Craig Bradbery
Craig Bradbery is the CEO of Baillie Lodges, Director of Luxury Lodges of Australia and Director of Tourism Tropical North Queensland. Baillie Lodges is an intimate portfolio of luxury lodges setting new benchmarks for premium experiential travel. Their property portfolio includes the Capella Lodge on the World Heritage-listed Lord Howe Island, Vancouver Island’s celebrated luxury outpost Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge, Huka Lodge on the banks of Waikato River on New Zealand’s North Island, Longitude 131° at Uluru-Kata Tjuta, and Tropical North Queensland’s luxury bolt-hole, Silky Oaks Lodge located next to the World Heritage-listed wilderness of the Daintree National Park.
3 words to describe Nature?
Peaceful. Powerful. Rejuvenating
3 things Nature taught you?
As much I wish I could, nature has taught me that I can’t control everything
Always try to make the most of every opportunity
Even when things seem somewhat bleak, there’s usually a silver lining
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Kangaroo Island: Our Southern Ocean Lodge property is located on this amazingly pristine island, just 20-minutes off the coast of Adelaide. The wildlife and landscapes showcase the best of Australia, whilst I can sit and look at the wildly intriguing Southern Ocean all day, it just never gets old.
Vancouver Island, Canada: Our newest lodge, Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge, is located here, in the remote coastal Canadian wilderness, surrounded by old-growth coniferous forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife in a UNESCO biosphere reserve. I fell in love with Clayoquot during my first visit in late 2019, so this is the number one destination on my list to get back to when borders re-open.
Anywhere by the ocean, whatever side of the world it’s on, whether it be Gordons Bay in Sydney – a beautiful, rocky cove nested between Coogee and Clovelly beaches, or Estero Beach in Baja California, which I visited many years ago when it was rustic surfers haven.
When you look at the OCEAN, it makes you feel…?
Relaxed (it grounds me to look at the ocean and hear its relentless sounds), inspired (it takes me away from the “noise” of daily life and helps me look ahead to bigger things), awe-struck (I’m very respectful of the great power that the ocean holds)
When you see a FOREST, it makes you feel…?
Seeing a forest makes me yearn to be within the forest because I’m intrigued as to what I might discover
When you see a VOLCANO, it makes you feel…?
Excited (and maybe a little scared)! The power and uncontrolled force is fascinating – I have very fond memories of the first volcano I got up close to, Mt Agung in Bali
When you see a SUNRISE or SUNSET, it makes you feel…?
Calm and very alive, the start and end of the days are when I’m at my best
When you hear THUNDER, it makes you feel…? *
Alert! It tells me there’s something interesting going on outside and I want to pay attention.
When you hear the WIND HOWLING, it makes you feel…?
Invigorated - there’s nothing like a windstorm to awaken the senses.
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
As an Australian living in Sydney (and a Pisces!), I am all about the Ocean. Having said that the desert is also a real source of inspiration for me, so I relish my visits to our lodge, Longitude 131, at Uluru in Australia’s spiritual heart
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
9… but add great food & wine to the mix and it becomes an 11!
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Growing up in Sydney, my first memories of nature were usually on family holidays, such as fishing at Long Jetty on the NSW Central Coast, or snorkeling on the Coral Coast of Fiji. These early experiences were definitely the catalyst for developing my passion for travel… and I consider myself very lucky to work in the industry I am so passionate about.
Karen Elliott
Karen Elliott was elected as Mayor of the District of Squamish, British Columbia in October 2018 after serving as a member of Squamish Council from 2014-2018. She moved to Squamish in 2012 after spending six years abroad in Melbourne, Australia. Karen decided to run for elected office because she quickly realized the significant opportunities and challenges that lay ahead for Squamish as it experienced significant growth and big city pressures, despite its small town feel. During her time on Council, Karen chaired the Community Development Committee, Finance and Audit Committee and was the Council representative on the Food Policy Council, the Library Board, and the Community Advisory Community for the Official Community Plan review.
In addition to her Council duties, from 2016 - 2018, Karen served as the first Ombudsperson for Quest University Canada, working with students, staff and faculty to ensure policies and practices were fair and followed the principles of natural justice. In addition, Karen has 15 years of consulting experience as a specialist in organizational effectiveness and leadership development. She supports her clients with strategic planning, team and leadership development, change management and large group facilitation. When she is not at work, Karen is a literacy tutor and enjoys spending time with her family and friends exploring the beautiful environment around Squamish.
