• The Team

Mike Nelson, B.Sc., R.P.Bio., Q.E.P

Principal Consultant & Senior Aquatic Ecologist

Mike is a Registered Professional Biologist with expertise in fish and fish habitat, wetlands and freshwater ecology. In 1989, after having gained 8 years of professional experience both internationally and locally with Norecol Environmental Consultants and CP Rail, Mike began to provide independent environmental consulting services in the field of aquatic biology. He has expertise in environmental impact assessments including limnological studies, aquatic biophysical data collection and interpretation, fish habitat inventories, benthic invertebrate studies, plankton studies, water and air quality monitoring programs, and construction supervision. Mike also has experience working with the forest industry and the Forest Practices Code. As a Principal of the firm, Mike supervises the biological sciences arm of Cascade Environmental Resource Group Ltd.

Dave Williamson, B.E.S., Q.E.P.

Principal Consultant

Dave has worked in both public and private sectors, holding positions in Agriculture Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Esso Resources, Eldorado Nuclear, and the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Mines and Energy. With 20 years experience in environmental and resource development, he has focused on the resort industry during the past decade. Working for Whistler Mountain Ski Corporation, Dave was responsible for supervising planning, construction activities, and liaising with government agencies for permits, licenses, and approvals relating to mountain development. As a Principal of Cascade Environmental Resource Group Ltd., Dave coordinates and manages land use projects, applying his understanding of terrain analysis to a wide spectrum of environmental and land use issues. He has developed particular expertise in environmental inventory and assessment, as well as integrated land use and resource planning. He is a certified Wildlife/Danger Tree Assessor, and is qualified to conduct both GPS surveys and Visual Landscape Assessments. Dave is a Certified Environmental Site Assessor with the Associated Environmental Assessors of Canada.

Candace Rose-Taylor, M.Sc., R.P.Bio., P.Biol., E.P., Q.E.P

Managing Professional Biologist

With over 10 years experience in the fields of aquatic and environmental science Candace has worked extensively in remote field settings from the tropics to the Arctic and at-sea. She has worked as a scientific diver collecting baseline data of coral reef environments in Africa and the Caribbean. In the Arctic she conducted contaminated site assessment and remediation of frozen and coastal lands. Prior to joining Cascade Candace worked as an At-Sea Fisheries Observer monitoring fishing activity along the BC coast. Candace holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Geography from Wilfrid Laurier University, and a Master of Science in Geography from Memorial University in Newfoundland specializing in acoustic classification of demersal fish spawning habitat. Upon completion of her master’s degree Candace worked for Fisheries and Oceans Canada where she collected and analyzed remotely sensed data to describe haddock habitat on the Scotian Shelf.

Todd Hellinga, B.Sc., G.I.S. A.S.

GIS Manager

Todd has a B.Sc. in geography with a post graduate diploma in Geographic Information Systems.  Working as the GIS Manager, he oversees Cascades GIS team and provides support to Cascade’s GIS analysis, which includes mapping production, data analysis, as well as GPS field work.  Todd spent the two and a half years prior to joining Cascade in 2005 working for a local professional land surveying company, and also spent two years at the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources working as a GIS Technician.  Todd is an active trail user and avid mountain biker.  He is currently the Planning director, as well as past President and Director of Membership, for the Whistler Off-Road Cycling Association, and participates in its rides and races, trail construction and maintenance program, and other club events.  Studying geography in university, he found particular interest in recreation issues and completed research on trails, the impact of various user groups on trails, and also the conflicts that can arise between various user groups.  Todd has used his GIS, GPS, and Cartography skills during the preparation of the Okanagan-Similkameen Trail Strategy, Sea to Sky Trail Master Plan, Coquitlam Off-road cycling Strategy, Kelowna Mountain Bike Trail Strategy, South Chilcotin Mountains Park Facilities Assessment, as well as other various commercial and community recreation planning projects

Adrien Baudouin, M.Sc., R.P.Bio., E.P, Q.E.P

Senior Professional Biologist

Adrien graduated from the University of Louvain, Belgium with a master degree in Ecology and Organisms Biology. His thesis investigated the ecology and genetic diversity of an invasive species of sawfly in Romania. Adrien then gained experience at the University of Toronto as a Research Assistant. He studied the effect of tree species on the insect biodiversity in downtown Toronto. In October 2010, he moved to Whistler and over the past year, he volunteered for the whistler biodiversity project. His tasks consisted of setting mist nets and telemetry for the study of bat biodiversity as well as tree coring during the estimation of the age of old growth forest in the Callaghan valley.

