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  • Prevent destruction of habitat on the Grand Forks Grasslands

    Prevent destruction of habitat on the Grand Forks Grasslands

    December 2, 2022

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    gwilson_admin

    You can help prevent destruction of habitat on the Grand Forks Grasslands SILT needs to raise $35,000 to build wildlife-friendly fences on its Grand Forks Grasslands property and to purchase a cattleguard to keep cows from entering the grasslands from the public road. After local school children spent Earth Day there this spring planting trees,…

    Read more: Prevent destruction of habitat on the Grand Forks Grasslands
  • Bourguiba Spring Property Acquired

    Bourguiba Spring Property Acquired

    November 2, 2022

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    gwilson_admin

    Wildlife on the hot, dry, sunny lower slopes of Anarchist Mountain in the South Okanagan will now have year-round access to drinking water, in perpetuity. The Southern Interior Land Trust has purchased the 16.6-hectare (41-acre) Bourguiba Spring property on Highway 3, three kilometres southeast of Osoyoos. Achieving this goal in just a few months…

    Read more: Bourguiba Spring Property Acquired
  • Julien Gullo – 2022 Recipient of the John B. Holdstock Scholarship

    Julien Gullo – 2022 Recipient of the John B. Holdstock Scholarship

    August 30, 2022

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    gwilson_admin

    Congratulations to Julien Gullo – 2022 Recipient of the John B. Holdstock Scholarship Julien is a mature student majoring in Natural Resources Science (BNRS) at Thompsons Rivers University (TRU) in Kamloops who has had a fascination with animals for as long as he could remember. He is passionate about the natural sciences and feels privileged…

    Read more: Julien Gullo – 2022 Recipient of the John B. Holdstock Scholarship
  • Grasslands Restoration Begins with Young People

    Grasslands Restoration Begins with Young People

    May 5, 2022

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    gwilson_admin

    Seeing the patch of black mud is a jolt in a rolling sea of new spring green on the hills north of Grand Forks—the damage caused by a vehicle driving off into the grasslands recently purchased by the Southern Interior Land Trust to conserve habitat. But on Earth Day, Apr. 22, a group of…

    Read more: Grasslands Restoration Begins with Young People
  • Tuc-el-nuit Lake Shoreline Assessment Reports

    Tuc-el-nuit Lake Shoreline Assessment Reports

    May 1, 2022

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    gwilson_admin

    Shoreline property owners on Tuc-el-nuit Lake near Oliver can now download their free Love Your Lake shoreline assessment reports, with property-specific suggestions on how to protect water quality and lake health. Read the complete story here on Castanet.

    Read more: Tuc-el-nuit Lake Shoreline Assessment Reports
  • Elementary Students Plant Trees on Grand Forks Grasslands

    Elementary Students Plant Trees on Grand Forks Grasslands

    April 22, 2022

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    gwilson_admin

    Emily Rooke, a student at Perley Elementary, carefully plants a yellow pine tree donated by Interfor on the Southern Interior Land Trust’s grasslands property at the end of Morissey Creek Road, on Earth Day. In an Earth Day event coordinated by Jamie Hibberson and Randy Waterous of Interfor, students from Sarah Mace’s class from…

    Read more: Elementary Students Plant Trees on Grand Forks Grasslands
  • Shoreline restoration projects at Twin and Skaha Lakes

    Shoreline restoration projects at Twin and Skaha Lakes

    November 24, 2021

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    gwilson_admin

    Shoreline Restoration Projects Completed SILT completed two shoreline restoration projects this fall at Twin Lakes and Skaha Lake, with support from Love Your Lake, Canadian Wildlife Federation and Watersheds Canada. Restoration plans were designed based on recommendations from the 2020 Love Your Lake property surveys, which can now be downloaded by shoreline property owners…

    Read more: Shoreline restoration projects at Twin and Skaha Lakes
  • Southern Interior bighorn sheep decimated by disease

    Southern Interior bighorn sheep decimated by disease

    August 27, 2021

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    gwilson_admin

    Twenty wild bighorn sheep were recently found dead near Grand Forks. They have determined the sheep died from bluetongue, also known as epizootic hemorrhagic disease, a virus caused by mites which has no specific treatment. Though the catastrophic loss of cherished wildlife is indeed unfortunate, it does not affect the habitat value of SILT’s…

    Read more: Southern Interior bighorn sheep decimated by disease
  • SILT Honoured by Low Brothers Bottle Drive

    SILT Honoured by Low Brothers Bottle Drive

    August 25, 2021

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    gwilson_admin

    SILT was recently presented with a donation of $1,000 through the efforts of brothers Josh and Jayk Low collecting bottles and cans in their community.  “SILT is honoured to receive the benefit of Josh and Jayk’s hard work” said SILT’s executive director Al Peatt, “the boys’ community spirit and leadership is truly outstanding. SILT…

    Read more: SILT Honoured by Low Brothers Bottle Drive
  • SILT Bioblitz – Snakes & Amphibians with Mike Dunn R.P.Bio

    SILT Bioblitz – Snakes & Amphibians with Mike Dunn R.P.Bio

    August 15, 2021

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    gwilson_admin

    Watch our video on Reptiles & Amphibians. Learn more about the habitat value at SILT’s R.E. Taylor property thanks to Lindsay Lalach and Mike Dunn R.P.Bio.  

    Read more: SILT Bioblitz – Snakes & Amphibians with Mike Dunn R.P.Bio
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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.

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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.