SCHOOL OF
Winter Term 2014
ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY TALKING SENSE
www.usask.ca/sens
Talking SENSe
School of Environment and Sustainability University of Saskatchewan Kirk Hall, Room 323 117 Science Place Saskatoon, SK S7N 5C8 Executive Director Toddi Steelman, PhD Assistant Director – Academic Maureen Reed, PhD Newsletter Sharla Daviduik, MRM On the cover: Spray Valley, Kananaskis Country. Photo by Chris Gabrelli. Chris is a student in the PhD program; his research concerns developing an understanding of the contribution of bedrock groundwater to runoff generation processes in headwater catchments. Above: Students in all three SENS graduate programs participated in the first SENS Symposium Day on March 14. Richard Baah, a student in the MSEM program, is conducting research concerning the sustainability of U of S agricultural operations. He is working with the U of S Office of Sustainability, and is advised by Professor Ken Belcher. Administrative Officer Meagan Hinther, BSc Communications Specialist Please submit comments to sens.info@usask.ca 3 Executive Director’s Message 4 Urban Transportation and Design Conference 5 Student and Faculty Profiles 5 ENVS 401 Students Make Their Mark 6 Alumni Profile 6 MES Students “Go Green” In Regina 7 Delta Day 8 Community Engagement at Fort Resolution, NWT 9 SENS Symposium Day 9 Upcoming Events 3
Executive Director’s Message Change is coming. Spring is almost here and, simultaneously, TransformUS is upon us. TransformUS has been a year‐long priori‐
tization process undertaken by the Uni‐
versity of Saskatchewan to address the $45‐million projected deficit that we will face in 2016. Two committees were struck, with representatives from aca‐
demic and administrative units, to catego‐
rize all programs on campus. The results suggested there were places where we could grow programs, re‐organize pro‐
grams and cut programs. While scary, this is also an exciting opportunity for the University to tackle how to change pro‐
actively. We do not yet know how this will affect SENS. The implementation plan will be released in early May. We do know we fared well in the initial ranking process. Our programs are strong and growing. SENS continues to be seen as an area where the U of S will continue to invest. On this front, we are in the process of hiring one new staff member and three new faculty members—including posi‐
tions in watershed hydrology, risk man‐
agement and communication, and sus‐ tainability and environmental manage‐
ment. We are working collaboratively with community partners, like the Associ‐
ation of Professional Engineers and Geo‐
scientists of Saskatchewan and the City of Saskatoon, on activities like our Urban Transportation and Design Conference that was held on January 24. We held our first SENS‐wide Symposium on student research in March—the School finally reached a size where we could dedicate a whole day to the amazing work our MSEM, MES and PhD students are doing. Our faculty are participating in capacity‐
building teaching workshops in anticipa‐
tion of transitioning to our new curricu‐
lum at the start of next academic year. Delta Day was once again successful, and our ENVS 401 students participated in the Sustainability Student Project Symposium on March 28. In short, the School is a hub of activity. Change is never easy. We will face chal‐
lenges as well as opportunities as the details of TransformUS are revealed. Good will, trust, transparency, and choco‐
late will get us through these next few months as we continue to grow into what we can be as a University and as a School. Toddi Steelman, PhD Executive Director In February 2014, the play “Down‐
stream” travelled throughout the Saskatchewan River Basin. Written by Kenneth T. Williams, playwright‐
in‐residence at the U of S Drama Department, the play was used as the medium to communicate data gathered during workshops about water security in the basin back to stakeholders. Talking SENSe
Getting Where We Need To Go: SENS Co‐Hosts Urban Transportation and Design Conference with APEGS and the City of Saskatoon On January 24, 2014, a diverse group of people, including members of non‐governmental organi‐
zations, engineers, architects, university students, professors, and high school students met at the Parktown Hotel to discuss a topic that affects everyone living in Saskatoon: urban transporta‐
