News

We are happy to have Matt Cowley join our team as a MES candidate.

Jess Kidd successfully defended her MSc thesis! Congrats Jess! Jess will be working with the Canadian Rivers Institute for the next couple of months.

Today, Canadian Rivers Institute (CRI) circulated a blog post featuring many Courtenay Lab graduate students! The article celebrates CRI student research as well as the many June 'watery' events.

On June 7-8, 2017 at UBC Vancouver, a 2 day workshop explored issues related to access to marine resources and coastal spaces in Canada were examined. The workshop was funded by a SSHRC-funded OceanCanada Partnership. Ongoing work and case studies from Canada’s three coasts were included to try to ascertain how access to marine resources and ocean spaces are impacting the well-being of coastal communities. A variety of participants from Atlantic and the Pacific coasts were invited including local fishermen, First Nation Fisheries managers, NGOs, Academia and practitioners.

Sondra Eger, a Courtenay Lab PhD student, participated in the workshop to contribute and gain insights relating to her research on integrated marine planning and access issues in Canada.

We are pleased to announce that beginning July 2017, Dr. Simon Courtenay will be taking on the role of Chair of the CRI Science Directors Board. Sondra Eger will also be taking over the role as Chair on The Student Leadership Council (SLC).

Nicole Stamnes and Jess Kidd are presenting their Masters research at ACCESS (Atlantic Canada Coastal and Estuarine Science Society) 2017. The conference is being held at McGill University in Montreal from May 17-19.

More information: https://accesscerf.wordpress.com/contact/

Sondra and Nicole attend McMaster Water Week 2016

October 31, 2016 - Sondra Eger and Nicole Stamnes presented the following posters at the Student Research Showcase.

Eger, S. & S. Courtenay. (Accepted). Facilitating the effective operationalization of scientific knowledge within decision-making in Canada. McMaster Water Week Student Presentations, Hamilton, Canada, October 28, 2016 (Poster Presentation)

Stamnes, N., R. Cormier, D. Armitage and S.C. Courtenay. 2016. A policy risk analysis: Linking environmental monitoring with decision-making. Water Week, 31 October 2016, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON.

Ho, E., S. Eger and S. Courtenay. (2016). A resilient watershed: applying an integrative and adaptive approach to a long-term management of the Muskoka Watershed. McMaster Water Week Student Presentations, Hamilton, Canada, October 28, 2016 (Poster Presentation)

May 30 - June 2, 2016: Jess Kidd attended a Small Vessel Operators Proficiency (SVOP) course in Summerside, PE. This course was hosted by Holland College's Marine Training Centre, and attended to fulfill safety requirements for upcoming field work.

June 2016: Jess Kidd was based out of the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) in Charlottetown, PE. Jess assisted UPEI PhD candidate Kyle Kynsh with field work and volunteered with the Community Aquatic Monitoring Program (CAMP). Jess is also completing work as part of an internship with the Alberta Energy Regulator. Completing an internship is a requirement for the CREATE WATER Program.

July/August 2016: Jess Kidd and Simon Courtenay sampled littoral nekton communities of ten estuaries in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence as part of her thesis research. DFO personnel and Mark Van de Heuval's lab from UPEI assisted with sampling efforts.

Over the summer semester Nicole has been working on her masters research by creating a Bowtie Analysis to assess nutrient management measures on agricultural practices for Prince Edward Island. She has also been taking field courses to fulfil requirements for the CRI CREATE Water program, some of which include the Canadian Aquatic Biomonitoring Network certification, Electrofishing certification, Swiftwater Rescue certification, and Wilderness First Aid certification.

August 5, 2016: As a follow-up to a report co-authored with Sondra Eger, Elaine facilitated a workshop with the Muskoka Watershed Council (MWC) and other stakeholders. The event, titled Preparing for climate change in Muskoka: strengthening Watershed monitoring and reporting in a changing future, had two primary goals: first, to review the current Watershed Report Card program so as to strengthen the effectiveness and relevance of the next document in 2018 (per the report); and second, to review and highlight research needs and priorities related to watershed monitoring and health moving forward.