Leadership Alumni
Since 2005, alumni of the 2005 to 2011 and 2014 – 2016 Park Systems Leadership Course have expressed interest in remaining connected, and many alumni have done so informally. Since 2018, the Leadership Development Residency Program has intentionally included programming aspects to build a lasting and growing community of leaders who can do more by working together.
Previous Program Participants
This list is provided to connect alumni through their profiles on the Canadian Parks, Protected, and Conserved Areas Leadership Collective. Note: Positions and Agencies listed were current postings at time of program.
| Alberta | Tom Sutherland | Conservation Officer |
| Alberta | Terry Krause | Planning Team Leader |
| British Columbia | John Trewhitt | Area Supervisor |
| British Columbia | Bruce Petch | Area Supervisor |
| Canadian Heritage Rivers | Ian Smith | |
| Canadian Heritage Rivers | Colin Davis | |
| Nova Scotia | Emily Gratton | |
| Nova Scotia | David Williams | |
| Nunavut | Richard Wyma | Mgr, Pk Planning and Establishment |
| Ontario | Kathy MacPherson | Natural Heritage Education Coordinator |
| Ontario | Peter Briand | Park Superintendent, Arrowhead Provincial Park |
| Parks Canada | Erich Muntz | Biologist? |
| Parks Canada | David Rohatensky | National Historic Site Manager |
| Parks Canada | Ed Coulthard | Manager of Resource Conservation-Wood Buffalo |
| Parks Canada | Bill Hunt | Acting Manager, Visitor Services: LL/Yoho/Koot |
| Saskatchewan | Rena Laliberte | Park Supervisor |
| Saskatchewan | Brian Dressler | |
| Yukon | Dennis Kuch | |
| Tim Reynolds | ||
| John Mercer |
| Alberta | Don Carruthers Den Hoed | Outreach Coordinator |
| Alberta | Julie MacDougall | Ops manager: Cypress & Writing on Stone |
| Alberta | Norbert Rafael | Heritage Protection Team Leader, NE AB Parks |
| British Columbia | Vicki Haberl | A/Regional Planner |
| British Columbia | Janice Joseph | |
| British Columbia | Alex Green | |
| Manitoba | Wendy Creed | Parks Business Systems Specialist |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Geoff Bailey | Mngr Env Edu & Promo |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Sian French | Director |
| Nova Scotia | Bill English | |
| Nova Scotia | Oliver Maas | Protected Areas Coordinator |
| Nunavut | Lindsay Kulak | |
| Ontario | Tracey Snarr | Superintendent |
| Parks Canada | Marilyn Peckett | Superintendent, Elk Island |
| Parks Canada | Jeff Leggo | Ecologist St. Lawrence Islands |
| Parks Canada | Philip Lee | Monitoring Ecologist Western and Northern Service Centre |
| Parks Canada | Nadine Spence | First Nations Program Manager PacRim |
| Saskatchewan | Collette Schmalz | Area Manager: NW |
| Saskatchewan | Mary-Anne Wihak | Heritage Protection Team Leader, NE AB Parks |
| Yukon | Sharon Keaton | |
| Yukon | Alice McCulley | Park Ranger: Tombstone Park |
| Laura Gorecki | C/V/H Coordinator, Kluane |
| Alberta | Scott Jevons | GIS Specialist in Ecology |
| Alberta | Travis Sjovold | Senior Management Planner |
| Alberta | Carey Booth | Head of Visitor Services and Education |
| British Columbia | Karen Wipond | Conservation Lands Specialist |
| British Columbia | Brett Hudson | |
| British Columbia | Greg Chin | Planning Section Head |
| International | Julia Boock | |
| International | Suzanne McRae | Programme Assistant Conservation International |
| Manitoba | Heather Gorrell | Area Supervisor – Parks and Protected Areas/South Cariboo |
| New Brunswick | Josh Tompkins | Project Executive, Jack of all trades |
| Nova Scotia | Sandy Anderson | Planner |
