BC Parks Foundation

Shera Clement
VP Finance and Operations
Hometown: Vancouver, BC

What made you interested in working for the BC Parks Foundation?   
My love of nature and strong interest to preserve it for future generations.
 
What is your favourite park and why?  
I’m not sure I have a favourite, but in the summer months I love long mountain bike adventures over the passes of South Chilcotin Mountains and hiking the peaks of Cathedral Provincial Park.  As an avid cross-country skier, in the winter months (outside of work hours), I can be found at either Cypress or Callaghan Valley.
 
What is your favorite thing you’ve worked on for the foundation?  
I am only on day three, so I’m not sure I can answer this question yet.  Ask me again in a month.

Kate Le Souef
Program Manager, Discover Parks 
Hometown: Perth, Australia 

What made you interested in working for the BC Parks Foundation?  
I joined BC Parks Foundation to be part of a great team that is contributing to creating amazing Parks and experiences. I was excited about being involved in the Discover Parks program and all the opportunities that this program creates!
 

What is your favourite park and why? 
 All of them, I haven’t met a park I don’t like yet! I love Golden Ears in the spring, I love snowshoeing at Seymour, I love the beach at Rathtrevor, I love the ocean at Porteau Cove, I love beachcombing at Naikoon, I love the lake at Garibaldi, I love the mountains at E.C. Manning! 
 
What is your favorite thing you’ve worked on for the foundation?  
I love working with our Discover Parks Ambassadors, their enthusiasm for nature and the outdoors is infectious! It is truly a privilege to be able to contribute to our Parks system and to help Park visitors connect more deeply to nature. 

Emma Griggs
Program Manager, Communications and Wildlife Forever 
Hometown: Vancouver, BC

What made you interested in working for the BC Parks Foundation?  
 The Foundation was only a year old when I became aware of it but had already had made such a significant impact on BC’s parks and protected areas. I immediately wanted to do whatever I could to be part of an organization that moves fast to get big stuff done. I was drawn to the speed and agility with which the team operates, as well as the flexibility and versatility – at any given time, we are involved with so many wonderful other fields that overlap with conservation. The Foundation also occupies such unique space in BC’s conservation landscape and offers the opportunity to work on programs and campaigns that you won’t find anywhere else. 

What is your favourite park and why?  
My favourite park is definitely Desolation Sound. Marine provincial parks are such a wonderful mix of BC’s coastal eco-regions, especially the forests and shoreline communities and the marine species that live up and down the coast. Whales, dolphins, seastars, otters, seals, swimming in bioluminescence… it’s magic! It’s also just much more fun to combine time on the water, passing the classic BC mountains, with time wandering on islands by foot. Kayaking in Desolation Sound is one of my favourite childhood memories, even though we only went twice – that’s the power of parks!
 
What is your favorite thing you’ve worked on for the foundation?  
We do a lot of cool stuff all the time… but there’s nothing quite like a land acquisition campaign. I have never felt so inspired, motivated, and empowered. There’s something about watching the way people come together to do whatever they can to save beautiful places that is so pure and heart-warming. A lot of people are anxious about the climate emergency and habitat and biodiversity loss and feel such a sense of hopelessness and powerlessness. Our land acquisition campaigns offer people such a direct way to be involved, which renews one’s sense of hope and determination. No gloom and doom here at the BC Parks Foundation – we’re just pushing onwards, doing whatever we can to keep B.C. beautiful. 

Yoonyoung Jahng
Manager, User Experience and Design 

What made you interested in working for the BC Parks Foundation?  
Healthy by Nature, Discover Parks, PaRx and other great programs BCPF had to offer.

What is your favourite park and why?  
Can't say I have one favorite. Buntzen park is a great place in the summer to spend time with family and friends, Pacific Spirit Regional Park has cushy trails and forest-feel for running and walking and Trout Lake a good local park to picnic with friends, for famers markets and swimming for dogs. We're lucky to be surround beaches and mountain and have easily accessible parks and greenspace all around us. 

What is your favorite thing you’ve worked on for the foundation?  
Discover Parks webapp! 

Casey Walker
Administration and Finance Coordinator
Hometown: Langley, BC & Trinidad and Tobago

What made you interested in working for the BC Parks Foundation?  
On a general level, I want to work in the non-profit sector. More specifically, I was drawn to BC Parks Foundation because I love camping and the opportunity to be contributing towards the work of preserving our great outdoors and making it even more glorious was one, I couldn’t pass up.

What is your favourite park and why?  
I can’t have a favorite yet because I need to see all first! I will say that the Liard River Hot Springs is at the top of my must-visit soon list.

What is your favorite thing you’ve worked on for the foundation?
I love connecting with our donors. So, my favourite thing has been the conversations and stories that are shared with me when a campaign is running. I’m always touched by the generosity of spirit and the joy that our successes spread.

Prama Rahman
Program Coordinator, Healthy By Nature 
Hometown: Vancouver, BC

What made you interested in working for the BC Parks Foundation?  
The chance to work on projects exploring the connection between nature and improved health

What is your favourite park and why?  
There are so many beautiful parks in BC, it is difficult to choose a favourite! I have wanted to visit Princess Louisa Marine Provincial Park since learning about the Foundation’s 2019 campaign to protect Princess Louisa Inlet. I would like to be able to visit and see Chatterbox Falls in person. 

What is your favorite thing you’ve worked on for the foundation?  
Supporting the PaRx program as it rolls out across Canada. The program has launched in BC, Ontario, and Saskatchewan so far, and it has been wonderful to see over 800 healthcare professionals signing up to prescribe time in nature.

Alexia Constantinou
Coordinator, WildCAM Network 
Hometown: Maple, Ontario

What made you interested in working for the BC Parks Foundation? 
The opportunity to combine citizen science, relationships with First Nations and wildlife research! 
 
What is your favourite park and why?  
I just returned from the Berg Lake trail, and I have to say that Mt Robson Park is not only stunningly beautiful, but it was immaculately clean (a great example of Leave No Trace principles!) It made me very happy to hike through so many different forest types and camp under Mt Robson, listening to the glaciers calving. 

What is your favorite thing you’ve worked on for the foundation?  
I just started with the Foundation last month, but I am very excited to work on building relationships with First Nations around the province, focussed on remote camera trapping. 

Emmajean Neal
Executive Assistant
Hometown: Vancouver, BC

What made you interested in working for the BC Parks Foundation?
I have had the privilege to hike, snowshoe, cycle, paddle, ski, swim, run, camp, and explore in BC parks for all of my life. My experiences in nature, ranging from hiking the West Coast Trail to swimming from Keats Island to Gibsons, have shaped who I am today. Working for BCPF, whose mission is to preserve and promote positive park experiences, is a dream job for me. It gives me the chance to help give back to the natural world that has profoundly enriched my life.

What is your favourite park and why?
My favourite park is Templeton Park in East Vancouver. A large portion of my childhood was spent there, training and coaching at a youth triathlon club. The overwhelming sense of community and inclusion of the park and community centre is another reason why I love it so much.

What is your favorite thing you’ve worked on for the foundation?  
My favourite project that I have worked on at BCPF so far is the development of the Discover Parks App. It is an honour to work on something that I believe will help many more British Columbians enjoy all that our province's parks have to offer.