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guide symposium speaker list
Meet the Speakers – CBVA/MGAC Guide Symposium 2025
We’re thrilled to bring together an incredible lineup of renowned naturalists, biologists, and industry experts for this year’s CBVA/MGAC Guide Symposium. These speakers are at the forefront of wildlife conservation, bear ecology, marine safety, and ecotourism, offering invaluable insights to enhance your guiding expertise.
Andy MacKinnon
What to watch when you’re not watching bears and whales
Adventurous travellers visit BC’s coast to see bears, birds and marine mammals. Not many head to the wilderness to view sedges. In this presentation, Andy will celebrate the delights of the coastal temperate rainforest, its forests and wetlands, and the species that live there. The focus will be on interactions among plants, animals, fungi and slime moulds, and on what we don’t know about these magnificent ecosystems.
Andy MacKinnon is a forest ecologist who lives in Metchosin, BC. He is a retired Professional Forester and Professional Biologist, and an enthusiastic advocate for conservation and responsible resource management. His recent research interests include ecology of BC’s ectomycorrhizal fungal species. He was lead BC scientist for Environment Canada’s 2017 ranking of our province’s threatened and endangered fungal species. Andy has taught rainforest ecology field courses in Bamfield and Tofino (for the University of Victoria) and Haida Gwaii (for UBC). He has also taught mushroom identification courses in Tofino (for the Rainforest Education Society) and in Victoria. He is co-author of six best-selling books about plants of western North America, and co-author of 2021’s Royal BC Museum Handbook “Mushrooms of British Columbia”. Andy has also worked as a naturalist aboard Maple Leaf Adventures boats.
Dr. John Harper
Spill Response Training for Marine Guides
This 3 hr. training session is offered as part of the 2025 Commercial Bear Viewing and Marine Guides Symposium. Major topics to include:
John Harper is a marine ecologist that has specialized in oil spill response for more than 40 years. He has conducted field research on spills from the Exxon Valdez, the Queen of the North, the Marrathassa (Burrard Inlet) and the Schiedyk (Nootka Sound). His specific research interest is in oil-sediment interaction on coastlines, and he most recently worked on the simulation of dilbit spills on shorelines. As part of oil spill planning, he was one of the co-developers of the ShoreZone habitat mapping program that stretches from Oregon to the Alaskan Arctic – over 140,000 km of contiguous shoreline mapping. It was during these surveys that he identified the Broughton Archipelago clam gardens, now known to be widely distributed along the coasts of Alaska and BC. John and his partner Mary also spend a fair bit of time cruising the 35,000 km BC coast in their own boat.
Richard Sparrow
What makes a good land acknowledgement?
Richard Sparrow is the Director of Indigenous-led Conservation at the Grizzly Bear Foundation. He has been active in the field of First Nations conservation and restoration management and policy for more than 20 years. He is a member and Councillor of xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam Indian Band).
Richard has spent his career advocating for the protection and enhancement of the inherent fishing rights and title of local First Nations communities. His work primarily focuses on building and maintaining natural resource relationships with Indigenous communities throughout BC, as well as on collective impact related to First Nation natural resource management and inherent rights.
Prior to his work with GBF, Richard spent more than 6 years providing senior management to the First Nations Fisheries Council of BC (supporting intergovernmental affairs and fisheries management) as well as governance and leadership to the Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance and the Musqueam Fisheries Commission.
Jill Doucette
Regenerative Tourism
Jill founded Synergy Enterprises in 2008 after completing her studies in biology. Passionate about how business, industry and communities can mobilize towards a low-carbon future, Jill works on the frontier of a number of sectors including community development, tourism, and clean technology.
An active writer and speaker, with three published books, Jill is also the Executive Director of the Synergy Foundation. In her spare time, she can be found exploring the west coast, fishing, camping and hiking.
Kendra Lucklow
Registered Veterinary Technicians with the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society
Emily Johnson and Kendra Luckow are Registered Veterinary Technicians with the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society and will be sharing their expertise on marine mammal rescue and conservation efforts. As full-time vet techs dedicated to marine mammal care, they will provide an inside look into their society’s work, including disentanglement efforts, rehabilitation of injured animals, and the crucial role the public plays in reporting marine mammals.
