Winter 2016 Newsletter - British Columbia Institute of Agrologists

BRITISH COLUMBIA INSTITUTE OF
AGROLOGISTS
Newsletter | Winter 2016
FE ATURES
NEW P.AG.’S
PRESIDENT’S COLUMN
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S COLUMN BRANCH NEWS
NEW MEMBERS
IN MEMORIAM
IN THIS
ISSUE
New P.Ag.’s......................................................................................... 3
President’s Column ................................................................... 4-5
Executive Director’s Column..............................................................6
New Members.................................................................................... 7
Branch News ................................................................................. 8-13
Cariboo Central Interior Branch...............................................8
Fraser Valley Branch................................................................9
Vancouver/Fraser Valley Joint PD.......................................... 10
Victoria & Islands Branch PD & AGM.................................. 11-12
Branch Events..........................................................................13
Celebrating International Year of Soils in BC................................... 14
Finding an Agrologist?...................................................................... 14
In Memoriam.....................................................................................15
Thank you to BCIA members who provided photos and articles, including Natalie Tashe, Melanie Lantz, Rebecca
Martin, Kiara Jack, Besire Culhaoglu, David Sahlstrom, Kendall Nielsen and others
2 | BCIA NEWSLETTER | WINTER 2016
NEW
P.AG.’S
Agrologists have full rights and privileges as
members of the institute, including the use of a
seal and the title “Professional Agrologist”
WELCOME TO THE NEW P.AG.’S
Eleanor Bassett
Tracey Martin
Amber Bergen
Gurjit Matharu
Lizanne Bourne
Carla Mellott
Kevin Christie
Malcolm Nicol
Jean-Paul Cote
Esther Parker
Emily Doyle-Yamaguchi
Trevor Purves
James Tobias Gardner
Jocelyn Ramsey
Ken Gauthier
Jodine Restiaux
Ashleigh Gilbert
Douglas Rice
Brad Halsey
Corrine Roesler
Kimberly Hancock
Veronica Saluk
John Hastie - AIA
Robert Haythornthwaite
Carolyn Teasdale
Ian Levitt - AIA
Fern Jensen
David Terry
Zaho Matheo - AIA
Elizabeth Kenney
Wade Tokarek
Hyder Khoja
Elizabeth Vincer
Nicholas Lamm
Thomas Walkem
Patrick Little
Duncan Wood
Dawn Ross, P.Ag., a new member of Council, is awarded her P.Ag.
certificate by BCIA President, Gary Tipper, P.Ag. before the Council
meeting on September 11, 2015.
New Dual Members
Shauna Bader - SIA
New Transfer
Members
Harvinder Bennypaul - OIA
Kimberley Lutz from AIA
Lynette Esak - AIA
Aaron Tutt from AIA
Melvin Jameson Mailloux
Rod Negrave, P.Ag., president of Victoria and Islands Branch welcomes new P.Ag’s
at their AGM in October 2015.
L to R: Rod Negrave, Esther Parker, Malcolm Nicol, Marcia Martin, Tobi Gardner,
Maija Finvers, Emily Doyle-Yamaguchi & Kendra Bennett
Marc Schuffert, P.Ag. presents Erica Lilles,
P.Ag. with her P.Ag. certificate
WINTER 2016 | BCIA NEWSLETTER | 3
PRESIDENT’S
COLUMN
T
his newsletter finds us early in the
new year of 2016. Most of us are
fully re-engaged in our daily lives, with
Christmas merely a memory and winter
settled in around us. I, for one, am
thankful for a return to near-normal
winter conditions in the East Kootenay
where I live. I have already skied more
times than I did during the entire 20142015 season.
BCIA and its Council have been engaged,
as well. We held regularly-scheduled
Council meetings in Richmond on
September 11-12 and again on December
4-5, both with full agendas.
•Two presentations were given to us:
Bonnie Keleher, BCIA’s Financial
and Administrative Assistant, gave
Council a detailed overview of the
new website, which I hope you have
all had the opportunity to view and
appreciate.
A delegation from the Association
of the Chemical Profession of BC
provided Council with an overview
of who they are, what they do and
what their aspirations are. They
requested support for Chemists to
be considered Qualified Professionals
plus a Chemists Act, since they are
currently governed by the Society’s
Act. We agreed and subsequently
supplied a letter.
•An ongoing topic of discussion is the
Right to Practice, particularly as it was
referenced by the Ministry of Forests,
Lands and Natural Resource Operations.
