Bird Environmental Consulting Ltd. Biophysical and Regulatory Team

Dr. Krista (Krissy) Bird (B.Sc., B.Sc., Ph.D., P.Biol.)

Founder & Principal Wildlife Biologist and Regulatory Specialist

Dr. Bird is a member of the Otipemisiwak Métis Government, residing in District 8 – Lac Ste. Anne. Her family comes from the Portage la Prairie area of Manitoba and includes multiple families that took Scrip in the Red River Settlement (genealogy confirmed by La Société historique de Saint-Boniface – family names can be provided if requested). She was born in Alberta and has worked and lived in Alberta for her entire life, except for two years when she lived in Idaho for her Post-Doctorate research. She volunteers on the Indigenous Devon Committee and assists Métis District 11 (St. Albert) with environmental issues.

She holds multiple degrees, which assist her holistic approach to wildlife research:

• Bachelor’s of Science (Honors) – Molecular Genetics (University of Alberta)
• Bachelor’s of Science (Honors) – Animal Biology (University of Alberta)
• Doctorate of Science – Ecology (University of Alberta)
• Post-Doctoral Research Fellow – Fish and Wildlife Sciences (University of Idaho)

Dr. Bird’s Technical Experience Includes:

• Wildlife and Species at Risk
  • Experience with all aspects of wildlife and species at risk surveys. 
  • Specialties in Ornithology, Galliforms, Grouse, Birds, Bats, Amphibians, Reptiles, Mammals.
  • Specialties in Genetics, Wildlife Habitat Modelling, Statistics, Fatality Estimation, Acoustic Data Collection & Analysis, Wildlife Camera Data Collection & Analysis, Wildlife Tracking, Wildlife Behaviour, Wildlife Physiology, Wildlife Disease, Wildlife Capture & Trapping
• Environmental Impact Assessments
  • Project Manager and Environmental lead for multiple high profile linear and non-linear environmental impact assessments, as well as over 100 smaller impact assessments. Including flood mitigation, watercourse diversion, bridges and culverts, roads, pipelines, residential/industrial/farm developments, recreation grounds, parks, mines, renewable energy, oil and gas, indigenous developments, and other specialty projects.
• Regulatory Approvals
  • Experience with most federal (CEAA, Fisheries Act, Migratory Birds Convention Act, Species at Risk Act, Navigable Water Act, Indigenous Services Canada, Parks Canada Impact Assessments), provincial (Water Act [including wetlands], Public Lands Act, EPEA, Wildlife Act), and municipal (BIA, BA, EIA, EA, Screenings, etc.) environmentally related regulatory approvals.
• Report and Scientific Writing
  • Experience writing and reviewing all forms of environmental reporting, as well as peer-reviewed scientific writing. Biophysical Impact Assessments (BIA), Biophysical Assessments (BA), Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), Environmental Assessments (EA), Environmental Screenings (ES), Area Structure Plans, Specialty Plans, Mitigation Plans, Monitoring Plans, Management Plans, Protection Plans, Environmental Construction Operations (ECO) Plans, Environmental Protection Plans (EPP), Wetland Assessment and Impact Reports (WAIR), Wetland Assessment and Impact Forms (WAIF), Wetland Permanency Assessment, Specialty reports.
• Statistics and Wildlife Habitat Modelling
  • Experience with most forms of statistics used in environmental studies, genetic studies, and multiple forms of wildlife habitat modeling.
• Scientific Studies/Research
  • Experience creating, managing, and implementing both small and large-scale scientific studies ranging from presence/absence detection for provincial regulatory approvals up to multi-year species at risk studies involving conventional and satellite telemetry, genetics, and habitat suitability data.
• Genetics
  • Revolutionized non-invasive DNA extraction techniques and made large multi-regional studies the norm in Conservation Genetics. Expertise in most lab techniques and analysis methods.
• Other
  • Wetland identification and delineation, Alberta plant ID, Captive breeding, Histology
• Indigenous Knowledge
  • Specializes in integrating traditional Indigenous Knowledge with Western Scientific Knowledge, which provides a more holistic approach to environmental studies.

Jesse Bird (B.Sc.)

Project Manager & GIS Specialist

Jesse is a GIS specialist and scientist with 15 years of GIS, environmental consulting, project management, and geology experience. He has a Bachelor of Science in Geology from the University of Idaho and with ArcGIS Technology Specialty and Geographic Information Systems Technology certificates from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT).

He specializes in GIS mapping for Biophysical Assessments (Wetland Assessment and Impact Reports (WAIRs), Wetland Assessment and Impact Forms (WAIFs), Biophysical Inventory Assessments (BIAs), Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), Wildlife Habitat Modelling, and other environmental reports).

• GIS/Geomatics/CAD
  • Mapping for Wetland Assessment and Impact Reports (WAIRs), Wetland Assessment and Impact Forms (WAIFs), Biophysical Inventory Assessments (BIAs), Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs)
  • Wildlife Habitat Mapping and Modelling
  • Permanency Assessment
  • Wetland Delineation
  • Data Processing for reports/figures and studies
  • Historical air photo georeferencing
  • Mapping of wildlife, species at risk, wildlife habitat, vegetation, rare plants, weeds, wetlands, fish and fish habitat, soils, geology, slope, watersheds/catchments, land use, etc.
  • Simulated flow path analysis (surface hydrology mapping) from DEM and LIDAR data
  • Digital mapping
  • Assessing suitable habitat for species at risk
  • Contour generation –  production of contours from DEM data or from processed LIDAR data
• Regulatory Approvals
  • Experience with most federal (CEAA, Fisheries Act, Migratory Birds Convention Act, Species at Risk Act, Navigable Water Act, Indigenous Services Canada, Parks Canada Impact Assessments), provincial (Water Act [including wetlands], Public Lands Act, EPEA, Wildlife Act), and municipal (BIA, BA, EIA, EA, Screenings, etc.) environmentally related regulatory approvals.
• Environmental Impact Assessments
  •  Worked on approximately 40 environmental impact assessments on projects involving residential/industrial/ farm developments, recreational / park areas, roads, pipelines, watercourse diversion, renewable energy, oil and gas, flood mitigation, indigenous developments, and other projects.
• Report and Scientific Writing
  • Experience writing all forms of environmental reporting. Biophysical Impact Assessments (BIA), Biophysical Assessments (BA), Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), Environmental Assessments (EA), Environmental Screenings (ES), Area Structure Plans, Specialty Plans, Mitigation Plans, Monitoring Plans, Management Plans, Protection Plans, Environmental Construction Operations (ECO) Plans, Environmental Protection Plans (EPP), Wetland Assessment and Impact Reports (WAIR), Wetland Assessment and Impact Forms (WAIF), Wetland Permanency Assessment, Specialty reports.
• Statistics
  • Experience with fatality estimation, searcher efficiency, and wildlife habitat modeling