Site Assessors
Salmon-Safe site assessors are experts in biology, landscape architecture, urban design, aquatic ecology, water quality, stormwater management, and pesticide management. Based on a site's needs, our team will contract the most appropriate site assessor(s) for a project to complete an initial site assessment and to determine the steps and process necessary for a site to become Salmon-Safe Certified. The Salmon-Safe Site Assessors are an incredible resource and wealth of knowledge, you can hear some of them speak on the Salmon-Safe Standards in our Introduction to Salmon-Safe Standards for Urban Development webinar.
Urban Site Assessors
Tasha holds a B.Sc. (Ecology & Environmental Biology) from Thompson River University and a M.S.T. (Masters of Science in Teaching) from Portland State University. Her research involved the assessment of student learning, environmental education programs and science curricula, using a diversity of qualitative and quantitative research methods. Tasha has been involved in conservation in the Pacific Northwest for over fifteen years and has worked extensively to manage invasive plants. She previously worked as the coordinator of the Vancouver Aquarium's River Works program, an aquatic stewardship initiative focused on volunteer-based restoration projects. She has worked for the ISCMV since 2008. As the Executive Director she is currently leading the ISCMV team. Her passions at the ISCMV are the outreach & education program and running behind-the-scenes of the society.
Cassandra Cummings
RPBio, B.Sc. Hons., M.Sc. (Biology), M.Sc. (Planning)
cassandra@diamondheadconsulting.com
Cassandra is a professional biologist, with a background in aquatic ecology and water quality. She completed her Masters of Biology from Queen’s University researching the effects of climate change on algal communities in freshwater lakes in the Adirondacks. She graduated with her Masters of Science in Planning from UBC’s School of Community and Regional Planning, focusing on Environmental and Natural Resource Planning. Prior to joining Diamond Head, she was working with the City of Vancouver to better understand patterns of water quality and E. coli concentrations in False Creek. Her most recent work includes environmental assessments, Riparian Areas Regulation assessments, environmental planning, and urban forest strategies. In her spare time Cassandra enjoys hiking, reading, and scuba diving.
Patrick is a senior biologist and project manager in KWL’s Greater Vancouver office. His background includes degrees in Environmental Science (B.Sc., UBC, 2000) and Plant Ecology (M.Sc., UBC, 2008), and over nine years of professional practice spread between positions in government, conservation organizations, and environmental consultancies. His current work focuses on baseline aquatic habitat, vegetation, and wildlife studies, impact assessment, environmental planning and policy development, habitat restoration design, and environmental monitoring. Clients include public and private entities, First Nations, and all levels of government. He frequently works as part of interdisciplinary teams and with stakeholders and the public. For the past decade, a primary focus of Patrick’s work has been watershed planning and management, particularly measures to reduce the impacts of urbanization and restore and enhance aquatic habitat in developed watersheds. Patrick sits on two provincial species at risk recovery teams and is a past co-chair of the Science & Research Committee of the Invasive Species Council of Metro Vancouver. He is also a Certified Erosion & Sediment Control Lead in BC (BC-CESCL).
Crystal Campbell leads the Stormwater Group at KWL with over 20 years of consulting experience in stormwater and drainage engineering. She has extensive experience with Integrated Stormwater Management Planning (ISMP) at the watershed, neighborhood and site scale. Crystal has worked on over 20 watershed-based ISMPs within the Lower Mainland. She is well-versed in low impact development techniques and source controls and has developed many stormwater management
guidance documents at the provincial and regional level (Stormwater Source Control Design Guidelines, ISMP Template, DFO Land Development Guidelines) and rainwater management bylaws for municipalities. She won the Association of Consulting Engineers of Canada - BC Award of Engineering Excellence in 2012 for the Partington Creek: A New Watershed Development Planning Process.
Megan Turnock is a Principal at LEES+Associates Landscape Architects and Planners and has 20 years of multidisciplinary experience in parks and recreation planning and design, environmental and watershed planning, and habitat restoration design. She holds a Masters of Landscape Architecture, a Masters of Environmental Science (Conservation Biology), and a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She has also been involved in landscape sustainability rating systems including the Green Shores Coastal Development Rating System and the Sustainable Sites Initiative. With the Sustainable Sites Initiative, she worked for 6 years as a researcher during the initial credit development phase, as a technical advisor on the ‘Water” subcommittee, and as a pilot project reviewer.