The Couchiching Conservancy is governed by a Board of Directors that meets 12 times a year. The Board has the responsibility for accepting donations of property or conservation easements, managing these properties in a responsible manner, fundraising and educational outreach.
Board Members 2010
|
Name |
Position |
Telephone |
Email |
| Isabelle Thiess |
President |
259-5547 |
thiga@rogers.com |
Jamie Powell |
Vice-President |
835-0149 |
|
Ingrid VanderMarel |
Secretary |
739-7596 |
|
Peggy Foley |
Treasurer |
325-2287 |
|
Lou Probst |
~ |
438-1324 |
|
Bob Sullivan |
~ |
325-8775 |
|
Kristi McKechnie |
~ |
689-9491 |
|
David Homer |
~ |
833-2571 |
|
David Hawke |
~ |
835-6213 |
|
Mark Bisset |
Executive Director |
326-1620 |
|
Kyra Howes |
Stewardship Coordinator |
326-4643 |
|
Gayle Carlyle |
Outreach Co-ordinator |
326-1620 |
|
Kristen Field |
Conservation Assistant |
326-4643 |
|
Isabelle Thiess
Isabelle grew up in Oro-Medonte Township, graduated from the University of Guelph and made a career in teaching. She has volunteered for many organizations including St. Paul's United Church, CFUW Orillia and the Stephen Lewis Foundation "Grannies to Grannies" group in Orillia. Isabelle and her husband, Gary, lead a group of Twin Lakes Conservation Club members who help make up the Conservancy's Carthew Bay Nature Reserve management team. Her energy and enthusiasm for conservation now extends two generations to her five year-old grandson who leads family tours through Grant's Woods.
Jamie Powell
Jamie has spent most of his life working and playing in the Orillia area both as a cottager and permanent resident. He is married to Valerie and has two grown children, Gray, an actor currently a member of the Shaw Festival Company and Elizabeth, a musical artist, living in Montreal. Jamie has always enjoyed and taken a deep interest in the natural environment. In his professional career as deputy city engineer for the City of Orillia and then as a consulting engineer working with large and small municipalities across Canada, Jamie has seen a lot of positive environmental change in the way cities build and operate their infrastructure. However, there is still a lot more to be done and it can only be done if more people take an active role in protecting our environment. Jamie has been a member of The Couchiching Conservancy for a number of years and joined the board in 2009. This past year he has taken a particular interest in the Land Between project.
Ingrid VanderMarel
Born in Nambia of German parents, Ingrid moved to Canada at the age of two and lived most of her life in northern Ontario in "the bush". There she acquired a great love for the outdoors. After marrying, Ingrid and her husband and their three children were transferred eight times in Ontario to finally settle in Horseshoe Valley. Ingrid has been a board member with The Conservancy for two years, having volunteered for some time in other roles previous to that. She is a member of two property management teams and enjoys those visits as well as everything out-of-doors. She is an avid hiker and snowshoer and explores the Copeland Forest endlessly. She also loves canoeing, kayaking and weaving. Conserving nature's quiet spaces is very close to her heart. Ingrid is a student exchange co-ordinator for the Canadian Education Exchange Foundation, facilitating reciprocal student exchanges for Canadian high school students and their partners in Europe.
Peggy Foley
Peggy Foley is Assistant Branch Manager at Meridian Credit Union in downtown Orillia. In that role she has been involved in sponsoring and volunteering at Mother Earth Day through Meridian's Good Neighbour program. She as an Honours B.A. in Geography with a focus on Environment and Resource Management from Wilfred Laurier University. She holds the honourary title of "Recycle Police" both at home and at work. Peggy grew up in the Cranberry Lake area but now lives near the Carthew Bay Nature Reserve. She describes her involvement in The Conservancy as a natural fit and in the past year used some of her talents as the Treasurer of the board.