| Ontario | Rick Stronks | Chief Park Naturalist of Algonquin Provincial Park |
| Ontario | John Salo | Southwest Zone Manager |
| Parks Canada | Sean Sheardown | (Kluane) |
| Parks Canada | Kevin Bachewich | Communications Officer-Riding Mountain |
| Parks Canada | Marcia Morash | Project Manager |
| Parks Canada | Shannon Bollefer | Comm’s, Visitor Services & Heritage Presentation Coord |
| Parks Canada | Nadia Menard | Biologist |
| Parks Canada | Paul Perkison | Mgr Client Services, Heritage Presentation, Communications |
| SEPAQ | Mariane Tremblay | |
| SEPAQ | Francois Guillot | Director |
| Saskatchewan | Chris Potter | Head, Heritage Interpretation |
| Saskatchewan | Loreen Friskie | Park Program Coordinator |
| Saskatchewan | Byron Davis | |
| Alberta | Luc Nowicki | Dist Team Leader/Cons Officer |
| Alberta | Philipp Hofer | Manager, Dinosaur PP |
| Alberta | Jeanette Brooks | Team Leader – Heritage Appreciation |
| British Columbia | Jim Hesse | Area Supervisor – Prince George |
| British Columbia | Judy Millar | Mtn Pine Beetle Specialist |
| British Columbia | Tom Blackbird | Area Supervisor – N. Fraser Area |
| International | Nicholas Ngece | Project Officer |
| International | Pasang Dolma Sherpa | Project Officer |
| KRG | Nathalie Girard | Manager of Education and Conservation for Nunavik Parks |
| KRG | Annie Baron | Parks Management Trainee |
| Manitoba | Bruce Mineault | Park Superintendent |
| Manitoba | Kelly-Anne Richmond | Manager Planning & Development |
| New Brunswick | Greg Dion | Manager, Sugarloaf PP |
| Nova Scotia | Peter Labor | PA Policy & Program Coordinator |
| Nova Scotia | Merryl Bustin | District Supervisor-Cape Breton |
| Nunavut | Cameron DeLong | Manager Park Facilities and Operations |
| Ontario | Susan Grigg | Park Planner – SE Zone |
| Ontario | Greg Wake | Prov Park Management Supervisor |
| Parks Canada | Lindsay Rodger | Senior Advisor, Recovery |
| Parks Canada | Dave Tovell | Visitor Experience Officer |
| Parks Canada | Shanna Fiddler | A/Manager, Treaty Negotiations and First Nation Issues |
| Parks Canada | Theresa Bunbury | Site Supervisor |
| Parks Canada | Sophie Borcoman | Communications and Client Services Manager |
| Parks Canada | C. Locke Marshall | Manager, Resource Conservation |
| Saskatchewan | Dean Cattell | Park Supervisor |
| Saskatchewan | Larry Schiefner. | Park Supervisor |
| SEPAQ | David Dubreuil | Manager , Auberge Gîte du Mont-Albert, PN de la Gaspésie |
| SEPAQ | Hugues Tennier | Manager of Conservation & Education |
| Yukon | Pierre Foisy | Park Officer |
| Alberta | Margot Hervieux | Visitor Services Supervisor |
| Alberta | Trevor Tarnowski | Senior Park Facilities Planner |
| International | Diego Francisco Flores Arrate | Professional: Ministry of the Environment |
| International | Alberto Bordeu | Head, Advisory and Environment Office |
| Manitoba | Elisabeth Ostrop | Manager of Recreation and Education Services |
| Manitoba | Kelvin Kowaski | District Park Supervisor |
| Manitoba | Sue Atkin | Park Specialist-Lac duBonnet |
| New Brunswick | Marcel Richard | Manager Parlee Beach and Murray Beach Provincial Park |
| Nova Scotia | Alan White | Park Technician |
| Ontario | Rob Davis | Sr Protected Areas Prog Coordinator for Science and Info |
| Ontario | Ross Hart | North East Zone Manager |
| Parks Canada | Jarred Picher | A/Manager, Corporate Identity and Image Collection Management |
| Parks Canada | Pippa Shepherd | Species at Risk Coordinator W&N |
| Parks Canada | Judy Glowinski | Tourism Advisor |
