Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher. ---Wordsworth
In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous. ---Aristotle
No man ever steps in the same river twice. ---Heraclitus
Nothing in biology makes sense except in light of evolution.
---Dobzhansky
To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering. ---Leopold
A bad day in the field is still better than a good day in the lab. ---Hecnar
Curriculum vitae
Curriculum vitae of Stephen J. Hecnar, Ph.D., FLS
The following is a concise version. A detailed c.v. is available upon request.
Present Position
Professor, Department of Biology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON
Education
B.Sc. Biology, 1979. Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON. Honours Thesis: The gizzard grit of Ruffed Grouse in Northwestern Ontario. Advisor: Dr. J.P. Ryder
M.Sc. Biology, 1991. University of Windsor, Windsor, ON. Thesis: Habitat selection in Eumeces fasciatus, the five-lined skink, at Point Pelee National Park, Ontario, Canada. Advisor: Dr. R.T. M'Closkey
Ph.D. Biology, 1996. University of Windsor, Windsor, ON. Dissertation: Species richness, species turnover, and spatial dynamics of amphibian communities. Advisor: Dr. R.T. M'Closkey
Post-doctoral Fellow, 1997. Department of Zoology, University of Guelph. Advisor: Dr. R.J. Brooks.
Academic Employment
Assistant Professor, appointed 1998, renewed 2000. Department of Biology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON
Associate Professor, promoted and tenured, 2003. Department of Biology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON
Associated Graduate Faculty, 2001-2003, Department of Environmental Biology, University of Guelph
Core Faculty Member, 2004, Forest Sciences Ph.D. Program, Faculty of Forestry and the Forest Environment, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON
Full Professor, promoted 2008. Department of Biology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON
Academic Honours
Premier of Ontario Research Excellence Award 1999
Fellow of the Linnean Society of London 2012
Canadian Herpetological Society Blue Racer Award 2015
Academic Awards ($248,225)
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Post Graduate Scholarship 2
Ontario Graduate Scholarship
NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship
PREA Funding
Lakehead University Merit Awards for Teaching and Research (7 awards)
Research Grants and Contracts ($928,215)
EPA GLNPO Grant
Lakehead University Startup Grant
NSERC Operating Grant
NSERC/SRC Grant
NSERC Discovery Grant
NSERC Summer Research Assistants (4)
Ontario Work Study Programs (3)
Ontario MNR
Parks Canada Research Contracts (20)
PREA Award
SARRFO (4)
SARSF (1)
Travel Awards (14)
Publications, Reports and Presentations (286)
Journals (84)
Book Chapters (2)
Book & Software Reviews (5)
Published Letters (2)
Technical Reports (62)
Student publications from work in my lab (14)
Conferences (85)
Invited Seminars (32)
Publications by Others About My Lab (22)
Training and Employment of Highly Qualified Personnel (52)
Ph.Ds contracted (1)
Postdoctoral Fellows (1)
Technicians (4)
Undergraduate Supervisions (20)
Graduate Supervisions (9)
Summer Research Assistants (13)
Research Interns (3)
Graduate Committee Membership (49)
External Examiner and PTR Reviews (10)
Professional Memberships (12)
American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
British Herpetological Society
Canadian Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Network
Canadian Association of Herpetologists
Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution
Ecological Society of America
Herpetologist's League
Fellow of the Linnean Society of London (elected 2012)
Societas Europaea Herpetologica
Society for Conservation Biology
Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles
National Center for Science Education
Regional, National, and International Committees
COSEWIC Amphibian and Reptile Subcommittee Member
College of Reviewers, Canada Research Chairs Program
Canadian Herpetological Society Board Member
Chair, IMPARA Committee
Northwestern Ontario Protected Areas Research Steering Committee Member
IUCN Amphibian and Reptile Specialist Group - representing Canada
Professional Service
Advisor to numerous agencies and programs including: Aquila Consulting, Ausable-Bayfield Conservation Authority, Ausable River Recovery Plan, Canadian Wildlife Service, City of Thunder Bay Animal Control, U.S. Department of Energy, Environment Canada, Lake Erie Sandspit Recovery Plan, Lake Superior Herpetofaunal Monitoring Program, Lyme Disease Association of Ontario, Maitland Valley Conservation Authority, Matawa First Nations, Minnesota DNR, North Dakota Fish & Game Commission, Ontario Herpetofaunal Summary and Ontario Nature Reptile and Amphibian Atlas (contributor of data), Ontario MNR, Ontario Parks, Parks Canada, Essex Region Recovery Plan, University of Guelph Department of Zoology.
Meetings or Workshops Organized (3)
Hosted Joint CARCNET/CAH conference in 2011 at Lakehead University.
Host COSEWIC Amphibian & Reptile Specialist Group Meeting,Thunder Bay 2011. Conducted training course for government biologists 2014.
Reviews (577) for journals and agencies include: Alberta Conservation Association, American Naturalist, Amphibia-Reptilia, Animal Conservation, Applied Herpetology, Ausable-Bayfield Conservation Authority, Behaviour, Aquatic Ecology, Aquatic Ecosystems Health and Management, Archives of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry, Biodiversity and Conservation, Biological Conservation, Canada Research Chairs Program, Canadian Field-Naturalist, Canadian Herpetologist, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Canadian Wildlife Service, Chemosphere, Conservation Biology, Copeia, COSEWIC, Current Zoology, Digital Frog International, Diversity and Distribution, Durrell Institute, Ecography, Ecology, Ecology & Society, Ecological Applications, Écoscience, Endangered Species Research, Environment Canada, Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry, Freeman Publishers, Freshwater Biology, Freshwater Science, Global Ecology & Biodiversity, FCT (Portuese Govt. funding agency), Herpetologica, Herpetological Conservation & Biology, Herpetological Journal, Herpetological Review, Integrative Zoology, Journal of Animal Ecology, Journal of Applied Ecology, Journal of Arid Ecosystems, Journal of Great Lakes Research, Journal of Hazardous Materials, Journal of Herpetology, Journal of Biogeography, Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science, Journal of North American Herpetology, Landscape Ecology, Midwest Declining Amphibians Taskforce, Mitacs Accelerate Grants, Nardowe Centrum Nauki, NSERC, NRF South Africa, Northeastern Naturalist, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Ontario Parks, Ontario Power Generation, Oxford University Press, Parks Canada, Pearson Publishing, PLoSONE, SETAC, Royal Society, Southeastern Naturalist, TextReviews, Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Turkish Journal of Zoology, Quarterly Review of Biology, Urban Ecosystems, U.S. EPA, U.S. NPS, Water SA, Wetlands, Zoological Studies.
Course Development and Teaching (no. of years taught)
Biol/Enst 2210 - Introductory Ecology (16)
Biol 3151- Biogeography (21)
Biol 3990 - Research Internship (4)
Biol. 4351 - Population Ecology (3)
Biol. 4435 - Herpetology (10)
Biol. 4610 - Special Topics (3)
Biol. 4610 - Global Change Biology (2)
Biol. 4630/4470 - Advanced Population Ecology (1)
Biol. 4117 - Advances in Contemporary Ecology (12)
Biol. 5111 - Advances in Herpetology (3)
Biol. 5151 - Advances in Contemporary Ecology (11)