Peatland WOrkshop Speakers
Dr. Line Rochefort
Professor in the Department of Plant Sciences at Université Laval since 1992, and graduated from Université Laval (1984), University of Alberta (1987) and University of Cambridge (1992), Dr. Line Rochefort is one of the pioneers and leaders in research on restoration ecology of peatlands.
Dr. Rochefort has founded in 1992-1993 the Peatland Ecology Research Group (PERG), also called Groupe de recherche en écologie des tourbières (GRET) in French. This group brings together researchers from several universities, Canadian industrial peat partners, and federal and provincial government agencies, creating a fertile and stimulating ground for exchange to students and researchers. Line Rochefort has instigated a whole new stream of research in the peat industry, the development of techniques for restoration of mires after peat extraction. Her academic and professional career took her around the world and allowed her to become known within the international community. The technique of bog restoration is now used not only in North America but also in South America and Europe. Research by Line Rochefort and PERG addresses a very important social problem, namely the need to protect natural resources and ensure integrated management of peatlands for the benefit of future generations.
Dr. Peter Whittington
Pete Whittington (PW, he/him) is a peatland hydrologist and associate professor at BU who has been working on fen restoration projects in Manitoba for the past 5 years. His research mainly deals with the fluxes and flows of water (hydrology) in anthropogenically disturbed. He is also interested in how the local hydrogeomorphic setting (combination of hydrology, climatology, geomorphology) influences both the peatland’s form and function, as well as the implications for restoration techniques/strategies.
Lee Fedorchuk
Lee Fedorchuk graduated from the University of Winnipeg in 2007. He currently leads the Peatlands Program for the Department of Natural Resources and Northern Development’s Forestry & Peatlands Branch, where he manages Manitoba’s peat resources and regulates the peat harvesting industry. He is involved in numerous provincial working groups, and has experience in photointerpretation, monitoring using remote sensing techniques, and field data collection.
International SPeakers
Dr. chris lenhart
Dr Lenhart is a research professor in Bioproducts & Biosystems Engineering at the University of Minnesota.
Dr. Lenhart co-authored several widely-used management guides including the Aquatic Organism Passage Handbook for MnDOT (2019) and the Agricultural BMP Handbook for Minnesota (2017) for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. He has led assessment and design of stream and wetland restoration projects and contributes to hydrologic and water quality monitoring efforts for The Nature Conservancy MN, ND, SD chapter. Chris has coordinated the professional restoration certification program for the Society of Ecological Restoration International and serves as president of the SER-Midwest-Great Lakes Chapter. He currently lives with his family in Roseville, Minnesota near Lake McCarrons. Originally from Defiance, Ohio, he has been involved with restoration, management and research related to wetlands and water quality in that region.
Dr. Mateusz Grygoruk
Dr. Grygoruk is a geographer and wetland hydrologist. He is associate professor in the Department of Hydrology, Meteorology and Water Management at Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Poland. He was involved in research and implementation projects on natural and drained wetlands in Poland, Lithuania, Norway and Russia. He is also involved in river and wetland restoration and management research.
Christoff Van Ackere
Christof have been a conservationist for more than 20 years, starting as a volunteer, and since 2009 a professional ecologist and consultant Nature for Belgium's biggest environmental non-governmental organization: Natuurpunt. Based in the Valley of the Black Creek, a large-scale lowland peatland of special scientific interest. He is strongly focused on system scale restoration and active rewetting management for fen restoration. As a consultant Nature I am responsible for the Nature Management Plan (based on national and European nature legislation), set up surveys and coordinate eco-hydrological surveys with scientific partners and align restoration management with local governments and policy-makers.