Staff
National Manager, Wilderness Conservation and Climate Change
Chris is a strong advocate for wilderness protection in Nova Scotia. He is the founding member of the Birch Cove Lakes Wilderness Society, which helped establish one of the largest urban wilderness parks in Canada: the Blue Mountain - Birch Cove Lakes Regional Park in Halifax. Chris also helped to protect several other key areas of the province, including Jim Campbells Barren Wilderness Area, River Inhabitants Nature Reserve, and Blandford Nature Reserve. He has designed a system of thirty-five protected areas on the private lands of the forestry company, Stora Enso Port Hawkesbury, including a large site on Cape Breton Island at Kelly's Mountain. Chris is also a scientific advisor for the Nova Scotia Nature Trust and serves on a number of environmental boards and committees. He has received several awards for his conservation efforts at the Federal, Provincial, and Municipal levels.
Ashley Sprague, M.Sc.
Marine Conservation Coordinator
Originally, from Fredericton, NB, Ashley is a proud Maritimer who has worked on a variety of coastal and marine projects around the Maritimes ranging from work with seabirds, shorebirds, mussel aquaculture and species at risk. Ashley completed her M.Sc. at the University of New Brunswick where she studied shorebird movements and habitat use around the upper Bay of Fundy. Following her M.Sc., Ashley spent a year working as a marine field scientist in a remote village in Madagascar, living in a hut overlooking the reefs where she was SCUBA diving daily. The work, led by the non-profit organization Blue Ventures, focused on establishing the country`s first community-run Marine Protected Area.
Ashley then moved to Nova Scotia where she spent a summer exploring the beaches along the South Shore working as an outreach biologist with Bird Studies Canada`s Piping Plover Conservation Program. She has now relocated to Halifax and has taken over the position of Marine Conservation Coordinator with CPAWS-NS. Ashley is looking forward to actively promoting marine conservation and working to protect the unique marine and coastal environments in Nova Scotia.
Rodrigo Menafra, MMM
Marine Conservation Coordinator
Rodrigo Menafra (Montevideo, Uruguay) has a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Marine Biology and Ecology from the Florida Institute of Technology (Melbourne, FL, USA) and a Masters in Marine Management from the Marine Affairs Program at Dalhousie University (Halifax, NS, Canada). He has been involved in Integrated Coastal Management for ten years, having participated in various interdisciplinary research projects, with emphasis on coastal policy, protected areas and artisanal fisheries.
Until recently, he acted as both Assistant Coordinator and Faculty in the master’s program on Integrated Coastal Management at the University of the Republic of Uruguay, contributing to the development of the program through technical and administrative roles as well as teaching responsibilities. He recently moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and is thrilled about this opportunity with CPAWS-NS to work on marine conservation and promoting marine protected areas in the region.
Christina MacLeod, MELS
Education Coordinator
Originally from Prince Edward Island, Christina has moved to the St. Margaret's Bay to enjoy the local beauty of Nova Scotia. Her passion for conservation and the environment began on protecting beaches on PEI at an early stage.
After studying International Relations at Mount Allison University in Sackville NB, Christina went off to the University of Auckland to study Environmental Law and see how the Kiwis live on and explore their protected land.
Her passion for the environment and politics has taken her on a unique path working on Parliament Hill for a year as Legislative Assistant and then in Charlottetown as the Executive Assistant for the Member of Parliament.
This experience will provide a great insight for working with groups and individuals to increase effectiveness of communication about conserving the beauty of Nova Scotia.
Christina is excited to get out and work with residents in Nova Scotia to explore and protect their beautiful land and seascapes.
Judith Cabrita
Administrator
A tourism specialist, Judith assists communities, people and small businesses attain excellence and prosperity through marketing, technology and partnerships. She is a Ryerson silver medallist and has practised in hotel, restaurant and tourism management in Ontario, England and Nova Scotia including positions in industry, education, government and association management.
From previously volunteering with the Nova Scotia chapter of the Canadian Parks & Wilderness Society, the Halifax Public Gardens, the Coastal Coalition of Nova Scotia, Accessible Nova Scotia and the Antigonish Eastern Shore Tourist Association, Judith is dedicated to linking the business of tourism to the preservation and conservation of Nova Scotia's greatest assets - our natural and built heritage. In 1992, she received the Canada 125 medal for service to tourism and her community.