Associate wildlife biologist certification canada

By Don Barnes CWB®, TWS Fellow ([email protected])
​Chair and CSTWS Certification Committee
Chair of the CSTWS Curriculum Review Committee
Chair of the OCTWS Membership and Recruitment Committee

In our modern society, there is a growing expectation that scientists involved in natural resources research and management should be performing according to professional standards. In 1977, to promote and strengthen professional standards amongst wildlife biologists, TWS initiated a two-stage certification program: the Associate Wildlife Biologist (AWB®) and the Certified Wildlife Biologist (CWB®).

Since 2017, the Certification and Curriculum Review Committees have been very effective at explaining the “how” associated with TWS certification, but have not concentrated on explaining its benefits to students and early-career biologists. This oversight is serious since these TWS members are the life-blood of their certification program.
In my 40+ years as a university instructor, it has been my experience that students starting out typically do not know what they want to do upon graduation. The onus falls on “front-line” academic advisors to help students establish an academic plan. These early consultations may be a useful way to ensure that wildlife certification is an option upon graduation, thus ensuring that these early career biologists possess the skill set to present to future employers.
More specifically, TWS’ certification provides early career biologists with three important qualities:

1) Credibility—Certified wildlife professionals have the demonstrated knowledge and abilities to implement actions and plans that will have a positive impact on wildlife conservation and management;
2) Commitment—Certified wildlife professionals demonstrate a personal and professional ethical commitment to protecting and conserving wildlife for current and future generations and
3) Opportunity—Certification can act as an important steppingstone for career placement and advancement. Certified wildlife professionals are high quality candidates for employment opportunities because have geared their wildlife education and experience to be comprehensive.

To reinforce this last point, there are segments of the Canadian biological community that are beginning to see that there are inherent advantages to being labeled as a wildlife professionals i.e., consulting firms are beginning to realize that having a staff with their wildlife certification may be good for business; certified biologists are better able to work with other resource professionals; biologists working in the national and international scene find their professional status is often preferred; biologists involved in legal undertaking find that they are readily accepted as professionals.
In closing I want to address the monetary problem associated with certification. The reality is that any resource-based certification program is expensive. Despite the financial burden associated with a wildlife education, students need to think of certification as an investment in their future.
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In an effort to help out, the OCTWS Board is creating a working group to promote and make wildlife certification more achievable in ON. Everyone wanting to help, please contact us.

Annual Report of the Certification Committee for 2022-2023

By Don Barnes, MSc, CWB®, TWS Fellow, Chair of Certification Committee, OCTWS Past President, ON Representative CSTWS Membership Committee, Member CSTWS Education Committee, Member TWS Conservation Education Awards Committee, and Chair OCTWS Membership and Recruitment Committee

Certification Committee email address [email protected]

​ ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CERTIFICATION COMMITTEE FOR 2021-22

By Don Barnes, MSc, CWB®, TWS Fellow, Chair of Certification Committee, OCTWS Past President, ON Representative CSTWS Membership Committee, Member CSTWS Education Committee, Member TWS Conservation Education Awards Committee, and Chair OCTWS Membership and Recruitment Committee

Certification Committee email address [email protected]

  1. Identify and contact key educators associated with select post-secondary institutions.
  2. Ask these targeted educators to submit an AWB® application to the Certification Review Board (CRB) using courses available at their institutions.
  3. Enlist the help of our four post-secondary faculty, with experience in CRB review of their curricula, to serve as consultants for those submitting AWB® applications.
  4. Assess the feedback from the CRB and explore options on how to proceed.

On a positive note, I am constantly getting inquiries, which has led to mentoring a number of students/biologists towards obtaining their AWB/CWB status. Although we have very few CWBs involved in our mentorship program, it is my hope that the Certification Committee can re-group and push forward to motivate more Canadians to become interested in wildlife certification.

