Welcome New Staff
We’re delighted to welcome four new staff members to our growing team! Rhythm, Jenn, Karen, and Joseph will help us move ahead on the ambitious Georgian Bay Corridor Project, strengthen our work with landowners, accelerate new land protection projects, and improve our ecosystem mapping.
Rhythm Verma – GIS Technician
Rhythm Verma is a GIS and environmental data specialist with a passion for conservation. She holds a Masters of Geomatics for Environmental Management from the University of British Columbia, and a Masters of Science in Botany from Punjab Agricultural University. Her past projects include using GIS to map the environmental impacts of truck accidents, modeling Saskatoon Berry and Red Huckleberry distribution in response to climate change, and analyzing stream networks to identify suitable habitats for pacific salmon spawning. In her spare time, Rhythm volunteers with citizen science and wildlife monitoring projects.
Rhythm joins the Georgian Bay Land Trust as our first-ever GIS Technician. She is working on updating our ecosystem mapping, supporting conservation research, and helping us plan for future conservation projects.
Jenn LeMesurier – Land Securement Coordinator
Jenn LeMesurier has a wealth of experience in conservation and ecology, and is enthusiastic about getting people involved with the natural world. She has most recently been working as an ecologist and arborist at RiverStone Environmental Solutions in Bracebridge, and previously was the Land Stewardship Coordinator at the Muskoka Conservancy. Jenn has an honours Bachelor of Environmental Studies from Lakehead University, and a Masters of Integrated and Adaptive Water Resources Planning and Management from McGill University. She has also worked several jobs in outdoor education and interpretation for provincial parks and camps.
Jenn will take the lead on our Land Protection program, working with landowners throughout eastern Georgian Bay and the North Channel to create new conservation reserves and protect what is most important in our shared environment.
Karen Koornneef – Corridor Project Ecologist
Karen Koornneef is a longtime boater on Georgian Bay who is passionate about the outdoors, particularly wetlands. She recently completed a Masters of Science at Lakehead University researching water quality in Ontario fens, and has since been in a consulting role with George Langman Sanctuary/Orillia Fish and Game Club. Karen is a skilled ecologist and aquatic biologist, with a strong background in research, field data collection, and ecological restoration. She has experience working in community engagement and outreach, including for the Ontario Youth Master Naturalist Program, and has volunteered with the Couchiching Conservancy and Nature Conservancy of Canada.
Karen is taking on the role of Corridor Project Ecologist for the Pointe au Baril region, and will begin by leading a team of summer staff in surveying lands that may be incorporated into the Corridor Project.
Joseph Kohut – Corridor Project Ecologist
Joseph Kohut is an experienced field technician with a keen interest in research and conservation of species at risk. He has a Bachelor of Biological Sciences with a Minor in Earth Sciences from Brock University, and has worked in a number of hands-on conservation roles. Joseph has led remote field research conducting research on at-risk reptiles and amphibians in Muskoka through the S.T.A.R.T. and C.A.R.E.S. projects, worked as the Primary Wildlife Biologist at Lake Louise Ski Resort, and conducted a variety of reptile surveys with Scales Nature Park in Orillia. He is also experienced in nature interpretation and education.
Joseph will be our Corridor Project Ecologist for the Sans Souci region, leading surveying and planning for lands that are being considered for protection as part of the Corridor Project.
