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THE BIWEEKLY
NOVEMBER 15, 2025
Published by the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists
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ASPB Board announces
no increase in 2026 fees
The ASPB Board of Directors has decided to hold registration fees for 2026 at the same rate as 2025, so there will be no increase for the upcoming renewals. The Board has made it clear that this is a one-time decision, made possible by careful fiscal management and planning. Renewals will open December 1, 2025.
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Wetland Knowledge Exchange
Monthly Webinar Series
On November 26, 2025, Julia Shapka will make a presentation on Partnerships for Wetlands: A Case Study from Lac La Biche County, Alberta
On December 9, 2025, Eric Balke will present on Growing Pains: re-using dredged sediment for coastal marsh resilience and flood protection in the Fraser River Delta of British Columbia.
Registration links can be found here: November and December. These free webinars are part of the Wetland Knowledge Exchange’s monthly webinar series.
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ASPB JOB BOARD
Weed Inspector II
Biologist – various levels
Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control
Intermediate Biologist
Technical Lead, Landscape Ecologist
Wildlife Programs Coordinator
Environmental Manager
Intermediate Environmental Planner
Junior & Intermediate Environmental Specialists
Senior Environmental Scientist - Risk Assessment
Environmental Planner (QAES)
FIND INFORMATION ON
THESE AND OTHER POSITIONS ON THE
JOB BOARD
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Abstracts are now open
For PCESC
Registration is now open for the 2026 Prairie Conservation and Endangered Species Conference, which will take place May 5 - 7, 2026 in Saskatoon, SK. You can submit abstracts for presentations and posters (deadline is December 10th), as well as check out the tours and workshops that are also available. You can find more information here: http://prairiecesc.ca/
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Reaching out to the future
The ASPB is building a province-wide roster of professional biologists who are passionate about their choice of occupation and would delight in sharing that passion with secondary and post-secondary students who have expressed an interest in learning more about the study and practice of biology. If you are interested, please contact Jessica Koehli (the ASPB’s Regulatory Manager) at
to learn more.
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SEMINARS, WEBINARS & COURSES
NOVEMBER
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Environmental law in focus
Join this 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!)
HABITAT:
Webinar: Habitat Management on Private Lands – November 27, 2025. Register Now.
WATER:
Webinar: Water Management Planning – November 20, 2025. Register Now.
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Grassland Restoration Forum
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.
Website grasslandrestorationforum.ca
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SEMINARS, WEBINARS & COURSES
DECEMBER
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The Association of Alberta
Forest Management Professionals
presents PD events for natural resource professionals:
An AAFMP Free PD Webinar: Taking Control: How time management can reduce stress and improve your professional practice and life, with Paavo Montandon on December 9, 2025 (12:00 - 1:00 pm MST)
Register
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SEMINARS, WEBINARS & COURSES
JANUARY
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Save the Date:
The 73rd Great Plains
Fishery Workers Association Workshop
will be held in Billings, Montana, January 20 – 23, 2026. The Call for Abstracts is open! We are offering either an oral or poster option. Please fill out the submission form (https://forms.office.com/g/uJJmWMHTja) by January 2, 2026. Workshop Contact: Demi Blythe, Fisheries Division, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. |Office: (406) 247-2963 | Cell: (406) 594-0587. demi.blythe@mt.gov
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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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Alberta’s Biology Legends:
OUR PEOPLE
AND A HALF-CENTURY OF EXCELLENCE
In 2025, the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists proudly celebrates 50 years of advancing the profession of biology in Alberta and beyond. What began in 1975 with a small group of visionary founders, determined to see biology recognized as a profession, has grown into a vibrant community of more than 3,000 members. Since securing exclusive use of the Professional Biologist (P. Biol.) designation in 1991, the ASPB has continually championed integrity, accountability, and excellence in biological practice. With labour mobility across Western Canada and the upcoming transition to the Professional Governance Act, the ASPB remains firmly committed to protecting the public interest while celebrating the lasting contributions of its members to science, society, and the environment. This milestone year will be marked with special highlights and celebrations at our 50th Anniversary Annual Conference in November, hosted at the Banff Springs Hotel.
And of course, as we celebrate this fiftieth anniversary, we want to celebrate our profession and its people. In each edition of THE BIWEEKLY, through December 2025, we will publish short personal reflections of some of those who have served the society over many years . (They will be presented in no particular order!)
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Maureen Hill
I am currently working in Environmental Services at Stantec Consulting Ltd. as Vice President and Regional Business Lead for Canada West. Although I have had brief periods throughout my career working for government and industry, I have always returned to environmental consulting and have worked at Stantec for 19 years.
I live in Calgary with my family, including my husband and 16-year-old twin daughters. In 2004, I was a member of the organizing committee for the Annual Conference: Prediction to Practice: Environmental Assessment Follow Up. The conference focused on verifying environmental assessment predictions and the effectiveness of mitigation measures. It was a great experience that led me to join the Board of Directors in 2005.
