Our People

Aita is a born and raised Parson-ite, she moved away for school and life but recently moved back. She is a biologist and map-maker, and joined Wildsight to advocate for our amazing landscapes. She enjoys gardening, the outdoors and connecting with people.

After completing a B.A in Geography and GIS at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Gemma came to British Columbia 'for a visit' and never left. She has been residing in Golden, BC for the past four years where she likes to spend time outdoors enjoying the sun, rain and snow. When she's not working you can find her enjoying a good book,...

Rachel is a registered professional biologist who developed and currently coordinates Wildsight Golden's Columbia Valley Swallow Project and Community Invasive Plant Program. She also developed and managed on the hugely successful Columbia Wetlands Waterbird Survey for Wildsight.  At the top of her class, she graduated with a Master of Science degree in Environment and Management in 2014, and has a Bachelors of Science...

Golden Branch Director & Biologist on the Golden Rocky Mountain Sheep Project and Project Coordinator for the Plant Awareness Project

As a consulting boreal river ecologist, Annette Luttermann works with Aboriginal communities across Canada primarily investigating the cumulative environmental effects of large hydroelectric developments. Annette holds an interdisciplinary PhD from Dalhousie University where her research focused on the historical effects of dams and impoundments on riparian habitats of the Churchill River in Labrador.

Verena Shaw is a very passionate naturalist who loves to get outside into the wild and has been birdwatching for many years. Verena has been involved with various environmental projects with some bird related ones being swallow, bluebird, wood duck nest box monitoring, nightjar and marsh bird surveys, a western screech owl study, and various other bird counts. When coming to the Wings...

Monica stumbled across Golden whilst backpacking through the rockies in 2021 and has been gravitating back ever since. With several years of travel under her belt, she is delighted to be planting some roots in our wonderful community, and combining her passion for environmental sustainability with the outdoor livelihood this beautiful part of the world offers. Monica brings experiences from government to care...

Aita is a born and raised Parson-ite, she moved away for school and life but recently moved back. She is a biologist and map-maker, and joined Wildsight to advocate for our amazing landscapes. She enjoys gardening, the outdoors and connecting with people.

Originally from The Netherlands, and in Canada for the last 10 years. Else works for Interior Health as a data consultant to improve our health system and has a PhD in Experimental Medicine from the University of British Columbia. She joined the board of directors with a desire to protect the wild places in the Columbia Valley. In her free time, she enjoys...

Joan has been volunteering with WIldsight Golden since it’s inception in 1989. She has been the branch president for many years, spearheading and supporting many initiatives and projects Joan finds it a privilege to work with the great people that are part of Wildsight and to live and play in such a wild and wonderful place.

David Geselbracht is a lawyer and writer, and works as legal counsel for a national environmental NGO. He holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of British Columbia, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law. He enjoys exploring the many trails and waterways of the Columbia Valley. 

Golden Branch Director & Biologist on the Golden Rocky Mountain Sheep Project and Project Coordinator for the Plant Awareness Project

Growing up in the French Pyrenees, Bastien always had this love towards the complex, yet fragile ecosystems that exist in the mountains. Having worked as a forest technician in France’s mountains, Québec’s boreal forests and BC’s interior region, he now aims to put his experience and curiosity to the benefit of the communities in the Columbia Valley alongside its natural habitats. He strives...

Christian is an ACMG Ski Guide / Apprentice Alpine Guide, mostly guiding ski touring in the winter and rock climbing / mountaineering in the summer. Before becoming a guide, he worked for 3 years as an engineer in a solar panel research lab, and has a degree in Engineering Physics. He has always been passionate about wild places and strongly believes that we...

Kellie has lived across the province and has always been drawn to Golden largely due to the small-community and outdoor recreation opportunities. As an avid mountain biker, who also loves hiking, ski touring, and snowboarding, she’s gained a growing passion for the outdoors and environmental conservation. She works as a biologist in town and desires to manage natural resources in a way that...

Mathew Zaleski has degrees in electrical and human factors engineering and a PhD in computer science from the University of Toronto. He has worked as an engineer, manager, and business owner and recently finished a 5 year stint as a computer science professor. In 1986 he started as a software engineer for IBM. Subsequently he worked for Autodesk, Adobe and Intel. In 1994,...