Keila, a Souris native, started working at the Souris and Area Wildlife Branch in 2015. She enjoys spending her free time exploring the beach, streams or snowshoeing through pristine winter landscapes with her two dogs Bruce and Doug; enjoying the fresh air, atmosphere and all that nature has to offer. Keila also spends her time volunteering for local sports organizations as well as various conservation and environmental committees.

She is the Vice President of the Prince Edward Island Wildlife Federation, a Provincial Board of Director with the Canadian Wildlife Federation and the Treasurer of the Canadian Wildlife Foundation. She also serves as the PEI Wildlife Federation Representative on the Board of Directors for the Island Nature Trust and is one of the Co-Chairs of the Basin Head Marine Protected Area Advisory Committee, with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

As the Co-Watershed Coordinator for the Souris and Area Branch of the PEI Wildlife Federation she oversees and manages many diverse and significant conservation strategies in Eastern Prince Edward Island, particularly concerning Atlantic salmon stream habitat enhancement efforts and the implementation and promotion of healthy watershed ecosystem initiatives within Souris and the surrounding communities.

Frances Braceland, 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 took over at Souris Wildlife in 2020 as a Co-Watershed Coordinator and now manages a wide range of projects, from recreational infrastructure creation to living shorelines pilot projects.  She has a degree in Zoology from the University of Glasgow and a master’s in Museum and Artefact Studies from Durham University.  Her background as a Project Manager is fairly diverse and includes working for the National Museums of Scotland, Scottish Opera and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.  Frances is currently a board member of Prince Edward Island’s Wildlife Conservation Fund and for the local Souris Striders Ski Club. 

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.

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.

2020 is Tyler’s first full season with Souris Wildlife and has taken on the role of Project Lead for the DFO contracted Basin Head Green crab removal project.  He also assists with other ongoing projects such as Irish moss restoration, stream enhancement, and salt-marsh restoration.  A graduate of Shorter University with a degree majoring in Ecology/Field Biology and Natural Sciences, Tyler first came to us as an intern with the Canadian Conservation Corps, a program put on by the Canadian Wildlife Federation.  Tyler has moved to Souris from Edmonton, Alberta and is really excited to continue learning about both marine and freshwater sides of our ecosystems as well as the rest of the wildlife on the Island.

Brittany joined our team as a watershed technician in 2021.  Since then, her responsibilities have extended onto a range including a mix/diversity of projects including eelgrass restoration, beach clean-ups, access channel monitoring, writing reports, social media, and sorting through thousands of macroinvertebrates, and is drone certified.  Brittany holds a BSc. in Environmental Science from Concordia University in Montreal, her hometown!  She is most interested in transforming relationships between the intersection of the environment, nonhuman animals, and society.  On any given day, she can be found with pockets full of local beach rocks, and is the only vegan in the office!

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.

Bruce, Spike, Doug and Nuge

Indie (b. 2012 - d. 2022)