| Parks Canada | Sheldon Kowalchuk | Resource Conservation Manager-N MB |
| Parks Canada | Gary Baikie | Visitor Experience Coordinator-Torngat |
| Parks Canada | Dan Mazerolle | Park Ecologist-Fundy |
| Saskatchewan | Kathie McFarland | Senior Business Analyst |
| Saskatchewan | Janice Crawford | Park Supervisor-Fort Carlton |
| SEPAQ | Pascal Lévesque | Responsable du service à la clientèl-Parc national de la Gaspésie |
| Yukon | Afan Jones | Park Planner |
| Alberta | Laura Graham | Senior Planner (Cons & Rec) |
| Alberta | Wendy Wheatley | District Team Leader |
| Alberta | Peter Swain | Head Visitor Services |
| Parks Canada | Kathie Adare | Senior Advisor – HQ |
| Alberta | Elizabeth Driver | Snr Planner (Policy & Lnd Use) |
| SEPAQ | Sylvie-Anne Marchand | Visitor Services Manager |
| Manitoba | Darlene Perrett | W Region Park Superintendent |
| Manitoba | Don Hallett | Chief Park Operations |
| New Brunswick | Alain Basque | Director Tourism Operations |
| Nova Scotia | Doug Oliver | Planning Technician |
| Nova Scotia | Michael MacDonald | Area Supervisor |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Jeri Graham | Mngr Natural Areas |
| Ontario | David Coulas | Park Superintendent |
| Ontario | Jason Blier | Assistant Superintendent |
| Parks Canada | Drue Kendrick | Visitor Experience Mngr – BC |
| Ontario | Lori Waldbrook | Snr Marketing Specialist |
| Parks Canada | Birch Howard | Park Warden Supervisor- Yukon |
| Parks Canada | Andrew Maher | Res Mgt & Public Safety Spec-Nunuvut |
| Parks Canada | Sharon Hayes | Mngr Resource Conservation – Ont |
| Parks Canada | Christine Hamilton | Tech Srvcs Officer – Sask |
| Parks Canada | Dwight Bourdin | Environmental Assessment Spec AB |
| Parks Canada | Patti Vickers | Entry Gates and Information Centres AB |
| Parks Canada | Kirby Tulk | Park Ecologist – NL |
| Alberta | Jared Prins | Program Analyst |
| Alberta | Angela Perry | Land Use Officer: NW |
| Alberta | David Humphrey | District Conservation Officer |
| Alberta | Bart Crist | District Team Leader: NE |
| KRG | Pierre Philie | Visitor Experience Officer |
| Manitoba | Richard Romaniuk | Chief Park Operations – HQ |
| Manitoba | Shawn Lamb | Regional Park Operations Supervisor |
| Manitoba | Rodney Forbes | District Parks Supervisor |
| Ontario | Vicki Bradfield | A/Parks Management Specialist NE |
| Ontario | Wade Murrant | Park Superintendent |
| Parks Canada | Corey Clarke | Resource Management Officer-Fundy |
| Parks Canada | Diane Wilson | Advisor to the Director General |
| Parks Canada | Géraldine Arsenault | Mngr External Relations-Kouchibouguac |
| Parks Canada | Kylie Day | Visitor Services Team Leader-Elk Island |
| Parks Canada | Ray Boudreau | Manager-Lake Superior NMCA |
| Parks Canada | Salman Rasheed | Manager, Resource Conservation – Calgary & Vancouver |
| Parks Canada | Allison Stoddart | Environmental Assessment Specialist |
| Parks Canada | Karen Estarte | Head of Asset Management |
| Parks Canada | Doreen McGillis | External Relations Manager-Waterton |
| Saskatchewan | Brant Seifert | Park Supervisor Cypress Hills |
| Saskatchewan | Sonnet McGuire | Park Program Coordinator-Prince Albert area |
| Saskatchewan | Natasha Merriman | Park Program Coordinator-Lac La Ronge PP |
| SEPAQ | Myshka Sansoin | Vice-Présidence Parcs Québec |
| SEPAQ | Patrick Graillon | Conservation Coordinator |
| Alberta | Caroline Crell | Regional Planner |
| Alberta | Heather Lambert | Parks Wayfinding Specialist |
| Alberta | Joey Young | Senior Parks Planner |
| KRG | Alicia Aragutak | Tursujuq Park Director |
