2022 Executive
- President - Julie Kanya
- President-elect - Alexia Constantinou
- Treasurer - Bill Harrower
- Secretary - Rod Davis
- Director - Student Liaison: Agnes Pelletier
- Director - Newsletter: Alex Ritz
- Director - Communications: Cayla Naumann
- Director - Jason Fisher
Julie Kanya - 2022 President
Previous: Director (Communications)
Julie has been involved with the BC Chapter of TWS since 2017, originally joining TWS to gain more exposure to wildlife professional as an early career professional. She has worked as a public servant focusing on sustainability, natural areas, and environmental protection for the City of Abbotsford and City of Coquitlam as well as in the NGO sector as a stewardship coordinator for a park association.
She is passionate about local wildlife, habitat and ecosystems, particularly in inspiring community members to enhance their lifestyles in manner that benefits both themselves, their families and the local ecosystem (e.g. through stewardship activities, wildlife attractant management, etc.). In addition to wildlife conflict management Julie's skillset also encompasses media relations, conflict resolution, public consultation, research, reporting and data analysis. She hopes to use these skills in her new president-elect role with BCTWS to support reconnection of wildlife professionals post-covid. Outside of the office she's most often biking, trail running, skiing, hiking, camping and generally enjoying the great outdoors followed by a visit to a local brewery!
Previous: Director (Communications)
Julie has been involved with the BC Chapter of TWS since 2017, originally joining TWS to gain more exposure to wildlife professional as an early career professional. She has worked as a public servant focusing on sustainability, natural areas, and environmental protection for the City of Abbotsford and City of Coquitlam as well as in the NGO sector as a stewardship coordinator for a park association.
She is passionate about local wildlife, habitat and ecosystems, particularly in inspiring community members to enhance their lifestyles in manner that benefits both themselves, their families and the local ecosystem (e.g. through stewardship activities, wildlife attractant management, etc.). In addition to wildlife conflict management Julie's skillset also encompasses media relations, conflict resolution, public consultation, research, reporting and data analysis. She hopes to use these skills in her new president-elect role with BCTWS to support reconnection of wildlife professionals post-covid. Outside of the office she's most often biking, trail running, skiing, hiking, camping and generally enjoying the great outdoors followed by a visit to a local brewery!
Alexia Constantinou - President Elect
Alexia is a MSc student in the Wildlife Coexistence and Belowground Ecology Labs in the Faculty of Forestry at the University of British Columbia. Her work focuses on the relationship between forest harvesting and wildlife – she operates camera traps in the Kootenays, Cariboo and Nechako regions for medium- to large-sized mammals, and is also pairing camera traps with the live trapping of small mammals at her most northern site. Alexia is collaborating with First Nations in the Interior who are also interested in exploring camera traps and the effects of different partial retention forest harvesting methods on wildlife. Her interests include improving sustainable forest harvesting via holistic ecosystem management and consideration for wildlife, particularly with First Nations partnerships and perspectives. Alexia has worked in research, as a forest tech and as a wilderness canoe tripping guide. When she is not working on her project, you can find her with skis on or a paddle in hand. Alexia is also currently teaching Wildlife Ecology and Management in the Fisheries, Wildlife and Recreation program at BCIT.
Alexia is a MSc student in the Wildlife Coexistence and Belowground Ecology Labs in the Faculty of Forestry at the University of British Columbia. Her work focuses on the relationship between forest harvesting and wildlife – she operates camera traps in the Kootenays, Cariboo and Nechako regions for medium- to large-sized mammals, and is also pairing camera traps with the live trapping of small mammals at her most northern site. Alexia is collaborating with First Nations in the Interior who are also interested in exploring camera traps and the effects of different partial retention forest harvesting methods on wildlife. Her interests include improving sustainable forest harvesting via holistic ecosystem management and consideration for wildlife, particularly with First Nations partnerships and perspectives. Alexia has worked in research, as a forest tech and as a wilderness canoe tripping guide. When she is not working on her project, you can find her with skis on or a paddle in hand. Alexia is also currently teaching Wildlife Ecology and Management in the Fisheries, Wildlife and Recreation program at BCIT.
Bill Harrower - Treasurer
(Past - President 2020)
Bill has been conducting applied research of wildlife in British Columbia in British Columbia for 20+ years. Each project focused on how to improve conservation and management of rare species or ecosystems typically of carnivores. He has helped run major field projects on wolverine in northern BC, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in the US, and helped run field projects for Fisher in Dawson Creek. Bill also played a major role in research on Northern Goshawks in the East Kootenays and worked in close collaboration with other project in northern BC and coastal BC. These projects provided key data supporting two major management documents outlining Best Management Practices for northern goshawks. Bill recently completed a long-term experimental study on trophic cascades in grasslands including collecting extensive data sets on songbirds, small mammals, plants and insects, and continues to work to conserve wildlife habitat and preserve hunting, fishing, and trapping opportunities in British Columbia and beyond. His current projects include ecology and conservation of sockeye impacted by hydroelectric dams, wolverine diet and population genetics with the Yukon and BC Governments, population genetics of fisher, grazing impacts of restored bison populations in the Yukon and new long-term projects on landscape connectivity for lynx in northern BC.
