Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation is delighted that James (Jim) Macaulay has been recognized with the BC Premier’s Award for his outstanding legacy of environmental prosecution. His work, particularly his embrace of creative sentencing, has fundamentally changed BC’s approach to environmental stewardship.

HCTF CEO Brian Springinotic was one of Jim’s nominees for the award. Here’s part of what Brian wrote:

“It is a great honour to write in support of the nomination of James MacAulay for the Legacy and BC Public Service Hall of Excellence. Jim has made an exceptional and enduring contribution to the Province of British Columbia through his dedication to establishing creative sentencing as a catalyst for conservation in BC.

As the senior Environmental Crown Prosecutor for BC, Jim has worked tirelessly  over the past 20 years to educate fellow prosecutors and the province’s judiciary about the benefits of creative sentencing. Creative sentencing goes beyond traditional fines and penalties to require guilty parties to make payments to organizations such as the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation (HCTF) so they can be used to benefit the ecosystems impacted. Creative sentencing helps to transform environmental tragedy into support for community-based projects and programs that benefit all British Columbians. Our experience is that the citizens of BC respond very positively to the “symmetry” created by creative sentencing: not only is justice done, it is seen to be done.

As but a single example, Jim’s work on the 2007 Burnaby oil spill case resulted in a $447,000 creative sentencing award to HCTF, over and above the estimated $15M paid to remediate the affected area. The granting program created from this award was a tremendous catalyst for community conservation projects at the site of impact. The $447,000 creative sentencing award was leveraged into over $2M for the restoration of critical habitats along the north shore of Burrard Inlet. I am certain that Jim’s unwavering endorsement of creative sentencing in BC has been instrumental in many of the hundreds of court awards we’ve received and the millions of dollars invested in conservation as a result of creative sentencing decisions made by BC’s judiciary.”

We encourage you to view this video detailing Jim’s contributions to environmental conservation in BC.

Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation is pleased to welcome Karen Barry, MSc, RPBio as our new Manager, Biology & Evaluation. Karen holds a B.Sc. in Biology from the University of Waterloo and an M.Sc. in Biology from the University of Victoria. She is a registered Professional Biologist with the College of Applied Biology of BC and has held positions in research, government, consulting, and non-profit organizations.

Karen’s background includes work in freshwater and marine biology in the Great Lakes, Chesapeake and Delaware Bay, and BC. More recently, Karen’s work with Bird Studies Canada involved coordinating volunteer bird monitoring programs, writing technical reports, and leading training workshops.  Karen also has experience with the West Coast Conservation Land Management Program where she led fish and wildlife inventory and restoration projects in wetlands and estuaries on Vancouver Island and the central and north coast. While working with other conservation organizations, Karen became very familiar with HCTF’s funding programs from an applicant perspective. Karen brings additional experience in planning events, working with boards, and delivering public outreach.

Originally from Montreal, Karen has lived on Vancouver Island since 2000 and in her spare time, she enjoys exploring wild places, gardening, birding, hiking, canoeing, reading, and baking. She looks forward to supporting HCTF and advancing conservation of fish and wildlife in BC.

Karen’s first day in the office is November 1. Our wonderful outgoing Biology & Evaluation Manager Kathryn Martell will be staying on with HCTF part-time for the immediate future to ensure an effective transition. From all of us at HCTF, welcome Karen!

The Canadian conservation community recently lost a vibrant champion with the passing of Brent Gurd. Brent was a talented and passionate biologist, and his contributions to the preservation of wild places in BC are a fitting legacy.

Born in Toronto, Brent completed his Bachelor of Science and Master’s Degrees in biology at the University of Guelph before relocating to Vancouver and achieving his Doctor of Philosophy in Ecology at Simon Fraser University. Brent’s passion for wildlife and the environment led to employment at the Ontario African Lion Safari, Nature Canada, and, most recently, as a Senior Biologist with the British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.

Brent worked closely with Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation on a variety of projects with big conservation impacts. He led the Sturgeon Bank restoration efforts, ensuring the protection of one of Canada’s most important habitats for migratory and wintering birds. His other projects included studies of Grizzly Bear abundance in Toba Inlet, as well as managing operations and maintenance activities for the Lower Mainland, a region that includes over 29,000 hectares of critical wildlife habitat, six wildlife management areas and four conservation lands, all situated within close proximity to BC’s largest population base.

Brent was a committed conservation leader, and a deeply cared-for colleague and collaborator. He will be missed by his partners at HCTF, and our hearts are with his family.

You are invited to send your personal messages and memories to Brent’s family here. In lieu of flowers, his family has indicated that donations to The Nature Trust of British Columbia or Nature Conservancy of Canada would be appreciated.