Who We Are & What We Do

About Us

Our Mission

To inspire and empower wildlife professionals* to engage in science-based management and conservation of wild animals and their habitats.

Our Members

Wildlife biology professionals, scientists, academics, students, communicators and citizen advocates throughout Alberta and western Canada.

Our Organization

We are a non-profit Chapter of the US-based The Wildlife Society. We have over 400 members and are governed by a volunteer board and coordinated by an executive director.

Strategic Plan
2021 Annual Report

Our Activities

Create and foster a collaborative wildlife community of students, scientists, managers, and enthusiasts

Promote application of robust science in wildlife and habitat-related decision making

Enhance and empower our membership through diverse services and student supports

Develop, maintain, and model organizational efficiency

The key role of the ACTWS is to foster a professional culture among wildlife biologists that promotes science-based management and conservation of wildlife throughout Alberta.

Our Achievements

32 CONFERENCES

for wildlife professionals and students

30+ YEARS and >400 MEMBERS

advocating for science in wildlife management across Alberta

$175K+

of scholarships, travel grants, and student presentation awards given

20+ CAMPAIGNS

on wildlife and habitat issues from coal mining to species at risk management. Success in wetland policy, CWD testing, forestry planning, caribou recovery, and more

TWS LEADER

in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

2019

TWS Chapter of the Year

Executive

Shantel Carels

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Sarah Hatt

President

Stan Boutin

President-elect

Samantha Stamler

Secretary-Treasurer

John Paczkowski

PAST-PRESIDENT

Emily Herdman

Director

Courtney Hughes

Director

Robb Stavne

Director

Corey Scobie

Director

Remington Bracher

Student Director & Education and Information

Mark Boyce

Conservation Committee Chair

Ednna Stobschinski

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee Co-Chair

Margo Pybus

Historian

Lalenia Neufeld

webmaster

Volunteer Committees

So much of our work is addressed and accomplished with the help of dedicated members who volunteer their time and expertise to meet our mission. Our active committees are:

  • Conservation Affairs
  • Education and Information
  • Membership
  • Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

 

Learn more about them on our Volunteer Committees page.

ACTWS Speakers Bureau

Provide a database of qualified scientists and managers to speak at an array of events and to groups of all ages. Please see our Speakers Bureau below to find a speaker perfect for your event. If you’re an expert, please sign up for our Bureau in the Members’ Area

First NameLast NameCityDisciplineAreas of ExpertiseWebsiteEmail
Tyne
Baker
Cochrane
Wildlife
- Animal Behaviour and Communication - Wildlife Ecology - Environmental Consulting - Passive Remote Detection (acoustic monitoring, remote cameras). - Large audio-visual dataset processing. - Ecological sound and photo analysis.
avianeco.com
[email protected]
Jessica
Haines
Edmonton
Wildlife
My research and teaching focus on conservation biology, particularly conservation of mammals. I am collaborating with Nature Alberta to determine whether Franklin’s ground squirrel in Alberta is an endangered species. I am also exploring whether it matters how we talk about conservation biology in undergraduate classrooms. I want to know if students feel more empowered to take action if we focus on success stories in conservation rather than just discussing the challenges we face.
ABMammals.ca
[email protected]
Joseph
Litke
Edmonton
Wildlife
Wildlife track identification and interpretation
https://www.fieraconsulting.ca/team-members/joseph-litke/
[email protected]
Ken
Crutchfield
St. Albert
1972 Start up of Habitat programs in Alberta Fish and Wildlife through to 2010, habitat involvement of Fisheries and Oceans Canada in Alberta until 2012, 1972- 2010 Buck for Wildlife Program as precursor to the delegated authority of the Alberta Conservation Association, Northern River Basins Study 1989-96, Fisheries Management program 1972-2010, FQW Public Information, Education and Licensing Program 1986-1989,
[email protected]
Mark
Boyce
Edmonton
Wildlife, Agriculture
Population ecology of large mammals. Predator-prey dynamics. Carbon sequestration and storage in grazed grasslands. Habitat selection. Harvest policy.
https://grad.biology.ualberta.ca/boyce/
[email protected]
To inspire and empower wildlife professionals to engage in science-based management and conservation of wild animals and their habitats.
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Who We Are