Lou Probst
Lou and his wife Judy moved to the Carden Plain in 1995. They bought 600 acres with the intent of turning it into a nature reserve. They have since donated 500 acres of this reserve to the Nature Conservancy to add to the Cameron Ranch. In addition they purchased 200 acres in Prospect Marsh, a Provincially Significant Wetland, for donation to The Couchiching Conservancy. Lou became a founding member of the Carden Plain Important Bird Area (IBA) and the Carden Field Naturalists. He is currently the Chair of the IBA, Chair of the City of Kawartha Lakes Environmental Advisory Committee, and Co-Chair of the Carden Nature Festival. Lou and Judy have been generous supporters of acquisition projects for the Cameron Ranch, Windmill Ranch, Prairie Smoke Nature Reserve and Little Blue Stem Alvar Reserve.
Robert Sullivan
Bob is a dentist who has practised in Orillia for 30 years and has been a member of the Conservancy board for 8 years. He has volunteered with the Wilkins Easement Property Management Team and is now on the Waterthrush Woods Team. His planning and management skills have been invaluable on the board. He was President of The Conservancy for two years. Bob loves snowshoeing, cross-country skiiing, canoeing, hiking and kayaking, and is a keen supporter of conserving land for future generations. He and Wendy have three daughters and live in Severn Township. Bob serves on the board of an insurance company and is currently on the faculty of Georgian College.
Kristi McKechnie
Kristi was born in Orillia. After receiving her degree in Architectural Science in Toronto, she returned to the area and now resides on the Black River her husband and two dogs. In 2005 Kristi was a recepient of Couchiching Conservancy silver pin in appreciation for all her work on the Grant House renovations. She runs her own Architectural Design firm specializing in accessibility and sustainable, built environments and continues to lend her expertise in the design of trails and Conservancy buildings. She is currently co-chair of the local M.S. Walk. Kristi joined the board in 2008 and has a special interest in the design of the web site.
David A. Homer
For 25 years, David was the Director of the Media Centre and cross-appointed to the Faculty of Fine Arts, teaching television production, at Toronto's York University. During his academic tenure, he also taught communications courses in the Faculties of Arts and Education. When not in the classroom, David could be found in major television production facilities around North America producing and directing television documentaries for various charitable organizations. Prior to his retirement, David spent seven years in the challenging position of Assistant Vice-President (Business Operations) of the University. Upon retirement, David and his wife, Bonnie, moved to their beloved property on Lake Dalrymple, just east of Orillia where he spends a great deal of his time. Involved in several community activities including the Carden Field Naturalists, which he was instrumental in forming six years ago, he now serves as its President. David established and still edits the Club's newsletter, The Prairie Smoke, named after the wonderful wildflower which blooms profusely on the Carden Alvar. When not involved in community activities, David can be found in his lakeside studio creating Songbird Sculptures, which now grace homes and offices across North America and as far away as New Zealand.
David Hawke
David J. Hawke is probably well-known to most members as the weekly nature columnist in the Orillia Packet and Times newspaper. He has been writing this column, and submissions for various magazines, for the past 20 years. Two books have been published of his work, the first being WETLANDS, a coffee-table style book with his photographs and writings, the second being DAVE'S BLOOMIN' FLOWER GUIDE, a reference guide to the flowering dates of regional wildflowers. David was the local co-ordinator for the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas (first edition) and has also been president of the Orillia Naturalists' Club, as well as their newsletter editor. He is a founding member of the Marl-Tiny-Matchedash Conservation Association, and has participated in numerous conservation projects. David's career has involved work with: The Canadian Wildlife Service (Nature Interpretation Officer); Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (Marsh Interpreter, Wetland Evaluator, Education Officer); Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (Rural Community Advisor); Bayview-Wildwood Resort (Eco-tourism and Recreation Manager); Taboo Resort (Parklands and Recreation Manager) as well as earlier contracts with Ontario land surveyors, the Grey and Simcoe Foresters militia unit in Barrie, and being a farm hand. His association with The Couchiching Conservancy includes projects such as the Oro Moraine Woodland Study, Carden IBA booklet, donating the use of many of his photographs for publications, and assisting with fundraising. David is married to biologist/artist Juliana Hawke, and they have two daughters (Eric and Shannon) and a grandson (Toby). They all live among the rolling hills of Oro-Medonte Township between Coulson and Horseshoe Valley.
For more information about current Conservancy projects and activities, please contact us:
The Couchiching Conservancy
Box 704, 1485 Division Road West
Orillia, Ontario
L3V 6K7
Contact the Conservancy at:
(705) 326-1620
nature@couchconservancy.ca