Ruth Begg, M.E.M., R.P.Bio., P.Biol., E.P., Q.E.P.

Senior Professional Biologist

Ruth holds a Masters in Environmental Management from the University of Newcastle, Australia, and has lived and worked in a variety of different cultures, from Kuala Lumpur to Australia to Scotland.  Her experience gained whilst living overseas has given her an insight into the importance of the environment and the wellbeing of society in various social and environmental settings.  At Cascade, Ruth conducts vegetation, wildlife and fisheries surveys, aquatic and terrestrial habit assessments, Riparian Areas Regulation (RAR) assessments and ensures all applicable permits and approvals are in place for a variety of different project types. She has held a diversity of positions in the environmental and recreation fields including research assistant in a marine biodiversity lab, cetacean research and rescue team member, teaching school groups about the marine environment at the Vancouver Aquarium and ocean kayak instructor/guide.

Vicki Legris, B.Sc., R.P.Bio., E.P., Q.E.P

Professional Biologist

Vicki holds a Biology degree from the University of Nottingham and is a certified Environmental Professional and a Registered Professional Biologist as designated by the College of Applied Biology. She joined the Cascade Environmental team 2008 and is involved in all aspects of the business, including land use planning and commercial recreation tenure applications, as well as biological services projects including terrestrial and aquatic field sampling, environmental assessment, wildlife surveys, fish salvages, government permit application, and water quality sampling, testing and analysis. During her time with Cascade, Vicki has assisted with the environmental monitoring of construction projects such as the Whistler Athlete Village for the 2010 Olympic Games, Fitzsimmons Creek gravel extraction, and the Rainbow, Baxter Creek and WedgeWoods subdivisions in Whistler, among others. Prior to joining Cascade, Vicki worked for three summers with the Whistler Fisheries Stewardship volunteer program, conducting weekly monitoring of Nita Lake, 19 Mile Creek and Fitzsimmons Creek for dissolved oxygen, temperature and turbidity. Vicki also spent a year gaining valuable research experience as a Research Assistant at the University of Nottingham. By isolating and describing genetic mutants in the model plant species Arabidopsis thaliana, Vicki studied the role of the plant hormone auxin in plant development.

Simon Fry, B.Sc., P.Biol, Q.E.P

Professional Biologist

Simon Graduated from the University of Southampton, England, with a Bachelors degree in Biology. Simon joined the  team in 2016 and has been involved in fish salvaging, construction monitoring, water sampling and report writing. Simon is certified as an Elctofishing Crew Supervisor, swift Water Rescue technician and Outdoor Emergency Technician.  His previous work has involved outdoor guiding, Volunteer with Blackcomb Ski Patrol and involved with the Whistler Fisheries Stewardship Volunteer Program conducting spawning counts of Kokanee and Rainbow trout in Blackcomb creek

Ken McNamara, B.Sc., A.Sc.T., P.Biol., Q.E.P

Professional Biologist

Ken graduated from Sligo IT, Ireland with a degree in Environmental Science. His final year thesis focused on the toxicological impacts of the pesticide Ivermectin on benthic estuarine fauna. He has worked in CAEAL certified toxicology labs in Ireland and BC testing point source effluents. Other environmental projects have included constructed wetlands at Port Mellon, BC, zebra mussel surveys, salmonid fishery management and binary tag recovery. He has worked on a variety of projects in the Sea to Sky corridor, from installation of sewage treatment plant (Britannia Beach), Salmon research facilities (DFO West Vancouver), Whistler Olympic Park (Callaghan Valley), as well as custom home construction. Mr. McNamara has extensive machine operating experience including excavator, front loader, backhoe, skidsteer, packer and rock truck; and is using this experience during his duties as Environmental Monitor for the Sea to Sky Highway Improvement Project. In the winter he likes to spend time at his mountain cabin where he also works part time as a cross country snow cat groomer.

Nicola Church, B.A., M.Sc.

GIS Specialist

Nicola has a background in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) analysis and applied arts.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Fine Art from Loughborough University, UK and a Master of Science in Environmental Informatics (GIS) from University of Leicester specializing in spatial data modeling. During, and upon completion of her master’s degree, Nicola worked as a GIS analyst for the UK government agency Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) where she collected and analyzed remotely sensed data to describe sensitive habitats and species. While working for JNCC Nicola managed the web based information portals which acted as a repository for public information on marine protected areas. Nicola offers 10 years’ experience in the fields of GIS and environmental science.  Working as a GIS Specialist, she provides support to Cascade’s GIS analysis, which includes mapping support and production, data analysis, as well as modelling spatial data. Nicola also offers over 8 years applied arts training and experience on the job as a professional graphic design experience.

