Our Team
Who We Are
Spencer Environmental personnel comprise experienced environmental scientists, including Professional Biologists, Certified Professionals in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC), Geographic Information Systems specialists and personnel trained in ISO 14001 Environmental Management System and Auditing. Our superior service is delivered by highly skilled, talented and experienced personnel. Many senior staff members have been with the firm for over 10 years, resulting in cohesive corporate experience and effective internal collaboration. Our professionalism, skill, critical thinking and breadth of experience, combined with clarity of reporting have earned the firm a reputation of excellence in environmental management services.
Senior Staff
Richard Spencer, M.Sc.
Founding Principal & Chairman
In 1984, Richard Spencer founded Spencer Environmental with the intention of providing excellence in environmental assessment and environmental management. He maintains his belief in the ability of these tools to support planning and development that sustains the environmental features that we, our clients, and society value. He is proud of the firm’s record of supporting projects now operating with minimal environmental effect and favorable regulatory relationships. He has been instrumental in the firm’s growth and expansion of services over 40 years. Mr. Spencer remains an active senior advisor to the firm.
Lynn Maslen, M.Sc., P.Biol.
President, Principal
In 1984, after holding positions in government and industry, Lynn Maslen sought a consulting position and joined Spencer Environmental. After 40 years of environmental consulting, applying her academic training in zoology, ecology, physical geography and reclamation, Lynn’s core practice areas include environmental assessments, environmental planning and approvals, construction monitoring; wetland assessment, design and management; urban ecology; conservation planning; and environmental policy throughout Alberta in urban and rural areas. She is a recognized wetland Authenticating Professional. Lynn’s project portfolio includes numerous wetland and ecological assessments for land development, growth studies and ecological restoration; environmental assessments for a wide variety of sectors including linear developments, capital projects, tourism and parks; background environmental studies supporting updates of municipal development plans; municipal ecological study protocol and policy development; and design and implementation of post-construction biological monitoring programs. Lynn strives for excellence by providing clients with clearly communicated, insightful, technically accurate, thorough and innovative service. She leads by example and serves as senior review for Spencer Environmental deliverables.
Andra Bismanis, M.Sc., P.Biol.
Vice President Science Practice, Principal
Andra Bismanis has over 25 years of natural resource management, environmental assessment and management experience in urban and rural areas in Alberta and British Columbia. Andra is a skilled wildlife biologist and a seasoned environmental assessment practitioner who has conducted assessments for numerous developments and planning exercises for municipal, provincial and federal governments. Assessment projects have ranged from large-scale (major city ring roads and bridge crossings) to small-scale (park facilities) and have included identification of environmental sensitivities, opportunities and constraints that inform project planning and design and support securing environmental approvals and permits from municipal, provincial and federal regulatory agencies. Planning projects have ranged in scale from ASPs, to linear corridor planning to regional land use planning. Andra has extensive experience in natural resource management with a particular focus on wildlife and habitat, including species at risk. She has participated in and coordinated the development of resource management plans and research development plans and acted as a liaison between various government, industry, and private stakeholders. She has extensive field experience in wildlife, fish, and forestry related initiatives.
Luvindra Sukhraj, M.Sc., P.Biol., EP, CPESC
Project Manager & Senior Scientist
Luvindra Sukhraj has over 25 years experience in natural resource management with a focus on operational and environmental factors pertaining to large-scale infrastructure development projects, including road construction, watercourse crossings, and factory and camp construction. He has also worked in senior regulatory capacities. With Spencer Environmental, Luvindra has performed the role of Environmental Manager and Environmental Lead on major P3 and Design-Build provincial and municipal projects in Alberta. In that role, responsibilities include developing and implementing ISO 14001 compliant Environmental Management Systems (EMS) with supporting documentation, including project-wide ECO Plans, Erosion and Sediment Control Plans, Spill Management Plans, and Road Salt Management Plans. As the Environmental Manager, Luvindra coordinates the work of environmental specialists to develop other required plans such as Animal Vehicle Collision Monitoring Plans, Weed Management Plans, Aquatic Monitoring Plans, Contamination Management Plans, Dust Management Plans and Noise Management Plans. Luvindra also oversees regulatory submissions in support of wetland removal, drainage infrastructure and creek realignments. His experience includes organizing annual internal and external EMS audits following ISO 19011 Auditing Management Systems guidelines to verify implementation of a project’s EMS and conducting external audits for projects implementing ISO 14001 EMS.
Andrew Forrest, M.Sc., P.Biol.
Project Manager & Senior Scientist
Andrew Forrest has over 21 years of conservation biology, environmental consulting and project management experience. Throughout his career, Andrew has specialized in wetland ecology and management, urban ecology and conservation planning, wildlife biology, environmental impact assessment and environmental permitting. He is a recognized wetland Authenticating Professional. Many of his projects focus on the interface between ecology and land development and span a range of project types from inventories for small parcels to planning documents for entire municipalities. Andrew has extensive experience conducting and coordinating ecological field survey efforts; he is a recognized expert in remote imagery interpretation for purposes of landscape analysis and wetland and natural resource mapping; he is well-versed in conservation value determination. He has earned a reputation of excellence in preparing technical reports. Andrew has prepared environmental assessments and acquired environmental approvals for a variety of projects, including multi-year construction projects and initiatives that span multiple municipalities. Andrew has developed a trusted relationship with municipal environmental planners as well as Alberta Environment and Parks regulators.