(Past - President 2020)
Bill has been conducting applied research of wildlife in British Columbia in British Columbia for 20+ years. Each project focused on how to improve conservation and management of rare species or ecosystems typically of carnivores. He has helped run major field projects on wolverine in northern BC, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in the US, and helped run field projects for Fisher in Dawson Creek. Bill also played a major role in research on Northern Goshawks in the East Kootenays and worked in close collaboration with other project in northern BC and coastal BC. These projects provided key data supporting two major management documents outlining Best Management Practices for northern goshawks. Bill recently completed a long-term experimental study on trophic cascades in grasslands including collecting extensive data sets on songbirds, small mammals, plants and insects, and continues to work to conserve wildlife habitat and preserve hunting, fishing, and trapping opportunities in British Columbia and beyond. His current projects include ecology and conservation of sockeye impacted by hydroelectric dams, wolverine diet and population genetics with the Yukon and BC Governments, population genetics of fisher, grazing impacts of restored bison populations in the Yukon and new long-term projects on landscape connectivity for lynx in northern BC.
Rod Davis - Secretary
Chair, Conservation Affairs Committee
Rod Davis is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the School of Environmental Studies at UVic, and a past President of the BC Chapter of The Wildlife Society. Prior experience includes a
career with the provincial government working on fish and wildlife conservation, forest and range practices, land use planning, and environmental protection. He has a PhD from the University of Victoria focused on wildlife conservation and is a Registered Professional Agrologist (re red). His interests relate to implications of resource development and climate change on wildlife and ecosystem conservation.
Chair, Conservation Affairs Committee
Rod Davis is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the School of Environmental Studies at UVic, and a past President of the BC Chapter of The Wildlife Society. Prior experience includes a
career with the provincial government working on fish and wildlife conservation, forest and range practices, land use planning, and environmental protection. He has a PhD from the University of Victoria focused on wildlife conservation and is a Registered Professional Agrologist (re red). His interests relate to implications of resource development and climate change on wildlife and ecosystem conservation.
Agnes Pelletier
Student Liaison Director
Agnès has been involved with TWS since 2010. She facilitated the creation of two student Chapters, one at Trent University (Ontario), and one at the University of Winnipeg. She has formed strong bonds with other Leadership Institute alumni, and considers that many of her professional successes are tied to people she has met through TWS. She strives to provide mentoring and networking opportunities to current Student Chapter members so that they can reach their goals in the wildlife field.
Agnès is originally from France, where she conducted her M.Sc. on migratory patterns of humpback whales and “divorce” in alpine marmots. She had a keen interest for science-based wildlife management and conservation of large mammals, so she moved to Canada to pursue a Ph.D. on gene flow patterns of American black bears at Trent University. After teaching university biology courses and developing an environmental consulting business in Winnipeg, she is now working as a wildlife biologist for the provincial government in Northeast BC.
Student Liaison Director
Agnès has been involved with TWS since 2010. She facilitated the creation of two student Chapters, one at Trent University (Ontario), and one at the University of Winnipeg. She has formed strong bonds with other Leadership Institute alumni, and considers that many of her professional successes are tied to people she has met through TWS. She strives to provide mentoring and networking opportunities to current Student Chapter members so that they can reach their goals in the wildlife field.
Agnès is originally from France, where she conducted her M.Sc. on migratory patterns of humpback whales and “divorce” in alpine marmots. She had a keen interest for science-based wildlife management and conservation of large mammals, so she moved to Canada to pursue a Ph.D. on gene flow patterns of American black bears at Trent University. After teaching university biology courses and developing an environmental consulting business in Winnipeg, she is now working as a wildlife biologist for the provincial government in Northeast BC.
Alex Ritz: Director, Newsletter
Alex moved to BC to work in forestry after having completed his Master's of Science in Forestry at Lakehead University following his Bachelor's of Science in Wildlife Biology & Conservation at the University of Guelph, both in Ontario. After a few years working throughout BC's forests, and then a few short contracts with Environment and Climate Change Canada, he is now building a business to solve human-wildlife conflicts in homes as a franchise of Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control based in Coquitlam to offer preventive solions to promote the humane eviction of wildlife from homes. Alex is keen to be a part of the BC Chapter of the Wildlife Society to connect with other wildlife professionals as a way to stay knowledgeable about wildlife issues both as a professional and as a concerned citizen.