It certainly appears that Right to Title,
such as Professional Agrologists have
in BC, pulls less weight with FLNRO
than does Right to Practice. We shall
be ramping up our consideration of this
topic over the next while by striking an
ad hoc committee and letting a contract
to help us with this important topic. A
component of our decision-making will
be to consult with you, the membership.
4 | BCIA NEWSLETTER | WINTER 2016
•The annual review of BCIA’s Strategic
Plan has grown some wings, and will
form a major topic for council over the
year. We shall be letting a contract to
aid us with developing the new strategic
plan and will focus upon this initiative in
our regularly-scheduled February Council
meeting.
•A Finance Committee, which many
professional organizations rely upon
to look at statements and provide
recommendations to their boards (our
Council), was created.
•In the theme of things financial, one
of the items that occurs annually at our
December meeting is to approve BCIA’s
budget for the forthcoming year. We
revised and approved the 2016 budget
during the December Council meeting.
•A complaints process summary
has been developed and was received,
as was a flowchart to accompany the
summary for ease of understanding.
However, since bylaw changes are
required, this is yet to be finalized.
•Council accepted Standard Operating
Procedures for the Annual General
Meeting, Annual Conference and Mentor
of the year.
•The work of the various hard-working
committees was discussed (this occurs to
a greater or lesser degree at all Council
meetings); a committee of council is in
the process of standardizing the Terms of
Reference for all standing committees.
•It was recommended to allow
branches to annually carry forward the
maximum balance of the previous year’s
subsidy, which will provide Branches with
a cushion of funds when transitioning
from one fiscal year to the next.
•Policies to be developed include one
for capital assets and another for the use
of the new BCIA logo.
2015-2016 BCIA President,
Gary Tipper, P.Ag.
A major component of Council’s ongoing
efforts to communicate with the
Branches, the Presidents Call, was held
on October 30, 2015. We provided a
Council update, and then held discussions
of Branch Financial Processes and
Responsibilities 2015-2016 and the Branch
Executive Orientation Package, which is
under development. We also received
an upbeat report that preparations for
the 2016 AGM and Annual Conference
are proceeding well and that we can
look forward to another bang-up affair
in mid-May in Prince George. The next
Presidents Call will be held on January 29,
2016.
Many branch AGM’s were held this fall
or will be held early this year; many of
the standing committees face-to-face
meetings that did not occur earlier in
2015 were held in the fall as well.
On a completely different note, I skillfully
avoided any effort to provoke thought
or discussion in my last column. I chose
to focus solely on communicating
meeting outcomes to you (rather droll,
I know). I committed to Council at our
September meeting to dip my toes
into the topic of climate change in this
issue. The objective of this portion of
my column is to encourage member
awareness regarding climate change and
to weave that knowledge it into your
respective practices, as appropriate. As
“Through lifelong learning, members remain up-to-date
in their specialized areas of practice, and are informed
about the current issues involving the profession of
agrology.”
stated under Professional Development
on the BCIA website “Through lifelong
learning, members remain up-to-date in
their specialized areas of practice, and
are informed about the current issues
involving the profession of agrology.”
Climate change certainly can be
described as a current issue that spans
the various areas of our professional
practices.
One of my areas of practice is ecological
restoration, with a focus on firemaintained ecosystems. In prescribing
restoration objectives and treatment
regimes, efforts are made to encourage
resilient ecosystems populated by plant
species which can withstand drought and
frequent fires; withstanding burgeoning
insects outbreaks is likely more
problematic. Further, reducing fuel loads
reduces the risk of catastrophic fire,
which lessens impacts upon ecosystems
and humans alike.
In modeling the potential effects of
climate change, one of our members,
Greg Utzig P.Ag., looks to Washington
County, Idaho and points further south to
anticipate the future state of ecosystems
in the East and West Kootenays of
BC. This provides great insight and
aids in both visualizing potential future
ecosystems and predicting outcomes.
Employing such an approach, when I
anticipate the future in southern BC, I
am led to anticipate more fires and to
speculate that open habitats will prosper
at the expense of forest ecosystems
(particularly wet forests) and forestloving wildlife species. And, sadly,
invasive species will also prosper.
In closing, I would like to take this
opportunity to wish all of you a healthy
and happy New Year.
Gary Tipper P.Ag., R.P.Bio.
