Parks Canada

Brian Craig is a landscape ecologist with Parks Canada, Southwestern Ontario Field Unit. His interests include biodiversity conservation, landscape restoration, and ecological monitoring. He is a Director with the Canadian Biosphere Reserves Association, the Long Point World Biosphere Reserve Foundation and the Carolinian Canada Coalition. Brian joined the Carolinian Canada Board of Directors in 2007 and holds the office of Secretary.

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Ontario Forestry Association

Ron Wu-Winter is a Forestry Technician, Restoration Services, for the Toronto Region Conservation Authority. Previous to this, he worked as the Forestry Programs Manager at the Ontario Forestry Association. Ron has a diverse work and educational background in biology, education and forest conservation – from teaching high school ecology in a small Inuit village on Canada’s treeless tundra to his current position promoting the stewardship of forests and administering Ontario’s Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program.

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County of Oxford

Cathy Bingham has a management background in marketing, human resources and communications in both the corporate and government sectors. She is currently responsible for tourism promotion and development for the County of Oxford. In this capacity she is a passionate advocate for the quality of pastoral activities within the County, including its natural, cultural and heritage assets. She considers it a privilege to play a role in making her community a better place to work, play and live, and provides leadership on a range of community- development activities, including trails, arts and culture and heritage opportunities. A committed volunteer, she is a past president of the Oxford County Federation of Agriculture, and has served on many boards and committees over the years.

Cathy and her husband Keith are lifelong residents of Oxford and are actively involved in many community service activities. Although they are world travelers, they particularly prize the quality of life in Southwestern Ontario.

Cathy’s passions include wildlife photography, travel, culinary ‘research’, spending time with her grandchildren, and her career with the County. She is on record as saying that she can‘t believe she gets paid to promote the community she loves.

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Caroline Biribauer

Essex Region Conservation Authority

Caroline Biribauer, through her education and professional experience, has had the opportunity to live and work in various corners of the Carolinian Life Zone, both in Canada and the United States. Caroline was born and raised in Toronto and graduated in 1997 with a BSc. in Environmental Science from York University. She then moved to St. Catherines and completed a post-graduate certificate program in Ecosystem Restoration at Niagara College. After completing a contract position at the Royal Botanical Gardens as a Wildlife Technician, Caroline moved to Maryland, U.S., to work as a Wildlife Biologist with the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC). In 2002, she transferred to the Windsor-Detroit area to head the Great Lakes Regional Office of WHC, located in Detroit. In March 2005, Caroline accepted the position as Friends of Watersheds Organizer with the Essex Region Conservation Authority, coordinating volunteers in a wide variety of hands-on stewardship activities across Windsor and Essex County. Caroline is an avid birder, and has taken part in many volunteer activities herself over the years, including the Christmas Bird Count, Breeding Bird Atlas, Frogwatch, Project Feederwatch, Marsh Monitoring Program, Forest Bird Monitoring Program, and annual butterfly counts.

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Ministry of Natural Resources' Ontario Stewardship Program

Tara Borwick is the Southern Region Stewardship Coordinator with the Ministry of Natural Resources’ Ontario Stewardship Program. Tara works closely with the 40 Ontario Stewardship coordinators across southern Ontario and focuses efforts on identifying and encouraging landscape approaches to stewardship and the protection of our natural resources. In addition, she also works towards the continued success, growth and expansion of the Ontario Stewardship program throughout Ontario. Before joining the Ontario Stewardship team Tara worked for the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters where she was the Coordinator of the very successful Community Stream Steward Program for over four years and more recently had taken on a new role as Fish and Wildlife Biologist. She brings with her over ten years of diverse experience in project and program management, the majority of which has been in the fields of stewardship and natural resource management.

In addition to her most recent employment, Tara has worked in private industry, with the Federal Department of National Defence, and MNR’s Rabies Research Unit and Aylmer District where she has held various managerial and technical positions. She brings extensive experience with both government and non-government agency interaction and engagement and has been actively involved with many regional and provincial initiatives that are working towards the increased effectiveness of stewardship and natural resource management in Ontario.

