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THE BIWEEKLY
FEBRUARY 1, 2026
Published by the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists
| | Tanya Debroux, P. Biol., R.P.Bio., took this photo with a Samsung Galaxy S24 smartphone and entered it into the ASPB Annual Photo Contest. She writes: Different technologies help biologists see the world in a different light. In this case, a nocturnal beach walk of the intertidal zone using a UV light reveals a stunning landscape and creatures that can biofluoresce. | | |
Clarification: "Urban Merlin"
was a Cooper’s Hawk
Only three of our readers wrote in with comments on a bird identification error on the banner photo titled "Urban Merlin" in the January 15, 2026 edition of the BIWEEKLY. We went to a source outside the conference attendance list (a biologist and bird specialist with some fifty years of professional field experience on the Canadian prairies) who verified that the "Urban Merlin" in the photo was, in fact, a Cooper's Hawk.
Our source commented that, in this case, the photographer had more than excelled in capturing a fleeting moment in an unfolding drama. "The image radiates the flicker’s fear for its life and the power and determination of the hawk in its stare and posture. The name of the hawk seems quite secondary to the intensity that the image evokes... I think the photographer did his job, splendidly, though it is regrettable that the reviewers failed to do their job by catching the error."
"(However) it is difficult to find accurate and concise explanations of how to identify the small hawks that are found in urban settings like Calgary. It seems that biologists who deal with birds, and bird watchers, have grasped the basic differences that can easily confuse the general public, and more details are often needed for a proper identification. For example, the hawk’s behaviour is a key feature for proper identification."
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At the ASPB, we regularly receive notifications from Google Scholar and other sources, which we select and share below in the BIWEEKLY. Here is the latest batch (the links are HOT):
Intelligent tinkering: Do active restoration treatments promote initial ecosystem recovery after narrow linear disturbances in forested boreal fens?
Paper to PDF: Gent and Liu Fill 30-year gap in Rare Bird Records
Assessing Glyphosate Impacts on Fire Occurrence in Alberta's Foothills and Boreal Forests
Call-for-online-land-based-learning/
Managing Urban Development for Biodiversity: A Cross-Country Analysis of Local Planning Practices
Integrating eDNA, molecular cercariometry, and snail surveys enhances characterization of digenetic trematode diversity
Determining plant responses to metal contamination: implications for restoration
https://healthywildlife.ca/highly-pathogenic-avian-influenza-virus-in-endangered-whooping-cranes/
Synergistic plant-microbe interactions drive the remediation of naphthenic acid fractional compounds in a constructed wetland mesocosm
Tree defenses, host choice, and reproductive success of a native bark beetle under novel outbreak conditions
Canada's dismantled safeguards threaten salmon
Species Loss Scenarios Identify Canada's Northern Ecosystems as Disproportionately Vulnerable
Feral Horses and Native Ungulates: Evaluating the Potential for Competition in Predator–Prey Communities of Alberta's Upper Foothills
Biotic Responses to Fire Disturbance in Canada
Effects of water table depth and fluctuations on Sphagnum palustre growth and plant community succession in subtropical mountainous Sphagnum peatlands: insights …
Living on Winter's Edge: Snow Ecology of Large Mammals in Northern Ecosystems
The role of trust in wildlife damage response systems: One step towards coexistence between livestock farming and large carnivores?
Testing the ability of distribution models to map rare plant communities in Waterton Lakes National Park
The Athabasca River regulates methylmercury burdens of waterbirds breeding downstream
Era-of-global-water-bankruptcy-is-here-un-report-says
Clever cow uses tools for the best scratch
Ocean Chlorophyll-a Concentration and the Extension of the Migration of Franklin's Gulls (Leucophaeus pipixcan) in Southern South America
Potato Early Dying (PED) in Alberta, Canada: Insights into Causal Agents and Implications for Yield Loss
Climate change and behavioural plasticity: Migration, parturition and phenological mismatch in northern Rockies elk
Toxicity of Oil Sands Process-Affected Water to Early Life Stage Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
Investigating Abiotic and Biotic Vertical Structures as a Potential Revegetation Strategy for Semi-Arid Subarctic Mine Sites, in Central Yukon Territory, Canada
Ecogeographical variation in black bear (Ursus americanus) colourmorphs suggests sex-selective support for Gloger's rule
Multi‐scale considerations for identifying and managing climate‐change refugia in grassland ecosystems
Landscape associations and population genetics of a generalist carnivore at a range limit
Lichens of Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta
Reproductive status opf fathead minnows exposed to a combined municipal and agro-industrial effluent
Rare plant detection methods and their application to the Canadian context
Human Encroachment and Sea-level Rise are Predicted to Reduce Habitat Available to an Endangered Falcon Population
Morphological, Morphometrical, Molecular Characterization, and Phylogenetic Relationship of Paratylenchus holdemani from Kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) …
Mountain goat declines in a protected, interior, native population
A Comprehensive Review of Remote Sensing in Wetland Classification and Mapping: Current progress and future
Fish presence alters amphibian and zooplankton communities in kettle lakes, but not hydrological connectivity
An Energetic Tradeoff Best Explains Parturition Timing in Grizzly Bears
Practices for Braiding Indigenous Knowledges and Western Sciences for Research and Monitoring of Biodiversity in Canada
LiDAR‐derived forest inventory data to map and quantify ecologically important large trees across large spatial extents
An AI model can outperform the world’s best mathematicians while still being stumped by the number of “r”s in “strawberry”
Prairie Dog Ecology
Diets, dominance hierarchies, and kleptoparasitism drive asymmetrical interactions between wolves and cougars
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Alberta’s Biology Legends:
OUR PEOPLE AND A HALF-CENTURY OF EXCELLENCE
As we move beyond the ASPB's fiftieth anniversary, we have continued celebrating our profession and its people, publishing short personal reflections submitted by members who have served the society over many years; Mark Polet's synopsis below concludes this series.