Events

Members' Area

© 2020 Alberta Chapter of the Wildlife Society
Photos © Mark Bradley

The Wildlife Society

Canadian Section of TWS

Shantel Carels

Executive Director

Shantel is a professional biologist with over ten years of wildlife research experience. Shantel holds a Masters in Ecology from the University of Alberta and a Bachelor of Science degree from Dalhousie University. Shantel has work experience as a consultant, report writer and science communicator, data analyst, and GIS technician. 

Sarah Hatt

President-Elect
As an aspiring wildlife biologist, Sarah is currently a second year undergraduate student at Lethbridge College. With an extensive background in administration, client relations, and working with non-profit organizations, she is experienced with fundraising, event planning, and public relations. Outside of academics, Sarah spends much of her time volunteering with numerous organizations including Helen Schuler Nature Centre, and Ducks Unlimited Canada, where she conducts field work and delivers public programming. She strives to share her passion for the outdoors and wildlife with others. Sarah also has vast experience serving on committees and board of director roles; within TWS she is currently the Lethbridge College Chapters Vice President and has been elected to be next years President, she is the student representative on the CSTWS membership committee, has previously met with the ACTWS membership committee to provide a students perspective, and is an active member of the Student Development Working Group (SDWG). If full time studies and endless volunteering wasn’t enough, she also works as an Ecology Student with Matrix Solutions Inc., is a mom of two very active children, and is an avid runner herself.

Stan Boutin

President-Elect

Stan Boutin is currently Professor Emeritus in the University of Alberta’s Department of Biological Sciences. He grew up north of Edmonton and went to school at University of Alberta (BSc) and UBC (MSc and PhD). Stan was formerly Science Co-Director of the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute, President and Science Co-Lead for the Canadian Mountain Network, Alberta Biodiversity Conservation Chair, and NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Integrated Landscape Management. Stan’s applied research is designed to allow stakeholders to make ecologically informed land-use decisions and he has worked closely with the forestry and energy sectors in Alberta. He became involved in the study and conservation of woodland caribou in the mid nineties. Other research interests include snowshoe hare-lynx cycles and red squirrel ecology, energetics, and evolution. Stan has tortured many great graduate students along the way. Despite this, he and his students have been awarded The Wildlife Society Publication of the Year in Wildlife, Ecology and Management three times. Stan was also fortunate enough to be awarded the William Rowan Distinguished Service Award from ACTWS and he has the belt buckle to prove it.

Samantha Stamler

Secretary-Treasurer
Samantha has an advanced diploma from Fleming College; specializing in biotechnology forensic science. She is currently a Wildlife Disease Technician with Alberta Environment and Parks and contributes to wildlife disease surveillance, monitoring, and management in Alberta, including; chronic wasting disease, avian influenza, and others. Samantha has experience in a variety of field work endeavours which spans throughout Alberta, including Jasper National Park, and her work is noted as a contributing author on two publications. Samantha has a deep-rooted love for the outdoors that stems from childhood summers spent with family; camping and canoeing around southern Ontario. She has nurtured that passion into a career and interest in conservation ever since. In her off time, she enjoys back country camping, hiking, mountain biking, snowboarding, yoga, music, travel and photography.

John Paczkowski

President-Elect

John is a biologist who has concentrated his career on wildlife research and conservation, mainly with large carnivores.  Originally from Ontario, he obtained an Honours Bachelor of Outdoor Recreation and Bachelor of Natural Science from Lakehead University in Thunder Bay. Moving to Alberta in the early 1990’s John was part of the Central Rockies Wolf Project, Eastern Slopes Grizzly Bear Project as well as numerous other terrestrial and aquatic wildlife research projects. He obtained his MSc. From the University of Northern British Columbia, focussing on remote sensing of grizzly bear habitat.  John and his family then moved to the Russian far east, contributing to conservation efforts for Kamchatka brown bear and later Amur tigers with the Wildlife Conservation Society. As an ecologist with Alberta Environment and Parks, based in Canmore, John uses wildlife research as a lens to inform decisions on the protection and management of Alberta parks and adjacent lands.  John works with a small army of dedicated and well organized volunteers  or citizen ecologists who contribute by collecting data on wildlife and human use in Kananaskis Country. He welcomes collaboration with other scientists, students and the public.