WINTER 2016 | BCIA NEWSLETTER | 5
EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR’S COLUMN
A
s I write this column in early January
of 2016 I would like to reflect back
on the significant progress we achieved
in so many areas over the past year.
Our membership continued to grow
steadily across all membership
categories. At the end of 2015 our total
membership stood at 1458, an all time
record figure and an increase of 6% over
2014. We continue to experience steady
growth in the number of regulated
members, both Professional Agrologists
and Articling Agrologists, and we now
have some 1250 members in those two
categories. 2015 also saw a record
number of applications (105) and our
total student membership doubled over
the previous year. It is exciting to see
that we have become the professional
institute of choice for so many new
professionals.
On the communications front, 2015
saw the successful implementation of
the new BCIA logo which followed an
extensive consultation process with
the membership. In addition the new
BCIA website became fully operational
during the year. Both the new logo and
the new website have received many
favourable comments from members
as well as outside organizations and
individuals.
6 | BCIA NEWSLETTER | WINTER 2016
On the professional practice front,
we completed the webinar recording
of the Governance of Professional
Conduct course developed by our
legal counsel, Angela Westmacott,
and the presentation is now available
for viewing on the member side our
website. Final changes to the climate
change guidance document for
members were made late in the year
and the completed document will soon
be posted to our website.
We enjoyed another modest budget
surplus in 2015, the fifth successive
one in as many years. The budget
surplus can be attributed to higher than
anticipated revenues from the increased
membership numbers and to lower than
expected expenditures, notably from
the $12,000 savings from Agrologists of
Canada fees as a result of our decision
to not pay the 2015 fee levy.
All eight of our branches were very
busy during 2015 and many excellent
professional development events took
place throughout the year. The quality
and quantity of such events have both
improved since the annual branch
subsidies were increased by 50% in 2014.
I was fortunate enough to attend three
branch Annual General Meetings in the
fall of 2015 and I am planning to attend
three more early in 2016. It is always
gratifying to see the enthusiasm that so
many members bring to those events.
Our 2016 AGM and Annual Conference
will be held in Prince George in midMay and I hope that you will be able
to attend. I would also like to thank
everyone for the ongoing support
of BCIA and help in making our
professional body become the excellent
institution that it is.
In closing, after all that good news,
I almost (but not quite) hesitate to
remind you that our 2106 fees are now
due and payable. You can pay online, by
cheque or simply by calling the office.
Robert Moody PAg RPBio
NEW
MEMBERS
In 2015, BCIA processed
105 new applicants
103 new A.Ag.’s
60 upgrades from A.Ag. to P.Ag.
Welcome to our newest A.Ag.’s
Sam Albers
Justin Hains
Kori Archer
Greg Hodson
Elizabeth Archibald
Peter Kickham
Dereje Bezabih
Casandra Knooihuizen
Margaret Branton
Jesse Labatiuk
P.Ag. (ret)
Marika Cameron
Theresa Loewen
P.Ag. (re 75+)
Ka Lung (Cory) Cheung
Wensui Luo
Education leave
Christopher Cunada
Kathy Ma
On Leave
Colleen Delaney
Ried McTavish
Parental leave
Mohamed Diabate
Corey Miller
Student
2015 BCIA Membership
A.Ag.
Active
Non active
P.Ag.
977
21
98
89
3
18
29
39
272
Kevin Eastwood
Kate Forbes
Jonathan Goetz
New Student Members
Jillian Goulet
Katherine Bulmer
Jason Grafstrom
Kirstin Eyolfson
Marina Foster
Congratulations to our 25 and 50 year members
25 Years Membership
Recognized for 2015 (1990)
50 Years Membership
Recognized for 2015 (1965)
Amelia Galuska
Daisy Hsu
Tara Immell
Jessica Kellner
Kathy Bisset P.Ag.
John McFaul P.Ag.(Retired 75+)
Hailey Manke
Elisabeth Deom P.Ag.
Ted Osborn P.Ag.(Retired)
Paige Munro
Diane Douglas P.Ag.(Retired)
Brandi Newton
Theresa Duynstee P.Ag.
Eva Gerencher P.Ag.
Jack Gervais P.Ag.
Renee Giardini P.Ag.(Retired)
Gayle Jesperson P.Ag.
Catherine MacRae P.Ag.
Allan McDonald P.Ag.(Retired)
Lorne Owen P.Ag.
Hugh Philip P.Ag.
Ken Shaw P.Ag.
