Membership Committee Chair
Gabrielle Girard 

 

Membership Committee Ontario Representative
Don Barnes MSc, CWB®, TWS Fellow, Retired, Lakehead University

 

In 2013, Don retired from Lakehead University after 40 years of service, where he worked to develop their first fish and wildlife management program within the Faculty of Natural Resources Management.  He has been a professional trapper and avid hunter for over 50 years and is a member of TWS Hunting, Trapping, and Conservation Working Group, Director with the Northwestern Ontario Fur Trappers Association, and a member of the Ontario Fur Managers Federation and the Northern Ontario Sportsman Alliance.  As a member of a Local Citizens Committee, Don has been on the planning team for several 10-year MNRF Forest Management Plans. His unique background has allowed him to interact with students, trappers, First Nations, forest companies, and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF).

Since 1974, Don’s interest has always centered on student involvement culminating in the establishment of TWS Student Chapter at Lakehead University in 2006. He has maintained professional status by becoming a Certified Wildlife Biologist (CWB®).  In addition, he has been affiliated with the OCTWS and the CSTWS since their inception.  In 2021, he was awarded the designation of TWS Fellow.  Don is President of OCTWS, Chair of OCTWS Membership and Recruitment Committee, Chair of CWTWS Certification Committee, member of CSTWS Education Committee, and member of TWS Conservation Education Awards Committee