I work as an independent contractor to provide support to fish and wildlife research and resource management initiatives. I am also an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Forestry and Ecosystem Stewardship at the University of British Columbia. I am educated as a western scientist in ecology and evolution, holding a BSc in Biology and PhD in Geography from the University of Victoria.
I work remotely from home, on unceded Pentlatch, K’ómoks, and Coast Salish territories in British Columbia, Canada. I am of English, Welsh, and Scottish descent and was born and raised in Treaty 7 territories in Alberta. I use she/her pronouns.
Experience
I am currently the Salmon Projects Coordinator for the Central Coast Indigenous Resource Alliance (CCIRA), where I support four First Nations in the development and implementation of an integrated approach to salmon monitoring, conservation, and habitat restoration on their lands and waters. I also support their efforts towards the development of collaborative fisheries governance processes with Crown agencies.
I have collaborated in ecological research and decision-support projects with Indigenous Stewardship Departments since 2012. Prior to my work with CCIRA, I coordinated a cumulative effects assessment for Central Coast First Nation governments, centered around Indigenous values that prioritized inclusivity of diverse knowledge holders in the region. I did this as a postdoctoral fellow in the Conservation Decisions Lab at the University of British Columbia with Dr. Tara Martin and team.
In my doctoral research, I focused on how human activities might affect predator-prey systems. I did this work in close collaboration with the Wuikinuxv Nation, where we focused on how people and bears could share a common resource – salmon. We also considered how to center communities in collaborative research and decolonize ecological research methodologies. I was supported in doing this work as a doctoral student with Dr. Chris Darimont and team at the Applied Conservation Science Lab as a Hakai-Raincoast scholar at the University of Victoria and with the Raincoast Conservation Foundation.
I got my start on salmon ecology, fisheries, and applied research as a researcher at Salmon Coast Field Station.
Gratitude
My work today builds on my experiences as a postdoc, graduate student, and research assistant, which were all made possible through many avenues. I am grateful for the funding, mentorship, and support of the Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Hakai Institute, Wuikinuxv Nation, Wilburforce Foundation and their Fellowship in Conservation Science, Grizzly Bear Foundation, NSERC IPS program and Mitacs Accelerate Fellowship program, Environment and Climate Change Canada, as well as the leaders, collaborators, and friends from coastal communities I work with.
Megan Adams 