Anne Vallée

Anne Vallée, born 26 July 1958 in Quebec City and deceased at Triangle Island, British Columbia, 31 July 1982, was one of the first biologists to observe the impact of climate change on animal populations.

Biography

Born in Quebec City, Anne Vallée completes in 1979 a bachelor degree in biology at Laval University and undertakes graduate studies at the University of British Columbia supported by a scholarship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council. She choses Tufted Puffins as a research subject and, starting in 1980, she spends her summers on Triangle Island, an ecological reserve located in the Pacific Ocean west of the north tip of Vancouver Island. She dies accidentally on Triangle Island during summer 1982.

Following her death, her family and friends decide to create the Anne Vallée Ecological Fund, with the objective to "Support field research highlighting the problems of animal ecology in relation to human settlements and activities such as agriculture, forestry, fishing and tourism." From 1983 to 2008, 41 scholarships have been awarded to students researchers from Quebec and/or British Columbia universities.

In 1983, the British Columbia government renames the Triangle Island Ecological reserve as "Anne Vallée Triangle Island Ecological Reserve".

In 2002, Alison Watt publishes the book "The Last Island, A naturalist’s Sojourn on Triangle Island", where she recalls her experience of summer 1980 where she assisted Anne Vallée in her research on Tufted Puffins. In 2003, this book wins the Edna Staebler Award for creative non-fiction.

In 2006, in the process of street names harmonization following the fusion of suburbs with Quebec City, the Quebec City administration accepts the proposal of a group of citizens to rename rue Quatre-Saisons in the Sainte-Foy—Sillery borough to rue Anne-Vallée.

External links

* [http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/eco_reserve/anne_er.html Government of British Columbia, Ministry of Environment, Anne Vallée Triangle Island Ecological Reserve]
* [http://www.harbourpublishing.com/title/TheLastIsland Harbour Publishing, The Last Island]
* [http://www.wlu.ca/news_detail.php?grp_id=28&nws_id=1489 News Releases from Public Affairs Wilfrid Laurier University at the announcement of Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction for 2003]
* [http://www.sfu.ca/biology/wildberg/bertram/triangle/trggeneralinfo.html Triangle Island Seabird Research Station]
* [http://www.ville.quebec.qc.ca/fr/ma_ville/toponymie/rues/anne_vallee.shtml Ville de Québec, Toponymie Rue Anne-Vallée]