Our Team
Our Steering Committee is made up of volunteers representing all levels of government, communities and non-profit organizations. This committee provides leadership, strategic direction and decision-making capacity to advance our goals, objectives and core program areas. Guidance is provided by our Terms of Reference. We are privileged to have the leadership of the following individuals who comprise TNCC’s Steering Committee:
The Mission StatementWe put environment first.
What? The TNCC was started in March 2020 to explore options for greater support for, and collaboration among, groups doing conservation work in the Thompson-Nicola (T-N) region, including the possibility of a regional conservation partnership, similar to others in BC.
Who? It was initiated by the BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development (FLNRORD), with start-up funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada – Canadian Wildlife Service (ECCC-CWS). In April 2021, the TNCC will be launched as a member-driven collaborative organization, independent of government.
Why? ECCC has identified 11 Priority Places for biodiversity conservation in Canada, including the BC Dry Interior. The T-N region comprises 45% of the Dry Interior and contains provincially, nationally and globally significant biodiversity values, including many species and ecosystems at risk. For example, the grassland ecosystem covers only 1% of the province but has over 30% of the species at risk.
When? In Phase 1, March 2020 to March 2021, consultants conducted background research, directed by an ad hoc Working Group, including 80 interviews with over 60 organizations. Results from the interviews show overwhelming support for the idea of a conservation partnership!
Jessica Allen
Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc
Chris Barker
Wild Sheep Society of BC
Scott Boswell
Okanagan Collaborative Conservation Program
Danielle Cross
Nature Conservancy of Canada
Tina Donald
Brian Holmes
Shauna Jones
Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship
Alex LaForce
Jamie Leathem
Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship
Mike Overend
Heather Richardson
Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship
Jesse Ritcey
Mandy Ross
Lisa Strychar
Gail Wallin
Kirsten Wourms
Danielle Toperczer
Leading the organization’s day to day operations is TNCC’s Program Manager, Danielle Toperczer. Danielle is an agrologist with over 15 years’ experience in program management, engagement and communications in both the non-profit and government sectors. Danielle has a deep appreciation for the people and places within the Thompson Watershed and enjoys many outdoor activities within this and other special places across the province.
Ally Blake
Ally Blake brings diverse experience in communications and event management from non-profit and private sector organizations to her role as Communications and Stewardship Coordinator with TNCC. Originally from N. Ireland, Ally enjoys organic farming, paddling and is passionate about conserving British Columbia's great outdoors for future generations.
Vanessa Isnardy
Vanessa Isnardy is TNCC's Conservation and Engagement Coordinator. Vanessa is a Registered Professional Biologist that has worked with a variety of organizations on projects that increase our knowledge of the natural world and support resilient and biologically diverse ecosystems. She has a BSc in ecological restoration and experience in GIS mapping, field work, fish and fish habitat work, wetland monitoring, native plants, and human-wildlife coexistence issues and solutions. An avid naturalist, birder, photographer, and budding graphic artist, she also enjoys a variety of outdoor activities. Vanessa lives on the unceded and traditional territory of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc.
Alex Bruvold
Alex Bruvold is a recent graduate from Thompson Rivers University joining the TNCC team as a Conservation Program Intern. Majoring in Geography and Environmental Studies, Alex studied the ways the Earth’s surfaces change and how we, as people, contribute to this change. She is very interested in learning more about these changes as well as ways that conservation can mitigate any of these negative effects. Alex's experience includes sustainability outreach and forestry work.
“When we show our respect for other living things, they respond with respect for us”
Arapahoe proverb
Great Basin Spadefoot (Spea intermontana)