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Maynard (Mark) Polet
My career as biologist has spanned from 1977 to the present, covering the full arc of applied biology. After graduating from the University of Alberta, I began with Alberta Fish & Wildlife before moving into industry with Gulf Canada. Early on, I realized that being an applied biologist required far broader expertise than my training in aquatic invertebrates, so I pursued postgraduate studies in Environmental Science and Technology in Delft, the Netherlands.
Over the years I worked with consulting firms, industry leaders, and government, contributing to major projects such as Gulf Canada’s Hanlan Robb development, one of the first where environmental inspectors were embedded in construction.
My career also took me abroad to lead environmental information system operations in Europe before returning to Canada as Vice-President of Operations with the Alberta Special Waste Management Corporation.
Later, I built and sold a consulting firm, ran Western Canada’s largest composting operation, and worked with Klohn Crippen Berger to establish their EIA practice and serve as an expert witness.
Since 2013, I have continued to act as a senior reviewer on large environmental projects, but my primary focus is now on charitable work. I integrate faith, science, and local knowledge to address restoration in a holistic way, recognizing the deep connections between environmental poverty, socio-economic poverty, and spiritual barrenness. This work has taken me to fourteen countries, where I have had the privilege of working with communities and speaking on restoration.
One of the highlights of my time as a biologist was seeing the Gulf Canada Hanlan Robb project through, from field work through EIA approvals, construction, reclamation and into operations. I was one of the first environmental inspectors assigned to a construction project where, initially, I met with a bit of resistance, including some very colourful language directed my way and some shots fired at me. Eventually, though, I think all of us gained respect, and at the end of the project I was heading up the field construction component. The project, to me, was an allegory of applied biologists carving a niche in the industry.
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Too much of a good thing:
Pay attention to SaaS
According to Rick Dyck of Iron Oak IT (the folks who take care of the ASPB’s computer equipment), organizations may be drowning in productivity tools and becoming less productive. The irony is that while all those new apps may be designed to make work easier, we need to be aware that more tools don’t necessarily equal better performance.
“Software as a Service (SaaS) sprawl usually isn’t the result of bad intentions—it’s often the result of good people trying to solve real problems quickly,” says a report from the IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV). And, according to a 2024 productiv report, a whopping 48% of enterprise applications are unmanaged, with nobody specifically assigned to monitor and audit usage, security, licenses, renewals, vulnerabilities and other particulars. That lack of proper, intentional oversight and integration very often shows up in the form of SaaS sprawl.
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Call for Judges!
Calgary Youth Science Fair 2026
Friday April 10 7AM to Noon. University of Calgary Olympic Oval
Join us in supporting Calgary’s youth and be inspired by our young scientists. Join a dynamic community of volunteer judges for this fun and rewarding opportunity. Parking and breakfast provided. You will be provided webinar training and plenty of support on Fair day.
Register at: CYSF Judging
Learn More: www.cysf.org - Judge
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SEMINARS, WEBINARS & COURSES
FEBRUARY
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Wetland mapping webinar,
methods tailored to Alberta
In 2020, the Government of Alberta published standards for wetland mapping in the province, including requirements for minimum mapping unit, classification accuracy, and classification detail. Recent advancements in remote sensing methods and Earth observation data present encouraging avenues for meeting these standards.
Join DUC and ABMI on February 5 for a webinar on a collaborative project to pilot and refine state-of-the-art wetland mapping methods tailored to Alberta's boreal, parkland, and grassland zones for the Government of Alberta. Using machine and deep learning, Earth observation datasets, lidar data, and wetland surveys, the project team tested multiple approaches to accurately map wetlands. Register at the link above; as always, a recording will also be made available on the ABMI YouTube channel.
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Year in Review Sessions
Will be Held in February
Field Law's Year in Review sessions provide key legal updates on topics like off-duty conduct terminations, employee privacy, and changes to the Occupational Health + Safety Code.
This year, the complimentary courses will focus on how 2025's legal developments will shape your business in 2026. Part 1 focuses on Labour, Employment, and Privacy, and Part 2 focuses on Occupational Health and Safety, Human Rights, and Artificial Intelligence.
For full session information and dates, please go HERE.
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The role of plant-plant interactions
in vegetation communities
Join ABMI's vegetation ecologist, Emily Holden, for a webinar on February 17, 2026 hosted by the Grassland Restoration Forum, all about the role of plant-plant interactions in vegetation communities.
