Honouring the commitment by an individual to promote and enhance the conservation of Canada’s natural resources.
As curator of zoology at the New Brunswick Museum, Donald McAlpine understands the value of public engagement with conservation science. That’s one of the reasons McAlpine has become a go-to authority for the media on myriad stories related to conservation and natural science. But McAlpine’s contributions go much further than that.
Outside New Brunswick, he is perhaps best known for his work with colleague Karen Vanderwolf in discovering the arrival in the province of white-nose syndrome, a fungal infection that is decimating North American bat populations. Within the province, he is known for much more, as an author, scientist, public speaker and leader of events such as bio-blitzes, including a blitz last summer at Grand Lake Meadows, an area set aside to protect biodiversity, that led to the discovery of an invasive species known as the Chinese mystery snail in New Brunswick. The blitz also identified a fungus that grows on lichens that is new to North America.
With decades of experience as a field biologist, curator and scientist, McAlpine has unequalled experience in the region’s natural systems, making him one of New Brunswick’s best assets in conservation work.