Skip to content
  • Home
  • About SILT
  • Properties
    • Conservation Lands
    • Become a Property Steward
    • Conservation Properties Web Map
  • Projects
  • Donate
    • Make a Donation
    • Support SILT
    • Donor Wall
  • E-News Sign-up
  • News
  • SILT Links
  • Contact Us
  • Welcome New Directors – Kerry Rouck & Melodie Lind

    Welcome New Directors – Kerry Rouck & Melodie Lind

    May 29, 2024

    •

    gwilson_admin

    SILT would like to welcome two new Directors to its Board. Retired forestry professional, Kerry Rock and Melodie Lind, a lawyer with Pushor Mitchell Lawyers. To learn more about Kerry and Melodie or any of our TEAM visit the ABOUT SILT page or click on this link: https://siltrust.ca/about-SILT/

    Read more: Welcome New Directors – Kerry Rouck & Melodie Lind
  • Thank You Elise Everest – Retiring Director

    Thank You Elise Everest – Retiring Director

    May 29, 2024

    •

    gwilson_admin

    Following a 3 year term as a Director, Elise Everest retires from the Board. SILT President, Judie Steeves, wishes to thank Elise for her service to and support of the Southern Interior Land Trust. On behalf of all the directors,  your time on the board was so appreciated.

    Read more: Thank You Elise Everest – Retiring Director
  • Oceola F&G Club Donates $5,000 to SILT

    Oceola F&G Club Donates $5,000 to SILT

    May 15, 2024

    •

    gwilson_admin

    SILT President, Judie Steeves recently attended a general meeting of the Oceola Fish & Game Club where she gave members a presentation about the Southern Interior Land Trust and it’s initiatives. Much to her surprise, the membership issued a very generous donation cheque in the amount of $5,000. The funds will be put to…

    Read more: Oceola F&G Club Donates $5,000 to SILT
  • Similkameen-sylix weaving – nʔaʕx̌ʷt – Ginty’s Pond

    Similkameen-sylix weaving – nʔaʕx̌ʷt – Ginty’s Pond

    December 16, 2023

    •

    gwilson_admin

    Similkameen-sylix weaving: This video features Wendy Hawkes with her niece Sarain Squakin gathering cattail and bulrush at nʔaʕx̌ʷt – Ginty’s Pond for basket weaving. This video is from a webinar put together by the UBC Learning Circle, in the Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Health.  Wendy shares history, knowledge, and important messages about harvesting…

    Read more: Similkameen-sylix weaving – nʔaʕx̌ʷt – Ginty’s Pond
  • Civil Lawsuit Filed in Penticton Law Courts – Edwards Pond Land Damage

    Civil Lawsuit Filed in Penticton Law Courts – Edwards Pond Land Damage

    November 18, 2023

    •

    gwilson_admin

    SILT has filed a civil lawsuit in the Penticton Law Courts for a motorized vehicle trespass and the destruction of a wildlife tree on SILT’s Edwards Pond conservation property near Grand Forks. Read the full story on Castanet: https://www.castanet.net/news/Penticton/457681/Southern-Interior-Land-Trust-suing-Christina-Lake-Elementary-principal-for-land-damage Land trusts are not in the business of confrontation, but they have a responsibility to…

    Read more: Civil Lawsuit Filed in Penticton Law Courts – Edwards Pond Land Damage
  • Land earmarked for donation during ecological bus tour near Osoyoos

    Land earmarked for donation during ecological bus tour near Osoyoos

    October 22, 2023

    •

    gwilson_admin

    A neighbour plans to donate 14-acre parcel beside Southern Interior Land Trust’s Bourguiba Spring property A six-hectare (14-acre) parcel of pristine sage and bunchgrass hillside near Osoyoos has been committed to the Southern Interior Land Trust (SILT) while on their first ever bus tour of the land trust properties on Saturday, Oct. 14. One…

    Read more: Land earmarked for donation during ecological bus tour near Osoyoos
  • 10 successful years for Love Your Lake

    10 successful years for Love Your Lake

    August 10, 2023

    •

    gwilson_admin

    Lakes and rivers are the most sustainable source of freshwater and are essential for ecological function and social economic needs. Since Canada has more lake area than any other country, we have a responsibility to protect it. You can improve your lake health and shoreline environment with help from the Love Your Lake program.…

    Read more: 10 successful years for Love Your Lake
  • 2023 John B. Holdstock Scholarship Successful Recipient

