For over 50 years, BC Spaces and its staff have taken a leading role in the preservation of 5 million hectares of world class wild landscapes across British Columbia, including the Tatshenshini–Alsek UN World Heritage Site; as well as parks in the Spatsizi, Central Purcells, Rockies, the Chilcotin Ark and more.
During this time, BC Spaces has specialized in developing Jobs and Environment strategic solutions that are oriented to benefit all British Columbians and their forests.
Board of Directors
BC Spaces for Nature’s activities are guided by an accomplished Board of Directors, from the conservation, First Nations, professional, business, and labour sectors, who are all dedicated to the protection of BC’s wild spaces.
Notable past directors have included: pioneering BC conservationist Ken Farquharson; renown mountaineers Pat Morrow (first person to summit the highest peak on all seven continents) and Dan Culver (first Canadian to summit both Mt. Everest and K2); and global rivers conservationist Mark Angelo. The Board is actively involved in the strategic guidance, as well as ensuring fiduciary responsibility and organizational success of BC Spaces.
Current Board members:
Ric Careless (President, Founder):
For over 50 years, Ric Careless has devoted his life to protecting over 10 million acres (4M ha) of BC’s world-class wilderness in the: Tatshenshini (UN World Heritage Site), Central Purcell Mountains, Spatsizi-Stikine, Height of the Rockies, numerous protected areas across the Chilcotin Ark, and more. In 1972, he led and won Canada’s first old growth forest campaign at Nitinat Triangle (in today’s Pacific Rim National Park). Ric founded, and has served as the Executive Director of BC Spaces for Nature from 1989-2026. He also founded the BC Parks Foundation, and co-founded the Sierra Club of BC, BC Wilderness Tourism Ass, BC Environmental Mining Council, and BC Wild. As such, Ric has played a key formative role in BC’s conservation movement. For this lifetime of work he has received the Order of British Columbia and numerous awards in Canada and the United States.
Robert Ballantyne (Director) – Management Consultant, Past-President of BC Spaces for Nature: Robert Ballantyne has served as President of BC Spaces for Nature leading the Board. Prior to that he was the President of the Canada Nature Federation. Robert has been especially skilled at this role given that his career as a consultant has been specialized in Non-Profit Board Governance. For many decades, he has advised major organizations across North America on how to operate their board to achieve successful, efficient operation.
Loretta Woodcock (Secretary/Treasurer) – Former Canadian Autoworkers Union Vice President: A long-time board member, Loretta Woodcock has brought a labour union perspective to BC Spaces campaign work. She was active at the national level in training new union leaders and also served as a strategic specialist for the BC Nurses Union. Loretta also has a strong conservation background having been elected to and served on the Vancouver Parks Board for 9 years.
Dona Lyn-Reel (‘Ex officio’ Board Member) BC Spaces Administration Officer: Since the very inception of BC Spaces for Nature, Dona Reel has served with dedication to oversee the organization’s administrative, financial and logistical requirements, thereby helping ensure its on-going, disciplined, and effective operation.
Tim Turner (Director): Environmental Educator: From 1992 to 2017 Tim Turner ran the innovative Sea to Sky Outdoor School bringing countless Vancouver youth closer to Nature in the process.
Roger Handling (Director) – Terra Firma Digital Arts, Creative Director: As an award winning graphic designer, and artist, Roger Handling has advised on communication strategy and been responsible for so many of BC Spaces top calibre print and digital products. Most recently, Roger has been responsible for the design of BC Spaces’ Nature Climate Jobs Forest Solution’s campaign publications.
Suzanne Senger (Director) – Executive Director, Sunshine Coast Conservation Association (SCCA): A former BC Spaces Campaign Director, Suzanne Sanger guided BC Spaces Howe Sound campaign which culminated in the UNESCO biosphere designation. As head of the SCCA, she is a regional champion on the Sunshine Coast for BC Spaces Nature Climate Jobs Solution, notably on the effects of forest management on hydrology.
Sarah Miller (Director) – Senior Policy Researcher, Canadian Climate Institute. Sarah Miller honed her strategic policy and top-level issues management skills as BC Green Party Policy Research Director under climate scientist Dr. Andrew Weaver’s leadership. She continues this work at the Canadian Climate Institute. Sarah has played an ongoing key role in helping craft the messaging of BC Spaces’ Nature Climate Jobs forest campaign and report.
Brock Evan (Emeritus) – Legendary US Wilderness Conservation Leader: Brock Evans served as the US Sierra Club Director of its Washington DC lobbying bureau and previous to that, as the Club’s Pacific Northwest Conservation Regional Director. He also was the Vice-president of National Audubon Society and headed the US Ancient Forest Alliance Campaign championing old growth protection in the US National Forests. Brock has been a life-long mentor for Ric Careless right back to the Nitinat Triangle campaign of the early 1970s and is a key inspirational force for the BC Spaces Board.
Campaign Style:
BC Spaces for Nature’s campaign team is characterized by its strategic, results-driven, solutions-oriented approach. We have a long, effective track-record serving to catalyze and connect an ecosystem of key players across the BC environmental movement. We focus on achieving tangible campaign success as measured in actual conservation legislative/regulations enacted by government; numbers of hectares of wild country preserved etc. The mission of BC Spaces campaigning is to work relentlessly to protect BC’s world-class wild heritage in a fashion that will benefit: ‘All Generations, All Peoples, & All Species’. BC Spaces founder Ric Careless continues in his new role as President to provide strategic guidance to the organization’s campaign team.
Staff and Contractors:
Julian Axmann (Executive Director): As the campaign director since 2021, Julian Axmann leveraged BC Spaces’ track record to convene with leading scientists, economists and First Nations leaders among others to formulate the NCJ Solution for BC’s Forests. He is honoured to serve BC’s lands and peoples as the executive director role of BC Spaces. Julian comes from a conservation and natural resources background in Tanzania. In 2020, he led an international fundraising campaign to support the endangered black rhinos of Mkomazi National Park.
Wendy Francis (Executive Advisor): With a background in law and biology, Wendy Francis has specialized in helping conservation groups, philanthropic foundations, and government agencies navigate through leadership transitions and periods of significant growth to achieve their missions. Having been in leadership positions across the borders of BC, AB & into the US West, including having served as Chair of Wildlands Network, Wendy Francis is well-positioned to help grow the NCJ Solution into an ecosystem campaign.
Elisabeth Hazell (Funding Development Associate): Elisabeth Hazel is a seasoned fundraiser on conservation, social impact and art campaigns. She is helping BC Spaces scale up the funding behind the NCJ Solution ecosystem campaign.
Jerry Mallett (Western US Conservation Associate): Jerry is on contract for the NCJ Solution helping BC Spaces cross-pollinate with US groups and representatives. He contributed to the designation of millions of acres of wilderness as the Western US field representative for The Wilderness Society. (BC Spaces adopted that model to spawn field campaigners across BC for decades.)
[Hiring in Process], Campaign Manager:
[Hiring in Process], Senior Campaigner:
[Hiring in Process], Administrative Assistant.