Faculty

I was born and raised in London, Ontario. During this time, homes owned by my parents were struck by lightning 12 times, hence my interest in climatology and natural hazards! I completed a BA (Honours) in the Geography Department at the University of Western Ontario. I investigated the urban snow hazard under the supervision of Prof. Robert Packer for my Honours Thesis. I then initiated my westward migration, first stopping in Regina.

I completed my MSc under the supervision of Dr. Alec Paul in the Geography Department at the University of Regina. My thesis investigated evidence for climatic change in southern Saskatchewan. I continued my westward migration in 1991 by moving my family to the west coast. I joined the Geography Department at then UCFV in 1992.

• MSc, University of Regina, 1988
• BA (Hons), University of Western Ontario, 1982

Professional Memberships

• Canadian Association of Geographers
• American Association of Geographers
• Canadian Water Resources Association
• American Geophysical Union

Committe Membership

• City of Abbotsford Environmental Advisory Group
• Tree and Forest Working Group, EAC, Abbotsford (Chair)
• Flood Committee, Clayburn Village, Abbotsford

• GEOG 103: The Physical Environment
• GEOG 105: Natural Hazards and Hollywood
• GEOG 116: Earth Rocks
• GEOG 117: Dinosaurs
• GEOG 201: Climate and People
• GEOG 307: Climates of Cities
• GEOG 308: Climate Change and Variability
• GEOG 318: Water Resources and Management 
• GEOG 335/BIO 335: Freshwater Ecology
• GEOG 412: Environmental Geography Practicum
• Study tours and Adventures in Geography to Washington State (Mt. St. Helens-Channeled Scabland; coastal Washington), Alberta, the American Southwest, and Yellowstone-Glacier.

My research interests lie within community-based initiatives in collaboration with various federal, provincial, municipal, and non-governmental organizations. My interests focus on watershed and airshed issues affecting our local communities. Key to this is the involvement of my students in the research.

I am currently collaborating with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Woods Hole Research Center to investigate river geochemistry and land-ocean linkages through the sampling of the Fraser River and its Fraser Valley tributaries as part of the Global Rivers Observatory Project.