Hillary Page, director of conservation, BC Region (Photo by NCC)
How did you come to join the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC)?
I was introduced to NCC when I did a rare plant survey on Canadian Rockies conservation properties on contract. I was so impressed by the properties and the team that I set about trying to find a job with NCC. I started working here in 2006.
What is your educational background and previous experience?
I have an undergraduate degree in conservation biology and a master's in wildlife and range management, both from the University of Alberta. I worked as an independent biologist, specializing in plant ecology, in the Columbia Valley prior to coming to NCC.
What are you hoping to achieve through your work at NCC?
My goal at NCC is to provide and foster the best available science, which will help to establish a network of conservation lands that provide important connectivity and habitat for wildlife and support functioning ecological processes. I hope to achieve this with the support and engagement of the communities within which NCC works.
Describe a typical day at work.
This depends on the time of year. In the spring and fall a typical day involves being in the field with conservation interns, working on baseline inventories, covenant monitoring or other stewardship work (e.g. invasive species surveys, wetland health monitoring). In the fall and winter, a typical day involves writing stewardship funding proposals, reporting back on projects and setting up projects for the coming field season.
What are your hobbies/interests outside work?
Does running after children count? Cooking, Pilates, downhill skiing, camping, hiking.