    2023 John B. Holdstock Scholarship Successful Recipient

    July 8, 2023

    •

    gwilson_admin

    Congratulations to Haiden MacDonald 2023 Recipient of the John B. Holdstock Scholarship The British Columbia Conservation Foundation is pleased to announce that Haiden MacDonald, an aspiring environmentalist and dedicated conservation advocate, has been awarded the prestigious John B. Holdstock Scholarship for his exceptional achievements and commitment to environmental stewardship. Haiden currently works for the…

    Read more: 2023 John B. Holdstock Scholarship Successful Recipient
  • Help Protect Okanagan Lake and Create a Corridor For Wildlife

    Help Protect Okanagan Lake and Create a Corridor For Wildlife

    June 28, 2023

    •

    gwilson_admin

    Join us in supporting the B.C. Parks Foundation in its efforts to conserve 151 acres of waterfront private land, surrounded by Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park. The foundation has already raised all but $750,000 of the $4 million required to complete the deal, but the remainder must be raised before the closing date on the…

    Read more: Help Protect Okanagan Lake and Create a Corridor For Wildlife
  • Waiting for Spring at Ginty’s Pond / Nʔaʕx̌ʷt

    Waiting for Spring at Ginty’s Pond / Nʔaʕx̌ʷt

    February 1, 2023

    •

    gwilson_admin

    Waiting for Spring at our Ginty’s Pond restoration area! This part of Ginty’s Pond, known as Nʔaʕx̌ʷt in the syilx language was restored in fall 2022 in collaboration with Lower Similkameen Indian Band, the BC Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Protection, the BC Wildlife Federation, our property neighbours, local businesses, and others. Our team deepened…

    Read more: Waiting for Spring at Ginty’s Pond / Nʔaʕx̌ʷt
←Previous Page
1 2 3 4 5 6 … 9
Next Page→
Southern Interior Land Trust Society

Formed in 1988 to purchase land for wildlife in the Okanagan Region, the board of the Southern Interior Land Trust Society, (formerly, Okanagan Region Wildlife Heritage Fund Society) aims to conserve and restore wild land as habitat for wildlife, since it is under increasing pressure from development.

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Instagram
  • Facebook

Copyright © 2026 | Southern Interior Land Trust Society

Gordon Wilson – Treasurer

Gord and his wife Shelley moved to the Okanagan in 1980 where they owned and operated a successful construction business for more than 37 years.

Gord’s keen interest in the outdoors and the natural world led to his involvement as a director and treasurer with the Peachland Sportsmen’s Association for more than 30 years. Gord joined the Board of the Southern Interior Land Trust in 2011 and is currently the organization’s secretary / treasurer.

He is now retired from the construction business and lives in the Vernon area.

Lindsay Lalach, RPBio – Vice President

Lindsay began her career in biology after completing a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies and Geography at the University of Victoria. She later earned a Master of Science in Biology from Simon Fraser University, where her research focused on seabird ecology. Growing up in the Okanagan, she developed a deep appreciation for the region’s unique ecosystems and biodiversity, which continues to guide her work today.

She has been involved with the Southern Interior Land Trust (SILT) since 2020. Her experience includes aquatic and riparian surveying, habitat restoration, species at risk work, and ecological research. She is excited to continue contributing to SILT’s efforts to acquire, steward, and protect important habitats across the region.

Judie Steeves – President

Judie Steeves has been writing about the outdoors for nearly five decades, particularly in the Okanagan Valley and B.C.’s interior. She is the author of Okanagan Trips and Trails, with Murphy Shewchuk of Merritt. She wrote an outdoors column called Trailmix for the Kelowna Capital News for 20 years or so and continues to write about outdoors issues for B.C. Outdoors magazine and other publications.

She grew up in the Penticton area rambling the hills and fishing with her Dad, before moving to the coast and later the Cariboo. She returned to the Central Okanagan in 1981 with her young family, and has been fishing, camping and hiking in the area much of her life. Her volunteer work has mostly involved outdoor-focused projects as well, with three land trusts, the Peachland Sportsman’s Association, the Central Okanagan Naturalists’ Club and the Okanagan Xeriscape Association.
She joined the board of SILT in 2009.

Al Peatt, RPBio, FAPB, – Executive Director

Al Peatt, RPBio, FAPB, has over 35 years’ experience in managing wildlife and habitat. In 1988, he was a founding director of the Okanagan Region Wildlife Heritage Fund Society, now known as the Southern Interior Land Trust.

Al was the senior provincial wildlife/habitat biologist in the Okanagan from 1984 to 2000. He has been a manager of audits and investigations for the BC Forest Practices Board and, from 2013 to 2017, led the Okanagan Nation’s wildlife program.

