Monday/Lundi, May/Mai 6
19:00-20:30
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Zoological Education Trust (ZET)/Fond pour l’éducation à la Zoologie Symposium
Location: Ballroom A and B Introduction: Simon Lamarre and Nicolas Pichaud, LOC co-chairs (Université de Moncton) Carol Bucking, CSZ President (York University) Alex Zimmer, ZET Lecture Committee (University of New Brunswick) Allen Curry, Professor of Biology, University of New Brunswick |
Allen Curry is a professor of Biology, Forestry and Environmental Management at the University of New Brunswick (UNB) in Fredericton, NB, Canada. He was a founding member (2001) then Director of the Canadian Rivers Institute (CRI) from 2004-13 when he stepped down to become the Principal Investigator for the multi-million dollar Mactaquac Aquatic Ecosystem Study. He is a Fellow of the CRI, the NB Department of Natural Resources/Cloverleaf Foundation Professor of Recreational Fisheries Research, and Assistant Director-NB Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. He has >100 peer-reviewed publications, reports, books, and book chapters in the fields of fish ecology, fisheries, freshwater/estuarine/reef ecology, ecohydrology, and various fields within hydrology from environmental flows to forest hydrology processes. He sustains a suite of research associates, post-doctoral researchers, technicians, and graduate and undergraduate students, and teaches courses on statistics for the environmental sciences, ecohydrology, and the impacts of humans on the coral reefs.
The Weaving Waters Expedition: The beginning – “So Long and Thanks for All the Fish”
After 30+ years as a natural historian of all things watery, especially fish, I was exploring ideas about how to close the book on my professional career as a university professor and researcher. I found myself at Woods Hole, MA one morning where I had the pleasure of enjoying coffee with Rachel Carson. Inspired by her impactful contributions that advanced environmental awareness and conservation, I made a plan to traverse the waters of eastern North America to collect local water stories and share my own water experiences and science in a project to weave this collection of stories into a message of reconciliation and hope for our beleaguered water worlds. While I will write more science articles, Rachel’s contribution reminded me that real change starts with the people in our community and that is where my expedition began. In July 2023, I set off on a boat journey through the Great Lakes, down the Mississippi River watershed, along the Gulf of Mexico into the Florida Keys, across into the Bahama Cays, and now my path north along the Atlantic seaboard to the St. Lawrence River and back to New Brunswick. Today I will present a travelogue about traversing big lakes and rivers, intercoastal waterways, and crossing the Gulf Stream, combined with a taste of local stories about aquatic invaders, persistent pollution, and our changing climate I have collected along my journey so far.
The Weaving Waters Expedition: The beginning – “So Long and Thanks for All the Fish”
After 30+ years as a natural historian of all things watery, especially fish, I was exploring ideas about how to close the book on my professional career as a university professor and researcher. I found myself at Woods Hole, MA one morning where I had the pleasure of enjoying coffee with Rachel Carson. Inspired by her impactful contributions that advanced environmental awareness and conservation, I made a plan to traverse the waters of eastern North America to collect local water stories and share my own water experiences and science in a project to weave this collection of stories into a message of reconciliation and hope for our beleaguered water worlds. While I will write more science articles, Rachel’s contribution reminded me that real change starts with the people in our community and that is where my expedition began. In July 2023, I set off on a boat journey through the Great Lakes, down the Mississippi River watershed, along the Gulf of Mexico into the Florida Keys, across into the Bahama Cays, and now my path north along the Atlantic seaboard to the St. Lawrence River and back to New Brunswick. Today I will present a travelogue about traversing big lakes and rivers, intercoastal waterways, and crossing the Gulf Stream, combined with a taste of local stories about aquatic invaders, persistent pollution, and our changing climate I have collected along my journey so far.