Of late, I have been mentoring 3 Alberta consulting firms who are looking to have their members certified as AWBs/CWBs. This is very encouraging, especially in light of ASPB’s ever force. present

Vacancies on the Certification Committee

Our CSTWS Board Representative, Erin McCance, stepped down, as she is no longer Board CSTWS Executive Director.

Our MB Chapter Liaison Officer, Justine Josephson-Laidlaw, stepped down from her MCTWS Liaison role, as she is now working in BC.

Our SK Chapter Liaison Officer, Adam Sprott, stepped down from his SCTWS Liaison role when he became a CSTWS Director.

Our NL Chapter Liaison Officer, Levi Newediuk, stepped down from his NL Chapter Liaison role.

Newest AWB® and CWB® in Canada
It is with great pride that I announce that a past student of mine from Lakehead University, Erin Desjardins, recently acquired the designation of Associate Wildlife Biologist (AWB®). Her indigenous roots make her unique amongst the other 8 AWBs in Canada. Erin is, currently, doing a MSc Thesis in conjunction with LU and the Four Rivers Environmental Service Group, Mattawa First Nations Management, where she is working as a Stewardship Intern.
Dennis Brannen, CSTWS President acquired his Certified Wildlife Biologist (CWB®). Currently, he is working as a Caribou Biologist with Wildlife and Fisheries Branch of Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development.
As Chair of the Certification Committee, I congratulate Erin and Dennis for their contribution to wildlife professionalism in Canada.

2019-2020 ANNUAL REPORT

​TWS Certification Webinar
On May 8th, 2020, TWS delivered a webinar focusing on its Wildlife Certification Program. Jamila Blake, TWS Professional Manager and Dr. Steven Castleberry, Chair of the Certification Review Board (CRB) did a very good job of capturing and preserving the essence of TWS Wildlife Biologist Certification Program.

Certification Committee Website
Many thanks to Jessica Lang, CSTWS Website Manager, for all her work in creating the Certification Committee site. A lot of care was invested in ensuring that the site covered all aspects of our committee’s activities and initiatives. This improved site should be helpful for anyone wanting to know more about TWS Certification in Canada. I urge all of you to check it out.

MCTWS Certification Workshop Video
In 2018, I was involved in a Certification Workshop organized by Justine Josephson-Laidlaw at the University of Manitoba. At that time, Emily Thoroski (last year’s winner of the TWS’ Conservation Education Award for her video presentation Why do wildlife matter?) created a video to document the workshop. To view the video, go to the Certification Committee section of the CSTWS website.

Revised Terms of Reference to Reflect the Change to Standing Committee Status
At the August 14/20 CSTWS Board meeting, Dennis Brannen (CSTWS President) announced that the Certification Committee has been elevated to the status of a standing committee; previously it was classed as an ad hoc committee. In response to this change in status, the Certification Committee revised their Terms of Reference. On January 14/21, we were informed that our ToR was approved.

New Student Liaison Officer
It gives me great pleasure to announce that the Certification Committee has appointed Ashlyn Herron, a Lethbridge College student, as our new Student Liaison Officer. Currently, she comes with an impressive array of wildlife affiliations: Vice President of The Lethbridge College Wildlife Society Chapter 2019-2020 and 2020-2021, member of The Alberta Wildlife Society Chapter, member of The Wildlife Society, member of the Prairie Conservation Forum, member of Ducks Unlimited, member of Back Country Hunters and Anglers, and student member of the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists. Many thanks to Dr. Everett Hanna, Professor, and our BC-CAB Liaison Officer, for all his help to getting the word out to his students.

On January 19, 2021, Ashlyn has recently delivered a TWS’ certification presentation to the Lethbridge College Student Chapter membership and has set up a bank of resources to aid students when the time comes time for them to apply for their AWB. From all reports, there was a real interest shown in TWS’ certification program.

