“Outstanding freshwater and estuarine ecosystems science...”

ANNUAL REPORT 2011 - 2012

CANADIAN RIVERS INSTITUTE

“Serving the needs of society”

• A Message from the Director

• The New CRI Structure

• The Management Board

• The Science Directors

• CRI Events

• People and Projects

• CRI Training and Professional Development

• CRI Recognitions

• The 2011-12 Fiscal Year

In this report...

A Message from the Director

2011 marked the beginning of a new decade and a new way of operating for the Canadian

Rivers Institute. As we transitioned into a new model of operating, the CRI focused on expandingour people and research.

We revitalized our management board, our Fellows became Science Directors charged withleading the development of the next 10 year research plan and we secured a Director, Trainingand Professional Development to expand our course and workshop delivery. We expressed ourgratitude to Dr. Karen Kidd who volunteered for more than five years as our Treasurer and Dr.Kelly Munkittrick who served as Associate Director for our first decade of operation. Theirdedication to the CRI has resulted in significant contributions making CRI the renowned instituteit is today.

To showcase our first decade of collaborative research, we celebrated with the release of theSaint John River State of the Environment Report during our most successful CRI Day session todate. That report highlighted the combined research of many CRI Science Directors andAssociates collating more than 100 research papers on the Saint John River system anddocumenting recommendations for future science needed to address challenges in the system.

Our research revenues continue to generate more than $2 million annually from grants, theprivate sector and governments. Our students come from countries around the world to conductresearch and study with CRI’s Science Directors. We continue to expand our professionaldevelopment courses and workshops, training more than 250 professionals in 2011.

Once again, I am appreciative of those that have supported the CRI since its inception and I amexcited that we have started on our new research plan with so many dedicated partners. Ourgrowing science network of renowned water researchers, which supports a collaboratory ofnationally and internationally dispersed scientists and resource managers, are committed toimproving management and providing solutions to the water challenges of today's society.

- Dr. R. Allen Curry

The Canadian Rivers Institute is a research institute whose membership is a network ofcollaborators committed to advancing aquatic sciences to meet the needs of society’s prioritywater issues. It began in 2001 as an institute of the University of New Brunswick.

After 10 years of critical success in research and education, the consensus of reviews identifiedthe time was right to evolve and capitalize on investments to create a water-focused, nationalnetwork of research and education.

In 2011 the CRI evolved to create a multi-institute and agency association of partners sharing thecommon CRI purpose and objectives via formal agreements.

UNB continues its commitment by acting as the CRI’s first host. The CRI now consists of CRIScience, a network of researchers and educators across Canada, and CRI Corporate, theoperational component that extracts from the science, opportunities for education, training , andspecialized services.

The New CRI Structure ...

CRI Science (a Network)Science Directors Board

CRI ExecutiveDirector, Chair of SD Board, Executive Director

CRI CorporateExecutive Director

CRI Management Board

Yves Begin, PhDCentre Eau Terre EnvironnementInstitut National de la Recherche ScientifiqueQuébec City

David Boerner, PhDDirector General, Water Science/Technology Environment CanadaOttawa

Rick Butts, PhDDirector General, Agri-Environment Services Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food CanadaOttawa/Fredericton

Karen Clarke-WhistlerChief Environment OfficerTD Bank Financial GroupToronto

Perry HainesAssistant Deputy MinisterNew Brunswick EnvironmentFredericton

Gregory Kealey, PhD Provost and Vice President ResearchUniversity of New BrunswickFredericton

John McLaughlin, ChairProfessor Emeritus and President EmeritusUniversity of New BrunswickFredericton

Katherine Schultz, PhDVice President Research and DevelopmentUniversity of Prince Edward IslandCharlottetown

Dan Wicklum, PhDChief ExecutiveCanada's Oil Sands Innovation Alliance Calgary

Fred Whoriskey, PhDExecutive Director, Ocean TrackingNetwork, Dalhousie UniversityHalifax

The Management Board...

