Environment committee  I'm not on one, but I think the short answer is yes.

Environment committee  I have not heard that.

Environment committee  That was the reason given. He wanted to achieve a balance between returning and new members.

Environment committee  I would call that a mix. However, I might also add for the information of the committee that approximately four years ago.... Also, you might not be aware that we periodically receive letters of instruction from the Minister of the Environment on things, on processes, that the minister would like COSEWIC to consider and potentially find a solution for.

Environment committee  I'll just follow up very quickly, because in response to this, what has happened in terms of renewal since the passage of the Species at Risk Act is that there's been a two-thirds turnover of co-chairs on COSEWIC simply as a consequence of COSEWIC's existing processes.

Environment committee  Well, to assuage your disappointment, we have, in fact, been working on that quite considerably. The act, as you know, defines a wildlife species as a sub-species variety or a geographically or genetically distinct population of animal, plant, or other organism. So the act makes it very plain that the taxonomic or biological species level is not where you stop when you assess the status of a species.

Environment committee  There were two herpetologists on the committee, but we're down to one at present.

Environment committee  Correct.

Environment committee  I would consider almost all of them--

Environment committee  I'd say we're looking at 57...55 including the ATK.

Environment committee  Subsection 16(2) of the act outlines the qualifications for membership.

Environment committee  I consider myself to be an evolutionary ecologist.

Environment committee  In effect, the way the subcommittee works is one co-chair dealt with amphibians and the other was an expert on reptiles. So while they might be herpetologists, their taxonomic areas of expertise are not the same.

Environment committee  It's difficult to say. I can tell you that in the last competition we received one application, and that was from Dr. David Green. To a certain degree, the numbers of individuals who apply for membership in COSEWIC is dependent on a number of things. Of course, on the one hand, it's their area of expertise.

Environment committee  How many are interested in contributing to this committee, for which we don't receive a salary? There's a lot of voluntary work, so you really have to be committed and be willing to put the additional time into it.