Lynn Wilcott P.Ag.
Darrell Zbeetnoff P.Ag.
25 Year BCIA Member (2016), Layne Lybbert,
P.Ag. (right) with Peace River branch president,
Stephen Neville, P.Ag.
25 Year BCIA Member (2016), James Little, P.Ag.
(right) with Peace River branch president,
Stephen Neville, P.Ag.
WINTER 2016 | BCIA NEWSLETTER | 7
BRANCH
NEWS
Exploring the science behind reclamation
CARIBOO CENTRAL
INTERIOR BRANCH
Mount Polley Mine Hazeltine
Creek Rehabilitation Field
Tour
O
n Saturday October 17th, a group of
25 people from the Williams Lake
Field Naturalists and the Cariboo Central
Interior Branch of the BC Institute of
Professional Agrologists joined Colleen
Hughes and Katie McMahen, P.Ag. from
the Mount Polley Mine Environmental
Department for a tour of rehabilitation
works underway in Hazeltine Creek,
downstream of where the tailings dam
failure occurred in August 2014.
The morning started with a presentation
at the Scout Island Nature House to
provide background information on
the event, discuss the rehabilitation
approach, and summarize work
completed to date.
Out at the mine site, the tour was held
in lower Hazeltine Creek (the lower
reach of the creek, accessible from the
Ditch Road, where it joins with Edney
Creek and flows into Quesnel Lake).
Highlights of the tour included:
• Touring the reconstructed and
armoured Hazeltine Creek channel,
as well as the lower Edney
Creek channel which has been
reconstructed, armoured with rock,
and had fish habitat features, such
as riffles and pools, woody debris,
and spawning gravels, installed.
Temporary fish fences have been
removed and Edney Creek is now
accessible to fish.
• Seeing implementation of various
sediment and erosion control
techniques, including the large
constructed sedimentation ponds
which had just been cleaned
out. Other measures seen were
re-contoured slopes, surface
roughening, application of wood
chips and coarse woody debris,
8 | BCIA NEWSLETTER | WINTER 2016
and use of willow wattle bioengineering along the creek
floodplain.
• Talk of techniques being used and
considered for soil rehabilitation,
including use of woody debris, soil
transplants and salvaging of organic
matter, and use of nitrogen-fixing
plant species.
• Discussing the re-vegetation
approach and seeing the first
phases of work. The current focus
is the creek floodplain, where live
willow cuttings from the site are
being planted along with other
primary successional native species,
such as sitka alder, black twinberry,
red osier dogwood, and prickly
rose.
• Discussing some of the operational
challenges, such as gaining access
to the work areas, working through
the winter, prioritizing various
project components, managing
regulatory expectations and
requirements, and removing and
hauling tailings back up to the
Tailings Storage Facility.
It was a great opportunity to talk about
the science behind the reclamation
work being done and to provide
an in depth update for interested
community member. If anyone is
interested in learning more about the
ongoing environmental monitoring
and rehabilitation work following the
Mount Polley tailings dam failure, please
refer to the Imperial Metals Mount
Polley Updates website for results from
monitoring, photos, videos and more.
Photos of the tour are also included on
the BCIA website under News - Photos.
FRASER VALLEY BRANCH
Professional Development
Events since June
W
Tours
Workshops
Films
& Beer tastings
e got off to a strong start this
year by organizing a three-part
speaker series on Invasive Species
in BC. We enlisted the expertise of
Jennifer Grenz who has nearly 15 years
of hands-on experience with invasive
plant management, to conduct a
Speaker Series held over a course of
three sessions. The first presentation
in April covered the issues of invasive
plant species in broad strokes, followed
by a second lecture in May that focused
more precisely on site specific issues,
community action plans, and public
education methods that have been
employed to help prevent and manage
the spread of invasive plant species.
The series wrapped up in early October
with a field day that took our group to
a number sites so we could observe
extensive invasion, partial to complete
eradication, research plots, and total
restoration.
Another PD event that proved to be
particularly popular, and much more
educational than anticipated, was the
Craft Brewery and Hops Production
tour Sept 19th. 25 FV and Vancouver
Branch members boarded a chartered
bus at 9am and headed out to one of
Valley Hops main production sites. Hops
were still on the vines and harvest well
underway. Host and owner of Valley
Hops, Duane Stewart, was on site to
provide a comprehensive presentation
that walked participants through the
scope of the industry from planting the
vines, to processing the Hops, to the
critical relationship with the growing
market share of local craft breweries.
