Biographical Notes for CMI Directors, 2005 - 2006 |
Doug Adama,
Golden |
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 Doug
Adama grew up in
Golden, BC where he presently resides. He obtained his B.Sc. in Biology
at the University of Victoria and has been working as a consultant for
the Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program for over 10
years. His background is in applied conservation biology, herpetology,
and ecosystem restoration. He currently chairs the Recovery Team for the
“southern mountain population” of the northern leopard frog and
represents the CBFWCP on the Rocky Mountain Trench Ecosystem Restoration
operational committee.
Doug and Dash |
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Marc-André Beaucher |
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 Marc-André traveled to the Kootenays in 1995 from Sherbrooke, Quebec,
where he grew up. After completing his B.Sc. in Applied Zoology at
McGill University in 1996, he moved to Creston and over the next 10
years worked as a contract biologist – during that time he conducted
research on cavity nesting birds in northern Alberta and in the Rocky
Mountain Trench, he studied the biology of an elusive species of
salamander in the Central and West Kootenays, and worked on the Northern
Leopard Frog Recovery Project conducted in the Creston Valley. In 2005,
Marc-André earned a M.Sc. in Environment and Management from Royal Roads
University – his thesis focused on the impact of water management on
recreational fisheries. He is currently responsible for research and
wetland management for the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area, a
7,000 ha Ramsar wetland, where he has been employed for the past three
years. His interest for “feathered” wildlife has recently landed him the
volunteer position of Creston Regional Coordinator for the recently
launched British Columbia Breeding Bird Atlas spearheaded by Bird
Studies Canada. |
Kevin Bollefer, Revelstoke | |
Kevin moved to Revelstoke in 1997, after
completing his BSc at the University of Victoria in Biology and
Environmental Studies. He became interested in forestry in the area and
completed his forestry requirements to become a Registered Professional
Forester with the Association of BC Forest Professionals in 2002. For
the past ten years, Kevin has worked as a forestry engineer, while doing
various biology jobs for the Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife
Compensation Program, and Parks Canada. Recently, he has taken a job
with the Revelstoke Community Forest Corporation where he is the
Operations Forester.
| Patrick Daigle, Victoria |
While completing a
graduate degree in Missoula, Patrick and his partner Jane had a waterfront rental on the Clark Fork of the Columbia. While
there, he worked as a field silviculturist for the US Forest Service in
Montana and Idaho, all within portions of the Columbia Basin. Over the past
several decades, he's traveled, lived, played, and worked in mountain areas
of the Columbia watershed in BC, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and
Wyoming.
Over the past 15 years,
Patrick’s work has focused on applied ecology at stand- and landscape-levels,
biodiversity, disturbance ecology, and research extension while with the
Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Forests and Range. Before
working with the BC government, he completed research and field contract
assignments for the BC Ministry of Forests and the US Forest Service.
Patrick’s academic
background includes an M.Sc. from the University of Montana, a Forest
Resources Diploma from Selkirk College, and a B.A. in economics from the
University of Alberta.
| Jenny Feick, Victoria |
Jenny's interest in the CMI stems from her
previous work in protected areas management, her academic training, and her
experience as a former resident of the Columbia Basin. Jenny has a B.Sc.
(Honours) in Environmental Biology and Physical Geography (1977), a Masters
of Environmental Design (1995) and a Ph.D. in Geography (2000) all from the
University of Calgary. From 1976 until 1992, Jenny worked for Parks Canada
in a variety of locations in British Columbia, Alberta, and Newfoundland,
including Mount Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks. Her work involved
communications, research, planning, supervision, and management. Since 2000,
she has worked for the BC Ministry of Environment in Victoria, first as
Manager, Habitat Protection, then as Manager of Terrestrial Ecosystem
Science, and from June 2005 until March 2008, as Manager of Stewardship
Outreach for the Environmental Stewardship Division. Jenny currently works
for the Assistant Deputy Minister as the Manager of Climate Change
Adaptation and Stewardship. She believes in integrating natural and social
sciences to solve complex natural resource management issues, and in
effectively using extension and outreach to foster shared environmental
stewardship. Jenny loves hiking and cross-country skiing and spends whatever
leisure time she can connecting with nature, preferably in the Columbia
Mountains.
| Susan Hall, Revelstoke |
 Susan Hall has a B.Sc. in Biology from University of Guelph and an M.Sc. in Population Ecology from Dalhousie University. She is the Conservation Biologist for Mount Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks and is responsible for implementing the park's Ecosystem Management Program. Formerly she was an Environmental Assessment Biologist with the Environmental Protection Service in the NWT and in Nova Scotia. Her areas of interest include old-growth ecology, natural disturbance regimes, alternative forestry practices, the aquatic riparian interface, and reservoir management issues. Susan was a founding member of the CMI and she has continued on the Board since 1996. Susan is currently Secretary for the CMI.
