EXPERIENCE Laurie Hamilton has a wealth of experience to offer, having been project manager, lead scientist and specialist on innumerable projects. She excels in vegetation & wetland ecology, environmental planning, soils & reclamation and geomatics. Below are details of her specialties, plus the experience, educational background, and volunteer work that have enabled Laurie to offer superior consulting services. (More below)

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Vegetation Ecologist Laurie's experience includes wetland and riparian health assessments; grassland vegetation inventory (provincially certified); ecological land classification and terrestrial ecosystem mapping; rare plant surveys involving plant identification, rare plant transplant implementation and monitoring; environmental impact assessments; baseline reports; weed surveys; wetland classification; wetland research studies; range health assessments; revegetation plans; culturally significant plant surveys, air photo and satellite image interpretation and environmental overviews. She has designed, implemented and managed internal vegetation data management systems. She has a broad background in vegetation assessments in Foothills, Boreal Forest, Parkland, Grassland, Coastal, Alpine, Sub-alpine, Montane and Arctic ecosystems in Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories. She designs and implements field study programs, manages and analyzes data, writes technical and regulatory reports, and develops and maintains cost and budget controls. Laurie coordinates projects and liaises with government representatives, clients, third parties and inter-departmental personnel. She has participated in designing and presenting plant identification workshops for the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists (ASPB), is an ASPB Director and lead on the Discipline Committee, chaired ASPB's 2007 conference committee, sat on ASPB's 2006 conference committee and co-chaired the wetland session, is an executive member of the Alberta Native Plant Council (ANPC), is chief editor of the ANPC newsletter, and is alternate representative on the Endangered Species Conservation Committee (ESCC) and the Foothills Fescue Forum Technical Advisory Committee.

Environmental Planner and Reclamation Specialist

As a planner, Laurie has coordinated projects in accordance with provincial guidelines in BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan. In compliance with BC Ministry of Forest's Standards for Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping, she created the methods for data QA/QC and deliverables. She managed a large shallow gas program in accordance with Saskatchewan's Environment Assessment Act. In Alberta, she has managed and conducted many environmental field reports (and siting information reports) in accordance with Alberta Public Land requirements, water crossing assessments and notifications in accordance with the Alberta Water Act, and Screening Reports and Comprehensive Studies in accordance with the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. As a reclamation specialist, she has designed and implemented many reclamation programs in a variety of ecosystems and land uses. Her experience includes reclamation program creation, site supervision, contamination assessments (including Phase I, II and III Environmental Assessments), revegetation programs, monitoring, weed management programs and reclamation certification applications.

Geomatics Specialist

Laurie has worked on a variety of GIS projects for land use studies and ecosystem classification. Her responsibilities included project management, database design, QA/QC protocol development, methodology development, map production, programming, three-dimensional air photo interpretation and digitizing, satellite imagery training and supervising. She has worked for federal and provincial government organizations, as well as consulting companies in British Columbia, Alberta and the Northwest Territories.

Educational Background

B.Sc., Biological Sciences with Botany Specialty (Distinction), University of Calgary
Environmental Technology Certificate (Honours), Water Pollution Studies, Mount Royal College, Calgary, AB
Environmental Technology Diploma (Honours), Camosun College, Victoria, BC

Professional Affiliations

Alberta Society of Professional Biologists (Professional Biologist)
Alberta Society of Engineering Technologists (Certified Engineering Technologist)
Alberta Native Plant Council (Board Member, Chief Editor of Newsletter, Alternate Representative on the ESCC and Foothills Fescue Forum Technical Advisory Committee)
Native Plant Society of BC (Member in good standing)
Canadian Botanical Association (Member in good standing)
Society of Wetland Scientists (Member in good standing)

Volunteer Experience

Alternate Member of the Foothills Fescue Forum Technical Advisory Committee (2008)
Ethics Committee Chair, ASPB (2008)
Workshop Organization Committee, ANPC 2007 and 2008, 'Fragments of the Boreal Forest' and 'Fragments of the Grasslands'
Program Subcommittee Chair, ASPB 2008 Conference, Engaging Aboriginal Peoples in Natural Resource Management
Director and Discipline Committee, ASPB (2007-current)
Chair of ASPB 2007 Conference Committee, Solutions to Ecological Issues in the Oil Sands, (2006 - 2007)
Board Member, Alberta Native Plant Council (2004 - current)
Chief Editor of newsletter, Alberta Native Plant Council (2004-current)
Adopt-a-Plant volunteer and workshop presenter, Adopt-a-Plant Alberta (2006 - current)
Updating Manning Provincial Park, BC, alpine and subalpine species list (2005-2006)
Professional Development Committee Member, ASPB (2003-current)
Voting Member (alternate), Endangered Species Conservation Committee (2005-current)
Wetland Session Co-chair and Conference Committee Member, ASPB 2006 Conference (2006)
Course Development, Introduction to Plant Identification (2004-2008, Instructor 2005)
Data Collection for Calgary Naturalists' May and Fall Flower Count (2004-current)