Who We Are
Photo – Diane Dugas
NANAIMO & AREA LAND TRUST
Who We Are
With gratitude, we acknowledge that the Nanaimo & Area Land Trust is located on the traditional territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation.
Over the years, many committed, dedicated and generous individuals have made invaluable contributions to help NALT achieve its mission – to support, promote and protect the natural values of land and water in our area.
Board of Directors
Dedicated Staff
Committed Volunteers
Members & Donors
Meet the Staff
Paul Chapman
Executive Director
Paul started with NALT in 2008 as part of a crew building the greenhouse at the Natural Abundance Native Plant Nursery and on Mount Benson establishing trails and restoring some previously logged sites. With the support and mentorship of many NALT stalwarts, Paul has filled many roles with the organization Nanaimo & Area Land Trust including his current position as Executive Director.
Nanette Leather
Administrative Assistant
Bringing over 20 years of administration, technology and communications experience in the non-profit sector, Nanette joined NALT in spring 2022 in order to achieve a positive work/life balance with an organization that aligned with her beliefs and interests. As you can see from the picture, Nanette’s experience herding cats is also an asset in her role.
Linda Brooymans
Stewardship Manager
Linda started working with NALT in 2020. She has a Masters degree in anthropology, having worked with First Nations in Deline NWT and Waswanipi Quebec. Through this she has learned that experience on the land, or ‘in Nature’ is the best way to develop and maintain an ethic of care and stewardship for everything from our forests, streams and meadows to our parking lots and boulevards. This is why she works to develop and promote stewardship projects in which all community members can participate.
Barb Mortell
Native Plant Nursery Coordinator
Barb began volunteering at the nursery after attending a talk on native pollinators and how to support them with native plants in the garden. She now spends time pulling non-natives and invasives in her own garden and planting and nurturing natives to enhance and protect the local ecosystem. Barb brings her retail and small business experience to help support the nursery and volunteers at the back end, as well as her artist’s eye and creativity to get things done. She loves walking in the woods and appreciates all that NALT does to preserve what we have.
Elizabeth Kennedy
School Water Stewards Coordinator
Elizabeth is excited to bring her years of experience as an experiential education facilitator and Scout leader to NALT’s School Water Stewards program. Elizabeth first developed an interest in freshwater ecosystems while exploring the pond behind her house near Lillooet -the dragonflies were always too fast to catch! – and has spent the last 18 years exploring the outdoors around Nanaimo – often with groups of children in tow. She thinks that providing children with hands on learning experiences is the best way to foster their love of nature and desire to protect the world around them.
Mika Reid
Native Plant Nursery Coordinator
Mika is excited to bring her love of the living world to her work at the Natural Abundance Native Plant Nursery. She started volunteering in 2022 under the mentorship of Susan Fisher and Coco van Zyl. Mika is passionate about the role gardeners can play in promoting individual and collective wellbeing, and advocates incorporating native plants into our gardens and landscapes to support food webs and adapt to climate change.
Board of Directors
Dean Gaudry
Co-Chair
Nina Locke
Co-Chair & Streamkeeper
I am grateful to be part of an organization whose mission is to support, promote and protect priceless lands and waters in the Nanaimo Area for today and for generations to come. It is satisfying to work alongside of community members and students to restore damaged habitat in urban streams and lakes. That’s part of the work of NALT.
Linda Nichol
Director
A biologist with over 25 years of experience, Linda has been a Board Director for NALT since 2015. She sees the direct value of wilderness, biodiversity & ecosystems to our very survival and health, both physically and mentally. She believes that citizen-driven efforts to protect natural landscapes is vital and has witnessed that protected status can result from the efforts of small groups of committed community members. As a Director, Linda hopes to contribute to creating more protected landscapes.
Jack Tieleman
Director
Jack is an avid hiker and mountain top collector. His work career spanned both for and not for profits in employment services as well as record retail. He has run several record stores and promotes local record shows. His volunteer experience ranges from the Ladysmith Downtown Business Association to Nanaimo Foodshare and the Parksville Chamber of Commerce Membership Committee.
Fraser Wilson
Treasurer
Fraser is a former lawyer and judge, now retired. He has been on the Board of NALT since 2011. He is chair of the Finance Committee, and treasurer of NALT. He is also a member of the Conservation Covenants Committee and the Governance and Policy Committee.
Norm Wagenaar
Director
Norm Wagenaar is a writer and self-employed gardener with a special interest in native plants. He has a degree in environmental studies from Trent University and has worked for conservation organizations in British Columbia and Ontario.
Sarah Anning
Director
David Drakeford
Director
Wally Wells
Secretary
Nanaimo & Area Land Trust is a proud member of the Land Trust Alliance of British Columbia