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THE BIWEEKLY
SEPTEMBER 15, 2025
Published by the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists
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The
2025 ASPB Conference
at the
Banff Springs Hotel
IS NOW OVER 75% SOLD OUT!
CONFERENCE WEBPAGE
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JOIN US
FOR A REGIONAL CELEBRATION!
The next edition of the ASPB's
50th Anniversary
Regional Celebrations for Members
will take place Tuesday, September 30th at
The Whiskey District
in
MEDICINE HAT
from 5:30 pm onwards!
The address is: 12 Gehring Rd SW, and the RSVP Link/ Registration is live on the WEBSITE
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WE'RE EASY TO FIND!
Need to reach out to someone at the ASPB about its current and future conferences? We have a new conference email address: ccp@aspb.ab.ca
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Field Law Community Fund
program is now open
The Field Law Community Fund Program is now accepting applications. With this year’s awards, the program will reach $1,000,000 in funding since its launch, with $85,000 in funding available this year for distribution across Alberta and the Northwest Territories. Field Law invites local individuals, projects, and causes to apply for this opportunity. For more information please go HERE
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ASPB JOB BOARD
Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control
Environmental Manager
Intermediate Environmental Planner
Junior & Intermediate Environmental Specialists
FJMC Resource Biologist
Site Investigation & Remediation
Senior Environmental Scientist - Risk Assessment
Intermediate Wetland/Wildlife Biologist
Junior & Intermediate Environmental Specialists
First Nation Field Assistant for Fish Habitat Assessments
Environmental Regulatory & Permitting Specialist
Intermediate Fisheries Biologist
Senior Aquatic Project Manager
FIND INFORMATION ON
THESE AND OTHER POSITIONS ON THE
JOB BOARD
PLEASE NOTE:
The ASPB provides this job board as a service to connect biologist employers with our membership. While postings are periodically reviewed for relevance, the ASPB does not guarantee the accuracy, legitimacy, or suitability of any employer or position and does not endorse or promote any company, organization, or opportunity listed. Always conduct your own due diligence as it is the sole responsibility of job seekers to research and verify the legitimacy of employers in whom they are interested.
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Reaching out to the future
The ASPB would like to build a province-wide roster of potential speakers who would be willing to speak to students (secondary or post-secondary) who have expressed an interest in learning more about the study and practice of biology.
The ASPB will work with schools and colleges to develop and host panel discussions or even “speed-networking” sessions at school events. We are looking for professional biologists who are passionate about their choice of occupation and who delight in sharing that passion, in the spirit of growing a broader connection between youthful enthusiasm and professional dedication. Please contact the ASPB’s Regulatory Manager Jessica Koehli to learn more.
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Environmental law in focus
Alberta's Environmental Law Centre
Join this three-part webinar series on habitat law and management, and water law, in Alberta. Each part will consist of a short webinar dealing with a specific aspect of the law, followed by a question-and-answer portion where you can ask an ELC lawyer your questions related to this topic.
The ‘Environmental Law in Focus’ mini-webinar series targets key environmental law and policy issues with a focus on building understanding, exploring the possibilities, and promoting law reform. The fall series focuses on habitat and water: two ongoing areas of environmental challenges. Join us for our bite-sized webinars (to go along with lunch).
Click the button below to register and get more details.
Register here
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The architecture of trees
in temperate regions
First published in French, this book by Quebec scientist Jeanne Millet, The architecture of trees in temperate regions: Its history, concepts, and uses, is now available in English. It is available through the Société internationale d'arboriculture Québec inc.:
https://siaq.org/fr/boutique/the-architecture-of-trees-in-temperate-regions/
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SEMINARS, WEBINARS & COURSES
OCTOBER
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Wetland Knowledge Exchange Webinar
Katerina Sofos will present Road Impact Wetland Health Assessments in Northern British Columbia. This event on October 21 2025,is part of the Wetland Knowledge Exchange’s monthly webinar series, which aims to help increase information sharing and foster collaboration amongst diverse stakeholders interested in wetland management, conservation and reclamation. Registration for this free webinar can be found HERE.
