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Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority

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​​​​Staff Spotlights​


Christa Sharp.JPGChrista Sharp, Restoration Program Coordinator 

What I Really Do: I work with a great team to complete restoration projects with private landowners, municipalities and community groups. We secure and manage grants, provide technical advice and implement projects. 

Particularly Passionate About? Hangin’ with my family at the cottage. 

Accomplishment I'm Particularly Proud Of: I have an uncanny ability to always pick the rainiest, snowiest and coldest days to drag people outside to do field work. 

Random Fact: I was an amateur boxer for 2 years. 

Colleen Newton.jpgColleen Newton, Administrative Assist​ant, Enforcement

What I Really Do: Gather information from citizen phone calls and emails to create enforcement/violation files. I also provide administration support to the enforcement team. 

Particularly Passionate A​bout? My hobbies and being creative. I enjoy making jewellery, as well as colouring nature, wildlife and birds to unwind and relax. 

Accomplishment I'm Particularly Proud Of: Having made lasting and memorable friendships from travels around the globe.

Random Fact:​ I have 6 very adorable, spoiled and adored chinchillas. 

​Dan-Andrews.JPGDan Andrews, Land and Resource Planning Technician 

What I Really Do: Increase Conservation Area revenues by offering quality visitor experiences. I also strive to maintain the ecological integrity of the 35 conservation landholdings across our watershed. 

Particularly Passionate About? Outdoor recreation and family. I love researching and leading people through outdoor recreation experiences. 

Accomplishment I'm Particularly Proud Of: It’s still a work in-progress, but encouraging my three children to become contributing, meaningful citizens. 

Random Fact: My kids and I volunteer teach canoeing-skills to Trails Youth Initiatives participants at Pangman Springs CA.​

Kathy-Reynolds.jpgKathy Reynolds, Payroll/Intermediate Accountant 

What I Really Do: Monitor investments and ensure staff get paid and many other financial obligations. 

Particularly Passionate About? Hockey….especially Toronto and a good cup (or more) of coffee. 

Accomplishment I'm Particularly Proud Of: I have two degrees and two post grad diplomas. Three were accomplished on line while working full time. 

Random Fact: I have a brown belt in Judo and I have been to Cuba 17 times mainly for the coffee.

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Geoff-Peat.jpgGeoffrey Peat, 
Manager, GIS & IT 

What I Really Do: Work with a team of professionals to deliver the best IT, GIS (mapping), network and IMS (database) solutions and infrastructure. 

Particularly Passionate About? Helping young people understand their relationship with the earth and coaching young athletes. 

Accomplishment I'm Particularly Proud Of: Running for Canada at the 2018 World Masters Athletics Championships and winning the bronze medal in the 1500m on the track. 

Random Fact: I coach distance running with the Newmarket Huskies Track Club in the Minor age program (10-14). 

Paul-Cottenden.jpgPaul Cottenden, Forest Technician 

What I Really Do:  I work with the Forestry team to promote the LSRCA’s tree planting programs, sell the LSRCA’s annual tree seedling allocation and also assist in the forest management of the Durham Regional Forest. 

Particularly Passionate About? Passing along the knowledge I have gained to private landowners we work with and having a minimal negative impact on the planet. 

Accomplishment I'm Particularly Proud Of: Being directly involved in the planting of nearly 1,000,000 trees throughout Ontario in my career. 

Random Fact: I swam across a two mile stretch of Lake Simcoe in the summer of 1984. It was a fundraising event for Kempenfest. 

Trevor-Stanford.JPGTrevor Stanford, Senior Outdoor Educator 

What I Really Do: Develop, design and deliver curriculumlinked outdoor education programs to students from K–12, at Scanlon Creek. 

Particularly Passionate About? All things outdoors such as fishing, hiking, biking, skiing, snowboarding, kayaking, canoeing and camping. 

Accomplishment I'm Particularly Proud Of: Implementing and delivering French programming and program resources at the Nature Centre. 

Random Fact:​ I have lived in the Lake Simcoe watershed for almost 30 years.​

Staff Achievements​​

  • In October, outreach educator Cassandra Connell co-led a national webinar on designing green school yards, put on by the Child and Nature Network. There were 73 people watching online and 180 registrants who received the recording link. 
  • Rob Baldwin, general manager of planning and development was invited to participate on the speakers panel at the 2018 Ontario Excess Soil Symposium. The event seeks to find ways to support the reuse of excess soil in Ontario as well as enforcement and the prevention of illegal dumping. 
  • Ben Longstaff, general manager of integrated watershed management and Brian Kemp, general manager of conservation lands both participated in the International RiverFoundation’s 21st Annual International River Symposium in Australia. Ben, an expatriate, was able to attend the symposium while visiting his home country and present on LSRCA’s new Phosphorus Offsetting Progra​m and our award winning Twinning Partnership with the Ayuquila-Armeria watershed in central Mexico. The Twinning Partnership presentation was done on behalf of Brian Kemp. While Bria​n was not in physical attendance, he was able to participate, virtually, on the follow-up panel as part of the Twinning presentation. 
  • Rob Baldwin, general manager of planning and development and Steve Auger, manager of urban restoration gave separate presentations at the World Environmental and Water Resources Congress, an annual conference organized by the Environmental and Water Resources Institute, bringing together leaders for technical and public policy discussions in planning, design, construction and operation of environmentally sound and sustainable infrastructure.
  • Jessica Chan, natural heritage ecologist, achieved her Ontario Wetland Evaluation System (OWES) certification, now qualifying her to evaluate wetlands and determine their provincial significance. Jessica can identify and determine the boundaries of a wetland and can provide a recommendation to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry for provincial status. 
  • Dan Andrews, land and resource planning technician, received his High Efficiency Trail Assessment Protocol (HETAP) certification through the American Trails Network and is now one of 11 in Ontario to be certified, and only 16 in all of Canada. The HETAP is about inventory processes that provide information about trail conditions like grade, cross slope and width. The information obtained from these assessments is used by land managers to enhance safety and enjoyment for trail users, monitor environmental impacts on trails, and identify potential access barriers. 
  • Cory Byron, forestry program coordinator, is now qualified as a Managed Forest Plan Approver (MFPA). MFPA’s review and approve Forest Management Plans developed under the Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program. Cory also completed the Ontario Tree-Marker Training Program and will help ensure the sustainability of Ontario’s public and private woodlands by making management decisions for individual trees. With these qualifications, Cory will play a critical role in managing LSRCA’s forests. 
  • David Price, field operations technician, earned his designation as a Certified Arborist this year through the International Society of Arboriculture. Arborists specialize in the care of individual trees and are trained to provide proper emergency tree care, tree removal, pruning, planting and many other services. 
  • Dr. Brian Ginn, limnologist, along with Drake Coulombe, Toshia Fleischaker, and Raymond Bolton from our science and GIS departments, published a recent study in the Journal of Great Lakes Research entitled “Quantifying a shift in benthic dominance from zebra (Dreissena polymorpha) to quagga (Dreissena retriformis bugensis) mussels in a large, inland lake”. The study reveals quagga mussels have replaced zebra mussels and invaded the deep water in Lake Simcoe. The result of the invasion reveals increased spring Secchi disk transparencies and more benthic invertebrate biomass below 20 meter depths.