Margaret Skeel

As Program Coordinator for Nature Saskatchewan, Margaret Skeel guides the organization’s work in conservation, research and education, including the Operation Burrowing Owl prairie stewardship program. She has participated in a variety of bird studies spanning a diverse spectrum of biomes. Most recently, she coordinated grassland bird surveys across prairie ecoregions of Saskatchewan, as well as wetland surveys for the Saskatchewan portion of the 1991 and 1996 international Piping Plover censuses. Her interest in Piping Plover studies at Lake Diefenbaker continues. Previously, Skeel worked on bird surveys and other biophysical inventory work from montane through alpine areas of Banff and Jasper National Parks, Alberta, and she conducted a four-season avifauna survey in the boreal forest of Pukaskwa National Park (bordering Lake Superior). After receiving a B.Sc. in zoology from the University of Alberta (1971), her interest in arctic birds was sparked while involved in banding and survey work in the western Canadian arctic. Following this, as part of her M.Sc. work from the University of Toronto (1976), Skeel studied nesting strategies and other aspects of the breeding biology of the Whimbrel in the subarctic near Hudson Bay. Her interest in species at risk has involved studies of the Eskimo Curlew, Baird's Sparrow, Piping Plover and Burrowing Owl. Skeel has authored numerous publications and reports. Her participation in research studies, and more currently in conservation work, has evolved from an appreciation of wilderness experiences, including canoeing, skiing and hiking excursions.