Our Staff

About Us

Our team of carefully curated professionals are outstanding in their respective fields and carry professional practice in Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan as Professional Agrologists and Biologists. Our office is based in Cremona, AB, with staff residing in Edmonton, Calgary, Pincher Creek, Fort St. John, and Cranbrook.

Steven Tannas; PhD., P.Ag.

President; Senior Restoration and Vegetation Ecologist

Dr. Steven Tannas is a Senior Vegetation Ecologist, Reclamation Specialist, wetland scientist, and dual-registered Professional Agrologist in Alberta and B.C. Steven specializes in vegetation ecology with work spanning many practice areas. Steven is an experienced plant taxonomist able to spot ID over 1000 species of plants. Other areas of practice and technical knowledge include restoration ecology, agrology, bioengineering, wetlands, and native plant propagation.

Steven’s primary focus areas span the Western Canadian ecosystems, including Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon Territory, and Northwest Territory. Steven has extensive experience working with various energy sectors, including oil and gas, electrical grids, and mining, as well as work spanning the renewable and agricultural sectors. Steven is experienced in working with Federal, Provincial and Municipal levels of government in varying capacities.

Steven is on the AIA Registration Committee, and the Old’s College Industrial Advisory Committee and has acted as a supervisor for graduate-level students. In his spare time, Steven enjoys wood carving, building and playing string instruments, timber framing, reading, and being outdoors.

Eileen Tannas; BSc.

Vice President: Senior Plant Propagation Specialist

Eileen is a plant propagation specialist, taxonomist, and environmental professional with extensive greenhouse experience having worked with Eastern Slopes Rangeland Seeds Ltd. over the past decade. Eileen's expertise has focused on plant identification, including weeds, rare species, and common native species across Alberta. Eileen has conducted rare species and vegetation surveys within the following boreal, upper foothills, lower foothills, montane, subalpine, foothills fescue, northern fescue, aspen parkland, and dry mixedgrass natural subregions. Eileen's experience in boreal ecosystems is extensive.

Eileen is highly skilled in business management and has a degree in math and finance, leading the finance and administration team. Eileen is the Health and Safety Manager and ensures that our team upholds the highest standards possible. Eileen brings strong administration and project management skills to every project we do.

Joanne Berezan; BSc

Senior Environmental Scientist; Discipline Lead Biophysical & Mining

Joanne is an experienced environmental professional based in Pincher Creek, bringing over 17 years of expertise in the oil, gas, and power sectors. With a broad, multi-disciplinary skill set, she’s led projects across a range of environmental disciplines, including wetlands, vegetation, wildlife, aquatics, soils, archaeology, and Indigenous knowledge. She has a background in reclamation with a focus on soil management and has extensive expertise in environmental assessment methodology and mitigation planning for oil and gas construction projects. Joanne’s specific expertise in environmental assessments, project management, and regulatory strategy has been key to guiding projects from early scoping and field studies through permitting, construction, reclamation, and post-construction monitoring.

Joanne is a hands-on project manager who thrives on tackling complex environmental projects. She also has a thorough understanding of the regulatory landscape and has collaborated with federal, provincial, and municipal governments, as well as Indigenous communities and various stakeholders on a variety of projects. Joanne has managed and written several Environmental and Socio-economic Impact Studies, as well as technical discipline reports, for complex projects throughout BC and Alberta. Her work spans a range of Federal, Alberta, and BC EAO projects, ensuring that both regulatory requirements and project-specific environmental and socio-economic concerns are thoroughly addressed.

Outside of work, Joanne loves spending time in the mountains with her young family, where they enjoy hiking, camping, mountain biking, and fly-fishing during the summer months. During the winter months, you’ll often find her at the hockey rink, either coaching or cheering on her kids as they play.

Hilary Baker; BSc., P.Ag.

