Keila, a Souris native, started working at the Souris and Area Branch of the PEI Wildlife Federation in 2015. She enjoys spending her free time exploring the beach, streams or snowshoeing through pristine winter landscapes with her dogs Bruce, Doug, and Pete; enjoying the fresh air, outdoor adventures and all that nature has to offer. Keila also enjoys spending  time volunteering for various conservation and environmental organizations, committees, and boards.

She is the Vice President of the Prince Edward Island Wildlife Federation, on the Executive of the Canadian Wildlife Federation as the Secretary, and mostly recently was 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. Keila is also on the steering committee for Advancing Women in Conservation, a national committee with representatives from across Canada. Keila was appointed onto the PEI Forestry Commission in February 2023.

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 projects 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. 

Hi, my name is Kelli Miller Kickham, and I am a new employee at Souris and Area Wildlife. I grew up in
Chepstow, just east of Souris, and other than a few years away for education, have lived my entire life
here. I now live in Souris West, overlooking beautiful Colville Bay, with my husband, two children, two
dogs and a guinea pig. I have a B.Sc. (Hon) Chemistry degree from UPEI and have spent the past almost
21 years working as a laboratory supervisor here in Souris. It is an honour to be working with Souris and
Area Wildlife, as I did spend 8 years as a board member and know the important work they do in the
area for conservation and enhancement. I look forward to contributing to the many projects done by
the group in many different fields to keep this area as pristine and beautiful as can be!

Tyler has been with Souris Wildlife since 2019. He oversees and manages the ongoing projects in our local Basin Head Marine Protected Area (MPA) such as Green crab removal, Irish moss restoration, Community Aquatic Monitoring Program activities and nutrient monitoring. He also assists with many other projects like stream habitat enhancement and salt-marsh restoration. A graduate of Shorter University with a degree in Ecology/Field Biology and Natural Sciences, Tyler first came to us as an intern with the Canadian Conservation Corps, a program funded by the Canadian Wildlife Federation. Tyler has moved to Souris from Edmonton, Alberta and is really excited to continue learning about both the freshwater and marine sides of our ecosystems as well good wildlife conservation on Prince Edward Island.

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.

Zoe O’Regan, originally from Co.Cork, Ireland, is a 2023 graduate of UNB. She is joining us as Assistant Watershed Coordinator before returning to school with the aspiration of pursuing a degree in Law, specializing in environmental policy. Zoe partook in a research expedition in Croatia from June to July 2023, where she studied climate change and the local ecology of Krka National Park and Silba Island. Her favourite part of the expedition was studying butterflies and their link to climate change, as well as habitat mapping both on land and in the Adriatic Sea. Zoe is really excited to be part of the team and can’t wait to see what the year brings.

Peter, Spike, Bruce, Dolly, Doug and Nuge

Indie (b. 2012 - d. 2022)