Our People

John was a leader in the 20-year process to create and complete the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy. He has been instrumental in designation of protected areas and parks in the East Kootenay, coordinated environmental appeals against industrial polluters, worked to establish the Southern Rocky Mountain Conservation Area, the Columbia Wetlands and East Columbia Lake Wildlife Management Areas.

Born and raised in Guelph, Ontario, Tim grew up camping and road tripping with his parents, and at a young age developed an appreciation for nature and wild places. Driven by a passion to teach others, learn, and share knowledge and experience, he was drawn to his current role with Wildsight and the Youth Climate Corps. On a constant search for new adventures,...

Founder of the Rocky Mountain Education Series, Dawn Deydey brings the experience and understanding of for over a decade of Beyond Recycling coordination and development to the table. As Community Program Coordinator for the Wildsight Elk Valley Branch, her ability to weave environmental education and community action into successful programming that moves our community towards sustainability has been proven repeatedly.

Robyn is the Executive Director of Wildsight and the campaign lead for Jumbo Wild. Born and raised in Kimberley, BC, Robyn fell in love with the mountains at an early age. Her work is driven by her passion for wilderness and wild places and a strong belief that we can minimize our footprint on the planet. She has been with Wildsight since 2006.

Kiana is honoured to start up and coordinate Golden’s Youth Climate Corps. Growing up with parents prioritizing outdoor time only second to school, Kiana developed a deep appreciation of the land she lives on. This appreciation is fostered through time spent walking, biking, skiing, and learning outside whenever possible. With the desire to create space for people to learn and protect the environment,...

Jill has been working in environmental education in many capacities throughout her career. She is passionate about nurturing the natural world around her and fostering environmental stewardship in people of all ages.

Lorene joined the team to share the work of Wildsight with the world. Her formative years were spent in Cranbrook where she tromped through the trails, hiked the wild mountains and swam in cold, clear lakes. She is keen to keep these wild spaces for her own children and the generations to come. With a passion for the written word, Lorene presents the...

When Mel discovered hiking when she was 19, she hung up her roller-skates and headed for the hills. Over the next decade, Mel lived a nomadic life, spanning continents as an Outdoor Educator. She witnessed how transformative working outside was while leading backpacking leadership expeditions. When she stumbled on Nelson, BC a part of her heart suctioned to the bridge and hasn’t been...

Graeme serves as program manager for the Columbia River Field School and the Youth Climate Corps. He is passionate about the relationships that underpin the ways we make decisions about rivers and the climate. In 2017, Graeme spent 35 days biking and kayaking up the Columbia River from sea-to-source. He now lives in Golden but enjoys visiting familiar places and faces across the...

Randal moved to Fernie in the 1990’s and with his wife Lisa raised their family in the Kootenays. Randal is the publisher of Oolichan Books, prior to which he was a museum curator and consultant, working throughout western Canada with museums in human and natural history. He spent much of his life in public service with 15 years as a member of Fernie...

Emily is the Youth Climate Corps (YCC) Special Projects Coordinator and was a participant in the YCC pilot program in 2020. She is currently a student at the University of Northern British Columbia, studying Wildlife and Fisheries. Emily hopes that through the YCC we are able to connect young people with meaningful and accessible opportunities in climate action. 

Tamara was the administrator at Wildsight for 5 years before she left to pursue her dreams in the restaurant industry. The world looks a little different now, and she is happy to be back with Wildsight in an administrative support role. In her free time she loves spending time with her family and exploring our beautiful backyard on foot.

A passion for the wilderness and a gift for teaching have drawn Monica into the field of environmental education where she has worked both inside and outside the classroom for the past 15 years.

Eddie is an East Kootenay local yokel, a conservationist and a human and coffee powered adventurer. Eddie works to improve logging practices on the ground and at a provincial level, he works on old growth protection, caribou recovery, recreation and land-use planning. 

Wyatt is the Mining Policy and Impacts Researcher for Wildsight, where he is investigating the impacts of metallurgical coal mine expansion in the Elk Valley and its consequences to local and regional ecosystem health. Born and raised in Calgary, Wyatt spent most of his free time exploring the mountain tops, old-growth forests, and everything in between in the East Kootenay. Wyatt graduated in...

Born in Cranbrook, Dave is a wildlife biologist, educator, wilderness guide, writer and photographer whose work is driven by his passion for wilderness and wild spaces. His work with endangered mountain caribou and badgers, threatened fisher and grizzly, as well as lynx and other species has helped shape his understanding of the Kootenay backcountry and its wildlife, and help guide his efforts to...

Bailey is Wildsight’s communications and engagement lead. She is a storyteller of many mediums, a filmmaker, photographer, and conservation communications creator whose work is driven by her passion for wildlife and wild places. 

Hanna is happy to be supporting Wildsight’s work of protecting the wild places that surround her. She’s a systems thinker who loves efficiency, numbers, and problem-solving. Hanna lives in Golden, where she can be found in her vegetable garden, in the kitchen making a pot of soup, or out in the mountains.

Lars helps shape Wildsight's communications and fundraising strategies. Lars loves to turn science into compelling narratives, driven by the love of the wild that we share, and to craft communications strategies that get results. He optimizes Wildsight's capacity by making systems efficient, numbers tell stories and technology sing.

Jenna is the Columbia Valley Conservation Coordinator. Jenna has lived between BC’s coast mountains and the Rockies her whole life and has made Golden, BC her home since 2020. Her enthusiasm for healthy ecosystems and wild spaces has always shaped her work. This has led her to various roles including ecological monitoring as a resource conservation officer in six mountain national parks and...

Siobhan has always been passionate about the wilderness. A strong desire to protect the planet and the creatures that reside here led Siobhan to be heavily involved in the non-profit sector over the last decade. From rehabilitating wildlife and fostering kittens to spearheading rescue missions, Siobhan does whatever she can to advocate for the environment. In her spare time, she loves cuddling her...