3 words to describe Nature?
Inspiring. Evolving. Home
3 things Nature taught you?
Patience
Courage
Systems thinking - about how everything is connected.
3 most treasured Nature spots?
The middle of a prairie
The top of a mountain
Around the campfire
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel…?
I am not an ocean person to be honest. Although I appreciate the ocean’s beauty and vitality, there is something a little unsettling when I look at this vast mass of water. It reminds me that there is a whole world I cannot see.
When you see a forest, it makes you feel…?
Like taking a deep breathe and walking quietly.
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel…?
It makes me think about the creative power of the earth, about creation and not so much about destruction.
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel…?
When I see a sunrise, I am grateful for the day ahead. When I see a sunset, I am grateful for the day I just experienced. Sometimes, I will admit, I am just grateful that the day is over!
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel…?
Anticipation. In fact, during a thunderstorm, every time I see the flash of a lightning, I start counting the seconds until I hear the big bang so that I can calculate how far away the impact was. I have been doing this since I was a child and it is habit now.
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel…?
Like wanting my loved ones to be close, like coming together. It creates in me the desire or instinct to protect.
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
I would say mountain and forest because of where I live now but really, I am a prairie person. I love these endless landscapes and the big skies. It is home for me. I am a long term, big picture thinker and the prairie gives you that perspective. You see things from far away, you see them approaching, passing by and leaving, providing you with different perspectives with which to take it all in.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10 because of where we are today. We often say that we don’t appreciate something until it is gone. With the current state of our planet, nature and our relationship to it at risk, we must find our way back to nature and reconnect. The planet can exist without us. But we can’t exist without a healthy planet. It is the only support system we have.
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Paddling with a friend, on a lake in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario late one night and watching the moon rise. Suddenly the trees up on the hills started to turn orange, like they were on fire. For a few minutes we couldn’t understand what was happening. And then this massive moon started to rise. It was like a sunrise! I was speechless and humbled by the incredible beauty of what I was seeing. I was a teenager at the time, and this moment really affected me. It broke through my self-centred teenage attitude and made me realize that I didn’t know it all, and hadn’t seen it all. It shifted my perspective and made me start appreciating many things that I took for granted, or hadn’t taken the time to really see.
Ian McAllister
Ian McAllister is a co-founder of the wildlife conservation organization Pacific Wild. He is an award-winning photographer, film director and author of nine books, his images have appeared in publications around the world. He is a member of the International League of Conservation Photographers and a fellow of the Royal Geographic Society; a recipient of the North America Nature Photography Association’s Vision Award and the Rainforest Action Network’s Rainforest Hero award and Time Magazine’s “Leaders of the 21st Century” award for efforts to protect British Columbia’s endangered rainforest. He recently directed the Great Bear Rainforest IMAX film, the film is narrated by Ryan Reynolds and produced by MacGillivray Freeman Films.
3 words to describe Nature?
Life-support. Metamorphosis. Fragility
3 things Nature taught you?
Love of earth
Curiosity
That working in defense of nature is the most fulfilling life pursuit that I can think of.
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Where the Pacific ocean meets the temperate rainforest
Anywhere underwater
Staring into the eyes of a wild wolf
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel…?
Humble, at home, empowered by the beauty and strength of it but also sadness for how our actions are impacting life below the surface.
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Like I am surrounded by a collective of ancient and wise souls.
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Glad I don't own real estate under it
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Sunrise. A sense of awakening, anticipation.
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Energized and wide eyed.
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
comfort, if I am in a safe harbor, exhilarating if I am offshore.
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
I live at the interface between ocean and the rainforest and feel a deep and strong affinity for each environment.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
When I was nine years old I opened our front door to find my mothers favorite goat giving its last breath as a large cougar had just crushed its throat. My dad wasn’t sure who was more dangerous at that point, my mom or the cougar. He quickly ran outside and yanked the cougars tail so hard it literally flew across the driveway and quickly climbed a tree. I have never been so close to a cougar since.
Ross Beaty
ROSS BEATY is a geologist and entrepreneur in the international minerals and renewable energy industries. He currently Chairs Pan American Silver Corp. and Equinox Gold Corp. and has founded and divested many other resource companies. He is also an environmental philanthropist, primarily through The Sitka Foundation. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Nature Trust of BC, is a Director of The Pacific Salmon Foundation and Panthera, and is patron of the Beaty Biodiversity Center at the University of BC. Mr. Beaty was appointed to The Order of Canada in 2017 and the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame in 2018.
