Audrey Ehman, instructor in the School of Environment and Geomatics at Selkirk College in Castlegar, is passionate about inspiring the next generation of land stewards. She teaches the first year of the three environmental diploma programs: Applied Environmental Science and Planning Technology, Forest Technology, and Recreation, Fish and Wildlife.
Georgia Peck, Lakes Program Manager with Living Lakes Canada, is the third generation in her family to work in conservation. She always knew she would follow in the footsteps of her ornithologist grandpa and father, who dedicated his career to shorebird conservation. A large part of her job is managing the Foreshore Integrated Management Program and she is brimming with excitement about the recently updated FIMP protocols.
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.
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.
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.