| KRG | Charlie Munick | Kuururjuaq Park Director |
| Manitoba | David Jones | Regional Parks Specialist – Western Region |
| Nova Scotia | Carrie L Drake | Planner, Parks & Recreation Division |
| Nova Scotia | Peter Bush | Protected Areas Coordinator – Central Region |
| Northwest Territories | Benji Straker | Manager, Parks Operations |
| Nunavut | Leesee Papatsie | Manager Parks: Heritage Appreciation |
| Ontario | John Swick | Northwest Zone Manager |
| Parks Canada | Marc Johnson | International Programs |
| Parks Canada | David Murray | Senior Planner: New Northern Parks |
| Parks Canada | Monica Osterhout | A/Promotion and Non-Personal Media Officer-Prince Albert |
| Parks Canada | Susan Kjartanson | Manager, Financial & Business Management Advisory Services Branch |
| Parks Canada | Dany Lebrun | Acting Superintendent-Mingan Field Unit |
| Parks Canada | Valerie Blazeski | Corporate Communications Advisor |
| Parks Canada | Darroch Whitaker | Species Conservation Specialist – Atlantic Parks |
| Prince Edward Island | Kevin MacLaren | Program and Operations Supervisor |
| SEPAQ | Benoit Dubeau | Responsable du service de la conservation et de l’éducation |
| SEPAQ | Mylène Pronovost | Conseillère à l’expérience du visiteur |
| Saskatchewan | Dave Bjarnason | Park Supervisor |
| Alberta | Michael Roycroft | Area Manager, Specialized Facilities & Trails, Kananaskis Region, Alberta Parks |
| Alberta | Robin Schmidt | Senior Parks Planner |
| Alberta | Bryan Sundberg | District Conservation Officer |
| Manitoba | Scott Nickel | Head of Cottage Planning |
| Nova Scotia | Clinton Pinks | Landscape Architect |
| Nova Scotia | Heather Olivella | Protected Areas Coordinator |
| Northwest Territories | Tara Tompkins | Manager, Parks Operations |
| Ontario | Josie Grenier | Assistant Park Superintendent |
| Ontario | Dave Priddle | Assistant Park Superintendent |
| Ontario | John Fisher | Park Superintendent |
| Ontario | Rhonda Card | Park Superintendent |
| Ontario | Anne Craig | Sr. Marketing Specialist |
| Parks Canada | Melissa Banovich | Acting National Historic Sites Manager |
| Parks Canada | Nicolas Miquelon | Program Advisor, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office |
| Parks Canada | Alexandra Talbot | Sr. Advisor and Manager of the Executive Correspondence Office |
| Parks Canada | Camille Girard-Ruel | External Relations Manager |
| Parks Canada | Brady Highway | Visitor Safety and Fire Operations Coordinator |
| Parks Canada | Alana Plummer | Acting Trails Project Manager |
| SEPAQ | Dany Gareau | National park director |
| SEPAQ | Raphael Goulet | Conservation and Education Officer |
| Saskatchewan | Dominique Clincke | Park Planner |
| Yukon | Pamela Brown | Supervisor, Park Officer program |
| Alberta | Ceiridwen Robbins | Visitor Services Coordinator |
| Alberta | Daynika White | Consultation and Engagement Advisor |
| Alberta | Jennifer Okrainec | Planner |
| Alberta | Kieran Dowling | Team Lead – William Watson Lodge |
| Alberta | Logan Van Imschoot | District Conservation Officer |
| Canadian Parks and Recreation Association | Murray Kopp | Director, Parks Services, Regional District of Central Okanagan |
| City of Calgary | Valerie Veenstra | Environmental Planning Supervisor |
| Nature Conservancy of Canada | Erica Thompson | Senior National Director, Conservation Engagement & Development |
| Nova Scotia | David Blair | Engineer |
| Nova Scotia | Kermit deGooyer | Protected Areas Planner |
| Ontario | Jim Murphy | Park Planner |
| Ontraio | Nancy Daigle | Park Superintendent |
