Riley Pollom

Experience

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  Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology

  Jul 2005 - Aug 2005

  Field Assistant and Science Camp Cook

  - prepared meals for palaeontological field staff.- assisted palaeontologists with fossil prospecting, preparation and excavation

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  Alberta Sustainable Resource Development

  Jul 2006 - Aug 2006

  Camp Counsellor

  - designing and supervising outdoor educational activities for children aged 6-17

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  Kestrel Environmental

  Apr 2007 - Aug 2007

  Biological Field Technician and Consultant

  - conducting wildlife surveys on land proposed for oil and gas development.- searching for species at risk and their habitat, including burrowing owls, prairie rattlesnakes, and sharp-tailed grouse.- preparing documents and recommendations for provincial government biologists, industry stakeholders, and landowners to review.- contributing data to the Federal Wildlife Managment Information System (FWMIS).

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  Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute

  Apr 2008 - Aug 2008

  Terrestrial Biological Field Technician

  - conducting a broad range of biodiversity monitoring activities in the boreal forest including tree health monitoring, plant and moss ID, bird recording, canopy characterization, collecting soil samples, and mammal ID- working in remote locations (including helicopter fly-in sites) under adverse weather conditions- gaining access to remote areas using ATVs, 4x4 trucks, and hiking for extensive periods- coordinating extensive field trips (food, transportation, etc.)

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  University of Alberta

  Sept 2008 - Dec 2008

  Field Technician - Cougar Tracking

  - tracking radio and GPS-collared cougars throughout the Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park in Alberta/Saskatchewan- investigating kill sites to determine prey items and monitoring motion-sensored wildlife cameras to estimate population sizes

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  Calgary Zoo

  Apr 2009 - Sept 2009

  Species at Risk Field Technician

  - conducting field research on northern leopard frogs which involved taking water measrements and identifying and counting frogs by sight and sound and helping to coordinate field trips.- conducting field research on black-tailed prairie dogs, including live trapping, pit-tagging, and behavioral observations.- prairie dog research led to the reintroduction of the black-footed ferret in cooperation with government bodies such as Parks Canada and NGOs, including the WWF.

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  Environment Canada

  Dec 2009 - Apr 2010

  Protected Areas/Species at Risk Biologist

  - collaborating with environmental consultants to complete habitat matrices for National Wildlife Areas.- designing field research protocols for monitoring ecological integrity in Ontario's National WIldlife Areas (especially Long Point NWA).- reviewing and editing federal species at risk recovery documents.

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  The Nature Conservancy of Canada

  Apr 2010 - Dec 2010

  Lead Conservation Intern

  - conducting biological field monitoring on conservation easements and NCC-owned properties, including bird and mammal ID, plant community characterization, riparian and grassland technical assessments, plant ID, and photo documentation.- communicating with landowners regarding the conservation of native prairie and associated best-management practices.- providing feedback to Shell Canada regarding environmental and sustainability issues.- organizing landowner appreciation events with catering and presentations by conservation professionals. Show less

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  Meal Exchange

  Oct 2011 - Dec 2012

  Memorial University Campus Food Strategy Group Coordinator (Campus Food Systems Project)

  - formed a diverse group of stakeholders involved in the campus food system, including administration, faculty, staff and students. - coordinated and facilitated dialogue among these stakeholders to make food on campus more ecologically and socially sustainable. One highlight was the introduction of sustainable procurement into Memorial's Request for Proposals for a new foodservice provider on campus.

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  Memorial University of Newfoundland

  Oct 2011 - Dec 2012

  Sustainability Coordinator - Graduate Students' Union

  - enabling a culture of sustainability for graduate students at Memorial University. - coordinating events and campaigns to make campus life more ecologically sustainable. A major ongoing project that I started in this position is to get Bitters Pub and Restaurant, Memorial's grad student lounge, certified as a Leader in Environmentally Accountable Foodservice (see www.leafme.ca).

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  Fisheries and Oceans Canada

  Feb 2013 - May 2013

  Independent Consultant/Stock Assessment Rapporteur

  - attended 2013 Recovery Potential Assessment for the endangered smooth skate (Malacoraja senta) and the Northern and Striped Shrimp Zonal Assessment Process multistakeholder meetings as an external expert and rapporteur. These meetings included representatives from the fishing industry, provincial and territorial governments, aboriginal groups, and DFO Science and Resource Management. - provided input for the writing of several federal Science Advisory Reports and Research Documents. - authored the meeting proceedings to be published online. Show less

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  Fisheries and Oceans Canada

  Sept 2013 - Oct 2013

  Fisheries Technologist

  - finding and quantifying habitat for the endangered Western Silvery Minnow in the Milk River- seine-netting fish and documenting fish community diversity- implanting visual implant elastomer (VIE) and alpha tags in minnows for mark-recapture studies- extracting gill filaments for use in lab-based proteomics work

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  Project Seahorse

  Nov 2013 - Dec 2016

  Syngnathid Research Biologist

  - manuscript, student support for syngnathid/marine conservation research- conducting IUCN Red List assessments, including GIS mapping for Syngnathiformes- taking part in regional IUCN Red List Assessment workshops- forming and coordinating the IUCN Seahorse, Pipefish and Stickleback Species Specialist Group- supporting iSeahorse - the new seahorse sightings app - through species ID verification, in-country expert coordination and regional promotion- maintaining digital libraries of Syngnathiforme/Gasterosteiforme knowledge- coordinating and advising volunteers, work-study and directed studies students- contributing to Project Seahorse communications, including Twitter and Facebook feeds- responding appropriately to public queries regarding syngnathid knowledge Show less

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  IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group (SSG)

  Sept 2016 - Oct 2019

  Programme Officer

  Working with the IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group to promote and undertake conservation actions for the world's Chondrichthyans.

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  Wildlife Conservation Society Canada

  Apr 2020 - Mar 2021

  British Columbia Key Biodiversity Areas Regional Coordinator
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  Parks Canada

  Jun 2020 - Jan 2021

  Resource Management Officer

  Southern Resident Killer Whale Ecology and Conservation

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  Indianapolis Zoo

  Feb 2021 - Jul 2022

  Global Marine Conservation Coordinator
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  Seattle Aquarium

  Aug 2022 - now

  Species Recovery Program Manager