensively in Canada, has visited all the continents and has spent a lot of time in remote places with indigenous people so has been able to see an astonishing array of flora and fauna.

While there is no place that is perfect because your idea of perfect changes, we are very, very fortunate to live in a country like Canada and more particularly in our local area.

PETER HALL

Peter Hall is a Research Associate and recently retired research manager with the national biological collections at Agriculture and Agri-food Canada in Ottawa. He is also a specialist in lepidoptera and their conservation. Peter recently returned from a three-year assignment as Director for Biodiversity Information Services at the United Nations Environment Programme-World Conservation Monitoring Centre in Cambridge, UK. He is also chair of the Publications Committee for the international Biodiversity journal. Peter has spent a lifetime observing, studying and writing about butterflies in Canada and around the world. He is co-author of the Butterflies of the Ottawa District and in 1998 of The Butterflies of Canada (University of Toronto Press). Over the years, Peter has given dozens of lectures on butterflies and conducted many butterfly field trips in different parts of Canada. He has also appeared on television, radio and in newspapers discussing many different aspects of butterfly and other biodiversity issues with a strong interest in conservation and more recently climate change.

An active naturalist and birder, Peter has served on the Council and the Conservation Committee of the Ottawa Field Naturalists Club and is also a founder of the Fletcher Wildlife Garden in Ottawa sponsored by the Club and Agriculture and Agri-food Canada. For these activities, Peter was presented the President’s Prize and the Anne Haynes Naturalist History Award.

JULIANA HAWKE

Juliana Hawke is an artist who lives in the rolling hills of Oro-Medonte Township, her studio being in a renouvated, century old barn. For the past 30 years she has used her rural surroundings as inspiration for her drawings and paintings.Juliana has participated in numerous art shows, produced paintings for private commissions, worked as a freelance illustrator (producing artwork for several books as well as brochures and displays for national and provincial parks), and has taught art workshops for both adults and children.

MARGO HOLT

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

DAVID A. HOMER

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 KIRTLEY

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.

BURKE KOROL

Burke Korol received his B.Sc. (Biology) in 1987 and his M.Sc. (Plant Ecology) in 1995, both from the University of Saskatchewan. Since making his first plant collection in 1986, he has studied the vascular flora of Saskatchewan prairies, British Columbia avalanche paths and Nunavut tundra. Since 2000, Burke has been working for Ontario Parks as the Central Zone Ecologist. He currently conducts vegetation inventory, monitoring and management in 52 provincial parks, including Carden Alvar

ELLEN LARSEN

Ellen Larsen is interested in natural history and enjoys photographing wildflowers and lichens. She is on the faculty of the University of Toronto and now includes tropical lichens as research subjects.

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.

DOUGLAS LOCKREY, WHITBY, ON

BSc.-botany Un. of Western Ontario
MSc.-phytopathology Un. of Western Ontario

26 years secondary school teaching—Toronto, North York
-grades 10,12,13 science, chemistry, biology -Head of Biology 1962-1988
-retired 1988
-organized many, many outings, ranging from short outdoor field ventures to Bruce Trail walks to 3-day trip by 800 students to Montreal Expo
-coached swimming, curling

member of Pickering Naturalists 1988 to present
-club president for 7 years
-leader of 5+ botany and birding outings each year

member of Durham Field Naturalists 1994 to present

author of many field identification guides with personal sketches – wildflowers, ferns, sedges, grasses, checklists

conducted inventories along 10 1000’ survey lines for the late Dr.M. Speirs in Altona Forest, Pickering, dealing with identifying trees and ground flora, tree diameter measurements and bird singing in June to establish evidence of nesting

coordinator of Cranberry Marsh Raptor Watch from Sep.1 to Nov.30 each year since 1994

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. Mike will be interpreting the flora and fauna and human history of the Cameron Ranch.

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.

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

GIOVANNI PARI

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.

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).

RON REID

Ron Reid is the former 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 ROSEBUSH

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.

LYNN RUSSELL AND PAT STONE

Pat and Lynn are enthusiastic amateur naturalists, and 'registered
lichenoholics'. They hope to share their fascination with this small
leafy stuff with others.

CIVI JACOBSEN 

Civi Jacobsen is an independent sustainability specialist with 17 years project experience. Civi originally started in the Financial Services Sector. In 2001, she started the transition to the sustainability consulting practice she runs today.