3 words to describe Nature?
Spiritual. Wondrous. Sustainable
3 things Nature taught you?
What beauty really is.
What sustainable systems look like.
The ability to enjoy simple things without all the junk in urban systems.
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Patagonia
BC coast
Galapagos
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Small
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Fulfilled
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
If it’s an active volcano it’s always awesome. If it’s an extinct volcano I always think of the power of plate tectonics.
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Beauty
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Appreciative of the power of nature
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Ditto
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Mountain
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Hiking and camping with my family.
Charlene Chiang
CHARLENE CHIANG is the Vice President of Engagement at Ocean Wise. She is a strategic communicator with 20 years of progressive experience leveraging marketing, digital communications and public relations to position, enhance and protect organizational brands. She has earned 7 provincial and national awards for excellence in communications and is an avid participant with the International Association of Business Communicators.
From crisis management to enterprise-wide transformations, Charlene specializes in stakeholder engagement with a focus on shifting attitudes and aligning behaviours. Applying best practices in thought leadership and communications technology, Charlene has led the development and execution of strategic communications programs for some of Canada’s leading businesses and not-for-profit organizations, including McDonald’s Canada, Vancouver Coastal Health, City of Victoria, City of New Westminster and Coast Capital Savings. Since joining Ocean Wise in 2010, Charlene has led innovative media and digital campaigns that have elevated the brand as a storyteller by increasing national and international media impressions by 900 per cent and garnering extensive digital connections to drive attention to ocean conservation.
As Vice-President of Engagement, Charlene oversees a dynamic team of marketing, communications and digital content practice leaders, all working towards connecting 100 million people annually to ocean conservation. This aggressive goal aims to heighten awareness on ocean issues, engage people to care about their role, and inspire more action to protect aquatic life.
3 words to describe Nature?
Inspiring. Majestic. Life.
3 things Nature taught you?
Peace
Connectivity
Importance of diversity
3 most treasured Nature spots?
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Joy
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Alive and part of a larger universe
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Amazed
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Comfort
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Engaged
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Intrigued
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Ocean
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
One of my fondest memories as a child was when my parents would bring my brother and I to Harrison Hot Springs every year for a large family beach BBQ. We would spend the full day exploring the hot springs, rolling in the grass, and playing in the water until the sun would set. It was invigorating, exhausting and one of my favourite moments growing up. It taught me the importance of family, nature and the connection we all share.
Dave Brownlie
Born and raised in British Columbia, DAVE BROWNLIE is a graduate of the University of British Columbia Bachelor of Commerce (1985), an FCPA, and Whistler Community member since 1989. Dave began his career in the ski industry with Blackcomb Mountain rising to the position of President & CEO of Whistler Blackcomb Holdings Inc. and then working as COO for Vail Resorts through the ownership transition. Accomplishments include the integration of Whistler and Blackcomb mountains, the implementation of the Peak2Peak gondola, leading the very successful run of Whistler Blackcomb as a public company and securing new 60 Year Master Development Agreements for both Whistler and Blackcomb mountains with the province of British Columbia and the Squamish and Lil’wat Nations.
A passionate skier, hockey player, biker and golfer; Dave enjoys everything the Sea to Sky corridor has to offer with his wife and three kids.
3 words to describe Nature?
Beautiful. Inspirational. Powerful
3 things Nature taught you?
Life’s true pleasures are not based on material things
There is so much to learn
How something so powerful can also be so extremely vulnerable.
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Top of Blackcomb or Whistler Mountain
The sandy beaches of the West Coast (e.g. Tofino)
The British Virgin Islands.
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Adventurous
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Strong
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Vulnerable
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Peaceful, calm, relaxed
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Alert
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Alive
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
It is so hard to pick one! If I had to ……. Mountain.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
It is the foundation …… 10.
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Living in Whitehorse, Yukon at the age of 11, me and my buddy back packed into a small lake and camped for the night! Two 11 year old’s experiencing life and nature on our own ………… very cool.
Mark Tercek
MARK TERCEK is president and CEO of The Nature Conservancy, the global conservation organization known for its intense focus on collaboration and getting things done for the benefit of people and nature. He is the author of the Washington Post and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling book Nature’s Fortune: How Business and Society Thrive by Investing in Nature.