| Rachel Holt, Nelson | |
 Rachel
is a biologist based in Nelson. She has a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto that focused on
conservation science and the impacts on populations of living in a rapidly
changing forested landbase. She is director of Veridian Ecological
Consulting Ltd., and works primarily in BC on a variety of research topics
and application of research to management issues. Over the last few years
she has developed ecosystem-based planning approaches for the coastal
temperate rainforest as part of the Coast Information Team and produced an
Environmental Risk Assessment for Haida Gwaii as part of their land use
planning process. She has also been involved in research to define and
describe old growth forest in a wide range of biogeoclimatic variants, and
provided methodologies to improve management decisions relating to retention
of old growth forest in the Nelson Region. A recent report highlights some
of the endangered forests of the inland temperate rainforest. Her goal is to
improve the science of forest management and to increase appropriate
application of that science in decision-making.
Rachel hopes her time on the CMI board will provide opportunities to this end.
You can find out more about
Rachel's work at her website:
www.veridianecological.ca .
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Mike Miller |
 Mike
Miller is a consulting biologist and photographer based in Revelstoke. He
got his first hit of nature while wandering as a boy through the elephant-
and gaur-infested Nilgiri Hills of southwestern India, where he had the good
luck to been born and raised. After completing his Ph.D. in population
ecology at the University of Victoria, Mike migrated to the Columbia
Mountains in search of deeper snow, bigger rivers, and a quieter life. A
trained botanist and plant demographer, Mike’s primary focus has been on the
conservation and management of plant species at risk. He has authored
numerous COSEWIC status reports and SARA-compliant recovery strategies for
plants, including the national multi-species recovery strategy for vernal
pool plants at risk in Garry oak and associated ecosystems. His other
research interests include the control and management of invasive alien
species, and the impacts of climate change on alpine communities. |
Paul Sneed, Castlegar |
| Coming soon.... | | Chris Steeger, Nelson | After finishing high school in Germany and taking a year at the Academy for Philosophy in Munich, Chris moved to British Columbia. He continued his education at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby where he completed a B.Sc. and an M.Sc. in Biological Sciences. His master thesis focused on the reproductive ecology of Kootenay ospreys. In 1991, together with his partner Marlene Machmer, Chris co-founded Pandion Ecological Research Ltd., a consulting and research company located in Nelson. For the last ten years, he has been working at Pandion as a director, manager and professional biologist. Recently, Chris has focused his technical work on research and management of wildlife trees and stand-level forest biodiversity. He has been involved in the development and delivery of the provincial wildlife/danger tree assessor’s course and has worked with numerous organizations and forest companies on wildlife tree retention strategies. Other aspects of his work include wildlife ecology and management, conservation biology and forest health management, and their applications to operational forestry. | Del Williams, Revelstoke |  Del grew up in Revelstoke, left for work and schooling, and returned in 1996 to work as a Professional Forester for the Revelstoke Community Forest Corporation. His educational background includes a B.S.F. degree from UBC (1984), a diploma in forestry from B.C.I.T. (1978) as well as a random smattering of resources management and environmental economics courses from the University of Victoria. Work history has mainly been related to the practice of forestry within British Columbia, including 10 years as silviculturalist for the Queen Charlotte Islands. Since returning to Revelstoke, Del has been active in developing wildlife-friendly alternative silviculture systems.
Del has been involved in a number of organizations including Scouting, Queen Charlotte Islands Hospital Board, and is presently a member of the North Kootenay Caribou Recovery Implementation Group. He is a member in good standing of the Association of BC Professional Foresters. With his family, Del actively participates in non-motorized outdoor activities in the Columbia Mountains. Del is currently Treasurer for the CMI.
| Brendan Wilson, Winlaw |  Originally from the Bow Valley in Alberta, Brendan continues to explore a life-long interest in subalpine and timberline forest communities in the Columbia Basin. He completed a B.Sc. in applied environmental biology at the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia. His
Honours thesis investigated the effect of selective harvesting on understory plant communities in an Australian subalpine forest. Back in the Alberta Rockies, Brendan examined the regeneration dynamics of alpine larch for his doctoral work at the University of Alberta. Brendan currently teaches in the School of Renewable Resources at Selkirk College in Castlegar. BC.
Brendan Wilson is currently President of the Columbia Mountains Institute of Applied Ecology.
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