The day proceeded with tours of 2 local
breweries- Old Abbey Ales and Raven’s
Brewing Company.
In addition to these events, we hosted a
“movie night” featuring the Symphony
of Soils DVD. We partnered with the
Vancouver Branch for the annual jointevent which this year focused on the
topics of Proposal Writing, Leadership
and Mentoring, Social Media, and
Recruitment. The event was followed by
a joint FV/Vancouver A.Ag workshop. To
round out 2015, we celebrated “World
Soil Day” on December 4th with a
webinar presented by Jacythne Masse.
The recording of this webinar can be
viewed at https://bcia.adobeconnect.
com/soils/
As the FV Branch Executive, our goal is
to boost the number and diversity of
events for 2016 with the hopes we can
bolster engagement and participation
of our membership. As such if there
is a particular topic you wish to know
more about, industry you would like
to explore, or a learning opportunity
specific to your occupation, please
contact us (fv.branch.bcia@gmail.com)
and we’ll get to work organizing a PD
event around it!
Regards,
Melanie Lantz., P.Ag.
PD Coordinator, FV Branch
Fraser Valley and Vancouver branch members enjoy the
Craft Brewing in the Fraser Valley tour
WINTER 2016 | BCIA NEWSLETTER | 9
BRANCH
NEWS
Empowering Agrologists
Boost Your Edge in a Competitive World
VANCOUVER/FRASER VALLEY BRANCHES JOINT
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT EVENT
E
mpowering Agrologists: Boost
Your Edge in a Competitive World”
was held at the Executive Suites Hotel
& Conference Centre in Burnaby on
Saturday, October 17th, 2015.
The full-day event – with 41 members in
attendance - began with a networking
session accompanied by breakfast
goodies. Further opportunities of
networking were available during midday as the discussions and information
exchange continued during lunch.
The packed event included four
speakers, who delivered engaging
presentations complemented by
extensive question periods. The wellqualified experts delivered talks on the
topics of:
• Leadership and Mentoring (Gwen
Gnazdowsky)
• Proposal Writing (Coreen Moroziuk,
P.Ag.)
• Social Media (Dennis Pang) and
• Recruitment (Eimear Boland)
Coreen Moroziuk, P.Ag., a senior
program manager with the Investment
Agriculture Foundation of B.C., talked
about the basic approach in making
applications and what the typical pitfalls
are for new applicants.
Gwen Gnazdowsky, founder of ONE
Conversation Coaching and Facilitation,
and as the National Mentorship Program
Developer and Coordinator with the
Women in Leadership Foundation,
focussed on the importance of
leadership and mentoring.
10 | BCIA NEWSLETTER | WINTER 2016
Dennis Pang, founder of Popcorn - a
Vancouver-based social media and PR
agency, discussed the relevance and
value of social media for businesses, and
shared some practical tips and tricks to
help promote yourself or your business
on social media.
Eimear Boland, a recruitment specialist
in the engineering and construction
industries and extensive experience
in sourcing the best talent within BC
talked about Recruitment 101 and gave
insightful tips.
Based on the feedback received, the
majority of the members in attendance
indicated that they were happy to
be present at the event, found the
topics relevant and the speakers to be
engaging as well as were pleased with
the sufficient networking opportunities.
Overall, the event was a great success
thanks to the contributions of our
members.
Gwen Gnazdowsky presented at the
“Empowering Agrologists” presentation
series on Oct. 17, 2015
See you at the next event.
By Besire Culhaoglu, Vancouver branch
B
eing an agrologist has helped me more than just at work. It
has allowed me to make meaningful professional and personal
connections. My designation was not required for my position and
it was the encouragement of my former manager, also a PAg and
ultimately my AAg mentor, that drove me to join BCIA.
When a job loss occurred, it was the relationships that I had made
as an agrologist that I had to fall back on, which provided so much
more than just a safety net, but a support system that helped get
me through a tough period.
Jessica Morgan, P.Ag.
Councillor, Okanagan Branch
VICTORIA & ISLANDS BRANCH
Umi Nami Farms Tour
N
early 30 members, friends and
family attended the Umi Nami farm
tour on September 12, 2015. We had
beautiful weather to start the day and a
great tour led by Heather Ramsay.