This presentation is specifically tailored for those in the guiding and tourism industries, equipping attendees with the knowledge to identify at-risk animals, understand response protocols, and actively contribute to the well-being of marine mammals.
Erin Gless
Executive Director of the Pacific Whale Watch Association
Join as Erin shares updates on BC’s primary cetacean species, details current whale watching regulations and guidelines, and discusses anticipated regulatory changes and challenges in the future.
Erin Gless is the Executive Director of the Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA), a community of ecotourism professionals with a shared commitment to education, conservation, and responsible wildlife viewing in British Columbia and Washington state. With 30 member companies departing from 24 locations, the PWWA educates and inspires nearly 400,000 visitors each year. Join as Erin shares updates on BC’s primary marine mammal species, details current whale watching regulations and guidelines, and discusses anticipated regulatory changes and challenges in the future.
Erin holds a BS in Biology with Marine Emphasis from Western Washington University as well as a BS in Public Relations and a BA in Spanish from the University of Miami. She has been a passionate member of the whale-watching community since 2008, working as a whale-watching naturalist in both Southern California and the Salish Sea. Erin is particularly interested in the region’s baleen whale species – minke whales, grey whales, and humpback whales. In her spare time, Erin also volunteers for Cascadia Research Collective cataloging Hawaiian pantropical spotted dolphins.
Grant MacHutchon
The Secret Life of Bears
Most guides have some familiarity with bears foraging in open areas where they are visible. Grant MacHutchon will introduce us to the secret life of bears beyond the visible. Grant is a wildlife biologist who specializes in bears and has been doing research, management application of research, and teaching for over 45 years. Grant also has periodically worked as a naturalist guide on 1-day to multi-day eco-tours on the BC and Alaska coast since 2000. In addition, Grant delivers 2-day, Level 1 training programs for bear viewing guides using the curriculum he developed for the Commercial Bear Viewing Association of B.C. and 1-day training programs on bear awareness and safety for a diverse range of audiences. He also is a member of the non-profit, Safety in Bear Country Society, who have produced four video programs on bear behaviour and its relevance to human safety around black, grizzly, and polar bear: Staying Safe in Bear Country, Working in Bear Country, Living in Bear Country, and Polar Bears: a Guide to Safety.
Colby Brokvist
Crafting Connection: The Guide’s Role in Inspiring Meaningful Action
Join Colby for a discussion about linking our passion for conserving and protecting the BC coast with specific practices to inspire travelers and connect them to stewardship and advocacy organizations.
Colby is the author of The Professional Guide’s Handbook, the definitive manual for adventure travel leadership. He has worked as a guide and expedition leader since 2004, ranging from Churchill’s polar bear viewing to Antarctic sailing. When not in the field, Colby facilitates field staff training and development for various trip operators, non-profits, and universities, largely focused on conservation communication and expedition team leadership. He currently serves as the Chair of the Board for the Polar Tourism Guides Association, which aims to elevate guide skill, safety, and success in polar expedition environments. Colby has been featured in the short film “The Guide” by World Wildlife Fund, and is an ambassador for Tomorrow’s Air, a non-profit that connects travelers to climate innovators working to clean our air.
Helen Davis
Last Den Standing: Protecting Bear Dens in Coastal BC
Helen is a registered professional biologist and certified bear viewing guide who has spent decades studying black bears and their connection to the forests of Vancouver Island. For over 30 years, she has been documenting the dens of black bears, many of which are found within the hollow interiors of massive old-growth trees. Her campaign to get dens protected has been covered by The Narwhal, been investigated by the Forest Practices Board and UVic’s Environmental Law Centre, caused the BC Green Party to table legislation to protect dens and led to a documentary by Wild Bus Films.
