My Story

My Story

I grew up in the lower mainland (Burnaby and Coquitlam) then moved up to Vernon in 2002. As long as I can remember I have had a connection with nature, I guess from playing in the small patches of forests near my house in both cities. A few years after moving to Vernon and working in construction, I saw first hand what the new housing and resort development was doing to the area and didn’t like it. I started to look at ways I could help change the trend. I got involved with the City of Vernon’s planning department to try and help steer the urban development toward a balance with the natural elements (creeks, wetlands and grasslands). Since then I have been communicating with North Okanagan Naturalist Club (member), OCCP, NCC, Sierra Club (was the chair of Okanagan Local Group), Allan Brooks Nature Centre (Director of Marketing for 2 years), Grasslands Council of BC and many others (since 2006 if memory serves). I first tried habitat preservation (grasslands, wetlands and riparian areas around greater Vernon) efforts by meeting with Barb Pryce (southern interior program director of NCC), the meeting went really well, but were unable to get any projects going. Next I worked with Sierra Club (chair of Okanagan Local Group for 5 years), I got some success with local governments and the media, but that was about it. Then last spring I read about the start up of BC Parks Foundation, so I started to compile information that would resonate with all like minded people with the understanding of what needs to be done in order to preserve and restore biodiversity in all ecosystems and habitats throughout the province. Locally in the North Okanagan, the Commonage, Bella Vista/Goose Lake Range and the Coldstream South Facing Slope Grasslands are all very important for connectivity from the Southern Okanagan to the Thompson/Nicola/Cariboo/Chilcotin, so my focus has been on that.
So that's part of my story in a nutshell.
 
Always passionate for nature
 
Brad Foster