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Peter May
Peter May, P. Biol., joined the ASPB in 1992 and served on the Board on or about 2006 until about 2009/2010. He writes: "I then joined the Practice Review Committee circa 2014 and took over as PRC Chair when our colleague Carol Engstrom was injured. I am still serving in that role in the ASPB.
"At work, I am the Practice Area Lead, Organizational Resilience at Trace Associates Inc. based in Calgary. I always reflect on the importance of contributing in some way to your profession and your community; I am fortunate that my life and career have been full of those opportunities, and I am proud to have been an ASPB member and able to make even small contributions."
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Nick Bartok
I first got involved with the ASPB when I moved to Calgary in April 2011. After serving on various committees, conference planning, and the board, I am somewhat retired from ASPB....for the time being, anyway!
I currently work for Western EcoSystems Technology (WEST), but based near Kingston, Ontario. I do visit Calgary regularly and I am looking forward to this year's conference!
Jeez, I have so many good memories from my ASPB involvement! I am very glad my former boss (Shawn Martin) was supportive of me becoming more involved with ASPB and I have met many wonderful people through the organization. One of my fondest memories is being awarded with the Volunteer of the Year Award, alongside Charles MacMichael. Being part of the conferences, including being on the planning committees over the years, and Chair one year, was always an amazing experience; I am glad we finally got a conference at Lake Louise!
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The ASPB has a great mandate, one that I wish was more established across the country!
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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):
Values-Based Approaches to Intercultural Conservation Around Lac La Ronge, Saskatchewan
Auditory perception and the ecology of human–nature interactions: Effects of hearing loss on listening to birdsong
Using data from camera traps and autonomous recording units to evaluate and improve species-habitat inferences
Real-World Assessment Shows Outsized Benefits of Shrouds on Reducing Emissions from Low-Flow Utility Oil and Gas Flares in North American Oil and Gas Basin
Ageing dogs and wolves using x-ray micro-computed tomography (μ-CT): an application to canid remains from the Junction Site, Alberta, Canada
Multitrophic interactions involving entomopathogenic nematodes applied against pine weevils in a forest ecosystem
Quantifying microhabitat selection of snowshoe hares using forest metrics from UAS‐based LiDAR
Invertebrate community composition in dominant agroecosystems of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and North Dakota
Time‐lapse cameras bridge the gap between remote sensing and in situ observations of tundra phenology
Survival of reintroduced fishers among differing sympatric predator and prey assemblages
… influences of minnows, black bullhead Ameiurus melas, and invasive common carp Cyprinus carpio on water quality, submerged plants, and invertebrates in shallow …
Telling Fish Tales: The Role of Narratives in Social Ecological System Interventions
Spring weather influences breeding propensity, the most important productivity component for Arctic-nesting lesser snow geese
A case study examination of community science and provincial staff experiences in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario, Canada
Report to the Stapledon Memorial Trust
Northern development and Rangifer risks: A review of the impacts of resource extraction for caribou and reindeer
Unearthing trends in environmental impact assessments for mines and quarries across Canada
Design and Management of On-Farm Wetlands for Water Quality and Climate Regulation
Antibody treatments for viruses
Climate change is thwarting mining
Ecocide
A 99-year journey on the development of Canadian forages for livestock production
Emotions and perceptions predict local communities' attitudes toward the conservation of large carnivores
Mine landform design, conventional to geomorphic: the evolution of nature-based design for mine landform rehabilitation and closure
The Ecological Impacts of Large-Carnivore Recovery in North America
Evaluation of the soil microbiome of three raised beaches in the Devon Island Lowland, High Arctic, Canada
Geographic distribution, habitat suitability, and habitat loss of plains rough fescue (Festuca hallii (Vasey) Piper) in North America
Assessing potential impacts of black bear predation on neonatal mortality in boreal caribou
South Rockies & Flathead Grizzly Bear Monitoring Final Report 2006-2011
Activity, heart rate, and energy expenditure of a cold-climate mesocarnivore, the Canada lynx
125th Christmas Bird Count High Counts of Species in Canada | Audubon https://www.audubon.org/news/125th-christmas-bird-count-high-counts-of-species-canada
Limited establishment from widespread releases of the knotweed psyllid Aphalara itadori, a biological control agent for knotweeds in the USA
Mammalian Diversity and Movement Dynamics Using Automated Cameras
Tailoring inquiry for young scientists: investigating the impact of a DI PBL model on elementary students' curiosity in biodiversity learning
Pathways to the Realm of Relations in Higher Education
Investigating Pestivirus Infections in Barren-ground and Dolphin Union Caribou: Strain Identification and Diagnostic Test Refinement
Emissions reduction, military lands, and Canada's defence policy
North American Beaver-Castor canadensis
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This week’s banner photo:
A sticky situation
The abilities of plants to camouflage themselves with their surroundings is astonishing. These round-leaved sundews were almost unnoticeable within the cover of peat.
Captured by Victoria Adams-Parsons using a Nikon D5600 DSLR, at a work site in northern Alberta.
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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