He is now executive director of the Southern Interior Land Trust and a consulting biologist. “Securing habitat for wildlife and people has been the most important and lasting aspect of my career—it’s very rewarding to see wildlife and people using and enjoying the natural places that SILT has worked so hard to acquire.”

Sara Ashpole – Voting Member

Sara Ashpole is a Restoration Ecologist at St. Lawrence University (NY) where she is Chair of the Environmental Studies Department. Sara informs international and national policy by providing scientific expertise as the Canadian co-chair for the IUCN Amphibian Specialist Group (since 2015) and served as a member of the independent advisory panel for the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada Amphibian and Reptile Subcommittee (2013-2021). Sara has had positions on numerous boards of directors, and is currently a coordinating editor for the journal Restoration Ecology.

Sara has a Bachelor of Science in Zoology from the University of Guelph. Her research interests working for Environment Canada examining the impact of industrial persistent environmental contaminants and embryonic deformities in turtles was the basis of her Master’s of Science in Zoology & Toxicology, University of Guelph. Realizing the complexity of challenges to species survival in a highly modified landscape, Sara pursued a Ph.D. in Conservation Planning at the University of Waterloo, Ontario.

Since 1999, Sara’s research has been collaborative with non-governmental organizations, as well as governmental organizations from the regional to federal level. Her environmental research has also included working closely with Indigenous peoples and private landowners in the Great Lakes region and the Okanagan River Valley, British Columbia. Research Projects include long term amphibian population monitoring, wetland construction and rehabilitation, road ecology, alien vertebrate species eradication, agricultural eco-toxicology, landowner stewardship, community outreach, education, and citizen science.

Ron Taylor – President Emeritus

Ron Taylor is a founding member of the Southern Interior Land Trust (formerly the Okanagan Region Wildlife Heritage Fund).

He has enjoyed hunting, fishing, hiking and enjoying the outdoors. Ron’s dedication and commitment to wildlife conservation in B.C. has spanned more than half a century. Ron helped to create SILT over 30 years ago, served as its president for many years, and has been on the board of directors since the society was formed in 1988.

Carlo Carbajal – Director

Carlo Carbajal is the Director of Innovation at Cascadia Credit Union in Summerland and brings a background in finance and accounting. His experience includes governance, financial oversight, and strategic planning. He also has a long history of community service, most notably with JCI Penticton, where he was awarded a Senatorship in recognition of his contributions.

Carlo was born and raised in the South Okanagan and has spent much of his life camping and fishing throughout the region. He and his wife are raising their two children in Penticton, maintaining a connection to the local outdoors and community.

Payton Maffioli – Director

Payton Maffioli is from Grand Forks, BC, and she graduated with Honours from Selkirk College in 2024 with a Technical Diploma in Recreation, Fish and Wildlife. Currently, she is studying Natural Resource Management at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops and aspires to become an environmental lawyer. 

She uses her voice to promote wildlife and ecosystem conservation through photography, as well as educating the public and visiting schools to share her knowledge about wildlife safety and ecosystem restoration. One of her favourite places to visit is Edward’s Pond in Grand Forks. 

Melodie Lind – Director

Melodie Lind is a lawyer with Pushor Mitchell LLP, practicing in the area of tax law, with a focus on estate and trust planning, family-owned business succession planning, planning for persons with disabilities and tax-driven corporate reorganizations.

She completed a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Criminology at Simon Fraser University before obtaining her Bachelor of Laws (with distinction) from the University of Alberta. She has the internationally recognized Trust and Estate Practitioner designation through the Society of Estate and Trust Practitioners and has also completed advanced tax training through both the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Canadian Bar Association. She has been published in a leading Canadian legal periodical, the Real Property Reports, and is co-author of a chapter in a book on the protection of First Nations cultural heritage.

Melodie was raised in West Kelowna and spent much of her youth hiking and riding horses in the forest above Glenrosa. Once she completed law school in Edmonton, she happily returned home to the Okanagan, where she has continued to enjoy the Okanagan outdoors with her family.

Bruce Hibbard – Director

Bruce is the Director of Sales at Hester Creek Estate Winery in Oliver. He has an extensive background in community service, including volunteer work at Peach City Radio’s, Raise the Radio fundraiser and membership in the Oliver Rotary. Bruce also served on the board of the Okanagan Wine Festival Society for eight years, where he was the president from 2014 to 2016.

He is a lifetime member of the Penticton Junior Chamber International and has worked for various non-profit golf clubs. Bruce resides in the Okanagan with his wife Margie, and their two children, Connor and Grace. In 2023, he joined the SILT board.