East Kootenay resident Kari Stuart-Smith, Manager of Biodiversity & Wildlife with Canfor, is very positive about the changes that have occurred in the forest industry over the past 30 years of her career. She says she has seen tremendous change and improvements on the ground and that many more ecological and cultural values are considered now.
Anyone who has been to a public event hosted by the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program (FWCP) knows how much energy, humour and dedication Angus Glass brings to his work. Angus has been a Communications Coordinator with FWCP for over 20 years (since 2004), demonstrating his undying enthusiasm for the critical habitat enhancement and conservation work that FWCP supports.
Randy Moody, co-founder of the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation of Canada, is a leading provincial expert in whitebark and limber pine ecosystems and the recovery of these endangered species. Based in Kimberley, he has worked on related conservation and restoration projects throughout BC and beyond. Randy is fascinated by these species of pine and their many interconnections, including wildlife, climate change, fire ecology, mountain pine beetle, and forest health.
Before she began working with bats ten years ago, Heather Gates hadn’t paid much attention to them. Today, she is fascinated by these remarkable animals. As the primary predators of night-flying insects, bats are a vital component of local ecosystems as well as being very important for agriculture. Heather conducts bat research and stewardship across the Columbia Basin as part of her work for Wildlife Conservation Society Canada (WCSC), based in the Kaslo office.
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.
Paige Thurston, Manager of Living Lakes Canada's Columbia Basin Water Monitoring Framework, is excited about the achievements the program has made over the past few years, including the Columbia Basin Water Hub and the Cottonwood Creek Restoration Project. Living Lakes Canada (LLC) facilitates collaboration in monitoring, restoration, and policy development initiatives for the long-term protection of lakes, rivers, wetlands and watersheds in Canada.
Melinda Watson's role as Director and Environmental Stewardship Chair of the Kootenay Livestock Association (KLA) is pivotal in advocating for both the agricultural community and wildlife conservation. Her deep-rooted connection to ranching, combined with her background in forestry and education, provides a well-rounded perspective on the challenges and opportunities in her field. She is dedicated to ensuring that ranchers and farmers are valued and financially supported, and is focused on improving communication between ranchers/farmers and government agencies.
The Slocan River Streamkeepers (SRS) was incorporated as a non-profit society in 2005, and Slocan Valley resident Jennifer Yeow was one of the founders. A conservationist at heart, Jennifer served as Vice President of SRS for ten years, and coordinated many projects including water monitoring, fish counts, and school outreach programs. While now officially retired from her position as microbiologist and Director of Passmore Water Testing Laboratory, she is still active with SRS, engaging children with water education programs.
Brian Gustafson is active in wildlife ecology and conservation in the Golden area and serves as Executive Director of the Golden District Rod & Gun Club. One of the current conservation-related projects of the Rod & Gun Club includes a 5-year habitat enhancement project for elk winter range east of Golden. Another project is monitoring and restoring habitat of the Kicking Horse bighorn sheep herd which began in 2019 in anticipation of the Kicking Horse canyon highway expansion. Brian also works with the Columbia Wetlands Stewardship Partners (CWSP), sits on the East Kootenay Wildlife Habitat Advisory Committee, and advises on the Columbia River Treaty.
Ryan Durand is an ecologist living in the south Slocan Valley who does consulting work all over the province and beyond, including locally for the Slocan Lake Stewardship Society (SLSS). He is thrilled that the Kootenay Connect Priority Places initiative was expanded last year, and his backyard of the Slocan Valley was chosen as one of three new focal areas. The valley happens to have a diversity of habitats for many species that are federally listed as SARA (Species at Risk Act) and COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada) species.
