Board of Directors

Growing up on PEI, Jolene spent summers playing in the cric with her brother and cousins catching frogs and minnows. She developed her love of reptiles and amphibians while at Sir Sandford Fleming College. Jolene attended Trent University and later completed her Masters on Stinkpot turtles at Laurentian University. She has had a variety of jobs working with species at risk amphibians and reptiles in Ontario, including positions with the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority, Ontario Parks, and the Nature Conservancy of Canada. Jolene then shifted gears and pursued other interests in Western Canada before coming back to Atlantic Canada to her current position as a Species at Risk Biologist with Nova Scotia Lands and Forestry. She works with the Amphibians and Reptiles Recovery Team as well as with a variety of researchers and conservation professionals to contribute to the conservation of the province’s herpetofauna.

Amanda Bennett is a Research Associate with the Council of Canadian Academies, an NGO supporting independent, authoritative, and evidence-based expert assessments that inform public policy development in Canada (cca-reports.ca). She holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Zoology and Studio Arts from the University of Guelph, an M.Sc. in Biology from Laurentian University, and a Ph.D. in Environmental and Life Sciences from Trent University. Her academic research has focused on the ecology and conservation of reptiles and amphibians. She’s studied the genetics, spatial ecology, and demographics of species-at-risk turtles for my M.Sc., then moved on to examining constraints and limitations on phenotypic plasticity in larval amphibians for my Ph.D. Amanda worked in applied conservation, as an intern with the Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve and the Saving Turtles at Risk Today Project, returning to Trent University as a Postdoctoral Fellow, working on stress physiology, species distribution modeling, eDNA, and infectious diseases of amphibians. In addition to CHS, Amanda also serves on the COSEWIC Amphibians and Reptiles Specialist Sub-committee and on the board of Fragile Inheritance. In her free time, Amanda “Benny” Bennett plays ultimate and wanders about in woods and swamps. 

I am an Associate Professor and Co-Chair of the COSEWIC Amphibian & Reptile Specialist Subcommittee. Currently, I am studying the importance of peripheral and disjunct populations to the conservation of species. The objectives of this research are two-fold: 1) determine the genetic diversity and differentiation of peripheral and disjunct populations, and the conservation consequences of these patterns, and 2) examine the combined effects of habitat fragmentation and biogeography as mechanisms of genetic differentiation. My research had traditionally focused on Canadian lizard species, but more recently I have started projects on the Great Plains Toad and the Western Tiger Salamander. All my research projects are conducted in threatened habitats, primarily mixed-grass prairie and prairie potholes region.

John Urquhart found his love for nature as a child, mucking about in the wetlands and forests of Northumberland County. John has 15 years of experience as an ecologist and land manager. Reptiles and amphibians are his passion and are the specialty of the company that he founded in 2015, Blazing Star Environmental (BSE). He founded BSE to support individuals, organizations and governments that endeavour to ensure a healthy environment is part of all aspects of growth in Ontario. John is also the President of the Ontario invasive Plant Council. Before Blazing Star Environmental, John worked for 5 years at Ontario Nature where he managed their nature reserve system and their Citizen Science programs, including the Ontario Reptile and Amphibian Atlas program. He also spent more than 2 years working towards the recovery of critically endangered black-footed ferrets and Vancouver Island marmots at the Toronto Zoo. John completed two degrees at the University of Guelph: a M.Sc. degree in Zoology and an Honours B.Env.Sc. in Ecology.

Marc is conservation biologist, researcher, and a lecturer at York University’s Glendon College in Toronto where he studies turtle communities, demographics, and road mortality.  He also helps organize citizen-science efforts to mitigate turtle mortality and protect turtle nesting sites. Marc works across various landscapes and also has field sites in Kenya, where he studies lion and hyena behaviour, landscape prey-traps, and human-wildlife conflicts and has recently discovered a new population of critically endangered pancake tortoises. He holds a Ph.D. in Biology, a Master of Environmental Studies and a Master of Business Administration. Marc is the Chair of the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy Canada, a Canadian charity that supports various projects in Kenya, focusing on education, community development and protection of endangered species. He is also a board member of the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre, a member of the Turtle Survival Alliance’s Field Conservation Committee, a member of the IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Species Specialist Group, a member of the Royal Canadian Institute for Science, a research member of Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation System (GLATOS), and a member of the Canadian Herpetological Society. You can read more about his projects on his website.

Hannah McCurdy-Adams (she/her) grew up exploring the rivers, lakes, and rocky outcrops of Ontario, all while developing a love for reptiles and amphibians. She is now the Reptile and Amphibian Program Development Coordinator for Wildlife Preservation Canada, collaboratively recovering Canada’s most endangered species (wildlifepreservation.ca). She has over a decade experience as a professional conservation herpetologist and community scientist. Hannah completed an Environmental Earth Science B.Sc. and turtle conservation ecology M.Sc. at Laurentian University. She helped develop the Saving Turtles At Risk Today Project, worked with Blazing Star Environmental, the Canadian Wildlife Federation, the Canadian Wildlife Service, and many reptile and amphibian conservation practitioners in the research fields of road ecology, physiology, and genetics. She co-chairs the Canadian Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake Recovery Implementation Group (CEMRRIG), leads the Working Group for the Conservation of Ontario Turtles (WGCOT), and is a member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Amphibian Specialist Group - Canada. When not planning her next trip outdoors, Hannah loves to swing dance, garden, bake, and hike.

Aidan completed his B.Sc. in ecology at the University of Guelph and is currently a M.Sc. candidate under the supervision of Dr. Jackie Litzgus at Laurentian University. His research aims to examine the impacts of wildfire and windfarm construction on herpetofauna community ecology in central Ontario, with the aid of Indigenous and industry partners. This research involves the capture and processing of snake and turtle individuals as well as the analysis of anuran acoustic recordings.