Q&A: Land Trust Alliance of BC
Was there a particular moment or event in your life that drew you to conservation work?
Definitely, I was working for a national health organization based in Toronto and wound up with a “false” alarm gallbladder attack. While in hospital in Victoria I saw the ad for LTABC’s Executive Director and thought – well, that’s closer to home. Several weeks later I had the position. And, that November the gallbladder returned just as we were to start our LTABC conference – I ended up in hospital, missing the entire event!
For me conservation is an easy draw. It doesn’t matter your age, religion, sex, location, politics – the world needs people doing more to protect the planet. For those who know me it’s no secret I love cities and art galleries, but I also blend my travel to include environmental components.
I’ve spent time at the Columbia University Research Station in the Amazon, stayed at an eco lodge so I could hike to see penguin colonies off the coast of Chile, camped in the Wadi Rum and Sahara Desserts – there is nothing that compares to these special places. And that translates closer to home when you see the beauty of Savary Island or the protected areas of the Nature Trust in the Okanagan. It’s an extraordinary province, country and world.
How long have you been with your organization and what does your role entail?
I’ve been with LTABC 16 years and like any Executive Director, my role involves everything from daily operations, to communications and fundraising and policy development.
What was the proudest moment/greatest achievement for your organization?
The Alliance has survived some challenging times as funding ebbs and flows. It’s in great shape now with stable funding and an operating fund for safety. Our membership is flourishing and we are able to provide programs like webinars, conferences, insurance that impact the scope of land trusts.
It’s also really terrific to see the development of a national organization and LTABC has been at the forefront of this. Securing funding and seeing Alliances and land trusts have a voice at the federal level shows our collective strength.
What was your biggest conservation challenge?
There is no question the biggest challenge for land trusts and conservation is funding. While federal funding has increased it needs to expand. The Province needs to step up and support land trusts. Land and management costs are significant and we’ve seen private sector contributions far outweigh government support.
What are your hopes for the future of your organization?
This is an interesting question for me. Prior to the Alliance I worked with a number of national health charities and there was common ground and a collective approach to funding and awareness. Land trusts are all individual organizations and that challenges them as there’s no central body to secure funds or promote a national message.
I’ve seen Alliances across the country grow and with ACLT my hope is that a solid, collective approach to messaging and funding might help land trusts in BC and across the country do even more conservation work as capacity and resources grow.
Can you give us a fun fact about your organization that our readers might not know?
Our offices were once horse stables!
