Land Trust Q&A: Central Okanagan Land Trust

Q: Was there a particular moment or event in your life that drew you to conservation work?

In 2012 I was approached by COLT to ask if I would be interested in working with them in a part-time contract Executive Director role. I had just retired from the Kelowna Museums and it seemed like a good fit for both of us. My degrees are in Geography and an M.A. Thesis exploring irrigation and water management in the Okanagan Region, so I felt I would be bringing a useful skill set to the table.

Q: How long have you been with your organization and what does your role entail?

I have been with COLT since the fall of 2012. I provide a range of services for the organization including community liaison, municipal/local government relations, grant writing, and fundraising.

Q: What was the proudest moment/greatest achievement for your organization?

While there have been many projects that help secure the region’s wider environment values, perhaps the most significant of these was the donation of 800+ acres of Kelowna’s south slopes area. COLT now owns these lands, and we are in a management partnership with the Regional District to develop and manage the park while COLT retains ownership. This is the Johns Family Nature Conservancy Regional Park. It also now holds a designation as a Night Sky Preserve.

In addition, over the past 10 years, COLT has grown from 6 to 15 Named Endowment Funds registered with the Central Okanagan Foundation. These funds provide COLT with significant on-going annual revenues that help move its Mission forward.

Q: What was your biggest conservation challenge?

We work largely with Local Government, and perhaps one of the most challenging sides of this work is the understaffing that they are facing currently. This situation slows the work we do and limits the degree and nature of our working relationship. While that working relationship remains strong and positive, it is easy to see the frustrations it causes for these local government partners.

Additionally, as the Okanagan region’s population increases and densifies, the existing nature park ‘infrastructure deficit’ becomes more and more acute – and that is a tragedy for everyone. So our work with local government comes into clearer focus.

Q: Where would you like to see your organization in five years? OR What are your hopes for the future of your organization?

I would like to see COLT having built its financial reserves within the Central Okanagan Foundation to the levels that allows the organization to be more self-sustaining.

In addition, I would like to see us having developed a working relationship with the region’s local government to a point where we can collaborate on the acquisition (purchase) of nature lands and wildlife habitat that would be fully protected under attendant Conservation Covenants. I.e. so that the land cannot be subsequently developed into swings, playgrounds, and other park amenities that (generally) are counter to our environment/habitat/ecosystem Mission.

Q: Can you give us a fun fact about your organization that our readers might not know?

• COLT has been the successful recipient of roughly $600,000 of grants funds for which our local government partners are not eligible – projects in which COLT holds Conservation Covenants on local government lands.
• COLT is the single largest holder of environment-related endowment funds registered with the Central Okanagan Foundation.