McMaster University recognizes that the University and surrounding Hamilton area, including their nature spaces, are situated on traditional territories shared between the Haudenosaunee confederacy and Anishnaabe nations. These lands are protected by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum belt. The wampum uses the symbolism of a dish to represent the territory, and one spoon to represent that the people are to share the resources of the land and only take what they need.
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Nature @ McMaster

Meet Our Bioblitz Experts!

Community Bioblitz 2025 Expert Profiles

Our community bioblitz is just around the corner! On September 27, we will be joined by six amazing experts. These community members have years of experience with local biodiversity and will be helping us learn to observe and identify species at McMaster Forest. If you haven’t registered for the event, you still have a few days left to sign up! You can register for both the morning bird hike and the afternoon expert sessions at our Eventbrite (link).

Charlie Briggs

Charlie Briggs is a Hamilton local and plant expert with a background in horticulture and arboriculture. He is also the volunteer director at the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club.

Steve Burgess

Steve Burgess is a business owner and arborist with years of experience in the forestry industry. He has a great depth of knowledge on tree health and forest management.

 

""Carlos Colangelo

Carlos enjoys growing food and using iNaturalist and field guides to identify plants and fungi. He is a PhD student in biology at McMaster with a background in materials engineering. His work focuses on understanding the genetic bases for the material properties (density, strength, etc.) of mushrooms and how they have been influenced by their environment. His ultimate goal is to utilize this knowledge to better understand the selective pressures influencing these properties and to design mushroom materials capable of replacing high emission materials like plastics used in camping gear, construction, and other industries.

 

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Victoria (Tory) Hartley-Cox

Victoria Hartley-Cox is a PhD student at McMaster University studying the Williamson’s Sapsucker, an endangered woodpecker in British Columbia. Her research explores how logging and forest management affect habitat use, nesting choices, and breeding success. She previously completed a master’s degree on Great Horned Owls at the University of Regina and has worked in bird conservation since 2016, gaining field experience with species from Burrowing Owls to Fairy-wrens.

 

""Blair Rose

Blair Rose of Hamilton Ontario Mushrooms (@hamontmushrooms) is a local amateur mycologist and ecological educator passionate about connecting people with the hidden world of the Hamilton region’s native fungi and their amazing ecologies. Through species identification, guided mushroom safaris, and hands-on workshops, Blair helps the community discover the vital roles fungi play in local ecosystems. They also volunteer with @green_venture, and @naturemcmaster dedicating their efforts to native species restoration, soil remediation, and seed banking. Join Blair this Saturday at McMaster University’s Bio-blitz to explore the incredible diversity of local fungal species!

 

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Caleb Scholtens

Caleb Scholtens is a lifelong birder and naturalist from the Hamilton area, with years of experience finding and identifying birds by both sight and sound in Hamilton and beyond. He works as a consulting ecologist, conducting surveys of birds and other wildlife for environmental assessments across Ontario.

 

 

 

 

 McMaster Forest,  Nature Stories