| Parks Canada | Alannah Phillips | Senior Advisor to the Executive Director, Atlantic |
| Parks Canada | Andrea McNeil | Canadian Heritage Rivers System Advisor |
| Parks Canada | Chad Buchner | Manager of Canal Operations Trent Severn Waterway |
| Parks Canada | Jed Cochrane | Fire and Vegetation Specialist |
| Parks Canada | Jerome Lussier | Visitor Experience Manager |
| Parks Canada | Linaya Workman | Park Site Manager/Superintendent Kluane National Park & Reserve |
| Parks Canada | Michèle Leblond | External Relations Manager Quebec Field Unit |
| Parks Canada | Nick Phillips | Highway Operations Manager |
| Parks Canada | Laurie Wein | Implementation Manager, Species Conservation and Management |
| Saskatchewan | Paul Johnson | Executive Director, Park Operations |
| SEPAQ | Daniel Groleau | Director of two national parks |
| SEPAQ | Myriam Lavallée | Directrice / Superintendant |
| Yukon | Lolita Hughes | Park Ranger / Operations Manager |
| Alberta Parks | Tazim Nazarali | Manager, Parks Investment |
| British Columbia Parks | Sarah Fennell | Recreation Business Specialist |
| British Columbia Parks | Volker Michelfelder | Planning and Operational Section Head, |
| Canadian Wildlife Service | Garry Donaldson | Acting Director, Atlantic Region |
| Government of the Northwest Territories | Darin Bagshaw | Conservation Areas Advisor, Environment & Natural Resources, |
| Manitoba Parks | JP Perreault | Park Operations and Infrastructure Planning, |
| Parks Canada | Dan Mulrooney | Senior Research Officer – Socio-economist |
| Parks Canada | Abdullah Afzal | Law Enforcement Policy Advisor |
| Parks Canada | Billy Dixon | Manager Western and Northern Canada, Contracting & Procurement Operations |
| Parks Canada | Christine Drake | Park Superintendent, Pukaskwa NP, |
| Parks Canada | Cindy Schatkoski | Accounting Operations Officer, Banff National Park |
| Parks Canada | Craig McKinnon | Regional Conservation Manager, Kluane |
| Parks Canada | Danish Syed | Senior Policy Adviser |
| Parks Canada | Kelly Deveaux | Manager, Visitor Experience |
| Parks Canada | Stéphanie Cloutier | Advisor, Business and Program Affairs, Executive Directorate, Quebec & Nunavut |
| Parks Canada Agency | Paul Dyck | Negotiations Manager, Indigenous Affairs Branch |
| Saskatchewan Provincial Parks | Jesse Sakires | Manager, Strategic Planning and Policy |
| SEPAQ | Camille-Antoine Ouimet | Responsable des services de la conservation, de la maintenance et des infrastructures, |
| Sépaq | Samuel Moreau | Responsable du service de la conservation et de l’éducation, Parc national du Lac-Témiscouata |
| BC Parks | Dave Richmond | Recreation Section Head |
| BC Parks | Elyse Curley | Community Liason Officer |
| Canadian Wildlife Service | Eden Thurston | Protected Areas National Coordinator |
| Manitoba Parks | Elvira Roberge | Head, Park System Planning and Ecology |
| Nova Scotia Protected Areas Branch | Sally Steele | Regional Planner |
| NU Parks | Mkabela Masuku | Manager Parks Program Development |
| NWT Parks | Kelly Stein | Conservation Areas Management Planner |
| Ontario Parks | Jeff Brown | Senior Marketing Specialist |
| Ontario Parks | Ryan Gardner | Park Superintendent |
| Parks Canada | Alain Nantel | Manager, Visitor Safety, Service, Activities and Visitor Use Mangement |
| Parks Canada | Ashley Wruth | Interpretation Officer/Coordinator III |
| Parks Canada | Chelsey Dawes | External Relations Manager |
| Parks Canada | Maria O’Hearn | External Relations Manager |
| Parks Canada | Melanie Dompierre | Senior Advisor |