A former managing director and Partner for Goldman Sachs, where he spent 24 years, Mark brings deep business experience to his role leading the Conservancy. He is a champion of the idea of natural capital — valuing nature for its own sake as well as for the services it provides for people, such as clean air and water, productive soils and a stable climate.
In 2012, Mark was appointed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to serve on the New York State 2100 Commission, which was created in the wake of Superstorm Sandy to advise the governor and the state on how to make the state’s infrastructure more resilient to future storms. In 2016, Mark was appointed by President Barack Obama to the president's Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations.
Mark is also a member of several boards and councils, including Resources for the Future, the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED),Harvard Business School's Social Enterprise Initiative, and SNAPP, TNC's science joint venture with UC Santa Barbara and the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Drawing on his professional background in the financial sector, Mark is leading TNC’s impact capital initiative and serves as board chair of NatureVest.
3 words to describe Nature?
Inspiring. Spiritual. Valuable
3 things Nature taught you?
Interconnectedness. Shortcuts don’t work. We’re all (all species) in this together.
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Very difficult - I lead The Nature Conservancy, so it is like asking me who is my favorite child. So I will answer: Mountains, Jungles & Oceans.
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
At peace
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Happy
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Respectful
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Calm, happy
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Like rain is coming.
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Like I'm outside
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
All of the above
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Early in my TNC days and for various reasons, I was feeling stressed about my new job. I had to go to the Great Bear Rain Forest in British Columbia. My anxiety and stress vanished as soon as I arrived and took in the majesty, beauty and glory of the area. I also realized that I had myself a very good job!
Photograph by Emiliano Granado
Scott Sampson
SCOTT SAMPSON was born and raised in Vancouver, BC. He is a dinosaur paleontologist, science communicator, and passionate advocate for reimagining cities as places where people and nature thrive. He serves as the President and CEO of Science World British Columbia.
Scott’s scientific research has focused on the ecology and evolution of Late Cretaceous dinosaurs, and he has conducted fieldwork in many countries, including Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Madagascar, Mexico, the United States, and Canada. He has published numerous scientific and popular articles, and regularly speaks to audiences of all ages on topics ranging from dinosaurs and education to sustainability and connecting kids with nature.
Sampson has appeared in many television documentaries and served as a science advisor for a variety of media projects, most recently the BBC movie, Walking With Dinosaurs. He has authored multiple books, including Dinosaur Odyssey: Fossil Threads in the Web of Life, and How to Raise a Wild Child: The Art and Science of Falling in Love with Nature. However, he is perhaps best known as “Dr. Scott,” host and science advisor of the Emmy-nominated PBS KIDS television series Dinosaur Train, produced by the Jim Henson Company.
3 words to describe Nature?
Interwoven, Nested, Evolving
3 things Nature taught you?
Wonder, Deep Connection, Humility
3 most treasured Nature spots?
While I have had the pleasure of traveling to a number of countries around the world, my most treasured nature spots have been those that I have been able to return to again and again. They are the ones I know the best, and that resonate with me most deeply.
Long Beach (Tofino area), Vancouver Island
Marin Headlands, California
Red Rock Country, southern Utah
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Awe (in its vastness)
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Wonder (in its deep, mostly unseen interconnections)
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Humbled (by the sheer power it represents from within the Earth)
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Tiny, and a little off balance (sitting, as I am, on the side of a giant, rolling sphere)
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Resonance (it is as if I feel the thunder more from the inside out, than the outside in)
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
A deep appreciation for shelter
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Growing up in Vancouver, BC, I was raised at the intersection of ocean, mountain, and forest, so for me they are interwoven. But if I had to pick one only, it would be the ocean.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
While still a child, camping with my family in the interior of British Columbia, I went off on my own (as usual) in search for interesting rocks and (hopefully) fossils. I spent a joyous hour or two on the side of a steep, boulder-strewn slope, turning over rocks and hunting for whatever wonders might be revealed. (I may have rolled a few rocks down the hillside as well.) Eventually I stopped and sat for a long while on a flat rock with a view of the valley below. When I finally headed back to our campsite, I wanted to show my parents where I had been. Late in the day, we walked back to the spot, to find a rattlesnake lounging on the very same flat rock I had sat on just hours earlier. I presume that it was soaking in the last rays of sun before a night of hunting. Although my first reaction was a twinge of fear, my lasting sense was one of interconnection—with the snake, the rock, and that place.