Alison Maingon
Alison grew up in Scotland, but left the green hills of home for Canada in 1970. After teaching about Greek and Roman culture in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Saskatchewan for over 30 years, she retired in 2011 to an acreage on the Tsolum, close to Strathcona Park. A keen naturalist, environmentalist and avid hiker, she spends as much time as possible studying native flora (including mushrooms) in their habitats from shoreline to alpine, and has guided walks for both SWI and Comox Valley Nature.
Allyson Hamilton
Allyson Hamilton, CPA, CA is the Controller for Harmonic Arts Botanical Dispensary Inc. in Courtenay. Previously she was a Senior Accountant with Pateman Cloutier Matthews LLP Chartered Accountants. Allyson joined the SWI board in 2014. Her previous board experience includes ten years with the North Island College Board of Governors during which she served on the Finance and Audit Committee and the Executive Committee. Allyson has lived in the Comox Valley for over 25 years and enjoys running and hiking around the valley in her spare time.
Claire Gordon
Claire is a writer and mountain climber based in the unceded territory of the K’ómoks First Nation. She promotes environmental stewardship through her poetry. Claire spent a number of years working in Strathcona Park, maintaining some of its backcountry trails, and exploring prominent peaks.
Daniel Tucker
Dan recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at University of Alberta, where he focused primarily in botany and community ecology. Dan’s research interests involve understanding the mechanisms behind plant-plant interactions, community assembly, and the biogeographical distributions of “lower” plants (bryophytes) and lichens. Formerly a summer student with SWI, Dan has spent many days exploring the biodiversity of Strathcona Provincial Park.
Debbie Sundberg
Born and raised in Nanaimo, a resident of the Comox Valley for over 40 years. Debbie has spent decades hiking in the wilderness and in Strathcona Provincial Park. She has been volunteering at the Strathcona Park Wilderness Centre for quite a few years and is an excellent advocate for both backcountry etiquette and wilderness stewardship. She has also dedicated a great deal of time to working with the public, volunteering for M.A.R.S., the Oyster Bay Shoreline Park and other local projects.
John Waters
John has been hiking, climbing and skiing in Strathcona Park for over 30 years. He became a director with SWI in 2008, the year the Strathcona Park Wilderness Centre was built. John held the position of secretary with SWI for two years and now contributes mostly with fund raising events and media. He believes the conservation and protection of the Park can be achieved through responsible use and education.
Judy Norbury
Judy has lived in the Comox Valley for 38 years and has always been passionate about the environment, particularly the wild places. She was involved in the action at Clayoquot Sound in 1993 and has been a member of Friends of Strathcona Park. She joined the board of SWI partly to promote the increasingly accessible facilities at Paradise Meadows, i.e., the wheelchair accessible Centennial Trail and the use of a TrailRider mobility device to provide access to the forest trails for people with disabilities.
Lindsay Elms
Lindsay arrived on Vancouver Island in 1989 after years of trekking and working around the globe. For eight years he worked as a Mountaineering Instructor for the Canadian Outdoor Leadership Training (COLT) program at Strathcona Park Lodge on the edge of Strathcona Park. He has climbed more than 250 of the island’s peaks and has published two books on the history of mountaineering on Vancouver Island.
Loys Maingon
An avid hiker since childhood, Loys is a Registered Professional Biologist, specializing in limnology and riparian ecology. He has a background in entomology, lichenology and phycology, and has served as the Canadian Chair of the Sampling Methods Committee for the International Standards Organization. In retirement since 2011, he has been president of Comox Valley Nature (2011- 2016) during which he has led weekly interpretive naturalist walks. He has taught botany and environmental topics. He is currently a member of the Garry Oak Research Group, Secretary of the Association of Professional Biologists of BC, and Webinarhost for the Canadian Society of Environmental Biologists. This year, for SWI, he is organizing non-invasive and citizen-oriented reseach projects monitoring the environmental health of Strathcona Park.
Margaret Symon
Margaret is delighted to join the board of the Strathcona Wilderness Institute. As a young teen at a wilderness camp run out of Strathcona Park Lodge, mountains captivated Margaret. A strong connection with the Island Mountain Ramblers led to mountaineering adventures on Vancouver Island, the Coast Range, and the Rockies, and indirectly led to a degree in Forest Resources Management at UBC. A Professional Forester, Margaret manages a consulting firm (named after Strathcona Park), and is also active on the boards of several volunteer organizations, including the Canadian Institute of Forestry and the Mount Washington volunteer ski patrol association.
Steve Smith – Director Emeritus
In 1977 Steve was offered a position as a mountaineering instructor/guide at Strathcona Park Lodge which changed his life. It gave him an intimate knowledge of and love for Strathcona Park and Canadian wilderness. In 1986, Steve, his wife Marlene, along with a small committed group of “park protectors”, founded the Friends of Strathcona Park. In 1995 with the support of BC Parks and other organizations, Steve formed the SWI. Although BC Parks had ceased all park programs and no longer operated Park Information Centres, Steve and his directors vision for the Strathcona Park Wilderness Centre became a reality with community support & partnerships.