Working with the CSTWS Membership Committee
As Chair of the Certification Committee, I have been working very closely with the CSTWS Membership Committee Chairs, Dr. Merlin Shoesmith and Justine Josephson-Laidlaw. I am pleased we agree that our two committees should work together. In the new year, we will explore strategies on how best to enforce this commitment. To reinforce my commitment, I have become an integral part of the CSTWS Membership Committee, as their Ontario Chapter representative, and the OCTWS Recruitment and Membership Committee Chair. In like manner, Merlin is a long time CWB® and Justine is presently a member of the Certification Committee. These types of committee collaborations are essential if we want to create a section that embraces a variety of values.

To understand why more Canadian TWS members have not become CSTWS members, the Membership Committee in conjunction with Mariah Beyers, TWS Section Coordinator, has sent out a survey to elicit their comments. To show commitment, the Membership Committee devoted a portion of the survey to certification. The results are currently being analyzed.

Revisions to TWS’s Certification Program
In January 2021, TWS Certification Board (CRB) posted their revisions to the Certification program on TWS’ website. Over the past year, the CRB very generously consulted with the CSTWS Certification Committee resulting in many changes geared to Canadians. Many thanks to Al Arsenault, our CSTWS CRB representative for championing these changes to fruition. Check TWS’ website to see the revised Wildlife Biologist Certification Program Policies Procedures Manual and the modified changes to the Associated Wildlife Biologist (AWB®)/Certified Wildlife Biologist (CWB®) applications.

The Atlantic Society of Fish and Wildlife Biologists (ASFWB)
In December 2020, I published an article entitled THE WILDLIFE SOCIETY’S CERTIFCATION PROGRAM in the fall issue of BIOLINK (ASFWB newsletter). My article was an attempt to re-invigilate interest in our east coast provinces. Those wanting to read my article or to peruse their fall newsletter is encouraged to google their website. To maintain this connection, I have become a member.

Certification Events Planned for 2021
OCTWS-CSTWS AGM Virtual Workshop (March 12 – 14)
This one-hour virtual Certification Workshop will begin with my overview of TWS’ Certification program from a Canadian perspective followed by a panel discussion involving 3 ON AWBs and 2 ON CWBs. For further details, see the OCTWS or CSTWS AGM and Conference website.

ACTWS Newsletter Article and Virtual Workshop
In consultation with Jessica Melsted (AWB®, member of Certification Committee, and ACTWS Director), I have agreed to deliver a Certification Workshop as part of ACTWS’ 2021 workshop/lecture series. As a primer to this spring event, I will be publishing a March newsletter article focusing on the Certification Committee—its genesis, structure, and some of our current initiatives and programs.
SCTWS Virtual Workshop
Recently, Peter Joyce, SCTWS President, indicated that their chapter would be interested in having me host a Certification Workshop. We have decided that the workshop will be in held during the week of May 10 – 14, 2021.
­­­­­­New Plan of Action for the Curriculum Review Committee (CRC)
A new member was added to the CRC in the person of Al Arsenault, our CSTWS CRB Representative. By way of reminder, Al joins a four-members team—Dr. Rick Baydack (University of Manitoba/CSTWS Board), Dr. Erin McCance (CSTWS Executive Director/CSTWS Board/Certification Committee), Dr. Everett Hanna (Lethbridge College/Certification Committee), and myself—.

For 2021, we will be populating the CRC with select Canadian educators who will undertake to modify curricula to better prepare students for a career as wildlife biologists. Once these curricula have been modified, generic AWB applications will be formulated and sent to the CRB to verify that course selections meet TWS certification standards.

