Email: [email protected]
Phone: 250-380-0547
Main Office
1529 Amelia Street, Victoria
BC V8W 2K1
Field Office
P.O. Box 26
Denny Island, BC V0T 1B0
Ian McAllister
Executive Director
Ian is a co-founder of Pacific Wild. He is an award-winning photographer and author of six books, and his images have appeared in publications around the world. He is a member of the International League of Conservation Photographers and a recipient of the North America Nature Photography Association’s Vision Award and the Rainforest Action Network’s Rainforest Hero award. He and his wife, Karen, were named by Time magazine amongst “Leaders of the 21st Century” for their efforts to protect British Columbia’s endangered rainforest. He lives with his family on an island in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest.
Karen McAllister
Conservation Director
Karen has been involved in wildlife protection in British Columbia for over two decades. Initially, she worked on frontline campaigns to protect Vancouver Island’s endangered rainforest, moving north in the 1990s to begin efforts to protect the central and north coast of B.C. She coauthored The Great Bear Rainforest with her husband Ian, and is a conservation director of Pacific Wild. Karen and Ian live with their two children on Denny Island.
Geoff Campbell
Creative Director &
Communication Design
Having grown up on central Vancouver Island, Geoff has always held a close connection to the land and waters of the Pacific Coast. His work with Pacific Wild began in 2013 as an intern, while studying Communication Design at Emily Carr University of Art and Design. In 2015, Geoff led Pacific Wild’s rebrand project, and since then his work has included graphic and web design, animation and digital asset management. Geoff’s current homebase is Victoria, BC.
Laurie McConnell
Director of Community & Systems
Laurie spent her twenties exploring the BC coastline every summer aboard a 26′ wooden sloop sailboat and discovered a love for the wild marine environment and all the creatures within it.
She relocated to the Sunshine Coast and has spent 30 years involved in the community across a variety of organizations and initiatives. She has a journalism degree and a background in communications, and studied art and creative writing as tools to transform the way we communicate around charged topics. Donor relations, stewardship, Friends of Pacific Wild and Artists for the Great Bear Rainforest are paired with digital systems management for a never-a-dull-moment role.
She is delighted to be working in her great love of BC’s unique coastal geography and culture. This is her dream job, helping protect such a critical piece of British Columbia and engaging in outreach and development to further Pacific Wild’s goals in the Great Bear Rainforest and Sea.
Nick Voutour
Social Engagement Specialist
Hailing from a small coastal city on Canada’s Atlantic coast, Nick was closely connected to the ocean during his upbringing. Throughout his teenage years, he spent most of his time on the water as a competitive rower with Team New Brunswick. He moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2015 to pursue an undergraduate degree in public relations at Mount Saint Vincent University (graduating in May 2018).
Throughout his secondary education, Nick completed communications work terms with Ocean Tracking Network, a research organization focused on acoustic telemetry, and Save Our Seas Foundation, a shark and ray conservation organization. During these experiences, Nick gained a deeper appreciation for the natural world, learning about the many critical issues our oceans face today. He also honed his skills in science communications, media relations, and digital content strategy.
Nick is excited to work alongside the talented, passionate individuals at Pacific Wild to help protect the natural richness and biodiversity of the Pacific North Coast. Outside of work, he is an avid traveler. You’ll probably find him planning his next adventure.
Colette Heneghan
Donor Outreach & Event Management
Colette’s professional background is in archaeology and teaching youth and adults with a BA(Hons) History/Archaeology from Anglia University, Cambridge. After several years in Asia and Europe teaching multiple variations of English language learning, she moved back to the west coast and up to Denny Island in the Great Bear Rainforest.
Colette joined Pacific Wild in early 2011 with social media/outreach campaign work at the time of the Great Bear RAVE and the No Pipeline, No Tankers movement. As Pacific Wild has evolved, Colette’s role has grown to include event organization.
Martha Jordan
Administrator, Pacific Wild Alliance Inc. (US)
A long time advocate for the health of the planet, Martha feels extremely fortunate to be associated with the dedicated and adventurous souls of Pacific Wild. Growing up in the mountains of NW Montana, she spent summers with her siblings exploring a pristine mountain lake, always appreciating the gifts of clear water and never ending forests. She attended Whitman College and University of Montana.
She got a real taste for the Pacific Ocean during six years in Hawaii, where, along with raising children, working at the local school, running a science club, and attending university, she fell in with the paddling crowd. Hawaiian culture honors this sport of silent teamwork working in unison to glide a 400 lb canoe through clear turquoise waters. And she absorbed the Hawaiian traditional love and respect for the ocean.
Martha has worked with her husband in environmental endeavors related to energy efficiency for many years, including co-generation from small hydro, commercial anaerobic digestion, and fuel efficient powerboats and ships. They live near Seattle in Sammamish, WA.
