BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Miriam’s love of nature started early, as a child trying to be helpful in the vegetable and flower gardens of her parents. For more than 25 years, Miriam has had a professional practice in landscape architecture and is based in Northumberland County.

The topic of access to the natural environment is a focus of her interest in the NLT. She is also currently undertaking graduate research in Sustainability Studies including resilient communities.

She is a mentor with Northumberland Big Sisters; a former Cobourg Town Councilor (2006-2014) and during the same period also a Board member of the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority; and, has received a volunteer service award from the Province of Ontario.

Miriam joined the NLT board in 2015.

Robert Fishlock  is an environmental lawyer and senior legal counsel with the Port Hope Area Initiative project, charged with the cleanup of historic low level radioactive waste in the communities of Port Hope and Port Granby, Ontario.

Up until 2012, he was a partner with the national law firm of Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, where he practiced for over 27 years in all aspects of environmental law, particularly with respect to the regulation of industrial activities and the protection of air, water and land resources.

Robert and his wife reside in the historic community of Port Hope, where Robert was born and raised. He is currently on the executive of the Northumberland-Peterborough South federal Green Party EDA and Green Party of Ontario CA.

He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Community Power Northumberland, a cooperative that has developed a number of solar energy projects in Northumberland County.

Joan was raised in Haldimand Township, Northumberland County. Joan and her husband George have two adult children, Karen and Brian, grandson Forrest, and grand-daughters Camryn & Bria. They enjoy hobbies such as gardening, antique vehicles, arts and culture, sports, and their Aruba time-share residence.

She attended Cobourg Collegiate West and obtained a Special Commercial Diploma. Following that Joan became Legal Secretary to Harvey M. Brent, LL.B., Q.C., of Cobourg from 1955 to 1978. Then she became Owner/Manager of Gardiner Investment Service in Cobourg from 1978 to 1996. Joan is a founding member of the Canadian Independent Deposit Brokers Federation and was recognized in the American “Kaleo” publication of “Who’s Who amongst business executives.

Joan has been recognized for her volunteer service in many ways. She has received the Distinguished Civic Award from the Town of Cobourg, a Paul Harris Fellow from the Cobourg Rotary Club, the Ontario Volunteer Award and she is a Canadian Citizenship Centennial Medallion recipient. She continues her volunteer efforts as the President of the Cobourg Museum Foundation/Sifton-Cook Heritage Centre, a Director and Past President of the Northumberland Orchestra Society, the Past Chair and Sec-Treas. of the Halcyon Place Northumberland Supportive Housing Corporation, a member of the Cobourg Rotary Club and the Grafton Branch, Royal Canadian Legion.

Joan has worked tirelessly for her faith. She is Past Chair of the Cobourg Presbytery and is a Member of the Pastoral Relations Commission, Hills and Shores Presbytery, United Church of Canada as well as Board Secretary for the Castleton-Grafton Church Council and Grafton United Church.

Her political life includes terms as a member of Cobourg Council from 1988 to l994, and Mayor of Cobourg from 1995 to 2000. In addition, she was County of Northumberland Warden in 1992.

For the Northumberland Land Trust, Joan is a member of the founding Board of Directors and has remained a Director ever since. She filled the role of Treasurer for many years. She was then President and is now the immediate Past-president while returning to the role of Treasurer.

John joined the Land Trust Board in about 2008 after spending three years in New Zealand following his retirement from Trinity College School. At Trinity he taught mathematics, science and geography, and coached cross-country running and Nordic skiing.

His years from 1965 to 2002 at Trinity were broken up regularly by a return to the University of Toronto to complete a B.Sc. in biology, five months spent as a scuba-diving biological research assistant in the high arctic, a winter ski-bumming in the Kananaskis Valley in Alberta, a summer working as a cowboy on an Alberta foothills ranch, a year teaching in Whitehorse, a sabbatical spent studying mathematics and biology at the University of Guelph, and a year on exchange to Australia. While teaching, he also spent many summers in the Canadian arctic working for the National Museum of Natural History and the Canadian Wildlife Service.

In retirement, John is an active birder. He helps with local Christmas and summer bird counts, conducts marsh surveys for birds and amphibians, and surveys eight lakes by canoe each summer to collect data on Common Loon breeding success. He has also visited over 40 countries on birding trips. When not birding, his interests include cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, camping, badminton, electoral reform and keeping his firewood pile ready for next winter.

John’s wife, Dorothy, is a veterinarian with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Their son lived in Cusco, Peru for 10 years, and guides birding tours in many South American countries. Their daughter is currently teaching mathematics, science and physical education in Vancouver.

