CPAWS-NS Board of Directors
Executive
Craig Smith - President
Our President since May 2007, Craig holds degrees in Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism, and Geography from Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario as well as a Master of Environmental Studies from Dalhousie in Halifax. Before moving to the Maritimes, Craig spent 5 years working as an outdoor leadership professional, most recently for Outward Bound Canada where he led many long wilderness canoe trips, taught kayaking and ran sled dogs in the winters. Craig is currently the Coastal Conservation Coordinator at the Nova Scotia Nature Trust. When not working or volunteering with CPAWS, Craig likes to do just about anything that involves being in natural environments.
Cheyenne Dickinson - Vice President
Cheyenne holds a Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Biology from the University of Northern British Columbia, and a Master’s degree in Resource and Environmental Management from Dalhousie University. She has worked on an eclectic array of environmental and conservation initiatives, focusing on ornithology, wilderness and marine conservation, environmental education, active transportation, and many things in between! She enjoys anything outdoors, crocheting… and crocheting outdoors.
Karen Potter - Treasurer
Karen loves being out in the fresh air and the beauty of nature. During her pursuit of a BScH (Environmental Science) at Acadia University, she spent many an evening strolling along the Minas Basin or cycling in the Gaspereau Valley. Since 1997, Karen has been working to conserve Nova Scotia's environment through her work in land stewardship, pollution prevention, and species at risk and nature conservation. Karen worked as Chapter Coordinator at CPAWS NS between June 2004 and fall 2005.
Directors
Martin Willison
Born in England in 1943, Martin Willison moved to Canada in 1974 and is now a Full Professor at Dalhousie University. He is jointly appointed in the Biology Department (Faculty of Science) and the School for Resource and Environmental Studies (Faculty of Management). He also has cross-appointments to programs in marine affairs, international development, and environmental science. His teaching and research interests are similarly diverse, including nature conservation and the roles of non-government organizations in environmental management. Martin has had a long association with non-government conservation and environmental organizations in Nova Scotia and Canada, including helping to create several of these. He has written and edited nine books as well as about seventy refereed scientific papers. He also enjoys popular writing, sometimes including political commentary. He has received several national and international awards for his conservation work, including the Gulf of Maine Visionary Award (2002), the Canadian Environment Silver Award (2003), the Don McAllister Medal (2004) and Nature Canada’s Volunteer Award (2004). Martin is married to Marjorie Willison and they have two adult daughters, Meghan and Kate.
Neal Livingston
Neal Livingston is an environmental activist and documentary filmmaker who has produced many of the seminal political documentaries on environmental issues in Eastern Canada since 1978. Info on his films is at: www.blackriver.ns.ca
Neal has been one of the lead activists in the successful fight that stopped forest spraying in Cape Breton; the lobby to create new wilderness areas in Cape Breton; the Jim Campbells Barren wilderness fight; and other issues. Livingston is the Co-Chair of the Margaree Environmental Association, and former Chair of the Sierra Club of Canada’s National Conservation Committee.
Neal Livingston lives in rural Cape Breton in a solar home, with micro hydro, solar hot water, and his forest was the first one in Cape Breton to have FSC eco-certification.
Graham Smith
Graham came to Nova Scotia in the late 1960s, a few years after completing a Master's degree in mechanical engineering at the Royal Military College in Kingston. He found a love for Nova Scotia and its natural beauty (and a girl named Susan!), and worked in engineering and business development here ever since. He built up Focal Technologies Inc., a technology-oriented company that exports to marine markets world-wide. Their specialty is underwater applications of fibre optics. Graham has been a member of many environmental societies for many years; in his mind, conservation of wild places and natural biodiversity is just common sense. He is active with the ParkWatch committee, with emphasis on the effort to bring ATVs under control and completion of the Protected Areas network.
Amanda Lavers
Amanda is a wildlife biologist who is very keen on big trees in Acadian forests, flatwater canoeing, and trekking around in the woods by foot or by ski. Amanda has been volunteering with conservation organizations in Nova Scotia since she was knee-high to a grasshopper and has been on CPAWS NS's board of directors since 2002. After graduating with biology degrees from Dalhousie and Acadia she worked with Parks Canada for six years at Kejimkujik and Nahanni. She now works with the Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute and is building a strawbale house on the edge of a hemlock-lined lake in Queens County.
James Sullivan
James is the Executive Director of Two Countries, One Forest (2C1Forest). He has worked on myriad Canadian and international forest issues, serving as Vice-chair of the Board, Director of Operations and Deputy Executive Director of the Forest Stewardship Council International. He was a member of the Canadian Standards Association’s Sustainable Forest Management Systems Technical Committee and was a member of the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers’ steering committee drafting “Criteria and Indicators of Sustainable Forest Management for Canada”. He has worked with organizations that are new, growing rapidly and undergoing significant change.
James’ experience includes serving as Research Associate to the Taskforce on the Churches and Corporate Responsibility, Founding chair of FSC Canada, Member of the Canadian Delegation to ISO TC 207 (developing the ISO 14000 series of standards), a founder of the International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labelling Alliance (ISEAL), and member of the Accreditation Services International (ASI) Committee overseeing the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) accreditation program.
He has lived and worked in Canada, the United States and Mexico.
James holds a Bachelor degree from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas; a Master of Divinity degree from the University of St. Michael’s College and the University of Toronto; and, a Master of Arts degree in Regional Planning and Resource Development from the University of Waterloo. In addition, he is a member of the Canadian Institute of Planners and the Atlantic Planners Institute.
John Glynn-Morris
Born and raised in Vancouver, John grew up exploring Canada's parks. After working in the Arctic, New Zealand, Nepal and Tunisia, John returned to Canada to attend Dalhousie's School for Resource and Environmental Studies, where he is completing a Master's Degree. John's research focuses on multi-day outdoor recreation accessibility. John is particularly interested in the use of 'shelters' – from lean-to's to bed and breakfasts – around Nova Scotia's land and seascapes to enable that accessibility. He is passionate about conservation and is thrilled to be making a difference with CPAWS to promote and protect Canada's great wild spaces.
Derek Simon
As an avid outdoorsperson and scuba diver, Derek enjoys exploring Nova Scotia's wild spaces, both above and below water. He is a lawyer with Patterson Law in Halifax, and works with a wide range of clients, including individuals, businesses, non-profit organizations, governments and First Nations. He is the co-chair of the firm's Sustainability Committee.
Derek has a law degree from University of Victoria and a business degree from Wilfrid Laurier University. He has previously served on the executive and the board of the UVic Environmental Law Centre, and worked for the ELC on numerous campaigns, including the protection of migratory bird
sanctuaries. He has been involved in research and action on numerous other environmental issues, notably land and water use and climate change. He also does work for the Halifax Chamber of Commerce Green Business Council.
Derek has had the good fortune to live in many different parts of Canada and the World, and is now proud to call Nova Scotia home.
Tricia Barry
Tricia is a lawyer who spends her spare time outdoors or indoors thinking about how she can help preserve the outdoors. She holds an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies and Biology from the University of Victoria. Before starting law school, she worked for a few months at The Land Conservancy in Penticton, British Columbia and spent the rest of the year completing the Yamnuska Mountaineering Skills and Outdoor Leadership Semester in Canmore, Alberta. She graduated with a Bachelor of Law and a specialization in environmental law from Dalhousie University in 2005. While a law student, she co-chaired the Environmental Law Students' Society. Tricia articled for a law firm in Vancouver that specializes in municipal law and is currently the vice-chair of the East Coast Environmental Law Association. Her main fields of interests are in the areas of environmental and municipal law.
Aimee Pelletier
Bob Bancroft