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Ontario Nature

Peter’s interest in the out-of-doors started early in life and continued in bursts and starts until the late 80s from which point he has been able to spend most of his energies on natural history and conservation issues. He is currently the past president of the Norfolk Field Naturalists, president and one of the founders of the Long Point Basin Land Trust, and one of the founding committee members of and a board member on the Ontario Nature Trust Alliance which morphed into OLTA. He has been on the boards of Ontario Nature, Wildlands League, Tallgrass Ontario and is currently a Director of the Carolinian Canada Coalition. Peter is also co-chair of the Karner Blue Recovery Team and recovery team member for Spiny Softshell Turtles, Hooded Warblers, Acadian Flycatchers, Barn Owls and the Norfolk American Chestnut Working Group. Peter and his partner Mary Gartshore live in Norfolk County just north of Long Point where they own and operate a native plant nursery.

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Association for Canadian Educational Resources

Alice Casselman, M. Sc. Ed., is president and founder, of the Association for Canadian Educational Resources (1987) to develop and to encourage the development of Canadian materials for Canadian learners. A High School Science Department Head for most of her 35 year teaching career, Alice helped establish outdoor educational and experiential programs with School Boards and at Conservation Authority sites. She was also staff person for weekend education at the Toronto Region Conservation Authority for 20 years and a member of writing teams for the Etobicoke Biology Curricula and Outdoor and Education Resource documents. As founding director for Canadian Outward Bound Wilderness School, Council of Outdoor Educators Ontario, Peel Environmental Network and Environmental Education Ontario, she has encouraged many others to participate in environmental community outreach projects.

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Nature Conservancy of Canada

Wendy Cridland is Program Manager for the Nature Conservancy of Canada's Southwestern Ontario subregion where she oversees conservation activities within strategically defined natural areas, focusing on private and public land protection and stewardship. Prior to this appointment, Wendy coordinated NCC’s Conservation Volunteers in Ontario. Wendy has also worked for Bird Studies Canada and Long Point Region Conservation Authority and has volunteered locally for the Long Point World Biosphere Reserve Foundation and the Norfolk Environmental Advisory Committee. Wendy has a B.A. (Honours) in Geography from Wilfrid Laurier University and a M.A. in Geography from the University of Waterloo.

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Six Nations

W. Paul General is the Manager of Six Nations Eco-centre and a Wildlife Officer and a Member of Seneca Nation - Snipe Clan. Paul has a diploma in Fine Art and Photography and works as a painter/ photographer. He is called upon regularly as a guest lecturer at the Universities of Brock, Toronto and Guelph and Mohawk and Fanshawe College. Paul has also served as a part time professor at Fanshawe College. Paul’s diverse experience has served him well in his present position as Wildlife Officer and Manager of the Six Nations Eco-centre. Along with many daily activities such as monitoring the Grand River Notification Agreement and the Environmental Bill of Rights Registry Six Nations, Paul has been able to make positive contributions towards the protection and enhancement of our environment. A group that Paul has worked with for many years has just received a DFO award for the "Grand River Fisheries Management Plan." Last fall, Paul received the Lieutenant Governor’s “Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship” for his work as an environmentalist, artist, lecturer and teacher.

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Ontario Federation of Agriculture

Nancy Walther joined the Carolinian Canada Coalition Board as a Director in 1997. Nancy brings a wealth of experience and practical hands-on knowledge of agricultural and water source protection practices to the Board table. She has a long history of involvement with local and provincial boards and organizations. She is a former Municipal Councilor, Township of Norwich, former President, Oxford County Federation, and a Provincial Director of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture 1999-2008. Additionally she served as Chair of the Land Use and Farm Practice for the Ontario Federation of Agriculture from 2004-2008 and Vice Chair of the Ontario Farm Land trust for 5 years. Nancy and her husband own 600 acres in partnership and have transitioned their beef operations to growers of Grains and Oilseed. Nancy is a passionate advocate of nurturing the land for future generation by using sustainable farming practices. Although Nancy sits on many boards, she still makes time to pursue her passions: church, a good book and painting. Nancy has four children and three grandchildren.

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