Umi Nami is named after the Japanese
owners of the farm and means ocean
wave which was aptly named as this
farm is very close to Pedder Bay on
the Juan de Fuca Strait. Our team
was able to view the unique Japanese
variety fruits and vegetables grown at
the farm in 24 unheated green houses.
This farm is B.C. certified organic yearround. We learned what it takes to
maintain the “organic” status, including
natural fertilizer amendments. The
most noteworthy amendment being
the thistle brew, which one of our
members is going to test for fertility to
help the farm out. Most of the produce
is grown for the Moss Street Market,
Fujiya Japanese food store, and several
local Victoria restaurants. We learned
that the red-coloured Japanese New
Year carrot is one of the specialty items
grown for primarily their Asian clientele.
We sampled Japanese cucumber which
is bumpy with many spikes and greatly
valued in Japanese culture. After
the tour the members were able to
purchase some of the unique produce
including daikon and Japanese eggplant
that is best consumed fresh not cooked.
Members also took the opportunity pick
their own apples from the farm.
After the farm tour, participants
gathered across the road at Glen
Rosa Restaurant for a delicious meal
of organic green salad, squash soup,
sandwiches and a lovely desert of
sweet melon roll and a berry sorbet.
Most of the meal used the produce
from Umi Nami farm. The owner of the
Glen Rosa restaurant, Jane Hammond,
spoke of the history of the farm, and
how it was originally over 600 acres
in size compared to the current 10
acre property. The farm today still has
apples, sheep, chickens and a couple
of retired donkeys. The apple orchard
has trees over 100 years of age and the
farm still produces an abundance of
heritage variety apples. The homestead
was rebuilt board by board by the
current owners and they found a note
from one of the early owners John Reid
written on a wooden shingle found in a
wall during the renovations. This lunch
was an opportunity for our members to
meet and catch up while enjoying the
spectacular ocean view.
The day was capped off with a lovely
hike around Matheson Lake by a small
group of members and a chance to
enjoy the natural setting of this region.
By Natalie Tashe, P.Ag.
WINTER 2016 | BCIA NEWSLETTER | 11
Heather Clifford presented two Linked-In
Facebook workshops this November to
Victoria & Islands Branch members.
“Although the turnout numbers were rather
low, that simply made for a very inclusive
meeting with Heather. I can honestly say
one of the best workshops I’ve been to.
Completely on point and fascinating too.
The hours just flew. I can recommend
this workshop to any and all Agrologists
especially those wanting to get their names
out there for various work contracts.”
Tom Hilborn P.Ag.
VICTORIA AND ISLANDS
BRANCH
Annual General Meeting
(AGM)
O
n November 7, 2015, the Victoria
and Islands Branch held their
annual general meeting at the
Oceanfront Suites in Cowichan Bay. Rod
Negrave, P.Ag., 2015 Branch President,
presided over the meeting. The 2015
Branch Executives presented reports
to the members and answered any
questions raised.
The following Articling Agrologists
(A.Ag’s) introduced themselves to
the members: Lori Carter, Constance
(Connie) Chapman, Huapeng Chen,
Colleen Delaney, Mohamed Diabate,
Suzanne Durnin, Mark Edwards,
Christian Evans, Jonathan Goetz, Didi
Grimes, Benjamin Kerr, Carla Mellott,
Daniel Neden, Hannah M. Roessler, and
Ian Wright. Each A.Ag. spoke about
their education, past and current work
experience. The number of new A.Ag’s
and their diversity of experience and
education is impressive. Robert Moody,
P.Ag., Executive Director/Registrar then
presented the following members with
Professional Agrologist certificates:
Kendra Bennett, Emily Doyle-Yamaguchi,
Maija Finvers, J. Tobi Gardner, Marcia
Martin, Maria Julie Martin, Malcolm
Nicol, and Esther J. Parker.
12 | BCIA NEWSLETTER | WINTER 2016
Members volunteered or were
nominated to fill branch officer
and director positions for 2016.
Congratulations to the following
members who form the 2016 branch
executive: Bryan Vroom, P.Ag., was
elected as President-Elect while Russ
Horton, P.Ag., Sara Duncan, P. Ag.,
and Lindsay Douglas, P.Ag., will serve
as Directors. Esther J. Parker, P.Ag.,
will serve as Secretary. Tony Button,
P.Ag., will continue as Professional
Development Coordinator with the
assistance of Natalie Tashe, P.Ag., and
Hally Hofmeyr, P.Ag., will continue to
serve as the Branch’s Councillor. Kevin
Tattrie, P.Ag. is the incoming President.
