Every year the Canadian Rivers Institute hosts the H.B.N. Hynes Lecture series and brings a researcher that is internationally renowned in aquatic sciences to the Unviersity of New Brunswick. We are very pleased that Dr. Judy Meyer, Professor of Ecology from the University of Georgia, was our 4th Annual Hynes Lecturer this year. Her public lecture was entitled “Birthplaces of Rivers: The Diversity, Destruction, and Restoration of Headwater Streams.” and was held on Thursday, October 19th at 7 pm in the Hazen Hall Lecture Theatre at UNBSJ. This lecture described the impacts that human activities are having on streams and some of the ways that we can restore the health of these systems in New Brunswick. It was exceptionally well attended by members of the public (> 90 people) and generated a lot of interest during and after her visit. She also gave a science lecture on the Fredericton campus on Friday, October 20th in Loring Bailey Hall 146; this talk was entitled “Forest-stream Linkages in an Urbanizing Landscape.” and was also very well attended (> 100 people) by the scientific community and members of the public.
Dr. Meyer was an excellent choice for this year’s Hynes lectures. Since joining the faculty at the University of Georgia in 1977, she has focused her research on nutrient pollution in streams and rivers, on the natural processes that maintain water quality, and on the effects that development and water management have on aquatic systems. She has been heavily involved in public education, has worked with numerous conservation organizations, and has targeted much of her research towards addressing issues of concern to these groups and to the general public. She has also been a consistent and effective advocate for streams and has provided her expertise on issues such as the importance of wetlands and small streams to the health of river networks, the importance of stream buffer zones to native fish, the impacts of logging on water quality, and the effects of lawn and agricultural fertilizers and pesticides on streams to numerous groups. The faculty, staff and graduate students of the Canadian Rivers Institute and the University of New Brunswick really benefited from her expertise and insights during her visit, and were inspired by her enthusiasm and commitment to improving water quality.
