Lake Louise, Alberta.

The theme for the 2019 Alberta Society of Professional Biologists’ (ASPB) conference, “Connecting Biologists to their Resources” will explore a variety of resources accessible to biologists. The content of the conference will support the practicing professional through presentations and workshops focused on (but not limited to) the following areas:

• Technology, Tools, and Training: Advances or changes in the resources we use to conduct our work, including updated equipment (e.g., different acoustic recorders), updated models (e.g., comparison of available fatality estimators) and recommended training/courses biologists could acquire to obtain/maintain/improve Professional status.
• Our Indigenous Partners: Experiences working with Indigenous communities and incorporating traditional indigenous knowledge into Impact Assessments; Bills C-68 and C-69; determining what qualifies as proper consultation; review of issues that have been happening with pipeline projects (e.g.,TransMountain)  
• Adjusting to a Changing Climate: Situations that are changing the environment (e.g., forest fires, flood events) and impact our relationship with the environment, which have the potential to alter or have already altered how we do our work.  
• Government Update: Overview of the provincial One Stop System for Approvals and Code of Practice (COP) notifications; updates to the project submission process for renewable projects in Alberta; updated/amended federal Acts and their implications to current work processes (e.g., proposed amendments to the Fisheries Act, updated Fisheries and Oceans Canada guidance for Projects near water, Carbon Tax programs, changes to the Pan Canadian Framework; updates to the Master Schedule of Standards and Conditions for Crown land); decontamination protocols for whirling disease). 

ASPB 2019