Karen McAllister
Executive Director
Laurie McConnell
Dir. of Community & Systems
Natasha Wehn
Project Director
Sydney Dixon
Marine Specialist
Roan Bohonos
Content Designer
Mollie Cameron
Wolf Campaigner
Lars Isaac
Videographer & Video Editor
Email: info@pacificwild.org
Phone: 250-380-0547
Main Office
1529 Amelia Street, Victoria, BC
Lək̓ʷəŋən Territory
V8W 2K1
Field Office
P.O. Box 26
Denny Island, BC
Haíɫzaqv Territory
V0T 1B0
📣 The Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival (VIMFF) begins today!
🎥 Get ready for an incredible lineup of world-class films that celebrate adventure, conservation, and the wild places we fight to protect. @thevimff runs from February 21 to March 4, 2025, featuring special guest speakers, filmmaker introductions, workshops, and more.
🐻 We’re thrilled to announce the official world premiere of Pacific Wild’s short film, ‘Return of the Great Bear’ at this year’s festival, alongside powerful stories that inspire action and adventure. Join us February 28th at The Cinematheque in Vancouver, Canada.
🎟️ Grab your tickets now at the link in our bio. Online screening options are also available!
🎥 Trailer by Tavi Parusel
#PacificWild #VIMFF #VIMFF2025 #ConservationFilm #CanadianFilm #WildlifeFilm #PositiveNews #GrizzlyBears #Grizzlies #ConservationStories #Documentary
🐺 We hear you. As B.C.’s wolf cull enters its 10th year, it can feel like our voices are being ignored. But together, we can create a chorus the government can`t dismiss.
Pacific Wild has been fighting to end the wolf cull since day one, but we need YOUR help. Here’s how you can take action:
📩 Send a pre-written or personalized letter to the government (follow the link in our bio)
📱 Call your MLA and demand transparency & accountability from the B.C. government
📝Write a letter to the editor in your local newspaper.
📣 Engage in public consultations (follow us for updates!)
🔎Go local: dive into the data of what is happening to wolves in your region and engage with friends and neighbours to raise awareness.
📚 Support independent science on wolves and non-lethal solutions to wildlife management (👀 Kiem et al., 2021 as an example and keep an eye on our announcements this year!)
🔥 Stand with Indigenous-led and co-managed conservation efforts (like the expansion of the Klinse-za/Twin Sisters Park protecting caribou habitat)
🐺 Raise awareness about the vital role wolves play in B.C.’s ecosystems (educate your peers!)
🤝 Meet with your MLA & MP, gather a group and schedule a meeting-let them know that you and other constituents want protections for wolves.
🎨 Get creative! Organize an art show about the wolf cull—paint, sculpt, create soundscapes, or visualize data. Apply for grants to take it on the road & include the truth about caribou conservation.
💚 Donate to support our work (we have some big projects in the works).
Together, we can protect B.C.’s wolves. Join the fight.
📸 @iantmcallister
#SaveBCWolves #StopTheCull #Wolf #Wolves #WildlifeConservation
A Healthy Economy Needs A Healthy Environment!
With Donald Trump threatening 25% tariffs—and even annexation—Canada’s economy faces serious risks. In yesterday’s Throne Speech, the B.C. government called this the “most consequential time for our province since the Second World War” and laid out a plan to strengthen the economy, diversify trade, and respond to U.S. threats.
But instead of prioritizing long-term resilience, B.C. is fast-tracking 18 major projects, including LNG, mining, and critical minerals—funnelling billions of dollars into industries that harm biodiversity, Indigenous lands, and the climate.
Who benefits from this plan?
The oil and gas industry, for one. Deeply embedded in the White House, LNG and pipeline expansion is being driven by investors who are close allies and major donors of Trump. Our fear is that prioritizing resource extraction and large-scale industrial developments reinforces our reliance on industries that put profit over people and ecosystems.
It’s true—we are at a critical point in history. But real resilience means protecting what sustains us, not doubling down on industries that drive the climate crisis. B.C. cannot afford to go backward.
🎥 @iantmcallister
#PacificWild #BCpoli #ClimateAction #SustainableFuture #ProtectBC @davidebybc
🌎✨ Kicking off the week with some positive environmental news!
🐟 Kwiakah First Nation is transforming a former salmon farm into a floating, solar-powered research hub, blending traditional knowledge with modern science to protect forests, waters, and marine life.
🍎 More Canadians are choosing local produce, giving farms like Agricola Cooperative in Québec a 20% boost in CSA sales—a win for food security and sustainability!
🐺 Rare black wolves were caught on camera in Poland, sparking new conservation efforts to study their unique genetics.
🦫 Beavers in the Czech Republic built a wetland that exceeds conservationists’ expectations—saving an estimated £1.2 million in costs!
🌳 In Guatemala’s Maya Biosphere Reserve, local communities are proving that sustainable forestry can protect rainforests better than national parks.
💚 While there is still much more work to be done, there are more people than ever before dedicated to protecting wildlife and ecosystems, driving real change for a healthier planet.
#PositiveNews #PositiveEnvironmentalNews #MarineProtection #Forests
💔👨🍼This Family Day, as families across B.C. come together to celebrate, 34 wolf families won’t be joining them. Between January and March of 2024, these families were eradicated from the landscape as part of the province’s ongoing wolf cull—a program that’s already cost taxpayers over $11 million to kill 2,192 wolves.
🐺 Even more disturbing, the "Judas Wolf" program that involves fitting wolves with collars lead marksmen to their families, marking them for death. This isn’t conservation—it’s extermination.
🌲Killing wolves won’t save caribou when their habitat is being destroyed by industry.