Darryl Whetung
Post Production Manager
Darryl Whetung is an award winning Ojibway film, television and documentary editor/producer. He began his career in post production working for major companies such as Nickelodeon, Insight Film Studios, Front Street Pictures, Voltage and several other independent productions building a roster of over 60 credited productions.
Darryl has worn many hats ranging from Producer to Director, Creator and Writer. Amy’s Mythic Mornings, a six episode animated children’s series he created and wrote currently airs on APTN. The CBC National has run his documentary “Dads” for four consecutive years (2012-2016) as a father’s day special .
He recently won “Best Public Service Film” for “Number 14” a documentary drama he produced which was featured at the American Indian Film Festival in San Francisco, CA. Darryl is a graduate of the British Columbia Institute of Technology, where he specialized in broadcasting, communications, film, and business law. With his passion for the industry and his drive to create he strives to leave a little paint on the world’s entertainment canvas.
Rob Hackney, CPA, CGA
Manager of Finance
Rob has admired the natural world from a young age. Enamoured by tales of the fabled Pacific Northwest, he drove westbound across Canada in his early twenties. Captivated by the sheer beauty of the rainforests, coastal climate, mountainous regions, and plethora of wildlife, he made Victoria, BC, his home in 2007.
Rob pursued studies on Vancouver Island, completing a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, with majors in accounting and finance. He further pursued a professional accounting designation, and received his letters (CPA, Chartered Professional Accountant) in 2015. He has worked in financial and tax accounting for private sector accounting firms, in legislation administration for the federal government, and in management information systems technology for an international organization.
Rob enjoys a wide range of outdoor activities including snowboarding, rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking, and learning about mycology and mycorrhizal fungi and plants.
With Pacific Wild, Rob has an outlet for his financial prowess and passion for protecting the environment. He is grateful to be working with a team of talented professionals in the fight to protect biodiversity and species at risk in our coastal ecosystems.
Justyne Bano
Executive Assistant & Development Coordinator
Justyne has lived on the west coast of British Columbia her entire life. After her second year at the University of Victoria, she flew across the world on her first solo backpacking trip that extended into a 2 year endeavour; travelling through 30 countries, working, and living on 3 continents. The experiences she gathered over those years are what inspired her to advocate for the conservation of BC’s wild spaces.
Justyne has a certificate in Non-Profit Management from British Columbia Institute of Technology and is currently in the Restoration of Natural Systems program at the University of Victoria. She has certifications in various bodywork modalities and women’s health, with a keen interest in postpartum nutrition and ethnobotany. She has committed to a lifelong journey of disrupting any efforts that negatively impact the wellbeing of vulnerable individuals, communities and the natural world.
Amelia O’Shea
Digital Asset Manager
Amelia O’Shea is from Southwestern Ontario. She is a graduate of Western University with a BA in History with a minor in Art History and Studio Art. She is currently taking a Libraries and Digital Technologies Certificate online from Mohawk College and is also studying to be a Certified Records Manager.
In 2017, during her time in Toronto she worked with Anthem Entertainment, an independent record label where she created a digital and physical archival collection for Canadian rock band, Rush. She then moved to Vancouver Island and worked for SeaLegacy, a well known ocean conservation non for profit founded by Paul Nicklen and Cristina Mittermeier. Amelia started her own photography company in 2015 and has photographed weddings, events, and products. She has extensive experience with physical and digital archival collections, working in museums, and in academic libraries.
Amelia has a cat named Lucy and a hedgehog named Ruby. She is currently writing a fantasy novel on Irish mythology on the side and is focusing her photography on 35mm film and vintage camera exploration. Amelia is a lover of Mother Earth, an advocate for mental health, human rights, and animal rights.
Used to define a stock that is weakened, in low numbers or poor health.
A group of wild Pacific salmon sufficiently isolated from other groups that, if driven extinct, is very unlikely to recolonize naturally.
A river or stream flowing into a larger river or lake.
Charter Patrolmen, Guardians and volunteers that are experts in central and north coast salmon spawning.
A facility where eggs are hatched under artificial conditions, either for conservation or aquaculture purposes.
A MSY is the largest average catch that can be captured from a stock under existing environmental conditions.
A species on which other species in an ecosystem largely depend, such that if it were removed the ecosystem would change drastically.
Used to describe a fish species that migrates up rivers from oceans to spawn.
The amount of a salmon population that does not get caught by commercial or recreational fisheries and return to their freshwater spawning habitat.
Streams that have been identified by Fisheries Managers and First Nations communities as reliable health indicators for salmon stocks.
Charter patrolmen are contracted by Fisheries and Oceans Canada to provide necessary services related to the assessment and management of salmon populations throughout BC.
The process of releasing eggs for reproduction into the water. Salmon return to their spawning grounds for the purpose of reproduction.