Jeff Reynolds
Beyond the Wake: Marine Guides and BC’s Largest Coastal Cleanup
Jeff Reynolds has a background in marine biology and uses photography as a powerful tool for education. After working in the industry as an environmental consultant for over a decade, he found his true calling in the world of marine guiding, where he combines his expertise to help visitors better understand and appreciate the BC coast.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, an unprecedented initiative united government funding, marine guides, and Indigenous partners to tackle marine debris along BC’s central coast. This talk provides an inside look at the teamwork, dedication, and logistical challenges behind the province’s largest coastal cleanup. Discover how marine guides played a pivotal role in the success of this multi-year effort and how it is now becoming an integral part of coastal tourism and marine stewardship on our coast.
Tori Ball
CPAWS-BC – Conservation Director for Lands & Freshwater Program
Tori (she/her) is the Conservation Director for the Lands & Freshwater Program at the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, British Columbia. Over the last decade, she has led environmental campaigns on the East and West coasts. She pairs her community organizing background with her experience as an outdoor educator, canoe-tripping guide and academic training in ecology to her work to advocate for the conservation of the interconnected lands and waters across BC.
The world has seen a 70% drop in wildlife populations since the 1970s and BC is no different. The province hosts the greatest diversity of species and ecosystems in Canada, and unfortunately also the most species at risk of extinction. Hear from Tori at CPAWS-BC about the opportunities, challenges and work underway to protect wildlife, ecosystems and recreation values in BC by working in partnership.
Given Davies
Visitor Safety Coordinator for Parks Canada and MGAC board member
Given Davies has spent a lifetime educating and advocating for safety at sea. He has spent time managing a charter company in Vancouver, acted as instructor and yacht delivery captain, managed a 60 ton passenger ferry business in Barkley Sound, worked as a Transport Canada marine safety instructor, run the simulator training program for Royal Canadian Marine SAR, and managed the operations of remote wilderness expedition companies. Recently, Given spent time at the Canadian Coast Guard in Incident Management and as a Search and Rescue Training Officer for the Coastal First Nations.
Given is currently a Visitor Safety Coordinator for Parks Canada, where he facilitates land and marine incident response as well as coordinates the marine training program for staff. Meanwhile, Given continues his adventuring with maritime based wilderness expeditions, and sits on the board of directors for the Marine Guides Association of Canada.
Briony Penn
Through her illustrated journals kept over the last 30 years, Briony will take you on a marine adventure about the upper and lower tidal zones of marine guiding.
Mollie Cameron
Living with cougars: understanding signs, behaviours and mitigating conflicts on Vancouver Island.
n this presentation, we’ll explore how to understand cougar signs and behaviors, as well as effective strategies for mitigating human-wildlife conflicts. The discussion will cover common and uncommon cougar observations, potential attractants that draw these animals into human-inhabited areas, and the dangers that cougars face in our changing environment. You’ll also learn how trail cameras offer a non-invasive, powerful tool for observing these elusive creatures, providing invaluable data while respecting their natural habitat. This presentation will deepen your understanding of cougars and inspire a greater appreciation for their role in our ecosystem.
Mollie Cameron is a Wildlife Photographer, Naturalist, Ecotourism Guide, and President of Wild Wise Society
Mollie Cameron has been dedicated to wildlife conservation and education since 2016, beginning her journey as a photographer and naturalist. Her passion for the natural world led her to become a whale-watching skipper in Sooke after earning her SVOP in 2019.
In 2021, Mollie began volunteering with the Wild Wise Society, an organization focused on mitigating human-wildlife conflicts and promoting peaceful coexistence with nature. She became president of the society in 2023, where she continues to provide public education on wildlife issues in hopes of expanding community awareness.
Mollie regularly contributes to research and conservation initiatives, offering both photographs and data to support ongoing wildlife studies. Through her work with Wild Wise, she also collaborates with municipalities to implement changes that help increase wildlife protections and enhance public understanding of wildlife-related issues.
In 2020, Mollie launched The Cougar Coexistence Initiative, a passion project that maps cougar sightings and conflicts, tracks behavioral patterns, and documents predation and community issues through remote camera traps. This research aims to shed light on wildlife behavior and improve coexistence strategies between humans and wildlife.
With years of hands-on experience, Mollie is committed to fostering greater awareness, understanding, and respect for wildlife through both her personal work and her leadership in conservation.
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