Our People

Melissa Flint has a background in conservation biology, organic farming, permaculture and environmental consulting - and a love for mountain air and exploration. She loves taking people outside and finding connections in the natural world. Melissa's other work includes design, gardening and workshops in permaculture, sustainability and resiliency, through her company Aurora Edible Designs. Melissa teaches our Beyond Recycling, Classroom with Outdoors, Winter Wonder, and Know Your Watershed programs.

Brian has a MSc in Forestry Wildlife and had a career as a Wildlife Biologist for BC Government in Fort St. John followed by 15 years of consulting as an ungulate habitat specialist.  Brian has been involved in conservation biology and wildlife research projects including swans, mountain goats, caribou, moose, elk, deer and grizzly bear.

After graduating from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Science degree in Botany I moved abroad and have since lived in China, South Korea, and Australia. Fortunately, during my time away, my entire family relocated to Creston where I now reside as well. Creston is the perfect place to pursue the myriad of outdoor hobbies I enjoy such as kayaking and hiking. I am also looking forward to starting my journey...

I was born in Marburg, Germany and immigrated to Canada after I obtained my Ph.D. in biology from the Justus-Liebig-Universitaet in Giessen. I worked for 21 years as a researcher with a forestry company (Alberta-Pacific) in Northern Alberta and was part of a team implementing innovative forest management systems. I am passionate about protecting the environment and Wildsight gives me the opportunity to contribute.

My grandparents' caring interest in the wellbeing of nature influenced me to my core. I raised my family in the Creston Valley because it offers a wholesome, healthy lifestyle. Supporting an environmentally conscious culture is vital for retaining this valued way of life. My business, marketing, communications, and community development background can be an asset to the Wildsight Creston team. I want to help give the land a voice.

Connie Larochelle is a lifelong advocate for water conservation with a background working with First Nation and northern remote communities. She completed her undergraduate degree at Thompson Rivers University in Natural Resource Science and her MA in Environment and Management at Royal Roads University. She dabbles in data analysis and mentors others in data transformation and visualization.

I grew up in Chile between the Andes mountains and the Pacific Ocean. I moved to Canada many years ago to continue my education at the University of Manitoba. My studies and work focused on transformative learning as a catalyst of action and I had the privilege to work with many Indigenous communities throughout Manitoba. I moved with my family to the Kootenays to enjoy the majestic landscapes and to fulfil my dream...

Born and raised in rural west central Minnesota, Jim graduated from the University of Minnesota School of Forestry in 1969, married Sandy and headed west. Over the following 30 years he worked various industry and government positions from Prince George and Burns Lake, to Creston and Vernon and back to Creston again. Throughout most of this experience Jim was fortunate to work with people who “saw the forest through the trees.”

Karen tells stories through the lens of the camera. She has a love of the outdoors and the fascinating world around us.