Media Releases >  Media Releases Archive  > Science medallist explores ecological risks to B.C. birds

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Please note that Christy Morrissey is unavailable for interviews.

After six years of tracking and recording the behaviour and migration of a bird called the American Dipper, and analyzing blood samples, feathers and eggs, SFU biological sciences PhD candidate Christy Morrissey made a discovery. The eggs showed significant concentrations of DDE, a metabolite of DDT that is linked to reproductive problems in humans and wildlife.

The groundbreaking work has impressed the scientific community; Morrissey has published five times in such august tomes as the Journal of Applied Ecology and Canadian Journal of Zoology. Her work has also earned her the dean of graduate studies convocation medal in science.

Morrissey, a Surrey resident, is now busy with post-doctoral work, studying the effects of organic arsenic on mountain pine beetle predators, particularly woodpeckers. The British Columbia government has been mum about the widespread use of arsenic – a known carcinogen – to control the pest, which has infested and destroyed thousands of hectares of lodge pole pine stands. "There is virtually no information on its toxicity to birds," says Morrissey.

"This is a really important area of science," she continues. "You can combine applied science to something you love, which is nature and the environment. "


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