TerraHumana Solutions Recognizes Generous Participation by Université de Montréal Field Experts

TerraHumana Solutions is proud to be wrapping up the fieldwork on another technical and ecological assessment for Nature Hudson in the municipality of Hudson, Quebec. The field study started in April and finished at the end of July, and took place on 10.35 hectares of forest and wetland area at the confluence of the Vivry and Ottawa Rivers. Marian MacNair, one of TerraHumana Solutions' research assistants, headed up the study and oversaw the complete field program. 'It's a very biodiverse region,' says MacNair. 'This natural space has several trails and is used a lot by the people of Hudson. 'When you get off the trails, this area has a particularly high concentration of poison ivy,' says MacNair, who calls this plant the defender of the forest.

Marian MacNair worked alongside a group of burgeoning scientists - TerraHumana's latest incubator - a group of student volunteers gaining valuable field experience identifying plants and trees.

Another aspect of this project that made it special, according to MacNair, was the retired professors from the UDM who so willingly gave their time and expertise to the identification of a variety of wildlife. According to these experts, 'it was the only nature of this type all along this shore,' says MacNair. Several species at risk at the federal level were found during this project. 'We had a botanist, entomologist, bat expert, bird expert, and an amphibian and reptile expert helping us in this study area,' said MacNair. At-risk raptor nests, nests of a rare species of turtle, and the brown bat were also found. 'Just about every species from plants to insects, birds to reptiles, fish, shrimp, and molluscs to small mammals are found here,' says MacNair.

'We really want to thank and acknowledge a group of wonderful volunteers: Alison Hackney, Antonia Cattaneo, Ginette Methot, Christiane Hudon, Frieda Beauregard, David Fletcher, Maxim Larrivée, and Patrick Galois. Their level of expertise and knowledge brought this project to another level,' says Dr. Isabelle Bisson.

Volunteers Bios

Alison Hackney is a biologist with degrees from McGill University and UQAM who surveyed Hudson avifauna. She founded the first organic farm on the island of Montreal. As a member of Sauvons L'Anse-à-L'Orme, she contributed to the creation of the Grand Parc de l’Ouest - Canada's largest urban nature park.

Antonia Cattaneo is a retired professor of freshwater ecology from the Département de Sciences Biologiques of the Université de Montréal, with emphasis on the benthic communities of algae, aquatic plants, and invertebrates.

Christiane Hudon is an adjunct professor at the Département de Sciences Biologiques of the Université de Montréal, and an emeritus research scientist at Environment and Climate Change Canada. She specializes in river ecology and wetlands.

Ginette Méthot is a retired research associate in zooplankton ecology from the Département de Sciences Biologiques of the Université de Montréal.

Frieda Beauregard holds a PhD researching plant ecology and biogeography, and teaches botany at McGill University, where she is curator of the Herbarium. She organizes projects on campus to encourage pollinators, and is an avid horticulturalist.

David Fletcher is a former high school teacher who retired after 35 years of introducing students to the joys of vernal pools. He was one of the founding directors of the Green Coalition and since then, has served as its vice-president and spokesperson.

Maxim Larrivée is the Director of the Montreal Insectarium and one of the founders of the eButterfly and Mission Monarch online butterfly databases.

Patrick Galois holds a doctorate in biology, and is the principal project manager at the Amphibia-Nature research group. He has over 32 years of experience as a research biologist. He has conducted numerous inventories and impact studies, and developed and monitored wildlife conservation projects as well as education, awareness, and research efforts in Quebec and internationally. He has worked on different faunal groups with a specialization in herpetofauna.

Student volunteers

Dylan Gwilliam

Ekra Karim

Katerina Kieran

Maeve Bohle

Nikita Bhat

Tiphaine Devanneaux