2026

Kootenay Conservation Program is proud to announce the recipients of its annual Conservation Leadership Awards which recognize one person from a partner organization in both the East and West Kootenay who has demonstrated leadership, innovation, and dedication to conservation.

In the East Kootenay, the 2026 honour goes to Dr. Suzanne Bayley, recognized for her leadership with the Columbia Wetlands Stewardship Partners,  and for the West Kootenay, the 2026 recipient is Brenda Beckwith, who is being recognized for her leadership with the Kootenay Native Plant Society.

Congratulations to DR. SUZANNE BAYLEY, recipient of the East Kootenay Conservation Leadership Award.

Suzanne has helped grow the Columbia Wetlands Stewardship Partners (CWSP) as a leading organization within the Columbia Wetlands Wildlife Management Area. With her team, she has led over 30 major projects that CWSP carried out over the seven years of Kootenay Connect Priority Places, a science-based initiative designed to sustain and connect exceptional places of biodiversity across Kootenay landscapes.

Suzanne taught at the University of Alberta for more than 20 years, specializing in aquatic and wetland research and conservation. She now mentors and continues to guide post-graduate students working on projects within the wetlands.

Suzanne successfully fosters partnerships and collaboration in the field of conservation, including with NTBC and the Nature Conservancy of Canada on ecological projects within the Columbia Wetlands, and with other organizations throughout the Kootenays. She is generous with sharing her vast knowledge and ecological insights, giving presentations at Wings over the Rockies bird festival, sitting on the former East Kootenay Wildlife and Habitat Advisory Committee, and assisting the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) with several Official Community Plans. Suzanne generously shares her knowledge and experience and plays a vital role in wetland conservation in the Kootenays.

Suzanne received a framed photograph by Pat Morrow of a beautiful sunrise over Columbia Lake. See Suzanne’s Faces & Places article from August 2018, for more information. 

Congratulations to BRENDA BECKWITH, recognized for her leadership with the Kootenay Native Plant Society, for receiving the West Kootenay Conservation Leadership Award. 

Brenda, owner of KinSeed Ecologies, has been involved with the Kootenay Native Plant Society on many projects for over 12 years.  She champions native plants, including designing and bringing to fruition the Butterfly Habitat Learning Garden at Syringa Provincial Park and the Monarch Waystation at Beaver Creek Provincial Park. She has forged strong partnerships with various organizations in the Kootenays working towards common goals of maintaining and expanding green spaces, environmental protection, and climate change adaptation. These include NTBC, The Land Conservancy, BC Parks, Selkirk College, Central Kootenay Invasive Species Society, and the Sinixt Confederacy.

Brenda studied camas extensively for her PhD and is considered an expert in the field. She has been instrumental to the Kootenay Camas Project as their science advisor, sharing the value and local history of camas, resulting in the City of Castlegar creating a camas conservation area in Millennium Park.

Brenda has mentored many young people, including as a well-loved instructor of field botany at Selkirk College. She has taught hundreds of schoolchildren in Castlegar and School District 20 about camas in a way that is so engaging, camas now has a young local fan club of protectors. She shares her sought-after knowledge with adults through guided botanical walks, seed-collecting seminars, and local design sessions, continuing to inspire people through her absolute dedication and passion for achieving ecological restoration with native plants.

In recognition of her many contributions, Brenda received a beautiful framed photograph by Janice Arndt of a silver spotted skipper nectaring on spreading dogbane. See Brenda’s Faces & Places article from July 2022, for more information.