Emily Herdman

Director
Dr. Emily Herdman is currently a researcher at InnoTech Alberta working on a variety of programs involving biological monitoring. Prior to her current role, she was the Science Director for the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute and worked for Alberta Environment and Parks in a variety of roles. Emily is passionate about ecological research, monitoring, management and policy. Her experience leading staff has motivated her to provide mentorship to those entering the field and looking to make a difference. While she has a diverse background in wildlife biology, she has always worked best with cranky or smelly animals including delightful species like marten and Turkey Vultures.

Courtney Hughes

Director

Courtney has dedicated her career to conservation, in both Alberta and internationally, with a focus on community-based approaches to coexisting with wildlife, educational outreach, citizen science, policy-making and planning.  Originally from northern Ontario, Courtney obtained a Concurrent Bachelor degree in Natural science and Science Education from Lakehead University, and taught elementary and secondary science and environmental education in Thunder Bay, Ontario. She was also an Instructor and Director of Superior Science, a non-profit children’s science, engineering and technology camp, working in schools and Indigenous communities across the north. She then completed her Master’s degree at Lakehead in Environmental Education, with research in Namibia at the Cheetah Conservation Fund. Courtney then moved to Alberta to begin her career with the government, working in the environmental education and policy sections, and at the same time started her PhD in Conservation Biology at the University of Alberta. She also voluntarily worked over five years in Belize, with the Ministry of Education, to revise and implement the national primary school science curriculum and related teacher professional development. Courtney completed her PhD research on the social influences of grizzly bear conservation in Alberta in 2018, and since then has worked in the Landscape, Ecosystems and Conservation section in government, on wildlife, landscape, and parks planning, policy, and conservation projects, all of which include community-based collaboration and outreach. Some of her recent work includes a recreation ecology project, using cameras and other user-created data to quantify human use and wildlife impacts on recreational trails around Grande Cache, Alberta. Courtney has also taught a conservation social science and education module for Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation and Research Unit over the past decade, and through this she has developed friendships and projects in other countries, including in Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Courtney is a founding board member of the Tanzania Research and Conservation Organization, co-leading applied research and community engagement on pangolin conservation, and is leading a Rotary Club partnership project on addressing human health and wellbeing. Courtney is also a research advisor for Cheetah Conservation Project Zimbabwe, and B.C.’s Grizzly Bear Foundation.

Robb Stavne

Director
Robb Stavne completed his M.Sc. at the University of Alberta in 2005 examining effects of cattle grazing on wetland bird communities in the Aspen Parkland. Since then, Robb has accumulated almost 20 years of experience as a wildlife ecologist, serving with Ducks Unlimited, Sustainable Resources Development (now AEP), Alberta Conservation Association, and Mercer International, and is a founding member and co-chair of the Boreal Nature Network. Robb works and volunteers with his community in Peace River to engage them in citizen science initiatives, and to promote awareness of wildlife and associated issues. Robb currently lives in Peace River from where he operates his consulting venture; Sora Ecological Consulting. When he is not hiking through the woods and grasslands for work, you might find him canoeing and fishing the rivers and lakes in North-west Alberta, hiking the back country, or laying in a crumpled mass of exhaustion.

Corey Scobie

Director

Corey has been the Assistant Curator of Ornithology at the Royal Alberta Museum since 2014, where he prepares birds, manages the 40,000+ objects in the Ornithology collection, develops exhibits, participates in outreach activities and runs various research projects. Previously, Corey worked with Species at Risk in the grasslands of Alberta and Saskatchewan, where he focused on the influence of human development on Burrowing Owls. Outside of work, he enjoys growing food on almost every square meter of his yard in Edmonton as well as hunting and camping with family and friends. 

