Anna McIndoe

You may have heard of the provincial Together for Wildlife strategy, but do you know who’s driving its efforts locally? Based in Cranbrook, Anna McIndoe works for the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship and is the regional implementation lead for the Kootenay-Boundary Region.

The Together for Wildlife strategy is a comprehensive provincial initiative aimed at improving wildlife and habitat stewardship throughout British Columbia.

“Through this strategy, the B.C. government is not only working to improve wildlife and habitat, but also engaging more British Columbians in these efforts, with a focus on advancing reconciliation and co-management with First Nations,” Anna explains. “This approach guides my work and helps me collaborate with regional stakeholders on shared wildlife priorities.”

The Together for Wildlife strategy is clear: collaboration is a crucial component of this work.

“There is simply too much work for any one organization or any one government to do alone,” Anna emphasizes. “That’s why we need to work together on common priorities so we can achieve positive outcomes for wildlife. That takes time.”

Recently, Anna has been working with other people who are passionate about wildlife to form the East Kootenay Wildlife Habitat Advisory Committee (EK WHAC). EK WHAC is an important forum for the government to gather advice from people who may have diverse perspectives but are united by their commitment to improve wildlife and habitat.

“EK WHAC is an example of how the Province is identifying wildlife priorities on public land, similar to how Kootenay Conservation Program (KCP) brings together conservation-minded perspectives focused on private land,” Anna clarifies. “We want to provide opportunities for diverse knowledge holders to come together to identify priority values and key issues related to wildlife and then track the progress we make over time.”

Anna emphasizes that local groups and First Nations are instrumental in the success of the Together for Wildlife strategy.

“Finding ways to foster collaboration with local groups and First Nations, empower them, help them access project funding, and connect them with wildlife experts is essential for wildlife and habitat stewardship in the East Kootenay region,” explains Anna. “If we can align our efforts on shared goals — such as protecting a particular habitat area for a specific species — then our conservation measures become far more effective. Although this is already happening in many parts of B.C., we would like to see even more done. If the public recognizes the value of the committee’s work here, I’d love to see a similar initiative take shape in the West Kootenay as well.”

So, what does Anna McIndoe’s typical day or week look like?

Anna’s workday is dynamic and focused on strategic priority-setting and planning, as well as some hands-on assistance with wildlife and habitat projects. Outside of coordinating EK WHAC and working on regional projects, she is responsible for coordinating the provincial Together for Wildlife funding process. This key source of provincial funding for wildlife and habitat projects is crucial for advancing regional priorities.

“I work with First Nations and stakeholders to identify key priorities and support ministry staff with the development and submission of project proposals,” said Anna. “Together for Wildlife funding decisions are made in the spring of each year for priority regional projects.”

Whitebark pine restoration and wolverine den monitoring are two of the regional priority projects that Anna is most excited about, because of her personal interest in those two vulnerable and unique species. She has had a major role in identifying these projects as funding priorities and working with scientific experts to produce positive outcomes for each of these species, and many other species that depend on these habitats.

“The East Kootenay restoration plan for whitebark and limber pine trees was completed in 2023 by species experts Randy Moody and Jodie Krakowski, and it identifies priority sites for restoring these federally endangered species in the East Kootenay. Planting whitebark pine is a critical recovery action for this species. Since the plan was completed, 20,000 seedlings have been planted over four sites.”

The wolverine research led by Doris Hausleitner and Andrea Kortello is also making a significant contribution to habitat protection and on-the-ground stewardship efforts for that species. Other species benefiting from these actions include lynx, grizzly bears, mountain goats, and elk.

Another regional priority in the East Kootenay is reducing road density on public lands. While leading a road rehabilitation project in the Flathead Valley, Anna became familiar with the challenges involved in removing roads that are no longer needed for forest harvesting. She has been working with First Nations to navigate the complex decision-making processes involved so roadbeds can be restored to a natural state. Connecting with stakeholders also helps to better understand broader objectives to inform access.

“Roads are often built to assist with resource extraction, but we can achieve wildlife objectives by removing some of those roads when they’re no longer required by industry,” Anna explains.

Although Anna’s background is in planning (with a focus on local government, policy, and environmental planning), her work has always intertwined with her biology background.

“As a Registered Professional Biologist, I’m excited whenever I can use my scientific expertise to move projects forward. For the whitebark pine restoration plan, we surveyed much of the East Kootenay by helicopter to confirm the presence and health status of whitebark pine and limber pine trees. More recently, I was in the Flathead Valley doing reconnaissance on a road being considered for rehabilitation in core grizzly bear habitat.”

Anna is also taking a lead role in the high-priority Mountain Passes Planning Project, involving alpine passes of the southern Rocky Mountains in the Yellowstone to Yukon (Y2Y) wildlife habitat corridor. “That project aims to balance recreation and tourism opportunities with the need to protect crucial wildlife habitats in these alpine ecosystems.”

Before joining the Together for Wildlife program, Anna worked with the South Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Program as a shared environmental planner for small communities. She discovered that she loved doing community planning and was inspired to complete her Master’s Degree in Environmental Planning. Following that, she worked with BC Parks as a conservation specialist and protected areas planner for eight years in northern B.C. Eventually she decided that she wanted to widen the scope of her work. When the Together for Wildlife strategy was launched, it was an enticing opportunity to combine her expertise in strategic planning with her biology background.

Anna lives with her family in a “net-zero carbon emission” house in Kimberley and continues to contribute to the region’s conservation efforts while growing a large garden and enjoying the outdoors.

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