The Friends of Lanark County and the National Farmers Union Local Chapter are pleased to present:
POLLINATORS, PEOPLE AND PESTICIDES
A speaking event that will interest members of the community who care about the pollinator crisis and human environmental health in general. Speakers will explore the effects and consequences of pesticide use (including roadside spraying) on human and pollinator health.
We welcome the following speakers:
Margaret (Meg) Sears Ph. D., an environmental health expert in toxins including pesticides in our environment, and
Vicki Wojcik Ph.D., an expert in new and emerging pollinator issues including the plight of our bees and the monarch butterfly.
Speaker Bios attached.
Date, Time & Place:
Thursday April 6, 2017 at 7 p.m.
McMartin House
125 Gore St.
Perth Ont.
This is a free event. Light refreshments offered.
Margaret (Meg) Sears Ph.D.
Meg is the Chair and lead scientist from Prevent Cancer Now. She was trained in Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry at the University of Toronto, Canada. She worked in energy research, then returned to academia to complete doctoral research in biochemical engineering at McGill University. With skills in scientific analysis and writing, Dr. Sears gained associations with Ottawa research institutes at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, and the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. Some highlights for Dr. Sears include: writing the Medical Perspective on Environmental Sensitivities for the Canadian Human Rights Commission, leading to a policy under the Canadian Human Rights Act; carrying out a scoping review on toxic elements (arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury) with Canadian Institutes for Health Research and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council funding; and numerous collaborations with members of the Environmental Health Committee of the Ontario College of Family Physicians. A central interest is the conduct and interpretation of science in environmental health.
Vicki Wojcik, Ph.D.
Vicki has been working to protect and promote pollinators with Pollinator Partnership – the largest organization in the world exclusively dedicated to saving pollinators – since 2011. As Research Director she oversees P2’s research program, keeping on top of new and emerging pollinator issues and managing a program set that includes pollinator habitat conservation and landscape management assessments; understanding and enhancing agroecosystems; landuse and pesticide policy review; support for threatened and critical species; and ecosystem service assessments.Vicki joined the San Francisco team after completing her Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at UC Berkeley. In 2015 she returned home to Toronto with the expansion of P2’s programs into Canada. Vicki’s interest in pollinators was sparked during her undergraduate studies at the University of Guelph and has continued ever since. Her graduate research focused on understanding how native bees use gardens and habitats in cities. This focus on pollinators in human-dominated landscapes has continued throughout her career. Vicki’s contributions to pollinator research and conservation include numerous peer reviewed papers, book chapters, policy pieces, planting guides, and technical manuals.