Remington Bracher

Student Director
Remington is a third-year Conservation Biology student at the University of Alberta and a recent graduate from NAIT’s Technical Conservation Biology program. After finishing his undergrad, he hopes to pursue a graduate program focusing on wildlife management and species reintroduction. As an avid hunter, angler, and registered trapper, you will continually find him out exploring the backcountry of Alberta. In his spare time, he’s an active volunteer for Alberta Conservation Association and Alberta Hunter Education Instructors’ Association. Remington also serves as a committee member of The Parkland Pintails Chapter of Delta Waterfowl.

Mark Boyce

Conservation Affairs Committee Chair

Mark is Professor of Ecology and Alberta Conservation Association Chair in Fisheries and Wildlife at the University of Alberta.  He strives to ensure that sound science is used to inform wildlife management decisions, and supervises students working on population ecology, habitat selection, and conservation.  He has served as President of the ACTWS and is a Certified Wildlife Biologist and a Fellow of both The Wildlife Society and the Royal Society of Canada.

Ednna Stobschinski

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee Co-Chair
Ednna Stobschinski is an international student taking the B.Sc. Ecosystem Management at Lethbridge College, AB, and current Vice President of her college chapter. After co-founding an environmental collective in her hometown of Tepatitlan, Jalisco (Mexico), she decided to take a leap of faith in the Environmental Sciences profession, bringing her to Canada. Since her arrival in the fall of 2019, she has dedicated herself to student advocacy in her institution (as student Vice President and President, respectively), as well as to volunteering for various local, provincial, and federal environmental organizations. From planting endangered whitebark pine and salvaging trapped fish from canals, to writing popular scientific articles and advocating for equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) within the field, Ednna never seizes to embrace the opportunities that come her way to learn a little more. Her dream is to become a wildlife biologist with a focus in botany and habitat management, and eventually, a future educator in the field.

Margo Pybus

Historian

Dr. Margo Pybus spent the better part of a life-time learning from wildlife.  She was schooled early in life among the fields, forests, and marshes of southern Ontario and later in the prairie, foothill, mountain, parkland, and boreal landscapes of Alberta and beyond..

Margo received a B.Sc. in Fish and Wildlife Biology and M.Sc. in Wildlife Parasitology, both from the University of Guelph.  She holds a PhD in Wildlife Parasitology from the University of Alberta and is currently an adjunct professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, UofA.  Margo is on staff with Alberta Fish and Wildlife as the first Provincial Wildlife Disease Specialist. She leads high profile provincial wildlife disease surveillance and management programs, including chronic wasting disease, West Nile virus, avian influenza, and rabies.

Alberta TWS member since the Chapter founding in 1989. Former Chapter newsletter editor, President, student mentor, Dedicated Service and Rowan Distinguished Service award recipient, and ongoing reference/repository for many things chapter-related.

Lalenia Neufeld

Webmaster

Layla is a caribou biologist with Parks Canada in Jasper National Park, and has been the ACTWS webmaster since 2007.  Layla grew up in rural Alberta adjacent to Alberta’s green zone (without a lot of neighbours, but with a lot of sticks, rocks, and wildlife). She received her B.Sc. and M.Sc. at the University of Alberta, and is a former president of the University of Alberta Chapter of the Wildlife Society.  Layla’s M.Sc. thesis examined dynamics of Little Smoky caribou and wolves in west-central Alberta. Her work with Parks Canada takes her to picturesque locations throughout Canada’s National Parks and she’s a key member of the caribou research, monitoring, and recovery team in the Canadian Rockies National Parks. Layla enjoys hiking, biking, music, travel, biology, and loves the outdoors;  she is looking forward to re-exploring favourite places with her two young children in coming years.

PO BOX 4990
Edmonton AB
T6E 5G8

[email protected]

Professional refers to someone who works with wildlife and/or their habitats in a professional setting.

In this context, it is not in reference to a legal professional designation.

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