• Dr. David Armanini – Managing Director, Prothea - http://publicationslist.org/david.armanini

• Dr. Donald Baird – Research Scientist (Environment Canada) - http://www.unb.ca/research/institutes/cri/people/sciencedirectors/baird/

• Dr. Leif Burge – Adjunct Professor in Earth and Environmental Science, University of British Columbia Okanagan –

http://www.okanagan.bc.ca/departments/arts/geogees/Meet_the_Faculty/Dr__Leif_Burge.html

• Dr. Simon Courtenay – Research Scientist, Gulf Region, Fisheries and Oceans Canada - courtens@unb.ca

• Dr. Joseph Culp – Research Scientist (Environment Canada); Chief, Cumulative Effects on Aquatic Biodiversity Project –

http://www.unb.ca/fredericton/science/biology/Faculty/culp.html

• Dr. Rick Cunjak – Canada Research Chair in River Ecosystem Science - http://www.unb.ca/fredericton/science/biology/Faculty/Cunjak.html

• Dr. R. Allen Curry (Director) – New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources/Cloverleaf Professor of Recreational Fisheries Research

http://www.unb.ca/research/institutes/cri/people/sciencedirectors/curry/index.html

• Dr. Monique Dube – Environmental Risk Management Research Lead for Water, Total E&P Canada Ltd.-

http://www.cwn-rce.ca/research/core/pwe-03/

• Dr. Douglas Holdway - Canada Research Chair in Aquatic Toxicology - http://research.uoit.ca/about_research/research%20chairs/index.php

• Dr. Karen Kidd – Canada Research Chair in Chemical Contamination of Food Webs –

http://www.unb.ca/saintjohn/sase/research/kiddlab/index.html

• Dr. Deborah MacLatchy – Vice-President: Academic & Provost, Wilfred Laurier University - http://www.wlu.ca/homepage.php?grp_id=2238

• Dr. Kerry MacQuarrie – Canada Research Chair in Groundwater-Surface Water Interactions -

http://www.unb.ca/civil/macquarr/macquarrie.htm

• Dr. Chris Martyniuk - Canada Research Chair in Aquatic Molecular Ecology –

http://www.unb.ca/research/institutes/cri/people/crcs/chrismartyniuk/index.html

• Dr. Ryan Plummer – Director, Environmental Sustainability Research Centre, Brock University -

http://www.brocku.ca/social-sciences/undergraduate-programs/tourism-environment/tren-faculty-and-staff/dr-ryan-plummer

• Dr. Mark Servos – Canada Research Chair in Water Quality Protection - https://uwaterloo.ca/biology/people-profiles/mark-r-servos

• Dr. Andre St. Hilaire – Industrial Chair in Statistical Hydrology, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) –

http://www.ete.inrs.ca/andre-st-hilaire

• Dr. Michael van den Heuvel – Canada Research Chair in Watershed Ecological Integrity - http://www.upei.ca/biomedical/mheuvel

• Dr. Adam Yates – Assistant Professor, Western University – http://geography.ssc.uwo.ca/faculty/yatesa/

The Science Directors...

First decade of research celebrated with the release of the Saint John River

State of the Environment Report

http://www.unb.ca/research/institutes/cri/_resources/pdfs/criday2011/cri_sjr_soe_final.pdf

HBN Hynes Lecturer 2011Dr. J. David Allan

Download the 2011 Hynes lectures: http://www.unb.ca/research/institutes/cri/hyneslectures/hynes2011allan.html

Professor and Associate DeanSchool of Natural Resources and Environment University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA

Dr. Allan's world-renown research investigates stream ecosystems and the influence of human activities on rivers and their watersheds.

THE SAINT JOHN RIVER:A State of the Environment Report

A publication of the Canadian Rivers InstituteCelebrating 10 Years of Science

July 2011

CRI Events...

D. Allan and K. Kidd in Saint John

People and Projects...

Dr. Ryan Plummer (Brock) led a research project in New Brunswickexploring the role of social networks for knowledge transfer andcollaboration for watershed organizations engaged in the WaterClassification Program, and investigating the potential transferability ofthe policy to other jurisdictions

“The workshop provided an energetic learning opportunity, broadenedopportunities for networking, collaboration and the commitment tocontinuing to make a significant contribution to source water protection inthe region, and tangible action items to be built on."

Water Governance in New Brunswick: Looking Forward

http://www.cwn-rce.ca/research/consortium/watershed-research/northumberland-strait-environmental-monitoring-partnership/

CWN Watershed Research Node – Another Lead By the CRI Team

Dr. Simon Courtenay brought together The Northumberland StraitEnvironmental Monitoring Partnership (NorSt-EMP) in 2011 to addressthe need for a monitoring framework to support cumulative effectsassessment.

“The Strait is changing. How much of that is natural causes vsanthropogenic effects we don’t understand very well”

To develop a regional monitoring framework will require a betterunderstanding of the pathways that link land-based sources of nutrients,sediments and contaminants to the well-being of fish, invertebrates andsubmerged aquatic vegetation that live in and around the estuaries.