As you hold your loved ones close today, take a moment to remember the wolf families who are no longer able to do the same - and the ones currently being chased by helicopters about to meet the same fate. 💚 Let’s honour them by fighting for a future where all families—human and wild—can thrive together.
End the wolf cull! 🛑
🎥 @iantmcallister
#EndTheWolfCull #SaveBCWolves #InhumaneKilling #Wolves #FamilyDay #Animals #AnimalFamilies #Wildlife #Conservation #BeautifulBritishColumbia #Holiday #CanadianFamilies #OhCanada
❗️In a move that echoes the controversial and inhumane wolf cull in British Columbia, Alaska has launched a program to drastically reduce wolf and bear populations under the guise of protecting moose and caribou. But this deeply flawed strategy comes at a devastating cost to the natural ecosystem.
🐺🐻 Wolves, as a keystone species, play a vital role in maintaining balance within their environment. Removing them disrupts this delicate equilibrium, harming not only wolves but the entire ecosystem. Grizzly bears, also targeted in this cull, are among the slowest-reproducing land mammals. With reports confirming that the state has been killing reproductive females and young cubs, the long-term survival of their population is now in serious jeopardy.
🌲This mass killing is based on the misguided belief that predators are the main cause of declining moose and caribou populations. However, a 2024 state report acknowledged that factors like disease, poor nutrition, and harsh winters—not predation—are the true drivers of these population declines.
Despite overwhelming scientific evidence contradicting this approach, the program aims to eliminate up to 80% of these animals through aerial gunning. To make matters worse, independent observers and photographers are being barred from witnessing the cull, shutting out public oversight and transparency.
✍🏼 We cannot allow this to continue. It’s time for science-backed, non-lethal conservation solutions—not senseless slaughter.
Join us in taking a stand for our wildlife neighbors to the North. Sign the petition in our bio to help end this cull!
📸 @iantmcallister
#Wildlife #Grizzly #Alaska #AlaskaWildlife #AnimalMothers #Cubs #BearCub #GrizzlyCub #Conservation #SaveGrizzlies #Wolves #
Karen McAllister
Executive 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.
Laurie McConnell
Director of Community & Systems,
Donor Relations
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 39 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.
If you need any assistance regarding a gift, contact Laurie directly at: 1-778-401-5222.
Natasha Wehn
Project Director
Natasha is a filmmaker and organizer who has worked in the film industry in Vancouver for 8 years. Growing up in Howe Sound, she was profoundly impacted by the power and beauty of the wilderness around her and has always sought to bring together her love of nature and storytelling.
Natasha has a BA in film from Simon Fraser University and studied Project Management at UBC’s Sauder School of Business. She has worked in a wide variety of departments in the film industry, from camera to casting, the production office to production design, and sound to Assistant Directing. This broad experience provided a solid foundation for transitioning into Producing. One of the most rewarding projects was Luk’Luk’I; a 2017 docudrama that collaborated with residents in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside to tell their stories. Working on that project permanently changed Natasha’s perspective of life in the DTES. Natasha’s films have been screened in festivals internationally and won numerous awards.
Natasha believes that visual storytelling has an incredible capacity to build bridges and open people up to new perspectives. She is very excited to work at Pacific Wild and advocate for our precious planet, especially our incredibly unique coastal ecosystems.
In her spare time, Natasha enjoys breathing in the salty sea breeze, feeling the sun on her face, and learning about anything anyone is willing to teach her!
Sydney Dixon
Marine Specialist
Sydney grew up on the coast of British Columbia, where her fascination with tide pools sparked a lifelong passion for the ocean. This enthusiasm deepened throughout her adolescence and guided her into adulthood. She earned an undergraduate degree in marine science and geography, launching her career in the marine field through roles in environmental monitoring and as a vessel captain leading wildlife tours.
After relocating to the west coast of Vancouver Island, she transitioned into the nonprofit sector, focusing on marine research and education. Sydney’s early research positions focused on studying the movement patterns and behaviour of killer whales, as well as monitoring sea star wasting disease and population dynamics in the intertidal zone.
In 2022, Sydney joined the team at Pacific Wild. Thrilled to collaborate with a talented group of colleagues, she now shares her extensive knowledge and passion for the marine environment with diverse audiences. Sydney is also completing a Master of Science degree at Royal Roads University and is excited to share her findings with Pacific Wild’s audience.
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.
Roan Bohonos
Digital Content Designer
Roan was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, and has always had a curiosity and appreciation of the natural world. His love for the coastal environment of B.C. and passion for wildlife protection ignited even further through having spent many summers on Vancouver Island whilst growing up.
Roan graduated in 2020 from the Alberta University of the Arts with a Bachelor’s of Design. After graduating, he spent a few years in the stock video/photography as well as freelancing space, honing his creative skills in the areas of graphic design, motion graphics, and video editing.
After moving to Victoria B.C. in 2021, Roan joined the Pacific Wild crew near the beginning of 2023. His personal interests and hobbies include basketball, snowboarding, hiking, photography, watching movies, photo-collaging, chess, and travel.
Mollie Cameron
Wolf Campaigner
Mollie grew up in Windsor, Ontario and relocated to the west coast in 2016 where she found herself completely captivated by the terrestrial wildlife on Vancouver Island.
Mollie has spent several years volunteering her time providing wildlife education in local communities, with a heavy focus on how to peacefully coexist with carnivores. She has years of field experience monitoring carnivores and studying their behaviour using remote camera traps, investigating wildlife signs and documenting predation events.
She is immensely grateful to be working with Pacific Wild, advocating for wolves. Mollie believes that our province’s carnivore population is often misjudged and hopes to inspire admiration and understanding for all of British Columbia’s wildlife.
Lars Isaac
Videographer & Video Editor