Margot Webster, B.Sc., B.I.T

Environmental Technician

Margot started with Cascade in 2019. She graduated from Simon Fraser University with a Bachelor of Science in Ecology and a minor in Environmental Toxicology. She is a Biologist In Training with the College of Applied Biology. She spent one year at SFU conducting research with European Starlings to assess life traits and evolutionary advantages. She was also involved with research for a project assessing Vancouver marine ecosystem impacts from Bitumen transportation. Margot has worked on vegetation restoration projects in New Zealand with experience in planting and pesticide use. She also has experience in Whistler as a wilderness guide by kayak, canoe, hiking and leading local bear aware tours.

Oliver Chew, B.Sc., Adv.Dip

GIS Analyst & Environmental Tech.

Oliver moved to Canada from the UK in 2011 after graduating from the University of Leeds with a BSc in Environmental Science. His dissertation was focused on the impacts of climate change on a ski resort in Scotland. He recently completed the GIS Advanced Diploma Program at BCIT. For the practicum component of the program, he worked at Cascade Environmental as a GIS Technician. Oli has worked in various other positions involving QA analysis, web development, outdoor guiding and snowboard instructing.

Karen M. Smith, O.D.

Research Scientist

Karen has extensive private sector experience in the areas of business management and healthcare. She graduated with her Doctorate of Optometry from the University of Waterloo and practiced for 35 years. Since retiring from optometry, she has returned to her science and research roots applying her analytical skills to environmental studies. Her experience in research includes international work in Australia and her knowledge of government relations stems from service on the Vision Advisory Committee to the BC Ministry of Health.  Karen has a strong background of executive responsibilities and collaborative problem solving gained from her participation on various committees and boards, including most recently, the Community Foundation of Whistler.

Associate Biologists:

Lori Homstol, B.Sc., M.Sc., P.Biol.

Associate Senior Biologist

Lori Homstol completed her Bachelor of Science at the University of Saskatchewan in 1998, and her Master of Science at the University of Alberta in 2011. Her thesis topic investigated bear response to non-lethal management tools including aversive conditioning and conditioned taste aversion in Whistler, British Columbia. Her background in wildlife research includes radio-telemetry and snow tracking for ungulates and large carnivores, vegetation inventory for grizzly bear habitat selection, small mammal trapping, and wildlife inventory. Ms. Homstol has extensive field experience investigating road effects on wildlife in Banff National Park, wildlife corridor work in Canmore, Alberta and specializes in human-wildlife conflict mitigation. She has worked on long-term grizzly bear monitoring in Kananaskis, Alberta and Flathead County in Montana, as well as a 5-year black bear research project in Whistler. She has also applied her expertise to an Asiatic black bear project in the Japanese Alps, and works with an Andean bear project in the cloud forests of Ecuador. Ms. Homstol is a member of several professional groups including: Whistler Black Bear Working Group, North American Testing of Bear-Resistant Products , The Wildlife Society, International Bear Association, The Alpine Club of Canada, and is a scientific advisor for the Get Bear Smart Society.

Les Anthony, Ph.D.

Senior Associate Wildlife Biologist

Dr. Leslie Anthony has a PhD in Zoology from the University of Toronto and Royal Ontario Museum (1992), was a Post-doctoral Fellow, researcher and lecturer at McGill University (1993-95), and a Research Associate in the departments of Ichthyology and Herpetology and Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Biology at the Royal Ontario Museum (1993-2000). His areas of expertise are in herpetology, biogeography, evolutionary genetics and phylogenetic systematics. Dr. Anthony has authored over 20 papers in refereed scientific journals and many un-refereed reports, book chapters and popular articles. Courses taught or led include vertebrate zoology, comparative vertebrate anatomy, herpetology, and graduate seminars in evolutionary theory. Relevant fieldwork, laboratory work and consulting experience includes bio-inventory and biodiversity evaluation of environmentally sensitive areas, riparian buffer strips, intertidal marine ecology, freshwater and marine invertebrate taxonomy, ichthyological and herpetological taxonomy, biochemical systematics (starch-gel electrophoresis and flow cytometry) and environmental toxicology. Expeditionary and directed-study fieldwork has been undertaken across Canada, the U.S., Baja, Armenia, Vietnam, Australia and the South Pacific.