tion and design. The conference was organized to allow ample time for attendees to discuss the issues at hand, including balancing sprawl and density, learning from other cities, transportation behaviour, and greenhouse gas reductions and transportation. PhD student Jania Chilima was one of several SENS graduate students who volunteered their time to facilitate discussion sessions. “It was useful to attend to see how and where the School of Environment and Sustainability can provide solutions to the City,” she says. “And it was use‐
ful to learn what the City is doing to curb urban transportation problems.” Students from Saskatoon’s Outdoor School (based at Marion M. Graham Collegiate) and Science Trek (based at Montgomery School) pro‐
grams also attended. “The contributions of the high school students were particularly valuable,” reflects SENS Administrative Officer Sharla Da‐
viduik. “They are dependent on public transit, cycling, or walking, because they don’t have their driver’s licences yet. So they are very knowl‐
edgeable about where infrastructure for these modes of transportation is working in Saskatoon and where it isn’t.” This conference was the first organized by the Association of Professional Engineers and Geosci‐
entists of Saskatchewan (APEGS), SENS, and the City of Saskatoon. A summary report of the con‐
ference discussion is being prepared and will be available soon. Getting Where We Need to Go, photos from top: PhD candidate Colleen George chats with students from the Science Trek program; PhD student Jania Chilima facilitates a roundtable discussion; Dr. Lisa White, SENS graduate, representing APEGS, was the conference host; and, panellist Ian Loughran with the City of Saska‐
toon answers a question from the audience. Photos were taken by PhD candidate Ranjan Datta. 5
Student Profile: Katie Suek, MSEM Program
Research interests: Public consultation, Aboriginal engagement, socio‐economics and land‐use studies My Ishmael and Story of B), however, stand out as they drastically changed my world view and continue to influence the work I do today. Place of birth: Oxbow, Saskatchewan What impact do you hope your research will have? My project involves the development of strategies for economic development through market gardening for Aboriginal youth. I hope that my research will provide an adaptable set of tools to empower people to independently combat challenges of food security and eco‐
nomic development in their communities. Favourite music: Anything I can sing along with. MSEM student Katie Suek and her son Dylan. Katie’s ENVS 992 project, with community partner the Child Hunger and Education Program (CHEP), focuses on economic devel‐
opment through market gardening for Abo‐
riginal youth. Most significant achievement: My most significant achievement to date has been balancing graduate school, my professional career and a young family and succeeding at all three. Influences: I have had many great influences throughout my academic and professional career. The works of Daniel Quinn (Ishmael, How do you define sustainability? Sustainabil‐
ity is the adaptation of our interests, values and behaviours to ensure the longevity and inhabitability of the earth as we know it or would like to see it in the future. Faculty Profile: Tim Jardine, PhD
Influences: If I had to name a few – Jared Research interests: Rivers both great and Diamond and John Steinbeck – two biologists small; food webs; contaminants; how land turned popular writers. and water is linked by the movements and activities of plants, animals and people. Most of my current research takes place in large inland deltas such as the Saskatche‐
wan River Delta and Slave River Delta. What impact do you hope your research will have? I find myself increasingly moving towards applied research, with the hope that the information my laboratory produces can be useful for the sustainable management of river basins and the human livelihoods that depend on them. Place of birth: Miramichi, New Brunswick Most significant achievement: Probably conducting biological sampling in cyclone‐
threatened, crocodile‐infested waters in collaboration with a double‐murder suspect in northern Australia without getting blown away, eaten or pushed overboard. How do you define sustainability? The in‐
fluence of my accountant father leads me to fall back on a largely economic definition – “no net loss over time of a particular good, service or capacity.” I like to use the analogy of a bank account because nature has one too, and it is largely being overdrawn. Favourite music: Bruce Springsteen specifi‐
cally, acoustic singer‐songwriter generally. Assistant Professor Tim Jardine’s research foci in‐
clude freshwater food webs and contaminant bio‐