| Parks Canada | Tara McNally MacPhee | Manager of Visitor Experience, PEI National Park |
| Parks Canada | Travis Halliday | Manager, Law Enforcement Operations (Prairies and North) |
| Parks Canada | Virginia Sheehan | Manager, Terrestrial Archaeology |
| Saskatchewan Parks | Jennifer Szakacs | Director – Capital Program Design & Delivery |
| SEPAQ | Chloe Bonnette | Responsable au partenariat |
| SEPAQ | Isabelle Croteau | Director of Parc national de Plaisance |
| Alberta Parks | Daniella Rubeling | Interpretation and Education Team Lead |
| BC Parks and Conservation | Karen Mohr | Recreation Services Officer |
| BC Parks and Conservation | Gina Bugslag | Recreation Officer – West Coast |
| Nova Scotia Parks | Sandra Fraser | Parks Promotion and Development Officer |
| Parks Canada | Elizabeth Nelson | Science Advisor, Conservation & Climate Change |
| Parks Canada | Christie Thomson | Partnering and Engagement Officer |
| Parks Canada | Denis Dufour | Manager, Management Planning Policy and Operations |
| Parks Canada | Christian Vezeau | Manager, National Celebrations |
| Parks Canada | Rennee Lamontagne | Manager, Indigenous Workforce Strategies Team |
| Parks Canada | Allison Fleischer | External and Indigenous Relations Manager |
| Parks Canada | Jonathan Sheppard | Site Superintendent |
| Parks Canada | Kim Weir | Product Development Officer |
| Parks Canada | Erika Taves | Senior Advisor to the Executive Director for Ontario and Waterways |
| Parks Canada | Natalie-Anne Bussiere | Manager, Heritage Programs |
| Parks Canada | Gary Baikie | Superintendent,Torngat Mountains National Park |
| Saskatchewan Parks | Deanna Jacobs | Director Visitor Experience and Public Programming |
| SEPAQ | Annie Morrisseau | Director – Centre touristique du Lac-Simon |
| SEPAQ | Nathaél Bergeron | Directrice, Parc national du Mont-Mégantic |
| Project Learning Tree | Donovan Blair | Student |
| Organization | Name/Link | Title |
| Sépaq | Carine Bergeron | Operations Manager |
| Sépaq | Mireille Boulianne | Natural Environment Technician |
| Alberta Parks | Kayla Campbell | Area Manager |
| Saskatchewan Parks | Trevor Finlay | Park Manager |
| Nova Scotia Parks | Tara Crandlemere | Manager Parks & Recreation |
| New Brunswick Parks | Michel Mallet | Park Manager |
| Northwest Territories Parks | Stephanie McCabe | Manager, Park Operations |
| Kentville, NS. Municipal Parks | Rachel Bedingfield | Director of Parks and Recreation |
| Canadian Wildlife Service | Andrew Boyne | Head, Protected Areas |
| Parks Canada | Nicole Crerar | Asset Management Advisor |
| Parks Canada | Jason Crockett | Senior Realty Advisor |
| Parks Canada | Christy Gustavison | External Relations Manager |
| Parks Canada | Lori Payne | Manager, Promotions |
| Parks Canada | Catherine Cournoyer | Acting Manager, Cultural Heritage Policies |
| Parks Canada | Anna Lee-Carswell | Climate Change Advisor |
| Parks Canada | Jennifer Stewart | Acting External Relations Manager |
| Parks Canada | Jennifer Duquette | Strategic Advisor, Georgian Bay and Ontario East Field Unit |
| Parks Canada | Jackie Zinger | External Relation Manager, Yukon Field Unit |
Organization | Name/Link | Title |
Parks Canada | St. Catherine’s, Ontario | Asset Manager |
Parks Canada | Jasper | Resource Conservation Manager, Jasper |
BC Parks | Courtenay | Planning Section Head, BC Parks’ West Coast Region |
Parks Canada | Winnipeg | Travel Trade Advisor, Outreach and Marketing Branch |
Ontario Parks | Stittsville, Ontario | Learning and Discovery Program Coordinator for Ontario Parks |