All of his travels and love of outdoor activities have convinced John that increasing human population will continue to put pressure on natural spaces. He believes that the only way to protect such spaces so that our great-grandchildren’s great-grandchildren will be able to enjoy them is through preservation by land trusts and similar organizations. He is therefore an avid supporter of the Nature Conservancy of Canada and is proud to serve on the Board of the Northumberland Land Trust, where he is now President. His responsibilities on the Board include regular e-mail communication with members, organizing the Wallace Birdathon, producing the quarterly newsletter, and acting as the Steward for the McEwen Reserve. He is grateful to all of our local supporters and encourages each of our members to persuade one more friend or family member to join us in our work to preserve significant natural, cultural and historical features of Northumberland County.

An interest in the natural world, particularly the relationships that exist between all living things has drawn me to the Northumberland Land Trust (NLT) to help establish and protect natural spaces within Northumberland County. On the NLT board I hold the position of recording secretary and chair of the fall gala dinner.

Having completed a Bachelor of Science in the Honours program at Trent University in 2015, I am now completing my Masters of Education also at Trent. A registered nurse for 32 years, I hold the position of patient care manager of the Cancer, Dialysis, Ambulatory and Birthing Suites programs for the Northumberland Hills Hospital (NHH). I have been honoured to receive the Outstanding Leadership Award from the NHH in 2013, the Healing Hands Award from the NHH in 2008 and the Alumni of Distinction Award from Durham College and nomination for the Premier’s Award in 1996.

I love fine art, spending time with my four children and as a local beekeeper I enjoy any opportunity to share my enthusiasm and knowledge of apiculture.

Primarily I believe in a world where we can sustainably co-exist with all things on this land.

Bill was born in Southwestern Ontario and migrated east to attend Fleming College, Lindsay campus. He graduated in 1977 as a Fish and Wildlife Technologist. He first worked for the Ministry of Natural Resources on a variety of wildlife management projects and then moved to Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority from 1978 to 2009 as a Resource Technician assisting private landowners with reforestation, wildlife habitat improvement, and erosion control projects.

Since 2009, Bill has been a private contractor specializing in invasive plant control, and partner in Northumberland Tree Planters delivering Forests Ontario 50 Million Tree Program in Northumberland County.

Bill is qualified as an Ontario Tree Marker, an Ecological Land Classification technician, a Wetland Evaluator and as a Butternut Health Assessor. He holds a Pesticide Applicator License and a Private Pilots License. He is a Low Level Prescribed Burn Worker and is chainsaw certified.

Finally, Bill is a member of several local clubs and organizations and has lived in the north end of Haldimand Township since 1978 with his wife. He has 3 daughters and 4 grandchildren.

Bill joined the Northumberland Land Trust as a Board member in 2014 and has led the Stewardship Team ever since.

Jane McGrath is a retired nurse, mother of four and grandmother of 4. As far back as she can remember Jane enjoyed gardening, hiking, bird watching and generally preferred being outside the house rather than in it.

In the distant past she has taken several correspondence courses from the University of Waterloo in Environmental Studies curious to learn more about the workings of our natural world.

Happily, this outlook has been passed to her 4 children; with two entering the field of biology.

Jane has joined the Board of the Northumberland Land Trust to be a part of an ongoing effort to maintain lands as they now appear, for the use and study of future generations; to create a legacy, a green pathway toward our descendants.

George was born in the summer of ’48, the early days of the “Baby Boomers” as they came to be known. He survived a middle class existence in Scarborough and left at age 19 for university vowing never to return. He didn’t. At university, involvement in saving the world, ending war, peace symbols, long hair, a beard, folk concerts and the “summer of love” produced an education but not a degree. An interest in environmental issues has followed George all his life.

In 1973, George joined the work force, and retired as a Retail Business Manager in 2003 at age 55 from a 30 year career with Canada Post. The job took him from Kingston to Ottawa, Port Hope, Timmins and various Niagara Peninsula locations. At retirement, he managed 26 stores.

His wife Margaret and George married in 1976. They have one cat and no children. Following retirement, photography called George. This resulted in a certificate in Applied Photography and in Creative Photography from Mohawk College, Hamilton in 2005; a Photo Arts Certificate from Haliburton School of The Arts in 2010; and a Visual and Creative Arts Diploma from Haliburton School of The Arts (Fleming College) in 2012. George has been recognized by the province of Ontario for his volunteer service and by Scouts Canada with a Medal of Merit and a 45 year service pin. He is a past member of the board of Northumberland United Way, the Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy and Past-president of St Andrews-Niagara Housing Development Corporation for seniors.

George was on the board of the Northumberland Land Trust from 2006 to 2010 and again since 2013. He is a Past-president of the Board. Currently George is responsible for fundraising and the NLT website.

Biography To Come...