magnification in aquatic ecosystems. Dr. Jardine is affiliated with the Toxicology Centre. ENVS 401 Students Make Their Mark A year ago, ENVS 401: Sustainability in Action was just starting to take form as an idea. On March 28, students in the first offering of the course presented their class projects at the Sustainability Stu‐
dent Project Symposium, hosted by the U of S Office of Sustainability. “The event was a real success,” says course instructor Phil Loring, assistant professor in SENS. “Students learned the value of systems thinking, and of adopting incremental change for sustainability.” some cool life lessons. And they opened enough doors to make a few people uncomfortable with the status quo on campus.” One particularly positive outcome of the course was the determination of a path for the U of S to achieve a STARS silver rating for campus sustainability. This year’s ENVS 401 students have already lived up to the title of the course beyond all expectations. Colin Laroque, professor in Soil Science and SENS, who team taught the course with Dr. Loring, agrees. “I think the stu‐
dents had fun, and that they learned ENVS 401 students Bailie Ericson and Leuraunt Trach are interviewed by Shaw Cable at the Sustainability Student Project Symposium on March 28. Photo courtesy Colin Laroque. Talking SENSe
Alumni Profile: Liam Mulhall, Class of 2013 Liam Mulhall had been considering returning to school for several years, but hadn’t been able to find the right program. He knew he was seeking training that would provide greater job satisfaction; he wanted a career that was meaningful. An avid outdoorsman, Liam also knew that he was interested in working to ensure that future generations would have the same opportunities that he had had to enjoy and appreciate the outdoors. When he found SENS, Liam knew he had found the right fit. “The one‐year MSEM program was very appealing, as I wanted to return to the work force as soon as possi‐
ble,” Liam says. “Many comparable programs are very regionally‐
focused. I found that SENS offered learning that could be applied broadly and would not limit my mobility. I found faculty at SENS whose interests aligned directly with my own. Plus, I liked the idea of living in the beautiful city of Saskatoon.” Liam at Fall Convocation 2013. He
was advised by Professor Ken Belcher for his ENVS 992 project, “Lake Diefenbaker: A Case Study Analysis of Lakeshore Develop‐
ment.” The community partner for Liam’s project was South Saskatch‐
ewan Watershed Stewards Inc. Liam’s favourite moments from his time at SENS came early in his program, during the ENVS 801 field trip to the Redberry Lake Bio‐
sphere Reserve. “I shared in my friend Razak’s first experience ca‐
noeing, watched huge flocks of snow geese that brought back great childhood memories, and shot pool with Joe in the Hafford Hotel until the wee hours. I’d go back in a second!” Today, Liam is a Business Analyst with Stantec Consulting in Winni‐
peg. His main responsibility is front‐end project planning, which in‐
cludes financial analysis, feasibility studies, market assessments, and completing business cases. The environmental division at Stantec is large and growing, and Liam sees a continuing role for himself in planning and strategic analysis. Like many SENS alumni, Liam sees many opportunities for today’s SENS students. “Your education is what you make of it. Choose your courses wisely and consider the projects you complete. SENS offers students a lot of academic freedom. By engaging in projects that align with your aspirations, you can gain experience that will come in handy in the future.” Liam also believes that the environmental management sector will continue to grow. “Going beyond the obvi‐
ous environmental benefits to society, many organizations are realiz‐
ing the financial benefits of sustainable practices. Not only can they achieve cost savings, being a good environmental steward is good for a company’s reputation.” As for the term “sustainability” itself, Liam thinks its use is contextu‐
al. “It’s a very popular word, and is rarely used in connection with its proper definition. From an academic perspective, I believe that up‐
holding the technical definition, established in the Brundtland Re‐
port, is a fundamental element of any sustainability debate. In popu‐
lar society, however, I think sustainability takes a broader meaning. In that sense, sustainability means doing things thoughtfully and considering the results of our actions. I think this is a very important process. Achieving a truly sustainable global environment will take a number of ‘baby steps,’ and these should not be discounted.” MES Students “Go Green” In Regina On February 26, MES students Noel Galuschik, Janell Rempel, and Sarah Welter represented SENS at a Symposium on Environmental Tech‐