The late Roy Wilkinson’s (P.Ag.)
contributions were acknowledged by
Larry Bomford, P.Ag.(ret) Mr. Wilkinson
was an active member until the age of
94. Members discussed adding an item
to future AGM agendas to acknowledge
members who have passed away and
their contributions to the BCIA and
agrology. The members agreed that this
be included in next year’s AGM. Mr. Negrave then presented the Branch
Recognition Award to Jenn Wilson,
P.Ag., for her service as Secretary and
Treasurer. Ms. Wilson took over as
Secretary/Treasurer in 2014 and was
recognized for her efforts.
Mr. Negrave, now Past-President,
passed the golden hoe to Kevin Tattrie,
P.Ag., as incoming President. Mr. Tattrie
thanked Mr. Negrave for his service as
president and thanked Mr. Vroom for
stepping up as President-Elect. Kevin
shared his experience of volunteering as
a board member on the Newman family
farm, which is trusted to the Farmlands
Trust Society. The farm donates food
to Our Place and last year contributed
food valued at $4,500 to the charity.
Mr. Tattrie explained that his experience
with the Newman family farm was
rewarding not only for himself but also
for his community and he challenged
the members to take agrology to their
communities.
In the final presentation of the day,
members learned about groundwater
and surface water interactions in the
Cowichan River Watershed from Sylvia
Barroso, Regional Hydrologist, Ministry
of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource
Operations. After lunch, many members
attended the professional development
activity touring the Balme-Ayr Dairy
Farm.
By Esther Parker, P.Ag. &
Jennifer Wilson, P.Ag.
BRANCH EVENTS
CCI Branch members toured the Mount Polley Mine rehabilitiation site on October 17, 2015
Jennifer Wilson, P.Ag. receives an award from
Rod Negrave, P.Ag. at the Vic & Islands AGM
CCI branch members visited Northern Lights Estate Winery
following their AGM on Oct. 16, 2015
New Victoria & Islands P.Ag. Julia Ratcliffe
Victoria & Islands branch members toured
Balme-Ayr Dairy Farm in November following
their AGM
Doug Bell and Noemie Touchette, P.Ag. with Northern Lights Winery
provided a presentation and tour of the facility to CCI branch members.
Members revisited the orchard and farm and did some wine tasting.
WINTER 2016 | BCIA NEWSLETTER | 13
New P.Ag.s presented their certificates at the Peace River branch AGM
L to R: Shauneen Gibbons, Amber Bergen, Trevor Purves, David Terry, Veronica Saluk,
and branch president, Stephen Neville, P.Ag.
CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF SOILS IN BC
Symphony of the Soil
A film by Deborah Koons Garcia
“Symphony of the Soil” is an artistic
exploration of the miraculous substance
soil. By understanding the elaborate
relationships and mutuality between
soil, water, the atmosphere, plants
and animals, we come to appreciate
the complex and dynamic nature of
this precious resource. The film also
examines our human relationship
with soil, the use and misuse of
soil in agriculture, deforestation
and development, and the latest
scientific research on soil’s key role
in ameliorating the most challenging
environmental issues of our time. Filmed
on four continents, featuring esteemed
scientists and working farmers and
ranchers, Symphony of the Soil is an
intriguing presentation that highlights
possibilities of healthy soil creating
healthy plants creating healthy humans
living on a healthy planet. “ Excerpt
from website description found at
http://www.symphonyofthesoil.com
14 | BCIA NEWSLETTER | WINTER 2016
BCIA has purchased the educational
rights for members to view the DVD
version of this film.
Branches have taken advantage
of this excellent resource and
organized group viewings of the
film. Okanagan branch and Fraser
Valley branches presented the film
to members this past summer. CCI
branch held a presentation of the
film in Prince George at the end of
October. And on Dec. 3, Kamloops
branch showed the film followed by
a presentation on Climate Change.
To celebrate the World Soils Day,
on Dec. 4, Fraser Valley branch
organized a webinar presentation
with Jacynthe Masse, Ph. D
candidate in Soil Science at UBC,
who introduced BC’s Provincial Soil.
Jacynthe spearheaded the initiative
to select a provincial soil with the
Pacific Regional Soil Science Society.
BCIA members can view the
recording of this webinar by logging
into the BCIA members site and
going to Secure Documents. The
link to the webinar is listed under the
Members Resources.