Improving Water Quality Monitoring

The water quality network of Lake Winnipeg, the 11th largest lakein the world, has been reviewed by Dr. Andre St-Hilaire's (INRS)team (B. Khalil, C. Ou, S. Proulx-McInnis and D. Beveridge). Thewater quality monitoring network in Saskatchewan Rivers is alsocurrently under review, in partnership with the Saskatchewandepartment of Environment and Environment Canada.

``The methods developed in these projects will assist managers intheir efforts to improve water quality monitoring . ``

Bear monitor, Robert Angnetsiak, from Pond Inlet, Nunavut,watches as (Dr.) Joseph Culp samples benthic algal biomassfrom river rocks in Sirmilik National Park, Nunavut.

A collaborative International Polar Year project between the CRIand Environment Canada that assessed biodiversity inapproximately 100 rivers in Canada's eastern Arctic fromTorngats National Park, Labrador to Quttinirpaaq National Park,Nunavut.

Assessing Freshwater Biodiversity in the Arctic

http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/ipy.html

May 2011 marked the restructuring of the CRI Training Program under the moniker “WATER –

Watersheds and Aquatics Training in Environmental Research” to align with the NSERC Collaborative

Research and Training Experience (CREATE) grant, valued at $1.65 million for 6 years, awarded to UNB

and partner institutions (UPEI, INRS, U of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier U). Of the 10 co-applicants, 9 are CRI

Science Directors or Associates. (http://www.unb.ca/initiatives/water/)

“The past year saw more than 230 people from government, academia, NGOs and industry participate in CRI

training for CABIN, electrofishing, river habitats and hydraulics, river

restoration, and BMI taxonomy.”

Dr. Michelle Gray, Director, Training and Professional Development

New CRI Training Products for 2012-13

fiscal year

The professional development and soft skills offerings are expanding over the next year and watch for

these to include multi-institution/agency webinars.

The WATER program will allow the CRI to develop and

deliver many new courses and workshops in aquatic

sciences and professional development to meet the needs

and demands of our students and our non-academic

partners and network members.

Training and professional development...

CRI Recognitions...

CRI 1st Honorary Member

During CRI Day (July 8, 2011), CRI Director Dr. AllenCurry recognized Dr. Alex Bielak (Senior ResearchFellow, United Nations University) as CRI's firstHonorary Member for his contributions anddedicated CRI involvement as an originating memberof the CRI Management Board (2001-2010).

CRI 1st Emeritus Fellow

Dr. Bob Newbury was appointed as CRI's firstEmeritus Fellow. Bob has been an active CRI Fellowsince 2002, participating in the development andimplementation of CRI professional trainingworkshops across Canada. He will continue to beactive with his signature Stream Restorationworkshop.

A. Curry and B. Newbury at a signature “Newbury Riffle”

on the Okanagan River

A. Curry and A. BielakCRI Day 2011, Fredericton

In 2011, Dr. Kelly Munkittrick, one of the four founding members and Associate Director of theCanadian Rivers Institute since 2001, accepted a position as the Scientific Director at the CanadianWater Network http://www.cwn-rce.ca/about/cwn-staff/#Munkittrick.

While Associate Director of the CRI, Kelly was responsible for leading the business strategy whichresulted in the creation of a new state of the art CRI facility at the University of New Brunswick,Saint John. As part of the CRI Executive team, Kelly oversaw the strategic planning andrestructuring of the CRI between 2009 – 2011 which, once completed, provided him with theopportunity to look for and accept new challenges and opportunities in the field of watershedlevel ecosystem management.

Kelly remains the Canada Research Chair in Ecosystem Health Assessment at the Canadian RiversInstitute and Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, where he assesses theenvironmental impacts of industrial and agricultural activities and develops methods forenvironmental effects monitoring and cumulative effects assessment of multiple stressors onaquatic environments.

The CRI Executive, Management Board and Network Members express their sincere gratitude toKelly for his hard work and dedication to the development and management of the CanadianRivers Institute. His name will always be associated with the CRI as founder, Past AssociateDirector and friend. Best Wishes, Kelly!

Founding Member and Past Associate Director accepts position at the

Canadian Water Network

Total Revenues $ 2,191,466.46

Grants $ 1,113,194.00

Governments $ 643,620.25

Private Sector $ 367,965.00

Professional Training $ 66,687.21

The Canadian Rivers Institute generated more than $2.1 million in directresearch, training and service revenues in 2011-12.

Of total revenues, $238,339.69 was allocated to CRI administrative operationswhich recorded total direct expenditures of $262,324.34.

2011-2012 Fiscal Revenues...