Senior Ecologist & Rangeland Specialist; Discipline Lead Ecology

Hilary is a senior vegetation ecologist and rangeland practitioner based in Cranbrook, B.C. Hilary is a dual-registered Professional Agrologist in Alberta and B.C. Her expertise lies in multidisciplinary practices based on ecological, environmental, rangeland, agronomic, and socio-economic principles. Hilary has contributed to and led teams on a variety of projects from small to large-scale environmental assessments, working with a diverse clientele in both the public and private sectors, including industry, oil and gas, mining, agriculture, the not-for-profit, emergency management, and with growers/producers/ranchers. Hilary's background and passions are firmly rooted in ecology, and she excels as a big systems thinker, using science as a basis for making land management decisions. Hilary has extensive experience in rangeland management, having previously worked as a Rangeland Specialist with the Government of Alberta. Hilary is well-versed in plant taxonomy, ecological classification, terrestrial ecosystem mapping, post-fire monitoring, ecosystem monitoring, gap analysis, forage and browse sampling, long-term monitoring, program design, program management, technical reporting, and technical publications.

Hilary splits her spare time between team roping, fly fishing, backcountry skiing, and scouring the Kootenays for wildflowers.

Carrie Mabin; BSc, RT(Ag)

Senior Environmental Scientist; Discipline Lead Reclamation

Carrie is an experienced land reclamation practitioner and Registered Technologist in Agrology. Her background is a blend of technical skills, fieldwork and practical instruction. Carrie has direct experience with land reclamation, remediation, environmental site assessments, technical writing, project management, leadership, presentation, instructing and mentoring, as well as municipal planning and development.

Carrie has managed small and large client portfolios that included reclamation, remediation, vegetation management, and DSAs, culminating in obtaining Land Reclamation Certificates. Her project management expertise facilitates these key elements with a focus on timeline and budgetary constraints. She is an adept communicator, allowing her to effectively coordinate with diverse groups of stakeholders including clients, project team members, regulators and landowners.

Ashley Easton; BSc., P.Ag

Senior Environmental Scientist; Restoration

Ashley is a Professional Agrologist based in Calgary, specialising in soil, vegetation, reclamation and revegetation. She has been working in the reclamation industry for over ten years. She is highly experienced in environmental site assessment [ESA], including Phase 1/I [as per AEP and CSA standards], 2 [intrusive sampling] and 3 [remediation], spill response, site reclamation, revegetation, and reclamation certificate applications [RCAs]. Her technical skills also include soil and vegetation inventory, assessment and classification, including weed, introduced and native plant species identification by both spot and keying methods and wetland, rangeland and riparian assessment. She is also highly experienced in project management of varying types, sizes and complexities of projects, development and tracking of budgets, technical document preparation and document review, and leading and managing staff teams to complete project objectives. Ashley has instructed various courses and mentored and trained numerous junior and intermediate environmental scientists for technical, project management, leadership and teamwork skills. Ashley’s work experience has dominantly been focused within natural areas, urban, oil and gas [upstream and midstream], and mining sectors in central and southern Alberta and south-central Saskatchewan. While Ashley has worked in nearly all types of ecosystems, she has a strong love for grasslands.

Ashley enjoys giving back to the industry and currently volunteers as a Director for the Canadian Land Reclamation Association - Alberta Chapter and as a Technical Advisory Committee member for the Grassland Restoration Forum. In her time away from work, she enjoys spending time with her growing family going on adventures, getting together with friends for some laughs and having the odd quiet moment to get into a book or quilting project.

Brian Yakiwchuk; MGEM, CERP

Geospatial Analyst & Ecologist

Brian is a part-time restoration ecologist and spatial analyst based in Alberta. With nearly a decade of experience in government, he brings a grounded, science-informed approach to restoration problems —particularly across Alberta’s montane and subalpine landscapes.

Brian has led full-cycle ecological restoration and long-term monitoring projects, drawing on a strong foundation in field ecology. He has been involved in species-at-risk recovery (including whitebark and limber pine), ecotypic seed collection, rangeland/forest health monitoring, fire severity assessment, post-fire vegetation recovery, wildfire risk reduction and restoration, and—of course—effectively managing invasive species in all those settings.

