Dave Polster

Biography

Dave is a plant ecologist with over 35 years of experience in vegetation studies, reclamation and invasive species management. He graduated from the University of Victoria with an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in 1975 and a Master of Science degree in 1977. He has developed a wide variety of reclamation techniques for steep/unstable slopes as well as techniques for the re-establishment of riparian and aquatic habitats. He is the past-president of the Canadian Land Reclamation Association in and is a founding member of and is the treasurer for the Western Canada Chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration and is the NW Regional Representative on the SER international board. He serves on the board of the Invasive Species Council of BC. 

Zachary Moore

 Biography

Zachary is a developing environmental professional working with Nature Conservancy Canada as an Assistant Natural Area Manager, where he helps to coordinate conservation strategies for a large buffer zone surrounding Waterton Lakes National Park. After working on several population ecology research projects in and after his undergrad, Zachary discovered his interest in how ecological theory is taken and applied by biologists working on the ground. This led him to Niagara College and a graduate certificate in Ecosystem Restoration – the “ultimate test of ecological theory”. As the Vice President of their student SER chapter, Zachary organized several small restoration projects through the college. Through this work, he developed a fascination with the multitude of public, private, and non-profit organizations that exist to further similar environmentally based goals, and how they can be better connected. Since moving to Alberta, the SER’s goal of connecting restoration practitioners the world over to share their knowledge has become one of Zachary’s true passions. His other passions include bugs of all kinds, cooking (eating), working with kids, and board games.

Keith MacCallum

 Biography

Keith joined the SER team as a contractor in January 2020. He works to support the initiatives of the Membership Director, Program Manager, and Executive Director. After discovering the field of Ecological Restoration while pursuing an undergraduate degree in Environmental Science, he went on to complete Niagara College's Ecosystem Restoration Graduate Certificate and the M.Sc. in Ecological Restoration program at Simon Fraser University/British Columbia Institute of Technology. A proud SER member since 2016, Keith has been involved with several regional and student chapters, and has held his CERPIT designation since 2017. Despite regularly being on the move, his home will always be Alma, New Brunswick.

Andy Owens

Biography

Andy has worked as Restoration Ecologist for Brinkman Restoration for the past 11 years, managing the design and implementation of terrestrial and aquatic restoration projects throughout Western Canada. His focus includes riparian and upland restoration, habitat enhancement in novel ecosystems, and restoration of soil health through microbial inoculations. Andy has a BA in Environmental Studies, Certificate in Restoration of Natural Systems and Professional Specialization Ecological Restoration. A Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner (CERP), Andy currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Society of Ecological Restoration for Western Canada and the CERP program certification committee for SER International.

Mae Whyte

 Biography

Mae works for Blueberry River First Nations as their Restoration Project Officer. She graduated from BCIT twice, completing the Fish, Wildlife and Recreation diploma program in 2017 and the Ecological Restoration BSc program in 2019. From 2017-2019, Mae served as the President of the Society for Ecological Restoration at BCIT. She is passionate about invasive species management, boreal forest restoration, freshwater ecology, and reciprocal restoration. When not working or volunteering, Mae is either curled up with a book or laughing at herself at the gym.    

Erin Roberts

Biography

Erin is a problem-solving ecologist with professional experience in consulting and governments Alberta and BC. She is currently working as a Habitat Planner with the Canadian Wildlife Service, where she helps manage and restore federal protected areas for wildlife, migratory birds, and species at risk. Her roots were formed at the University of Waterloo in an interdisciplinary Environment and Business (BES) program – and she has since completed the Ecological Restoration MSc program from BCIT and SFU. For her graduate research, she investigated monitoring metrics in intertidal estuarine restoration, and is fascinated with the role of resilience and succession in ecosystems. Wetlands, watershed management and disturbance histories in Western Canada are her specialty, but she often finds herself learning and working in other ecosystems. It’s good to mix it up.

She’s excited about restoration because she believes it helps people better understand and appreciate the complexities of nature in a practical way. She’s also a rock climber, skier, and reasonably proficient pickler.