Trace Associates' Disaster Forum 2025
October 28-30, 2025
Kananaskis, AB
Transboundary Grassland Partnership Workshop
November 5-6, 2025
Milk River, AB
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DFO
Fall Learning Series:
Projects Near Water
There will be four presentations delivered in the Fall Learning Series, each one unique while building from the previous session. To attend any of the sessions, click on the respective date link and allow the link to open in your web browser (please use Chrome or Edge)
1. DFO’s organization, legislation, and an in-depth review of DFO’s Project’s Near Water Website highlighting resources/tools available
October 22, 2025 Join the meeting now
2. Thorough overview of the Request for a Project Review form and information requirements
October 29, 2025 Join the meeting now
3. Detailed review of the Application for Authorization/Permit form and Application Process
November 5, 2025 Join the meeting now
4. Duty to consult
November 12, 2025 Join the meeting now
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KEEPING TRACK
with
FIERA BIOLOGICAL CONSULTING
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The Wildlife Society Conference One-day Track & Sign Certification Workshop — Oct. 5, 2025, Edmonton
Attendees of The Wildlife Society Conference in Edmonton, AB, from October 5 to 8, 2025, have the option of attending at a reduced rate.
Join us for a one-day (8-hour) tracking certification workshop that will include an examination of wildlife tracks and sign, interpretation of wildlife movement and behaviour from tracks, and much more! Register through The Wildlife Society Conference website.
Learn more here
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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GRF
Grassland Restoration Forum
Website grasslandrestorationforum.ca
Grassland Restoration Forum’s Fall Industry Tour 2025
October 1, 2025
A great opportunity to network with those involved in grassland restoration and learn from what others are doing. Cost: $180. Please bring your own lunch. Bus transportation provided.
Details HERE
GRF Fall Information Session
"Home on the Range: Our Commitment to Grassland Restoration"
The one day Fall Information Session gathers a variety of industry and grassland stakeholders to exchange current information on grassland restoration and conservation through a variety of presentations, panel discussions and mini updates. - November 20, 2025 8:30 – 16:30 at the Claresholm Community Hall.
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Alberta’s Biology Legends:
OUR PEOPLE
AND A HALF-CENTURY OF EXCELLENCE
Chris Fisher, co-author of Birds of Alberta, will address the ASPB’s fiftieth anniversary conference in late November. Fisher contends that Alberta’s identity is unusually informed by the natural world and - in turn - the character of the land has influenced the province’s individual and social culture. His address (titled Alberta’s Biology Legends) will explore the people, professions and passions that have determined our province’s growth towards nature.
As we celebrate the ASPB's fiftieth anniversary, we want to celebrate our profession with all the people who live and work in our province. As our province has grown, so has membership in our society, which currently sits at over 3000 registered professionals. Over the next six months, the ASPB staff and board have committed to talking about our ASPB people, celebrating their commitment and service to our society, the profession, and our province. We will endeavour to carry at least two or three short personal histories - and maybe even some photos - in each edition of THE BIWEEKLY, through December 2025. (They will be presented in no particular order!)
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Donald Thompson
Don Thompson graduated with an Honours B.Sc. in Zoology from the University of Alberta in 1974, an M.Sc. in Zoology and Forestry from the University of Toronto in 1976, and he holds an Executive MBA from Western University. Also in 1976, Don began his career with Renewable Resource Consulting services Ltd. in Edmonton, headed by Ron Yakimchuck and Glen Semenchuck, two of the founders of the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists.
The impetus for the creation of the ASPB lay in the fact that, during the mid-1970’s, legislation with respect to Environmental Impact Assessment was in its infancy. Project proponents at that time would generally simply turn to the Project Engineering firms undertaking the design work to also complete the required EIA’s.
This, of course, sat with Biologists exactly the way it would sit with Engineers if Biologists were asked to design a bridge!! Thus the concept of a “Professional” Biologist was born and the ASPB formed. Don joined the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists in 1977 and continues as a Member today – a period of some 48 years. He served on the Board of Directors of the ASPB for many years – primarily as Secretary. During the early part of his tenure, he was greatly assisted by his first wife, Peggy Thompson who passed away from cancer in 1984. (The ASPB honoured Peggy’s contributions to the Profession through the creation of the annual Peggy Thompson Publication Award.)
Don, an avid golfer, gardener and traveller, retired from full time work in January, 2015.
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Brian Bietz
Brian Bietz writes about belonging to the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists: “I believe that I have been in the ASPB for forty-three years, (but) someone please check my math: a chemist I know pointed out that biologists are just chemists who are lousy at math!”
After grad school, Brian moved back to Alberta in 1981 and joined the ASPB in 1982. Forty-three years later, he acknowledges that he is “still working on projects, including assessing their environmental effects,” so he still considers himself to be an active professional biologist.
Brian began his professional career in 1973, working as a biologist on the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline. He took a brief sojourn from 1976 to 1980 to earn his PhD in Behavioural Ecology from Western University. “Since then I have worked on environmental issues -- pretty much continuously -- first as part of the environmental assessment teams at a couple of large engineering firms, then as a Board Member at the ERCB and as Chair of the NRCB, where I had the opportunity to author a number of rules and directives that addressed broader environmental issues. With respect to activities as part of the ASPB, I have served as Chair of the Registration Committee, then Registrar, and most recently as Chair of the Discipline Committee.”
