Bulkley Valley Research Centre - Science in the Public Interest

Board

Sam Coggins

Chair

Sam is a Registered Professional Forester with over 25 years' experience in natural resource management. Originally from the UK, Sam has a technical diploma in forestry and woodland management, a bachelor’s degree in forest resources management, and a PhD in forestry from the University of British...

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Irene Ronalds

Vice-Chair

Irene Ronalds (RPBio) moved to Smithers in 1993 to work on the Protected Areas Strategy, get to know the region’s diverse landscapes, and enjoy the outdoors. Her work has focused on Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping, ecosystem restoration and monitoring, and resource management planning. She admires...

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Adriana Almeida-Rodriguez

Treasurer

Adriana is a biologist with a Ph.D. in Forest Biology and Management. She has studied the physiological responses, gene expression, and phenotypic plasticity of plants exposed to abiotic stresses and in plant-fungi associations. Adriana is currently working as a Senior Environmental Protection...

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Evelyn Hamilton

Secretary

Evelyn Hamilton worked in the Research Branch of the BC Forest Service for much of her career. She started as a Field ecologist working on fire ecology and ecosystem classification. Before retiring in 2010, Evelyn managed the Ecology and Earth Sciences Section, a team of research scientists and...

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Alana Clason

Research Associate / Board Member

When Alana first came to the Bulkley Valley in 2009, she was lucky enough to work closely with the BVRC, and couldn’t be happier to be back in that position again. Alana completed her PhD at UNBC in 2017, focusing on understanding the current limits to whitebark pine’s northern distribution and...

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Dave Loewen

Board Member

David Loewn was raised on Haida Gwaii before moving to the Bulkley Valley and later Prince George. David is an Open Learning Faculty Member at Thompson Rivers University. David's academic background is in Education and Business Administration. He has a Doctorate of Education, specializing in online...

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Kira Hoffman

Post Doctoral Research Associate / Board Member

Dr. Kira Hoffman is an ecologist, conservationist and former wildland firefighter who was born and raised in Smithers. Hoffman's research focuses on how humans have used fire for millennia to manage and enhance their natural surroundings. Combined with traditional ecological knowledge, she uses...

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Brad Martin

Board Member

Brad started working in wildfire in 1984 while living in Dease Lake, where he spent 6 years on an initial attack crew before becoming a Resource Assistant in Protection and Engineering. Brad moved to Smithers in 1994 and continued to shift and grow into various roles related to wildfire management,...

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Cedar Welsh

Board Member

Cedar is an applied hydroclimatologist and paleoscientist (PhD, Geography, MSc, Biology). She specializes in exploring the influence of climate variability and change on the management of water resources in northern British Columbia. Cedar held a teaching position at the University of Northern...

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