Stewardship Centre for BC » About the SCBC

Mission Statement

Our mission is to strengthen ecological stewardship in BC by providing technical, educational, and capacity building resources and fostering partnerships among organizations, groups, governments, and the private sector.

Vision

British Columbians understand, enjoy, and sustain healthy ecosystems through stewardship.

Tools and Resources for the 21st Century

After over a decade of producing technical resources for stewards, the SCBC was incorporated as a non-profit society in 2006, and held it's first AGM in February 2007. Since then, we have developed tools and programs on ecosystems, habitat and species at risk to help to sustain our natural landscapes and watersheds. These tools, which include training and planning resources, are designed for landowners, land use professionals, the development community, local governments and local conservation organizations. The Stewardship Series – a peer reviewed, science‐based series of 19 guides for environmental stewards, including local governments – is one of SCBC’s cornerstone initiatives. Current programs include Green Shores™ which focuses on sustainable shore design and development and local government incentives for waterfront landowners; Stewardship Works!, which assists grassroots conservation organizations to develop internal capacity and demonstrates the effectiveness of core funding; and the Species at Risk Primer, an online interactive tool for local governments and landowners to access Species at Risk information and management prescriptions for species at risk habitat protection.

SCBC Principles

The following principles guide the operations and initiatives of the Stewardship Centre for BC:

Information presented by the Stewardship Centre is credible, knowledge-based, accessible and responsive to the needs of stewards in BC.
Stewardship Centre programs are partner-based, inclusive, and non-partisan.
Stewardship Centre initiatives respect the interests and rights of all participants.
The Stewardship Centre conducts its operations in an effective, efficient and accountable manner.

Meet the Board of Directors

Peter Abrams
Peter Abrams, Co-Chair, has an established reputation as a proficient facilitator, researcher, program manager, international development program coordinator, coach, and trainer; focusing on social, environmental and sustainability issues, and organizational development. Over the years, Peter has enjoyed working collaboratively and creatively with a diversity of clients and participants, including First Nations, non-profit social service and conservation organizations, government, businesses, watershed stewardship groups, youth, community groups, industry and academia from the local to international levels. Peter has a BA (International Development Studies), and a MER (Masters of Environmental Management). Peter been on the SCBC Board since 2007 and brings the industry and small business perspective to the Board.
Liana Ayach
Liana Ayach, Co-Chair, is an environmental technologist with the City of Surrey's Engineering Department. She has been involved in environmental protection since 2001 when she co-led the inaugural year for an agricultural stewardship team with the City of Surrey's Salmon Habitat Restoration Program (SHaRP). She now manages the SHaRP youth watershed stewardship program full time along with developing other stewardship themed education programs for the City. Liana is a mother of 2 young boys, the second of which recently joined the family so she is currently enjoying more family time with them while off on maternity leave. She has completed programs from the environmental protection technology program with Kwantlen and the Environmental Engineering program from BCIT.
Brian Ilnicki
Brian Ilnicki, Secretary/Treasurer, has spent the past 25 years bringing people together to work on common priorities for achieving sustainability on the landscapes of Alberta. Currently, as the Executive Director of the Land Stewardship Centre of Canada, he has partnered with individuals, organizations and all levels of government to design and implement conservation and stewardship programs that benefit landowners, land managers and biodiversity. Brian brings a national NGO perspective to the SCBC Board.
Joanne Day
Joanne Day is a Community Liaison Biologist with Fisheries & Oceans Canada. She coordinates the Community Involvement Program -- over 350 groups throughout province active in stewardship and education.
Ken Brock
In his nearly 18 years with Environment Canada, Ken has held a variety of positions including Manager of the Ecosystem Coordination Office, Head of Habitat Conservation, as well as a variety of stewardship, EC and policy roles. Ken is currently Head of Protected Areas and Stewardship for the Canadian Wildlife Service. Ken holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from McGill and Master in Environmental Studies from York.
Annemarie Koch
Annemarie is a longtime resident of northern Vancouver Island. Her interests in stewardship stem from a life in the forest and next to the sea, and being the daughter of a weatherman and a gardener. She lives in Sointula where she is a member of the Malcolm Island Bird Club and volunteers as a warden for two estuary properties held by Nature Trust. She is also a long term supporter of the Quatse Salmon Stewardship Centre in Port Hardy.
Sean Sharpe
Sean Sharpe has extensive experience in ecosystems research and management, particularly related to environmental management, monitoring and audit programs spanning over 25 years across Canada. Sean has been lead in baseline wildlife and habitat work for numerous environmental assessments, as well as the agency lead for regulatory review on a number of mine, pipeline and transmission corridor projects. Sean has proven experience working with the First Nations, regulatory staff and industry related to transportation, hydro, oil and gas and mining industry activities. Sean’s current interest and expertise is in research and management related to wildlife ecology, fisheries and habitat assessment, mitigation and reclamation.
Val Schaefer
Val is the Academic Administrator of the Restoration of Natural Systems Program at the University of Victoria. He explores urban ecosystems, urban agriculture, the impact of nature in the city on physical and emotional well-being and the role of invasive species and ecological memory in creating novel ecosystems. Most of his restoration projects involve environmental stewardship. Val’s website urbanecology.ca has full details of his projects and publications.
Margo Hearne
Irish-born Margo Hearne settled in Masset, Haida Gwaii, in 1974 and began serious birding in 1983. She kept bird records while fishing aboard the troller/gillnetter Lady Julia for 17 years and is an active advocate for social and environmental justice. Margo writes regular columns on birds and fish for local papers and used her communication skills to help raise more than $1 million to build a bridge to restore the Delkatla Wildlife Sanctuary to its original estuarine status in 1995 and continues her conservation work at the Sanctuary as their Executive Director.
Edwin Hubert
Edwin Hubert is a Senior Ecosystems Planning Biologist with the BC Ministry of Environment where he provides technical expertise to policy initiatives that support environmental impact assessment and conservation. He is currently focusing his volunteer efforts on greening his daughter’s school grounds.