CCCS Board & Team
The CCCS is lucky to have a very talented and dedicated team of Directors, who provide the experience and vision necessary for our team to execute all our education programs and campaign projects.
Board of Directors
Contractors
Bill Lloyd
President
I was fortunate to grow up enjoying the Cariboo Chilcotin wilderness and developing a respect for this wonderful part of our country. In my adulthood, I have worked in resource industries and construction both here and overseas. If I could make some small difference promoting sustainable resource management and improved environmental stewardship, I would consider my contribution to CCCS a success. Much of our population today is disconnected from the natural world surrounding them. This has to change in a hurry as we confront climate change and our ever-increasing footprint on this Earth. It’s important that we nurture the thought of a healthy environment, creating a healthy society, so that the mistakes of our past are not repeated.
Martin Kruus
Director
Hello! I’m originally from Ottawa (immigrant family of six). My wife, Catherine, and I have been in the Cariboo since 2003 when we returned from working in Moshi, Tanzania.
We both love the outdoors, especially non-motorized recreation of all types. In my capacity as a teacher with the school district I try to encourage kids to become a responsible part of the natural world around them.
I used to be a Survey Engineer and worked in silviculture in the Kootenays. We have three young wonderful home-schooled children. I am proud to serve on the CCCS board, having tried every position but president over the past 5-6 years.
Rick Dawson
Director
The CCCS has a long history of constructive and meaningful engagement with the people and issues in the Cariboo-Chilcotin to maintain and improve the quality of the environment and the quality of life for people. I am honoured to be a member of the board. I have hiked and paddled throughout the Cariboo-Chilcotin in the 30+ years I have lived here and enjoy learning about and experiencing the variety of natural ecosystems we have in this area. My work as a research ecologist, forester and natural resources planner has also given me an appreciation of the natural riches around us the need to understand and care for them. So, volunteering with groups that work to understand and care for the world around us is a natural thing to do and puts me in contact with very interesting people.
Sue Hemphill
Director
I have always felt a part of a community of life. My connections to the web of life have grown in me since I was a child. There is a joy and deep contentment at being part of this web, but it also means there is a responsibility to all you are connected to. Working with people in the Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society allows me to fulfill some of that responsibility and to help ensure that the web can remain healthy and resilient.
Rodger Hamilton
Board Director
Conservation, education and community are three values which I share with the Society; I believe these values are the foundation for building solutions to the challenges we collectively face going forward. I am pleased to serve the CCCS Board and Staff in their work.
Emma Swabey
Board Director
Amber Gregg
Coordinator, Sustainable Life Education
What do you do at the Conservation Society? I work with the Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society's Board of Directors, staff, and members to promote healthy, vibrant, and sustainable living amongst the constituents of our stunning region. I help coordinate, organize, support, report, and perform “all other related duties as required” in order to get the job done.
What do you like most about Nature? What I love about nature is that so much is happening so quietly. As a mom of two boys, things can get pretty noisy around our house and it is usually pretty obvious what we're up to, whether it's playing in the yard, sharing a meal, or getting ready for the day. When I step out into nature, I am aware of it working away, reproducing, breathing, eating, drinking, and yet it appears so calm and peaceful.
ccentre@ccconserv.org
Jenny Howell
Water Wise Instructor / Executive Director
What do you do at the Conservation Society? I am the Water Wise instructor, teaching kids of all ages as much as possible about water conservation, watershed health and how they can help keep our water healthy into the future. This includes class sessions, an annual 'Earth Challenge', as well as many field trip opportunities. I also teach kids that come to Gavin Lake about wetlands, species at risk, watersheds, ecological footprints and the science of snow.
What do you like most about Nature? We are nature, but as a species we have lost sight of this somewhere along the way and treat 'nature' as something separate from us. Unless we learn to live sustainably again we will continue to damage the very life support system that we depend on. I hope that Water Wise helps kids to start thinking about how we are part of everything around us, as we talk about how much water is in their bodies, how that water is 'ancient' and has been part of things before being part of them, and how it will continue on round the water cycle after it leaves their bodies. At Gavin Lake, kids can actually spend some time in the forests, wetlands and on the lake and start to build those connections further- we all know the healing/beneficial effects of more time outside in natural settings, and we see it constantly at Gavin Lake as previously troublesome kids in the classroom often become attentive, inquiring students once outside
jhowell@xplornet.ca
Mary Forbes
Waste Wise Instructor
What do you do at the Conservation Society?
I am the Waste Wise Community and in School Educator and a Composting Coach! I visit schools in our district from Williams Lake to Wells, Tatla to Bridge Lake sharing ways people can do little things that make a big difference in how much garbage we each create. I love games, telling stories, meeting new people and making a difference so being the "Recycle Lady" is a dream job!
What do you like most about Nature?
I like the way nature smells. All the different ways it smells, weird, delicate, floral, sharp, pungent. I really like the way a hot working compost pile smells (like dirt). The way those smells connect us to memories, experiences and each other. I want nature to keep smelling like fun, sun, food and family, not like garbage.
themaryforbes@gmail.com
Brianna van de Wijngaard
Communications Coordinator
What do you do at the Conservation Society? I help coordinate and execute community events and campaigns, contribute to advertising and promotional work for the society, such as newspaper articles, radio ads, and outreach materials, and maintain our online presence, such as website and social media updates.
What do you like most about Nature? I love the way it makes you feel like you're right where you belong! And observing how everything - even you - has a job and a place in Nature.
wastewise@ccconserv.org
Oliver Nerger
Chief Green Officer
What do you do at the Conservation Society? I am the newly appointed Green Officer for the society. This involves a multitude of tasks all falling under the one category, which I enjoy: waste management. Educating people about composting helps reduce our organic & food waste, also teaching children and adults about recycling helps minimize our plastic and paper waste. As well I get to enjoy educating our community on the benefits of conserving our water usage and how we can greenify our lives and businesses.
What do you like most about nature? I like nature mostly because of what we can learn from it. Everything we have learned and use as humans occurred in some form naturally, in nature. Simply spending time in nature we quickly adapt to the way life flows in the forest or the river and learn how different parts of these systems interact with each other. Implementing these interactions and reactions in our everyday lives can be a priceless feeling.
sustain@ccconserv.org