She recently completed her Masters of Environmental Studies focusing in sustainable community economic development. Her final research work detailed implementation practices that improve and maintain citizen engagement for measurable community improvements. Since 2007 she has worked with various Community Development Corporations and non-profit organizations on initiatives that promote sustainable local economies.

Civi was born and raised in Orillia and recently returned to live to in Oro Medonte with her husband and two dogs. She is currently developing a perma-culture and restoration master plan for their 54 acre woodland which forms part of the drainage basin into Bass Lake, a part of the Severn watershed.

DAN KRAUS

Dan is the Manager of Conservation Science and Planning for The Nature Conservancy of Canada - Ontario Region. He has been guiding the application of the Great Lakes Conservation Blueprint and had directed a variety of strategic conservation planning projects including plans for the Western Lake Erie Islands, the Northern Bruce Peninsula and the Carden Alvar. Dan is currently working with partners to complete the Lake Huron Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and the Great Lakes Islands project. He has published several reports on Great Lakes biodiversity and conservation including the chapter on coastal terrestrial ecosystems in the upcoming report "Nearshore Areas of the Great Lakes".

 

ERNIE JARDINE

Ernie Jardine's interest in birding began as a youngster. He has maintained this interest throughout and has travelled far and wide in pursuit of the birds: many of the countries of Europe (including a memorable circle tour of Iceland), the Caribbean and Central America, Hawaii and most parts of the U.S. as well as Canada. During many of those outings and trips further afield his camera was an essential component. However, as a result of a special interest in bird song, over the last several years it has been replaced by a parabolic stereo microphone, to allow him to capture the soundscapes and bird songs encountered on these trips.He is the author of a book entitled "Bird Song: Identification Made Easy" (Natural Heritage/Natural History 1996) which is now out of print, and is working on another book on bird song (including recordings) which he hopes to have available by the spring of 2010

JOE CROWLEY

Joe Crowley joined Ontario Nature as Reptiles at Risk Project Coordinator in April 2008 and is now coordinating a new Ontario Herpetofaunal Atlas program. Joe completed a B.Sc. (Hons.) in 2003 at Nipissing University and a M.Sc. in Zoology in 2006 at the University of Guelph. He is an experienced field biologist and has a strong interest in conservation biology, specifically species at risk and road ecology. He has been involved with reptile conservation work in Ontario since 2004, both in the field and with various reptile conservation projects and groups

 

JULIANA HAWKE

3490 Line 6 N, R.R.4 Coldwater, ON L0K 1E0

(705) 835-6213

Juliana Hawke is an artist who lives in the rolling hills of Oro-Medonte Township, her studio being in a renovated, century old barn. For the past 30 years she has used her rural surroundings as inspiration for her drawings, paintings and handmade prints.

Juliana has participated in numerous art shows, produced paintings for private commissions, worked as a freelance illustrator (producing artwork for several books as well as brochures and displays for national and provincial parks), and has taught art workshops for both adults and children.

 

KYRA HOWES

Kyra Howes is the Stewardship Coordinator for The Couchiching Conservancy and spends much of her time traveling through the remote regions of the properties that are owned for conservation in Carden. Kyra has two diplomas from Sir Sandford Fleming College and is currently working on her BASc from Lakehead University in Orillia. Prior to working with the Conservancy, Kyra worked with the Toronto Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) on invasive species projects in Toronto. 

 

VIC ORR

Lifelong interest in the natural world. Undergraduate degree, Anthropology U of T. including a few science courses.
Did Nature Interpretive tours for Haliburton Inn for ten years. Travelled to various world destinations to explore and photograph wildlife and their habitats.
Past president of the Kawartha Field Naturalists. Served as a director on board of Ontario Nature for two years.
Winner of 2006 Environmental Hero of the Year Award for the City of Kawartha Lakes.

 

DAVID KENNEDY

David Kennedy is a nature and landscape photographer with a special interest in spring and summer wildflowers.  For four years, he has made it a priority to photograph Carden's wildflowers. He is the Past-President of the Orillia and District Camera Club and has exhibited at local museums and galleries. This past August, he was a featured photographer at the Coldwater Gallery. He also helps photographers' make the transition to digital photography and has given photography workshops and provided one-on-one tutoring to area photographers.  See his web site, www.valleyedgephotography.ca.