Alex moved to BC to work in forestry after having completed his Master's of Science in Forestry at Lakehead University following his Bachelor's of Science in Wildlife Biology & Conservation at the University of Guelph, both in Ontario. After a few years working throughout BC's forests, and then a few short contracts with Environment and Climate Change Canada, he is now building a business to solve human-wildlife conflicts in homes as a franchise of Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control based in Coquitlam to offer preventive solions to promote the humane eviction of wildlife from homes. Alex is keen to be a part of the BC Chapter of the Wildlife Society to connect with other wildlife professionals as a way to stay knowledgeable about wildlife issues both as a professional and as a concerned citizen.
Cayla Naumann - Social Media Coordinator
The path to becoming a wildlife or biological professional is rarely straight, but often interesting. Cayla has a wide and varied background in biological sciences. Cayla began her introducing to The Wildlife Society by attending the annual conference in Washington State two years in a row. She completed her undergraduate and Master's degree in biology at the University of Victoria. The highlights of her university education were 6 weeks of field school in Malaysia studying tropical rainforest ecology and 6 weeks of field school studying temperate rainforest ecology at Bamfield Marine Science Centre. Since finishing her Master's degree in 2014 at the University of Victoria, in population genetics of a water mould aquaculture pathogen, she has developed a keen interest and varied background in bird biology, particularly raptors. She has worked for Wildlife Preservation Canada on their Eastern Loggerhead Shrike Recovery Program, Bird Studies Canada on their Long-billed Curlew Monitoring Program and BC Conservation Foundation monitoring for Barred and Spotted Owls. She has regularly volunteered bird banding, initially with Rocky Point Bird Observatory in Metchosin, BC and now volunteers with WildResearch at Iona Banding Station in Richmond, BC. Currently, she is based in the lower mainland working for Dillon Consulting Limited where she works on a wide variety of projects in terrestrial, aquatic and marine environments.
The path to becoming a wildlife or biological professional is rarely straight, but often interesting. Cayla has a wide and varied background in biological sciences. Cayla began her introducing to The Wildlife Society by attending the annual conference in Washington State two years in a row. She completed her undergraduate and Master's degree in biology at the University of Victoria. The highlights of her university education were 6 weeks of field school in Malaysia studying tropical rainforest ecology and 6 weeks of field school studying temperate rainforest ecology at Bamfield Marine Science Centre. Since finishing her Master's degree in 2014 at the University of Victoria, in population genetics of a water mould aquaculture pathogen, she has developed a keen interest and varied background in bird biology, particularly raptors. She has worked for Wildlife Preservation Canada on their Eastern Loggerhead Shrike Recovery Program, Bird Studies Canada on their Long-billed Curlew Monitoring Program and BC Conservation Foundation monitoring for Barred and Spotted Owls. She has regularly volunteered bird banding, initially with Rocky Point Bird Observatory in Metchosin, BC and now volunteers with WildResearch at Iona Banding Station in Richmond, BC. Currently, she is based in the lower mainland working for Dillon Consulting Limited where she works on a wide variety of projects in terrestrial, aquatic and marine environments.
Jason T Fisher - Director
Jason T Fisher (M.Sc. Ph.D.) works with wildlife across western Canada, including coastal, mountain, boreal, and arctic landscapes. Jason has a long history with The Wildlife Society; he was former Director and then President of the Alberta Chapter, and helped resurrect the BC Chapter in 2017. Jason is head of the Applied Conservation Marco Ecology (ACME) Lab at the University of Victoria’s School of Environmental Studies. Jason’s focus is on mammals and how they respond to landscape and climate change. He has worked with bears, canids, moose, deer, caribou, and mustelids, but his favourite is wolverines. He is a member of the Terrestrial Mammals Specialist Subcommittee of COSEWIC, and works with governments, industry, and agencies across Canada to translate research into effective wildlife conservation decisions. When not chasing mammals he is chasing salmon and halibut on the west coast, or that perfect moment alone on a hiking trail.
Jason T Fisher (M.Sc. Ph.D.) works with wildlife across western Canada, including coastal, mountain, boreal, and arctic landscapes. Jason has a long history with The Wildlife Society; he was former Director and then President of the Alberta Chapter, and helped resurrect the BC Chapter in 2017. Jason is head of the Applied Conservation Marco Ecology (ACME) Lab at the University of Victoria’s School of Environmental Studies. Jason’s focus is on mammals and how they respond to landscape and climate change. He has worked with bears, canids, moose, deer, caribou, and mustelids, but his favourite is wolverines. He is a member of the Terrestrial Mammals Specialist Subcommittee of COSEWIC, and works with governments, industry, and agencies across Canada to translate research into effective wildlife conservation decisions. When not chasing mammals he is chasing salmon and halibut on the west coast, or that perfect moment alone on a hiking trail.