FINDING AN AGROLOGIST
How does a member of the public find a
Professional Agrologist in BC?
The BCIA office receives numerous calls
from the public asking how to find a
Professional Agrologist with knowledge
in soil, water, crop production and
numerous other areas. We refer these
individuals to the “Find an Agrologist”
section on the BCIA website.
The “Find an Agrologist” search
function allows the public to select
a particular Area of Practice and a
particular region (branch) thus bringing
up a list of active P.Ag.’s and A.Ag.’s and
their contact information.
As a member you have the choice to
make your contact information (email,
phone, address) available to the public,
to only other BCIA members, or private
to only the BCIA administration. The
default setting is private. If you do not
make your contact information available
to the public, your name will not appear
under the Find an Agrologist listing.
If you want to share your expertise
and knowledge with the public, take a
moment, go online and make your email
or phone number available.
Check the BCIA website for under
Questions about Members Area for
more information on how to make your
information available to the public.
ROBERT LEROY (ROY) WILKINSON
IN MEMORIAM
R
oy Wilkinson passed away on October 5, 2015
at the age of 94. He is survived by his wife of
72 years, Magna, two sons, Brian and Bob, four
grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Roy was a flying instructor, training pilots from
all over the Commonwealth during WWII. After
graduating from UBC in 1948 with a degree in
agriculture, he worked for the BC Government in
the Ministry of Agriculture for 32 years, and was a
P.Ag. since 1951, serving as president and councillor
for both Kamloops and Victoria & Islands branches
and was Agrologist of the Year in 1981.
Roy remained an active member of BCIA to 2015.
PETER WILLIAM DAVIDSON
Sig Peterson (L) with Roy Wilkinson
(R) at the Victoria & Islands AGM in
November 2008.
P
eter Davidson passed away on October 25, 2015
while doing what he loved most, hiking in the
mountains with friends.
Peter was born in Lethbridge, Alberta and grew up on a
farm. In the summers between the age of 14 and 23, he
herded domestic sheep on his family’s mountain lease
in the Kananaskis. This led him to university where
he earned three degrees, preparing him for a career
as a biologist. In 1982 he got his dream job working
with the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, where he
inspired people to participate and become part of their
recovery success.
Peter was a member of BCIA since 1991.
“The Rocky Mountain Naturalists are grateful to the
dedicated emergency responders who showed extraordinary kindness, courtesy and professionalism when
we called 911 Sunday afternoon from a ridge overlooking
Cranbrook. One of our club members had just suffered
a massive heart attack and we were trying to resuscitate
him. The 911 first aid coach, who walked us through 40
minutes of CPR via cell phone on speaker mode, was
totally confident in what he was saying and what they
were doing. The RCMP member and the two Search
and Rescue volunteers, who arrived to interview all 17
of us witnesses and take responsibility for evacuating
our friend’s body, were very respectful, organized and
efficient. A final thanks to the STARS helicopter pilot
who gave our friend, Peter, the rope swing ride through
the sky that Peter, the wildlife biologist, had so often
given his beloved mountain sheep.”
MARSHALL ABRAM
CRONKHITE
M
arshall Cronkhite passed away
on November 10, 2015 on the
dairy farm in Aldergrove that had been
his lifelong home. After a stint in
World War II as a rear gunner, Marshall
attended UBC and earned a degree in
Agricultural Economics. He worked
for both the provincial and federal
governments as a farm management
specialist. In 1966 he returned to
farming believing it was the best way to
raise a family.
Marshall started with BCIA in October
1962 and was a member for 53 years.
WINTER 2016 | BCIA NEWSLETTER | 15
Mount Polley Mine Hazeltine Creek
Return undelivered copies to:
PM No. 41317524 2777 Claude Rd, Victoria BC , V9B 3T7
Please send articles and pictures for
inclusion in the newsletter to the BCIA
Office.
Deadline for submissions:
Mar 15, June 15, Sept 15, Dec 15
Newsletter Editor: Margaret Crowley, M.Sc., P.Ag
Published by the British Columbia Institute of Agrologists
2777 Claude Rd.,
P. (250) 380-9292
Victoria BC V9B 3T7
F. (250) 380-9233
E. p.ag@bcia.com
W. www.bcia.com
Office hours. Mon. to Fri. 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
BRITISH COLUMBIA INSTITUTE OF AGROLOGISTS
WINTER 2016
16 | BCIA NEWSLETTER | WINTER 2016