Ontario Parks | Trenton | Assistant Park Superintendent, Presqu’ile Provincial Park |
Parks Canada | Ottawa | Manager, Conservation Sciences and Preventive Conservation, Collections, Curatorial and Conservation |
Saskatchewan Parks | Regina | Senior Park Landscape Ecologist |
Parks Canada | Québec City | Manager, Cultural Resources, Québec |
BC Parks | Victoria | Park Enhancement Fund Advisor, Community Engagement & Education |
Alberta Parks | Edmonton | Issues Advisor, Assistant Deputy Minister’s Office |
Nunavut Parks and Special Places | Iqaluit | Heritage Appreciation Coordinator, Qikiqtaaluk region |
Parks Canada | Inuvik | Ecologist Team Lead, Western Arctic |
Ontario Parks
| Goulais River | Park Superintendent, Algoma Signature Site Parks |
Parks Canada | Revelstoke | Project Manager, Protected Area Establishment |
Ontario Parks
| Wasaga Beach | Assistant Park Superintendent, Wasaga Beach Provincial Park |
Sépaq/Quebec Parks | Lévis, Québec | Ecologist, Environmental Indicator Monitoring Program |
Capstone Projects
Since 2018, participants in the Leadership Development Program have worked in cross-jurisdictional groups to design, develop, and make progress on a project that had the potential to improve parks and protected areas leadership. The projects also helped foster stronger connections across agencies and across Canada.
Capstone projects ranged in topic and addressed topics within the CPPCL themes of management, leadership, connection, conservation, and Reconciliation.
Fall 2018: Parkanomics (Canmore/Kananaskis)
Team A: Social Capital
How can Park Leaders build relationships with communities around parks by telling stories of success?
- Infographic on Social Capital for Park Leaders
- Case study of the use of social capital to solve problems/manage outcomes (interview with Peter Swain, Alberta Parks)
Team B: Partnerships
How can Park Leaders create better partnerships by understanding their own needs and the needs of the potential partners?
- Checklist for maintaining good partnerships
- Organizational Self-Assessment Tool for partnerships
Team C: Indigenous Collaboration
Things would be better if CPC/CPCIL could host a Protected Areas Indigenous Partnerships & Projects Catalogue, a living database to compile examples of parks working with Indigenous communities across Canada.
- Designed database based on CPC aboriginal best practices case studies
- Populated spreadsheet with sample case studies
Team D: Visitor Use Management
How might we use design thinking to address visitor use/impact and management using Joffre Lake as a case study?
- Advised BC Parks participant during VUMF process and provided feedback on various tools
Spring 2019: Collaboration (Toronto/Killbear Provincial Park)
Team A: Research Partnerships
Our team will support CPCIL in developing a bridge between the academic world and park leaders by designing a forum/matching process with Indigenous environmental institute, CPCIL academic partners, site specific questions, etc.
- Team supported 2019 Parks Research Network Workshop
Team B: Community Building
Our team will increase alumni info sharing by reaching out to PSL alumni and helping them connect with common issues and objectives with the CPCIL website profiles.
Created CPCIL/CPC PSL Alumni Directory
Creation of Alumni Community of Practice
Team C: Conservation Mental Health
Our teams will explore the concept of conservation burnout among parks, NGOs, and Indigenous organizations by doing a series of interviews, researching the topic, doing an analysis and presenting our results.
