Fred Cheverie has been an active member of Souris and Area Wildlife Branch for over 40 years and has been Souris and Area Branch of the PEI Wildlife Federation's Watershed Coordinator for 14 years. He is a retired school teacher with 31 years of experience particularly in science, math and outdoor education.  Fred's tremendous experience in establishing and achieving ecological monitoring plans make him a skilled leader who regularly gets out into the community to help educate stakeholders about their surrounding environment.  Fred is a certified electro-fisher and has many other courses related to watershed management, most recently a stream rehabilitation training program certified through Trout Unlimited Canada and The University of Guelph.  Fred sits as Vice-Chair of the PEI Watershed Alliance; Co-Chair of the Basin Head Marine Protected Area Marine Advisory Board Committee and he is the Kings County representative of the PEI Wildlife Federation. He is involved diligently with many other local communities and events, often continuing to enter classrooms to spread his wealth of knowledge about the environment.

Keila, a Souris native, started working at Souris and Area Wildlife Branch in 2015. As a Project Manager, she manages many diverse projects including stream habitat rehabilitation and wildlife conservation initiatives within Souris and the surrounding communities. Keila spends her time volunteering for local sports organizations, for the PEI Wildlife Federation where she is Vice President, is a voting Director with the Canadian Wildlife Federation, represents Eastern PEI on the PEI Water Monitoring Subcommittee, part of the PEI Watershed Alliance, and is the PEI Wildlife Federation’s representative on the Island Nature Trust Board of Directors. She was elected as a Canadian Wildlife Foundation trustee in June 2019. She enjoys running, spending time with family and friends, and snowshoeing through pristine winter trails, enjoying all that nature has to offer.

Frances, originally from the UK, started at Souris wildlife as a volunteer before being hired on as a Project Manager in April of 2016. Along with Keila, Frances manages a diverse set of projects, most recently managing the development of the Basin Head Interpretive Park. She is also in charge of running the “Basin Head - Beyond the Beach Experience” tours, an interactive experience that dives into the history, ecology, and biology of all things found at Basin Head. Frances has recently become a board member of Island East Tourism Group, an organisation that aims to increase and enhance tourism in eastern PEI. She enjoys running on the PEI dirt roads, camping, and exploring what the Atlantic Canadian provinces have to offer.

Luke began working with Souris Wildlife in 2016, while still in high school, and gradually worked his way up to his current supervisor position. Luke has a wide variety of skills that are an asset to Souris an Area Wildlife Branch, from carpentry to managing crew assignments. Currently, one project that he is leads is our Coastal Restoration Fund salt marsh restoration site along Souris River. For this project, coconut fibre logs are placed along the marsh edge and sediment is pumped onto the marsh to help build it up while the logs hold it in place. Luke is also heavily involved in our stream enhancement, agricultural, and salmon projects. He holds his chainsaw operator card and is a licenced trapper. Luke is eager to learn new skills and share what skills he has with the others that he works with.

Mike has worked for Souris and Area Wildlife Branch since 2011 and leads many of our ongoing field projects. One of these projects is our stream enhancement work. As a chainsaw operator, he clears away blowdowns, brush and blockages to improve fish passage, plants trees to provide a healthier canopy cover and installs brush mattresses to aid in silt trapping. An avid licenced trapper, Mike also helps to regulate the beaver population in our management zones to avoid blockages from dams. In the fall, he runs our annual electrofishing surveys with his Backpack Electrofishing certification. Mike’s knowledge of the flora and fauna within our management area is abundant and he is always willing to share this knowledge with the people he works with.

As our newest crew member, 2019 is Madelyn’s first summer here with Souris Wildlife. She has taken on the supervision of the projects contracted by DFO occurring in the Basin Head Marine Protected Area such as nutrient and flow monitoring of stream inputs, green crab trapping, eelgrass monitoring, and Irish moss restoration. She has also assisted in our Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation spring salmon smolt trap daily activities and data compilation and collection. A recent graduate of both the University of New Brunswick and the Marine Institute of Memorial University, Madelyn has the experience in not only the field work, but also the daily office work conducted at Souris and Area Wildlife Branch. She is enjoying learning more about the freshwater side of our ecosystem and is excited to continue exploring our watersheds further.

Jake, a current UPEI student, started working at Souris Wildlife in 2015. As a field technician, Jake assists in all field ongoing field projects such as running a chainsaw for a stream enhancement crew, planting willows, and checking fish traps. His enthusiasm for his work is evident to all who work with him, and he is always willing to step up and do what is needed to get a job done. His time at Souris and Area Wildlife Branch has provided him with a great skill set that he can apply to his studies, and a great appreciation for the environment.

Colby has been on the Souris Wildlife staff since 2014, and as a recent graduate from Dalhousie University, is back for another field season. Amongst assisting in many other projects, Colby leads a crew to conduct stream habitat assessments by identifying fish species, developing fish habitat descriptions, and identifying fish habitat restoration and rehabilitation efforts. He also completes the electrofishing data analysis once electrofishing activities are completed for the year. Colby’s is always willing to do work beyond what is asked of him, and his dedication to the work been done at Souris Wildlife does not go unrecognized.

Bruce, Spike, Doug, and Indie.