Project Team
Charles Lalonde, PAgCharles Lalonde is the principal of CJ Agren Consulting providing project management and professional services in agriculture specializing in agri-environmental programs.
After completing his High School in Vankleek Hill (Prescott County) Charles graduated from Macdonald College (1973) and Penn State University (1975) in animal science and nutrition. In 1996, Charles completed the Queen’s University’ Executive Program. He is currently member of the Agricultural Institute of Canada and a Professional Agriculturist under the Ontario Agricultural Institute. Charles’ career spans three phases beginning with service opportunities at Agriculture and AgriFood Canada; then at OMAFRA followed by a consulting career. Charles assumed several roles within government and was responsible for the creation and implementation of an electronic hog grading system; economic assessment of payments to various commodities under former stabilization programs; directed meat inspection services and directed the provincial agri-environmental programs. From 20002 to 2007, Charles directed environmental policy work within multi-ministry efforts to deal the post-Walkerton implementation of legislation for clean water. At OMAFRA, Charles led the development of the Nutrient Management Act affecting large livestock farms. During this period, Charles was a member of the Water Quality Board for the Great Lakes under the International Joint Commission. Charles consulting experiences focused on both environmental and bio economy work. He provided training coordination for the Ontario Farm Environmental Coalition on Source Water Protection organizing workshops for agricultural representatives to Local Source Water Protection Committees. Charles completed an assessment of a Cap and Trade program for Ontario producers and continues to monitor climate change issues for agriculture. Charles completed several assignments for OMAFRA with respect to chairing consultations with farm commodity organizations to develop Risk Management Programs; Charles also chairs an Agricultural Wildlife Conflict Committee examining issues of compensation and educational programs for both livestock predator management and crop damage. Beginning in November 2014, Charles manages the Holland Marsh Growers Association project the Lake Simcoe Georgian Bay Clean Up Fund (LSGBCUF). Eric RozemaEric earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences at the University of Guelph in 2012 majoring in Environmental Biology. Following its completion he remained at the University of Guelph and began working on a Masters degree which he finished in August 2014. Eric's thesis research evaluated the potential of using wetland plants to improve the treatment of greenhouse wastewater in constructed treatment wetlands, specifically focusing on the removal of Na and Cl.
Eric has experience working on the treatment of wastewater in a number of industries: landfill, winery, dairy, and greenhouse. The majority of his experience has involved the use of constructed treatment wetlands and other biological systems. Eric's role in this project is data analyst. As the data analyst he is responsible for the management, analysis, and reporting of the water quality data collected throughout the project term. He also works on finding appropriate technologies for the treatment of vegetable wash water and aids with the creation and production of factsheets and articles for the HMGA website. Kerri Edwards
Kerri completed her BSc (Env) from the University of Guelph majoring in Earth and Atmospheric Science. After finishing her undergraduate degree she went on to attain her MSc from McGill University in Bioresource Engineering. Under the supervision of Dr. Madramootoo, her thesis compared greenhouse gas emissions from tomato fields outfitted with surface and subsurface drip irrigation. Through the co-op program at the University of Guelph, Kerri was able to complete 4 different four month work terms. She worked for two terms with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, where she worked on collecting soil, gas and water samples. One of her other terms she did an internship in Germany, at the Universität Rostock collecting greenhouse gas samples from peat bogs. She was able to have a different experience when working at Sheldon Outdoor Educational Center by helping to teach grade 6 kids about the environment in accordance to their current curriculum.
Kerri has experience completing field work, especially for soil, water and greenhouse gas sampling from a variety of different projects. She has a combination of knowledge in both the environmental and agricultural sectors. Kerri provided assistance in any of the areas which required more support, this included helping to collect water samples and writing articles and factsheets for the project. |
Bridget VisserBridget graduated from the University of Guelph twice, first with a Bachelor’s of Science in Agriculture and then with a Masters of Science. She majored in Horticulture during her undergraduate studies and then turned her attention to cash crops during her masters work. Her thesis was focussed on Crop Physiology and the impact of water use efficiency on drought tolerance in soybeans.
A farmer at heart, Bridget grew up in the middle of the Holland Marsh learning about all aspects of vegetable production on the family farm. She spent five summers working at the Muck Crops Research Station first as a summer student, then as a research assistant, and finally a year working with herbicide-resistant pigweed. Bridget’s role is to communicate the progress, successes, failures, and results of the project. Michael Saunders
Having grown up in Midland, on the southern shore of Georgian Bay, Michael gained a deep rooted fascination with the outdoors, expressed through his climbing, hiking, camping and sailing adventures around the area.
Michael attended Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo where the groundwork for his education began. He obtained a degree, majoring in History and minoring in Philosophy. After graduating, he wanted more education and enrolled at Georgian College in Barrie, where he graduated with a diploma in Environmental Engineering Technologies. After school, Michael was employed at an engineering firm in Bolton, where his main duties revolved around field work. He collected ground and surface water samples from landfills operated by the District Municipality of Muskoka and prepared reports on the performance of their landfills. For the town of Richmond Hill, he monitored the water levels of 50+ retention water ponds, monitored the flow of 9 streams/rivers and monitored the performance of a phosphorus removal system around Lake Wilcox. Employed by the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority, Mike starting working on this project in May 2014. His main focus lies with the Holland Marsh Growers' Association Water Project. As the sampling technician he is on the front lines of the project collecting samples from all farms involved. Greg RiddellAfter a stint in the Canadian Armed Forces (Combat Engineers), and time with the family business as a stuntman, pyrotechnics tech, and in Monster Truck racing, Greg took a position as a Communications Tower Installer. During this time, he held a variety of positions that allowed him to grow his skills in construction, design theory, and leadership.
In January, 2000, Greg started with Fish Farm Supply Co. and after joining this young company, he participated in most aspects of the company’s operations including sales, purchasing, pricing negotiations, and exclusive dealerships. He assumed control of the design work and equipment installation. He has been involved with and responsible for diverse projects from commercial aquaculture systems to research laboratories. The projects ranged in size and difficulty, including overhauling antiquated systems and creating customized solutions. Having started within the aquaculture industry Greg has been able to use the knowledge accumulated from these commercial operations and waste water management which has given him a wide range of situations to study and learn from. This firsthand experience in the field means he can assess a situation and provide both short and long term solutions to achieve the desired water quality. In 2013, Fish Farm Supply was sold and until August 2014, he worked in Sales and as Senior System Designer for the new owner. In August 2014, he opened Riddell Aquatic Science to have the freedom to advance his knowledge in the industry and to get the results his clients require. His greatest strength is bringing practical, real life solutions to any situation and being able to source the required products required at the best price possible. Greg is excited to join the HMGA Water Project and use the knowledge he has garnered over the past 20 years to help make this a successful venture. CollaboratorsAnn Huber
Soil Resource Group Mary Ruth MacDonald Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph |
