KCP is pleased to welcome Rikki Christie to the team as Program Assistant. She looks forward to connecting with partner organizations across the Kootenays, to learn more about the region’s diverse conservation initiatives. Rikki is especially excited to collaborate with others who share her passion for the outdoors and conservation.
Bat conservation depends on both science and community engagement. As Project Coordinator of the Kootenay Community Bat Project (KCBP) since 2021, Elodie Kuhnert works with landowners, volunteers, and local governments to promote informed, bat-friendly practices across the region — helping ensure a stronger future for local bat populations.
Elk Valley resident Bill Hanlon is a longtime wilderness advocate whose work has helped shape conservation efforts at the local and national level. As one of the early Canadian members of the Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA), he co-founded the BC Chapter in 2014, launching BHA as an international conservation organization. He had already co-founded the Hornaday Wilderness Society in 2000.
Amy Waterhouse is a Geomatics Specialist working for B.C.’s Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship (WLRS). Her team is focused on delivering annual and ongoing projects throughout the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program (FWCP)’s Columbia Region. She is the sole Geographic Information Systems (GIS) provider for the team’s projects and maintains a suite of data collection tools within the team.
KCP is pleased to introduce another one of our new partner organizations this month! The Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation of Canada (WPEFC) is a non-profit dedicated to conserving, restoring, and recovering Canada’s endangered whitebark and limber pine ecosystems, unique high-elevation forests now facing significant threats.
We are pleased to introduce our newest partner organization, the Wilder Institute! Collaboration is nothing new to the Wilder Institute – they engage in collaborative partnerships around the world, applying evidence-based, inclusive conservation approaches that achieve long-term benefits for people and wildlife. They operate Canada’s largest conservation breeding and research facility dedicated to the return of endangered species to the wild.
Braydi Rice has worked as a biologist with Shuswap Band since 2020 and moved into her role as Territorial Stewardship Director this past April. As the first staff biologist hired by Shuswap Band, she has witnessed considerable growth in staff – now they employ six biologists across the Territorial Stewardship department.
Slocan Valley-based ecologist Tyson Ehlers has always had a fascination with the natural world, beginning with the snakes and lizards that fueled his curiosity as a child growing up in the South Okanagan. His enthusiasm for all living things and their interactions remains evident today – he’s truly someone who is doing exactly what he loves. Tyson became enchanted by fungi early in his career, realizing how much we didn’t know about these organisms.
Michelle Daniel, Kootenay Conservation Land Coordinator with The Nature Trust of BC (NTBC), is excited about opportunities to lead ecosystem enhancement and restoration projects, and about collaborating and working with NTBC’s partner organizations.
Laurie Carr, Executive Director of the Central Kootenay Invasive Species Society (CKISS), finds her work rewarding because the solutions are often straightforward and tangible, and there is something that everyone can do - no matter how small - to protect our ecosystems. She served as President of the Board of Directors for five years, before joining the staff team six years ago.