nologies, hosted by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment. The event, held in Regina, high‐
lighted projects funded by the provincial Go Green fund, and provided many networking op‐
portunities. “It was an amazing opportunity to meet with some of the province's leaders in developing environmental technologies and learn about what is being done to meet the goals of sustain‐
ability in the province,” says Sarah. From left to right: Noel Galuschik, Janell Rempel, Saskatchewan Minister of Environment Ken Cheveldayoff, and Sarah Welter at the Symposium on Environmental Technologies. 7
“It’s All About Trust.” SENS Co‐Hosts Second Annual Delta Day Seminar A U of S partnership in the Northwest Territo‐
ries is helping northern communities develop an action plan to protect the health of their watershed and their livelihoods through a program fundamentally built on trust. SENS, in partnership with the Global Institute for Water Security and the Department of Geography and Planning, hosted three repre‐
sentatives this past February from the Slave River and Delta Partnership – Erin Kelly and Jennifer Fresque‐Baxter with the Govern‐
ment of the NWT, and Tim Heron from NWT Métis Nation. The group was in Saskatoon for two days and ended their visit with a Delta Day seminar on February 7 discussing insights gained by building partnerships and leading community‐based monitoring activities. This was the second Delta Day co‐hosted by SENS, intended to bring attention to these crucial and important ecosystems. The first event in 2013 focused on the Saskatchewan River Delta in northeastern Saskatchewan. “We still have a lot of people in the NWT who live on the land. They eat the fish, drink the water and eat the wildlife. It’s very important to them that what’s happening upstream doesn’t harm this subsistence lifestyle,” said Erin Kelly. This led to a U of S fish health study, commis‐
sioned by the Slave River and Delta Partner‐
ship, and conducted by Paul Jones. It was part of the first steps in community‐led initia‐
tives to figure out what was changing in the environment. SWEEP is a continuation of the fish health study and is funded through the Canadian Water Network. The program’s goal is to create a cost‐effective, Aboriginal‐led cumulative effects program that can help communities identify how changes in the watershed affect such things as aquatic health, wildlife populations and sediment loads. Ultimately, it was the trust built through the fish health study that helped form SWEEP. The NWT visit was in part due to the Slave Watershed Environmental Effects Program (SWEEP). SWEEP is a research program be‐
tween the U of S and partners in the NWT with a goal to empower communities to col‐
lect, interpret and use a system of environ‐
mental indicators to assess changes in the ecological health of the Slave River and delta. The U of S research team includes SENS core faculty Paul Jones, Tim Jardine and Karl‐Erich Lindenschmidt and associate faculty Lalita Bharadwaj. Lorne Doig from the Toxicology Centre is also part of the research team. “The basic thing you have to earn in a part‐
nership is trust,” said Tim Heron. “We [the Métis Nation] have to trust what [the re‐
searchers and government] are saying to us and they have to trust what we’re saying to them. The Slave River and Slave River Delta connect Lake Athabasca in Alberta to Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories. Industrial activi‐
ties such as the tar sands dominate the land‐
scape upstream in the Athabasca and Peace watersheds. These watersheds ultimately drain into the Slave River Delta. Watershed protection has become a community and government priority and has led to such in‐
novative planning documents as the Northern Voices, Northern Waters NWT Water Stew‐
ardship Strategy. During the Delta Day seminar, Erin Kelly told the story of how alarm bells were raised when fishermen on the Slave River began noticing strange bumps on the pickerel they were catching. The community immediately began questioning ‘Can we drink the water? Can we eat the fish? Is the ecosystem healthy?’ Above: The Slave River. Pho‐
to courtesy Karl Johnston. Below: Members of the SWEEP Research Team with Delta Day organizers. From left: Jay Sagin, Erin Kelly, Paul Jones, Tim Heron, Jennifer Fresque‐Baxter, Tim Jardine, Karl‐Erich Lindenschmidt, Lorne Doig, and Bob Patrick.