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SEMINARS, WEBINARS & COURSES
MARCH
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Rangeland Sustainability Program
This one day, classroom-based course from the Grassland Restoration Forum presents the theory behind Alberta’s prairie and foothills Range Plant Community Guides and guided practice using them. It will take place on Thursday March 26th, 2026, 10:00 – 16:30, at the Glenbow Ranch Schoolhouse at Cochrane.
Registration $250 per person. Maximum 30 registrants. Limited student registration at $100 per person. Register on-line (via Paypal) at www.grasslandrestorationforum.ca
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SEMINARS, WEBINARS & COURSES
APRIL
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Fishes of Alberta
Field Identification Workshops
April 18, 2026 (Edmonton)
May 2, 2026 (Calgary)
This popular workshop is delivered by Shona Derlukewich (“School of Fish”) and guides participants through the fundamental morphological traits, geographic distribution, and habitat preferences of fish found in Alberta.
The course is designed to benefit anyone interested in fisheries, at all experience levels, from those just getting started to seasoned experts. The Alberta Field Guide is included in the workshop.
This course will be held at MacEwan University on Saturday afternoon, April 18, 2026., and also at Mount Royal University on Saturday afternoon May 2, 2026. Specific details will be provided for paid participants; the cost is $175 per student, and payment is due BEFORE the workshop. Credit cards are subject to a 3.5% service charge; you can also E-transfer to derlukew@ualberta.ca. Cell phone: 780-722-9884. Email: derlukew@ualberta.ca
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SEMINARS, WEBINARS & COURSES
MAY
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2026 Alberta Soils Tour:
Exploring Palliser's Triangle
The Alberta Soils Tour, presented on May 27 through May 29, 2026 by the Alberta Soil Science Workshop Organizing Committee, is an excellent training opportunity for those working with soils, whether the focus is soil conservation, land reclamation, or agronomy. Experts will provide background on soil formation and the various soil profiles for each of the landscapes encountered during the tour. The tour provides hands-on field opportunities for professional development, learning, and collaboration.
The 2026 Alberta Soils Tour would require two or three overnight stays in Medicine Hat, AB. To book your accommodation, or to see the tour poster, please visit http://www.soilsworkshop.ab.ca/tour.html
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: May 01, 2026
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KEEPING TRACK
with
FIERA BIOLOGICAL CONSULTING
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Track & Sign Certification — Feb. 7 & 8, 2026, Prince Albert National Park, Saskatchewan
Ages 18+ | Register by Jan. 18 | Limited space
Join us for this exploration of Saskatchewan’s boreal forests, frozen lakes, and snow-covered wetlands through the lens of wildlife track & sign identification and interpretation. This 2-day field-based workshop offers participants the opportunity to earn certifications in Track & Sign, ranging from Level 1 to Professional (Level 4). All abilities welcome.
Learn more and register here
Track & Sign Specialist Certification — May 23 & 24, 2026, Lardeau Valley, British Columbia
This 2-day field-based workshop offers participants the opportunity to earn a Track & Sign Specialist Certification, the highest level of Track & Sign certification available within the CyberTracker system. Sage Raymond and David Moskowitz will lead the Workshop. This workshop is meant for expert trackers.
Learn more here
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RECENT
EMPLOYMENT POSTINGS
Wildlife Biologist
Summer Field Technician
Intermediate Biologists
Intermediate/Senior Environmental Professional.
Lake Watch Technician (seasonal)
Environmental Planning & Regulatory Discipline Lead
Intermediate Environmental GIS Technician
Intermediate Aquatics Biologist
Intermediate Wetland/Wildlife Biologist
Senior Wildlife Manager
Intermediate Aquatics Biologist
Junior / Intermediate Environmental Scientist
1-2 summer full-time Wildlife Technician positions, apply by February 28
Intermediate or Senior Wildlife Biologist
Intermediate or Senior Vegetation & Wetland Ecologist
Intermediate or Senior Aquatics Biologist
FIND INFORMATION ON
THESE AND OTHER POSITIONS, GO TO THE
JOB BOARD
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This week’s banner photo:
BIOFLUORESCENCE
Tanya Debroux, P. Biol., R.P.Bio., took this photo with a
Samsung Galaxy S24 smartphone.
PROFESSIONAL BIOLOGISTS PROTECT THE PUBLIC INTEREST
In Alberta, Professional Biologists are registrants of the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists (ASPB), and are subject to a code of ethics, continuing competency requirements, and a disciplinary process. The ASPB is a self-regulated organization under legislation in the Province of Alberta, meaning its purpose is to protect the public of Alberta by ensuring biologists are qualified to practice biology in accordance with that legislation. The society is governed by a Board of Directors elected by its registrants.
You are probably receiving this newsletter because you are an ASPB Registrant. This newsletter provides relevant information and professional development opportunities for our members, as well as essential member-related society business; if you are registered with the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists, please DO NOT unsubscribe.
For more information about the Society or to contact the administration, please visit the website: https://www.aspb.ab.ca
Opinions and general news published in this e-newsletter
do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the Society or its Board of Directors.
2026
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