Over time, he has gradually shifted his focus toward improving data mobilization to support these same goals. He’s especially interested in bridging the gap between field-based insight and scalable, data-driven solutions that enable practical, informed decision-making. Automating workflows and shaving hours off repetitive tasks brings him far too much satisfaction.

When he’s not mapping vegetation or digging into data, Brian divides his free time between biking, skiing, and fixing whatever he broke while biking or skiing. He has a well-developed appreciation for high-quality gear, duct tape, and physiotherapy.

Cassandra Schroeder; M.Ag, P.Ag.

Environmental Scientist; Discipline Lead Agrivoltaics

Cassandra is an environmental scientist based in the Calgary area, and a registered Professional Agrologist experienced in range management, land administration and agricultural production. Cassandra has extensive experience in the public sector as Range Management Extension Specialist with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture. Cassandra was responsible for monitoring in community pastures and providing technical support to producers. Cassandra is experienced in writing weed management plans for crown land and advising on invasive weed management. Cassandra's expertise lies in integrated resource management and is founded on a wholesome understanding of the agriculture industry and ecological principles. Her background in agriculture includes crop production, livestock management, and management of natural lands for societal values. Cassandra is a U of S Alumni and has helped teach range health and coach the U of S range team. On collaborative projects with multiple stakeholders, Cassandra uses facilitation skills to improve project outcomes. Cassandra recently completed a Master of Agriculture with the University of Colorado.

Cassandra enjoys travelling, hiking, beekeeping, fishing, and campfires.

Darin Sherritt; MSc., P.Ag.

Senior Environmental Scientist; Reclamation

Darin is a Professional Agrologist based in the Edmonton/Wainwright area and specializes in vegetation, reclamation, and revegetation. Darin has been working in the reclamation industry since 2012 and is experienced in site reclamation, revegetation, ecosite and wetland classification, and various aspects of range management. Darin's technical skills include vegetation inventories, assessment, and classification. Darin is highly skilled in plant identification of weeds, introduced, and native plant species in both spot and keying methods. A U of A Range Team Alumni, Darin is our resident grass specialist. Darin instructs various audiences at the annual plant ID course and teaches seed mix design. Darin's work experience has predominantly focused within natural areas, oil and gas (upstream and midstream), and mining sectors throughout Alberta.

Darin enjoys dabbling in collecting various antiques, building his International Harvester collection, billiards, and hunting.

Kayla Livingston; BSc, P.Ag., P. Biol.

Intermediate Environmental Scientist; Restoration

Kayla is an experienced land reclamation practitioner and a dual registered P.Ag. and P.Biol., R.P.Bio., in Alberta and British Columbia. Her focused work has been in reclamation including detailed site assessments. She has also completed various other tasks such as wetland delineations, noxious weed assessments, environmental monitoring, pre-disturbance site assessments, detailed site assessments, stream assessments, and wildlife assessments.

Kayla’s diverse work experience has built her portfolio in various ars and disciplines such as mining, pipeline, construction, forestry, and oil and gas. She has led and managed client Dormant Site Programs in British Columbia and has executed various programs in Stage 2 drilling, reclamation, and site assessments. She successfully mentored Junior and Intermediate staff in conducting field programs, such as Cultivated Detailed Site Assessments and other field-related training. In addition, Kayla is an organized, driven, disciplined, and motivated leader.

Kayla is a competitive powerlifter who has competed internationally and spends most of her spare time in the gym. Kayla also enjoys camping, hiking, and fly fishing.

Ryan Larson; BSc, R.P.F

Intermediate Forester

Ryan is an experienced Forester, and Registered Professional Forester with the AAFMP, based in Calgary. He has primarily worked in Silviculture conducting reforestation and afforestation projects in Alberta and British Columbia. His extensive experience includes supervising many different tree planting programs, including programs in excess of five million trees being planted. He also has experience in setting up forestry trials, conducting forest health assessments, ecosite classification, and stream assessments.

Ryan spends most of his spare time hiking, mountain biking, camping, searching for owls, or playing rec sports.

Katherine Johnson; BSc., A.I.T.

