Meet and Listen to our Panelists

Meet our six panelists, each of whom will be defending one of our final six birds!

Cheryl Stadnichuk - Red Breasted Nuthatch

Cheryl Stadnichuk is serving her first term as the Councillor for Ward 1. She grew up in the village of Guernsey and has always enjoyed spending time in nature and finding the spring’s first crocuses. Prior to being elected to City Council, Cheryl had worked for over 23 years as a researcher for CUPE. She is passionate about the environment, equity and social inclusion, quality public services and liveable cities.

Ryan Fisher - Black Capped Chickadee

Ryan Fisher is the Curator of Vertebrate Zoology at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum. His research has taken him all over the province to study our unique birds and landscapes. In addition to doing research on birds, Ryan is also an avid birdwatcher and occasionally runs courses on bird identification in the City of Regina.

Listen to Ryan's argument for the Chickadee on the CBC Morning Edition.

Trevor Herriot - Canada Goose
Trevor Herriot is a naturalist, grassland conservationist, and the author of several award-winning books, including Grass, Sky, Song and the national bestseller River in a Dry Land, both of which were short-listed for the Governor General’s Award for Non-fiction. Towards a Prairie Atonement, published in October 2016, took two Saskatchewan Book Awards. His most recent book, a novel, The Economy of Sparrows, was released this fall. He is a recipient of the Kloppenberg Award for Literary Merit and the Saskatchewan Order of Merit. His essays and articles have appeared in The Globe & Mail, The Narwhal, Brick, Border Crossings, Canadian Geographic, and several anthologies. For more than twenty years he has been the voice of Birdline on CBC Radio Saskatchewan's Blue Sky noon show. He and his wife, Karen, live in Regina, and spend much of their time on a piece of Aspen Parkland prairie east of the city.

Nelson Bird - American Pelican

Nelson Bird is the assignment editor at CTV Regina News and has been in that position since 2013. He is also the host and producer of the CTV Saskatchewan news segment “Indigenous Circle”. Nelson is a mix of Cree, Saulteaux and Métis and was born in Balcarres and raised on Peepeekisis First Nation. He has lived and worked in Regina for 40 years. Nelson began his career with CTV Saskatchewan in 1998 and has been awarded numerous regional, national and international awards including several Radio Television Digital News Association of Canada Awards including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023. Nelson graduated from the University of Regina / First Nations University with a degree in Journalism and Indigenous Studies. He has a certificate in Indian Communications Arts and a Professional Management Certificate from the University of Regina. Nelson is passionate about covering all issues relating to diversity but has a special knowledge and interest in covering Indigenous issues. He regularly mentors and trains young and upcoming journalists for the last 25 years. Nelson is very proud of his Indigenous culture. Nelson is married to Judy Bird and they enjoy living in Regina.

Listen to Nelson's argument for the American Pelican on the CBC Morning Edition.

Jordan Rustad - Peregrine Falcon

Jordan Rustad is the Field Manager and Bander-in-Charge at the Last Mountain Bird Observatory after having begun working there as a volunteer when she was 17 years old. Each year, Jordan bands thousands of songbirds to help us understand more about them. Jordan is currently completing her Master of Science at the University of Regina. As a part of her Master’s work she is leading the City Critter Challenge through the Saskatchewan Science Centre. Jordan has led many public education programs for kids, families and adults about birds through Nature Regina and Nature Saskatchewan. Jordan has an encyclopedic memory of birding information and her skills are unparalleled in the identification of song birds in our province!

Thomson Community School Students - Grey Partridge

Saida Abdulaziz, Cash McNab, Leo Dustyhorn, Rose Reid and Athan Knipfel-Severight from the grade 4 and 5 classes at "kiskinwahamatowin” Learning Together Thomson Community School land-based learning program will be defending the Grey Partridge. Land-based education is an environmental approach to learning that recognizes the deep connection and relationship of Indigenous peoples to the Land. It seeks to offer education about the land grounded within Indigenous knowledge.

Students are taken on excursions within the city to provide opportunities for connection with the land. Language learning is incorporated throughout the school instilling pride and a sense of belonging within the student population. Students learn from the land through activities including sage picking, fishing, buffalo harvest, tobacco growing, and raising edible plants from seeds. The school will also be involved with Muscowpetung First Nation on a community garden project, assisting in the cultivation of the land and learning to become stewards of the land.

Regina Public Schools sees continued disparities in educational outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. Numerous studies suggest that restoring traditional ways of teaching and learning can offset this trend. In 2015, the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was released, calling for the integration of Indigenous Worldviews into Canadian classrooms. Students at Thomson Community School have been learning all about birds this fall and will be sharing their knowledge.