Continue Reading Here
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Karoliina Munter
Karoliina Munter writes: "I volunteered actively for ASPB from 2007 to 2019, first serving on the Professional Development Committee from 2007 to 2012, before becoming the President Elect 2012-2013, President 2013-2014, and Past President 2013-2014. I also served as a Director at Large from 2015 to 2019.
"I have continued to work as an environmental consultant in various roles and as a volunteer for the Ghost Watershed Alliance Society. Volunteering for the ASPB's Professional Development Committee helped me network and connect with other biologists as a newcomer to Canada. Serving on the ASPB Board was a great opportunity to learn about professional regulation and how a board works.
"The ASPB was going through some major transitions during my Board terms, including the introduction of membership categories, shifting to policy governance, and changes in staffing as the organization grew and matured. I am grateful to have been part of these shifts!"
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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):
Over a Decade Later, Soil Carbon Stores in Boreal Forests are Resistant to Extensive Tree Mortality
BC-public-service-workers-vote-to-strike-issue-72-hour-notice/
What Compels People to Take Action for Nature: A Case Study of the Crowsnest Pass Conditions, Strategies, and Lessons for Conservation
Decoupling Patterns and Drivers of Macrozoobenthos Taxonomic and Functional Diversity to Wetland Chronosequences in Coal Mining Subsidence Areas
The importance of hydrogeomorphic setting for total mercury and methylmercury export from fen wetlands in western Canada
Tigers on the Prowl: Determining the Distribution and Habitat Requirements of Eastern Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) in Manitoba
Productive yet wild: Reconciling timber harvesting and small mammal conservation via understory protection harvesting in managed boreal landscapes of Alberta …
Radiocarbon evidence of river transport and food web uptake of old carbon in Lake Athabasca, Canada
2024 Prairie Canada Piping Plover Census: Saskatchewan Results
Shifting Waters: A 41-Year Time-Series Analysis of Surface Water Change in the Prairie Pothole Region
Effect of Prescribed Fire on Microbial Indicators of Soil Biogeochemistry in a Mixed-Grass Prairie
Distribution Notes on Some Mammals of the Battlefords Region, Saskatchewan
Altered behaviour and transmission ecology of fluke-infected zombie ants
The bison are back in town
Sacks of seeds without the sex
The race to defend Oceania against H5N1
Threatened frog species on the road to recovery in Alberta
Don’t rely on stashing carbon underground
Proactive conservation is essential—but not sufficient: why biodiversity still needs species-specific protections
Snakes, Fences, and Temperature Extremes: Subsurface Artificial Refugia Provide Escape from Heat
Abundance and distribution of birds from comprehensive surveys of the Canadian Arctic, 1994–2018
AI could reshape how Canada’s government serves its people
New research indicates caribou populations could decline 80 per cent by 2100
Wild Ungulate Detections Using RPAS and Satellite Imagery in Manitoba
Anemonin is one of two anti-mitotic activities present in extracts from the Canadian Prairie Crocus, Pulsatilla nuttalliana
Bovine SNP array-based genetic assessment of American plains bison at American Prairie
Predicting community interactions under grizzly bear rewilding and anthropogenic change
Genomic and Transcriptomic Analysis of the Whirling Disease-Resistant Gunnison River Rainbow Trout
Seismic Lines Are Associated With Enhanced Ground Layer Evapotranspiration in Peatlands
Home Sweet Temporary Home: Patch Use by Unpaired Gray Hawks in a Highly Fragmented, Rapidly Changing Landscape
Phytoplankton ecology in a demonstration boreal oil sands pit lake
Nemabiome metabarcoding of wild conservation bison herds and co-grazing cattle reveals different species compositions and low-level benzimidazole resistance.
Climate, topography, or fuels? Top‐down versus bottom‐up controls on fire refugia across British Columbia, Canada
How to future-proof European agriculture
Investigating boreal forest successional stages in Alaska and Northwest Canada using UAV‐LiDAR and RGB and a community detection network
Linking landscape structure to woodland caribou density using non-invasive spatial capture-recapture
Archaeology in Alberta's Eastern Slopes
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This week’s banner photo:
It's the little things in life...
"I like to find these small mushrooms amongst the moss, because taking pictures like this gives me a sense of how some of the smallest creatures see our giant world."
Taken by Victoria Adams-Parsons with a Nikon D5600 DSLR camera at a work site in northern Alberta. "As biologists we get to see plants and animals differently than most people, and start to understand how the world works around us."
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.
2025
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