- Co-hosted webinar on conservation mental health
- Interviewed colleagues about mental health resources
Team D: Conservation Mental Health
Our team will design and pilot a peer-to-peer support to help combat park leader burnout by doing creating a mental health community of practice on the CPCIL website.
- Compiled mental health resources
- Designed instructions for CPCIL Challenge Coin program
Team E: Restorative Justice
Our team will look at accountability and conservation in a different way when a crime has been committed by doing a jurisdictional scan, interviews with people who have been through the process, and students (law school or otherwise).
- Designed and circulated a survey on restorative justice
- Wrote a blog post about Restorative Justice
Fall 2019: Inclusion and Equity (Victoria)
Team A: Inclusion within organizations
To mobilize collective action that acknowledges the importance of accessibility and inclusion in all Federal, Provincial and Territorial protected cultural and natural areas and provide a draft position statement for consideration by the Canadian Parks Council.
Create a draft position statement on inclusion for CPC
Present to CPC directors
Team B: Inclusion Resources
To create an online directory of inclusion-focused agencies and resources that Park Leaders can access and use to connect to community champions
- Directory designed with a focus on ability, Indigenous peoples, and new Canadians
- Sample resources gathered for posting to new CPCIL site
Team C: : Connecting to Remote Parks
How to connect people to remote parks that they may not be able to visit ever in their lifetime.
- Designed “sensory experience by mail” for Torngats National Park
- Revised to blog post about approaches to connecting people during COVID
Team D: Inclusion Self-Assessment
To compile online resources about inclusion and present them to CPCIL users in a quiz format so park leaders can reflect on their own level of inclusiveness.
- Compiled videos and created pilot quiz format for hiring to diversity, LGBTQ2+ language, ability, and Indigenous perspective
Fall 2020: Connecting as Nature (eResidency)
Team A: Garbage and Visitor Impact
Things would be better if parks across Canada had standardized effective messaging to promote environmental ethics among new visitors (especially during COVID)
Created a survey on impact of COVID visitation in parks
Designed initial model for a shared “keep parks clean” campaign
Team B: Connecting Schools to Nature in Parks
How can Park Leaders support schools in connecting kids to nature by removing barriers to accessing parks?
- Created a bilingual survey for parks to use to understand barriers to accessing parks for educators in their area
- Created a bilingual infographic and template letter to explain the value of nature experiences to teachers
Team C: Climate Change Across Parks
Creating a tool to ensure all park staff (not just resource conservation/ecology) realize climate change is their business.
- Created an infographic to help park staff understand climate change, nature-based solutions, and mitigations
- Presented as a service-learning panel to the 2021 eResidency
Team D: Role of Parks During COVID
How can parks learn from this pandemic to be better prepared for future global challenges? Should parks be considered essential services and how can they support access to nature?
- Infographic on preparing park agencies for future global issues based on learnings from the pandemic
Winter 2021: Climate Change (eResidency)
Team E: Indigenous Relations
Can we create a learning opportunity that will help more park agency staff understand ethical space in a parks and protected areas context?
- Identify sources of information on ethical space
- Frame it for park users
- Present it in a useable format through CPCCL.ca
Team F: Cultural Awareness
Can we create a toolkit of resources to help park agency staff and leaders understand cultural competency?
- Review current approaches to sharing resources
- Compile resources
- Present it in a useful way on CPPCL.ca
Team G: Decision Making
What decision-making tools exist that could benefit park leader in complex issues (e.g. caribou, finance, cultural resource protection)?
- Identify decision-making tools
- Apply to several example challenges
- Share insights to help others use these tools
Team H: Youth Engagement
How can park leaders better engage youth in recruitment and retention? Can we create a youth advisory council or inform the CPPCL knowledge gatherers program?
- Pilot survey of seasonal and youth staff
- Design of youth advisory community for CPPCL
Alumni Leadership Stories & Blog Posts
As part of the program, some participants create blog posts and other online resources to share with the CPPCL community. Blogs are often written in collaboration with a partnered knowledge gatherer.