This takes time ... invite them to your house. Eat our traditional foods with us. We learn and understand from each other during those times. It strengthens the partnership when both sides are learning from each other.” A key component to the research is the use of Traditional Knowledge indicators of eco‐
system health along with Western Science indicators. Lalita Bharadwaj is facilitating this portion of the research and uses the term ‘Two Eyed Seeing’ to describe how the strength of many ways of knowing is needed to see the whole system. Perhaps most importantly of all, no results are distributed until they are shared with the community first. They are also communicated in a way that is useful. “You can do a whole bunch of monitoring and collect a whole bunch of information, but who wants to be in a community monitoring program if you’re not getting the results back in a way that is meaningful to you,” said Erin Kelly. “Critical to a successful program is the involvement of local community groups. These are the people who are on the land, the people who see the changes happening and the people that are directly affected by those changes.” Talking SENSe
Community Engagement at Fort Resolution, NWT Contributed by Karl‐Erich Lindenschmidt, SENS associate professor As part of SWEEP, Lorne Doig, Jay Sagin and I visited Fort Resolution from January 31 to February 4. Guided by Henry MacKay from the ham‐
let’s Métis Council, Jay and I carried out ice surveys along the main stem of the Slave River within the delta. The data will be used to show ice types along the river’s ice cover and verify RADARSAT‐2 satellite imagery. After the ice survey work was completed, I taught a class on river ice processes to the high school students at Fort Resolution’s school. Lorne engaged the students in aquatic ecotoxicology. He brought equipment allowing the students to classify aquatic invertebrates sampled from the Slave River and providing a basis for them to make an assessment of the river’s water quality. Studying the hydrological/ice regime (led by myself), aquatic ecotoxicology (led by Lorne), wildlife (led by Tim Jardine) and fish toxicology (led by Paul Jones) in the context of both Tradi‐
tional Knowledge and Western Science (mediated by Lalita Bharadwaj) is part of SWEEP’s mandate to develop a long‐term community‐based monitoring program along the Slave River. Left: Henry MacKay (left) and Karl‐Erich Lindenschmidt (right) conduct an ice survey along the Slave River between Nagle & Steamboat Canals. Photo courtesy Jay Sagin. Right: Lorne Doig teaches Fort Resolution high school students about invertebrate classification. Photo courtesy Jay Sagin. Ranjan Datta, PhD candidate, is exploring how meanings of sustainability are framed in relation to the politics of land and water management for the Indigenous peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh. His thesis examines identity and justice in relation to Indigenous understandings of sustainability and land and water management. These photos depict Laitu Khyeng traditional ways of drinking water purification, of transporting local foods to village market and of cloth making, and were taken during Ran‐
jan’s field work in Bangladesh, February – June 2013. Ranjan was recently awarded a Graduate Scholar Award to attend the 2014 Conference on In‐
terdisciplinary Social Sciences in Vancouver this coming June. 9
SENS Symposium Day: An Important Milestone
“We’ve reached a critical mass,” Executive Director Toddi Steelman not‐
ed as she spoke to the SENS community at the beginning of the first SENS Symposium Day on March 14. “This is the first time we’ve been able to devote an entire day to learning about student research.” Indeed, with eighty‐five students in program, the previous model where MES and PhD students gave research presentations in ENVS 990 was no longer tenable. By bringing all of these presentations, along with the ENVS 992 poster presentations given by MSEM students, together into one symposium provided an excellent overview of the diversity of student research being conducted at SENS. The symposium began with opening remarks by University of Saskatche‐
wan Vice‐President Research Karen Chad. Distinguished Professor and Canada Research Chair Fikret Berkes from the University of Manitoba delivered the plenary address. Dr. Berkes spoke about the role of tradi‐
tional knowledge in research, a relevant topic for all researchers in SENS, whether their focus is natural science, physical science, social science, or the humanities. Twelve MSEM students, fifteen MES students, and fifteen PhD students participated in the symposium, presenting on topics as diverse as sus‐
tainability education, environmental impact assessment, food security, prairie wetlands, forest governance, and energy efficiency. “The symposium was an opportunity to showcase the tremendous work and energy of our students in all three programs, and to reflect on how SENS has grown, both in number of students, and in stature, within and beyond the University,” says Assistant Director Academic Maureen Reed. “It was a proud day for the School, to see the range the depth of scholar‐
ship, and the multiple ways that student research is serving communities beyond academia.” Upcoming Events April 22 ‐ Earth Day Celebration at Saskatoon Farmers’ Market. More Info at http://www.environmentalsociety.ca/main/events/earth‐day‐celebration‐2014/ SENS Associate Faculty Bob Patrick was recently named the recipient of the College of Arts and Science Teaching Excellence Award in the Division of Social Sciences. Dr. Patrick is associate professor in the Department of Geography and Planning; his research concerns water policy and governance, source water protection, watershed planning, and urban and regional planning. Congratulations! Above: Distinguished Professor Fikret Berkes delivers the sympo‐
sium’s plenary address. Below: MSEM student Kyle Young presents his ENVS 992 pro‐
posal. Kyle is working with the District of Lakeland and is advised by Dr. Bob Patrick.