Junior Environmental Scientist; Rangelands and Ecology

Katherine is an environmental scientist based in Central Alberta and an Agrologist in Training. Katherine is a U of A Range Team Alumni with outstanding placings at the 75th Annual Society for Range Management Annual Meeting. Katherine placed 1st in the Undergraduate Range Management Exam (URME) and 1st in the Combined for plant ID and URME. Katherine is starting a Master of Science program with Edward Bork at the University of Alberta in winter of 2025, and her research supports ongoing initiatives in combatting invasive species in the East Kootenay's of British Columbia. One part of her study is investigating St. John's wort and sulfur cinquefoils' response to fire and tools that can mitigate its spread in applying ecosystem restoration treatment to NDT4 ecosystems. The other part of her study is investigating the response of pre-emergent herbicide on annual bromes in degraded rangelands, as well as it's interaction with fire treatment.

In her spare time, Katherine enjoys horseback riding, reading, and spending time outdoors.

Rowan Rampton, MSc

Junior Technical Ecologist; Rangelands and Ecology

Rowan is a junior ecologist based in Calgary and currently in the process of becoming a professional biologist. Rowan’s background includes several research assistant positions, such as pest trapping trials and pollination studies (from blueberry farms to recovering wildfire zones), as well as an MSc focused on the floral resources and pollination of camas meadows in the Central Kootenay region of British Columbia. Rowan also has experience in riparian ecology, plus experience in outreach, focusing either on riparian ecosystems or plant and pollinator ecology. From these experiences, Rowan has developed expertise in plant identification, data visualisation, and statistical analysis, plus gained experience working with ecological topics across a variety of ecosystems.

He has also spent large amounts of his free time over the past 5 summers using macro photography to identify plants and pollinators while exploring the backcountry of BC and Alberta. More generally, Rowan enjoys hiking, backpacking, and gardening, plus repairing and riding old motorcycles and bicycles.

Chad Koenig

Junior Environmental Scientist; Reclamation

Chad Koenig is an environmental scientist based in Edmonton, Alberta. He has over a decade
of hands-on experience in reclamation projects, specializing in tree planting and running
planting projects for former mine sites and well sites across Alberta and BC. Chad takes immense pride in reclamation work. His approach is informed by a strong aptitude for fieldwork, allowing him to address unexpected challenges swiftly with confidence and precision. He is detail-oriented in all areas of his work, from running planting projects to conducting vegetation surveys, seed collection, and herbicide application.

Chad’s deep passion for the outdoors extends into his personal time, during which he enjoys
hiking, camping, and getting outside with his kids. He also enjoys reading and music,
particularly listening to his favourite records and playing banjo and guitar.

We would like to welcome Mikaela Goddard who is joining our reclamation team as a junior environmental scientist!

Mikaela is a junior environmental scientist based in Central Alberta. She is a recent graduate of the Olds College Environmental Science diploma with a major in Land Reclamation and Remediation. She received the CLRA Outstanding Student Award in March of 2025 for her dedication to excellence and work as an academic tutor for soil science, water quality, and horticulture classes at Olds College.

She has experience identifying and monitoring vegetation on wellsites, and pipeline right of ways in compliance with federal and provincial regulations. Her experience also includes herbicide application and the development of vegetation management work plans. She takes pride in her meticulous attention to detail and applies it to all aspects of her life, whether it be field work or report writing.

Mikaela spends most of her spare time hiking, camping, paddleboarding, reading and spending time with friends and family.

Clare Tannas; BSc.

Senior Rangeland Agrologist

Clare is a semi-retired Rangeland Agrologist with over 40 years of field experience. Initially working for ASRD Public Lands Division, he has extensive experience in rangeland inventories, air photo interpretation, plant community mapping, rare species management, reclamation monitoring, and weed management. Over his career, Clare has surveyed over one million acres of land and won the Alberta Emerald Award with Kathy Tannas for his environmental commitment. Clare was a pivotal contributor to publications on reclamation and to the "Common Plants of The Western Rangelands" publication by Kathy Tannas.