Dr Kellee Caton
TRU, Tourism

Title: TBA
Abstract:

Jessus Karst
Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge Sub Committee for COSEWIC

Title: Incorporating and braiding Indigenous knowledge into federal species-at-risk planning

Abstract: COSEWIC is responsible for summarizing, evaluating and recommending the status of species to the federal government, under the Species At Risk Act (SARA).  All teams within COSEWIC are supported by the Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge SubCommittee, to which Jessus belongs.  He will outline the process and provide examples illustrating how Indigenous knowledge is being incorporated into this important process. Jessus also serves at Senior Biodiversity Policy Advisor to the Metis National Council.

Dr Scott Fleming
Environment & Climate Change Canada

Title: From estuaries to rocky intertidal: shifting our understanding of the importance of habitat for wintering rocky intertidal birds

Abstract: The Pacific Coast of British Columbia supports the greatest winter abundance and diversity of shorebird and waterbird species than any other place in Canada. While on the coast many birds inhabit inaccessible, wave-beaten, rocky intertidal and nearshore habitats and so our understanding of their ecology and abundance is limited. During this seminar, Dr. Scott Flemming, a Shorebird and Waterbird Biologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, will present on how he is trying to fill these knowledge gaps and improve our understanding of anthropogenic threats to wintering coastal birds. He will describe how dedicated helicopter-based surveys of remote coastline areas are revealing unprecedented numbers of coastal birds, previously unknown hotspots of bird diversity, and improving world population estimates for several species. He will also present results of an ongoing international collaboration studying Surfbirds, one of the least understood shorebirds in North America, across their non-breeding range from Kodiak, Alaska to southern Chile. Lastly, Scott will describe how data collected during these projects are being used to inform wildlife management, conservation, and emergency responses.

Dr Dan Shugar
Univ. of Calgary

Title: The second highest tsunami ever recorded

Abstract: Over the past century, more than two dozen tsunamis with runups greater than 50 m have been reported. Many of those megatsunamis occurred in deglaciating fjords or valleys, and almost all were triggered by landslides. At 5:26 a.m. on 10 August 2025, a large landslide collapsed onto South Sawyer Glacier and into Tracy Arm, a cruise ship-frequented fjord in southeast Alaska. The landslide triggered a megatsunami, which reached an elevation of 481 m up the opposite fjord wall. The tsunami was experienced by multiple ships in the vicinity, but due in part to its early morning timing, luckily no deaths or injuries occurred. But the potential for catastrophic impacts to ships, including tankers, is an underappreciated risk on the west coast.

Dr Karl Larsen
TRU, NRS

Title: So Excellent A Serpent: How the movement ecology of a peripheral rattlesnake complicates conservation

Abstract: Peripheral populations of species have long intrigued ecologists, but for reptiles in Canada, this interest has become overlaid with grave conservation concerns.  In this presentation I will provide an overview of our long-standing research into the relationship between Western Rattlesnakes, ecosystems, and development in the BC interior.  In particular, I will focus on how the movement ecology of this animal in our province is both fascinating and perplexing.

Dr Meng Sun
TRU, SOBE  

Title: The devil in the air: Air pollution and dementia

Abstract: Air pollution doesn’t just cloud the sky—it may cloud the mind. Using the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a natural experiment, this study finds that cleaner air is linked to lower dementia risk. The evidence also suggests the benefits are larger for more vulnerable groups. These results point to substantial, long-run public-health gains from policies that reduce fine particulate pollution

Dr Hilary Thorpe
Parks Canada

Title: The art and science of establishing new marine protected areas in British Columbia

Abstract: The Government of Canada is committed to protecting 30% of Canada’s lands and waters by 2030. Establishing new protected areas requires collaboration between federal, provincial and Indigenous governments, and complex consultations with stakeholders and communities. In her talk, Hilary will give us a behind-the-scenes look at how new marine protected areas in British Columbia are proposed, negotiated and established.