Doug grew up in small town central Ontario, spending as much time outside as he could. Countless hours spent exploring on foot and by canoe, catching frogs and turtles, fishing, or just quietly watching dragonflies emerge from the water and transform into adults led to a fascination with all aspects of natural history, and prepared him well for the rigours of field work later in life.

Doug holds BSc and MSc degrees in Wildlife Biology from the University of Guelph, where his research investigated island biogeography of bird communities in Georgian Bay, Ontario, including the rates of brood parasitism by Brown-headed cowbirds. He works as an ecologist with Parks Canada, having spent most of his career at Nahanni National Park Reserve in the Northwest Territories. He is currently working at Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area.

Doug’s talk will highlight some of the research projects he has been involved in over the years – ranging from grizzly bears to butterflies and bull trout to hot spring flowers – as well as showcase some of the spectacular areas protected by our national parks system. The majority of the time will focus on the natural history and landscapes of Nahanni, with reference to a few other sites and a brief update on Lake Superior NMCA.