Jake Carman is an Ecologist and Water Resources Engineer who joined LGL in 2023 after finishing his Master’s degree in Aquatic Ecology from the University of Guelph. Jake has 5 years of experience working as a professional engineer (P.Eng.) where he focussed on the watercourse quality monitoring, hydrology and hydraulics of watercourses and stormwater infrastructure, floodplain mapping, and fish passage assessments. During Jake’s time as a professional engineer, he built a knowledge of how stormwater infrastructure and human development affects receiving watercourses and/or wetlands that motivated him to pursue a thesis-based degree studying aquatic ecology and wetland science. Jake’s academic experience includes a thesis researching spawning reef habitat for walleye, and additional studies on ecology, limnology, and the biogeochemistry of wetlands. Jake completed field projects that included assessing wetland health and classification using the Ontario Wetland Evaluation System (OWES) and watercourse bioassessment using Canadian Aquatic Biomonitoring Network (CABIN) Field Manual standards. Jake has also completed the Royal Ontario Museum Ichthyology Department Fish Identification Course and Species at Risk Fish Identification Course.

Since he joined LGL, Jake has built a strong background in evaluating, realizing, and mitigating aquatic effects from anthropogenic sources including mines, hydro power facilities, linear infrastructure, stormwater infrastructure, wastewater effluent, and non-point sources associated with other types of development. Jake works with a specific focus on protecting fish community health through maintaining environmental flow needs and natural hydrologic and hydraulic characteristics of natural watercourses. Jake’s work includes:

• Environmental Flow Needs assessments
• Surface water and fish/fish habitat value components of Environmental Assessments
• Fisheries Habitat Offsetting Projects (FHOPs)
• Surface water quality and fisheries monitoring plan design and execution
• Stormwater management water quality monitoring plan design and execution