We are pleased to invite you to our upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Saturday, June 27th starting at 1:30 PM at the Millard Learning Centre (10825 Porlier Pass Road). You are encouraged to attend in person, but can also join remotely via Zoom at this LINK.
IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING MEMBERSHIPS & VOTING
The GCA’s AGM is open to the public, but only members in good standing can vote. To be considered a member in good standing, you must have renewed your membership in 2025 (6-month grace period ends June 30th) or in 2026, either by donating an amount greater than $10, or by volunteering with the GCA for at least one hour and signing up to be a member.
Interested in being more involved? If you wish to know more about the roles and responsibilities of board members and eligibility to stand for election, please email Risa Smith, current GCA Board Vice-Chair: vice-chair@galianoconservancy.ca
If you are in the mood to do a bit of outdoor work prior to the AGM, we are organizing an informal social hour and (optional) volunteer activity (weeding in the Nuts’a’maat Forage Forest). Join us at the MLC classroom at noon to chat with staff and board members and get a bit of fresh air in good company!
We are pleased to announce that this year’s featured speaker will be Dr. Jennifer Grenz
Talk title and description:
Relational Restoration: Reclaiming Land, Responsibility, and Reciprocity
Conservation is often framed as protection and management, creating conservation practices that may leave essential long-term human relationship out of land care. Drawing upon her Canadian National Bestselling book, “Medicine Wheel for the Planet: A Journey Toward Personal and Ecological Healing” and the principles of Indigenous Ecology, Dr. Jennifer Grenz explores how land stewardship can move beyond preservation toward relational restoration—where ecological health, cultural continuity, and governance are understood as inseparable. Grounded in examples from her restoration practice and Indigenous-led land healing research in British Columbia, she demonstrates how we can engage with deeper time, recognize shifted baselines, and support pathways that restore not only ecosystems, but the relationships that sustain them.
Bio
Dr. Jennifer Grenz is an Assistant Professor and Indigenous Scholar (Nlaka’pamux, member of the Lytton First Nation) in the Department of Forest Resources Management, jointly appointed between the Faculty of Forestry and Faculty of Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia. The research focuses of her Indigenous Ecology Lab (www.IndigenousEcology.com) are on the application of a food systems lens to restoration ecology, and developing culturally centered, data-driven restoration interventions using Indigenous and western sciences. The lab works entirely in service to the land-healing research needs of Indigenous communities, particularly in the context of building climate resiliency and major climate event recovery. Prior to her academic appointment, Dr. Grenz was the Executive Director of the Invasive Species Council of Metro Vancouver and ran her own invasive plant management company, Greener This Side, managing invasive species for government agencies. Dr. Grenz is the author of National Bestseller, “Medicine Wheel for the Planet: A Journey Toward Personal and Ecological Healing”, a book based on her PhD dissertation published by Knopf Canada (imprint of Penguin Random House) and the University of Minnesota Press (USA).
(Link to more detailed agenda will be added closer to the date)