2019-2020 ANNUAL REPORT
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Manuscripts Relating to Certification in Canada

​Evolution of certification programs designed to create Canadian professional biologists

At the AGM, Erin and I were approached by Dr. Lu Carbyn about putting together a manuscript on wildlife certification in Canada. In 2010, he and two co-authors published an article in Canadian Field Naturalist (CFN) about biological societies in Alberta. Because of his contacts with CFN, we decided to develop an article to be published in this Canadian-based journal. It was decided that I should spear-head the paper. To help the three of us in our task, we engaged the help of Dr. Everett Hanna (Certification Committee Liaison Officer for BC-CAB), Dave Ealey (Certification Liaison Officer for ASPB), Justine Josephson-Laidlaw (President-Elect of the Manitoba Chapter and Certification Committee Representative from TWS Manitoba Chapter), Jessica Melsted (Certification Committee Secretary), and Al Arsenault (CRB Canadian Representative on the Certification Committee).
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To help us develop the proper historical perspective, Lu Carbyn has generous contributed documents extending back to the 1970s and 80s. I am in the progress of transcribing these into a usable computer format for use in the proposed article.

Why are there not more TWS members opting for certification: A Canadian Prospectus

  1. certification survey of Student Chapters by Jessica Melsted ;
  2. a survey of employers in the western provinces by Justine Josephson-Laidlaw; and
  3. three surveys—employers, education institutions, and working biologists—by the Committee of Canadian Concerns (part of the historical information provided by Lu).

Both these publications are works in progress. We are hoping they will help to provide not only a historical perspective but a road map of how to proceed with certification in Canada.

CSTWS Certification mentorship program

Over the last year, this initiative has provided the opportunity for several CWB®s to dialogue with prospective students and wildlife biologists. Thus far, we have 25 CWB® mentors spread across BC, AB, MB, SK, ON, NB, and YT.
To complete an application for either an AWB® or CWB®, a TWS member must obtain a reference from a CWB®. The mentorship program is important because a CWB® is provided the opportunity to get know the applicant better and thus become comfortable enough to provide a reference. Students/biologists benefit as the CWB® can be useful in answering inquiries about the application process or certification in general. Further, it is our hope that this dialogue will endure over time. For those interested in making use of the mentorship program, check out Committee/mentorship/Protocol for requesting mentor.pdf.

Updating the Status of the Certification Committee

  1. Jessica Melsted replaced Ali Hughes as our Secretary.
  1. Stephanie Walsh EP® will be returning from a year-long leave in England. She indicated that she would be willing to return to the committee in March 1, 2020
  2. Kaitlin Machacek, a student at Lethbridge College replaced Jessica Melsted as our student representative.
  1. Chuck Priestley replaced Robin Gutsell as our Alberta Chapter Representative
  2. Justine Josephson-Laidlaw replaced Brian Kiss as our Manitoba Chapter Representative
  3. Levi Newediuk replaced Michel Laforge as NF & Lab Chapter Representative and
  4. Education Liaison Officer position remains unfilled.

The impetus for this committee came out of concern that our educational system does not adequately prepare students for a career as wildlife biologists. In 2018, based on a recommendation from Dr. Lu Carbyn, the Certification Committee proposed and was given the “green light’ to form a Curriculum Review Committee (CRC). The mandate of this ad hoc committee was to compile, examine, review, and ultimately to recommend changes to the existing curricula of Canadian universities/colleges involved in educating wildlife biologists. The task to “kick start” this ambitious initiative was given to a select group of CSTWS members: Dr. Rick Baydack, Dr. Erin McCance, Dr. Everett Hanna, Dr. Lu Carbyn, and me.
To date, this steering team has drafted a Terms of Reference and has begun generating a list of potential educators from key Canadian universities/colleges to make up the committee structure. In addition, we have reached out across Canada to elicit input from the Canadian section and chapters members. We hope to be in contact with these select educational champions to gauge their willingness to participate as members of CRC.

Re-Designing the Certification Committee Website
I have been in communication with Jessica Lang, CSTWS Web Master, about “beefing up” the Certification Committee site. Both she and Erin have been very supportive about my proposed changes. I have reached out to my committee for feedback to my suggestions. Like most committees, our website is only a few lines long.