There will be two naturalists working in Wells Gray Park this summer. They will lead interpretive hikes on various Park trails, present evening programs at the campgrounds, and answer questions from visitors.
This year they were hosted on their initial tour into Wells Gray Park by Roland Neave who told Black Press, "I spent last Friday June 6 with Sam and Kendall, showing them around Wells Gray Park, and I think they will do an amazing job for our visitors. The Wells Gray Park Naturalist Program has been funded for the past two summers in 2023 and 2024 by my wife, Anne and me. We have committed once again to supporting the program for the summer of 2025.”
Sam Dyck and Kendall McKinnon were hired by the BC Parks Foundation in April and started work in mid-May. Initially, they received training with all the other provincial naturalists, sometimes called ambassadors says Neave, adding, "They moved to Wells Gray Park on June 4 and have been busy since then getting to know the Park and planning their presentations."
Neave says that McKinnon finished a diploma in Adventure Studies at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) and will be returning in the fall to start a Bachelor of Tourism Management with a major in Adventure. She plans to work in the outdoor tourism industry and pursue a career in ski guiding.
He explains that Dyck has been working on a Bachelor of Natural Resource Sciences at TRU and will start his final year this fall.
“I have a passion for all things outdoors, whether it is hiking, biking, surfing, or fishing,” Dyck said. “I try to spend as much time as I can connecting with the natural world.” After graduation, he is hoping for a career as a registered professional biologist, working in land management and conservation.
Both students applied to BC Parks Foundation and benefited from strong recommendations from their TRU professors.
Roland and Anne made the decision to donate 160 acres within Wells Gray Park to Thompson Rivers University in 2014, as a location for student research projects in biology, ecology and geography. TRU named the property in honour of this special donation, and it is now known officially as the Neave Family Wetlands.
The TRU Research and Education Centre in the wetlands opened in 2021, thanks to additional donations and volunteer work during the building of this important learning centre and the Neave family donated most of the furnishings for the building. The family also created an endowment in perpetuity so students will never be charged for the use of the building. The facility is always busy with a full complement of student research taking place there.
Dyck and McKinnon will lead interpretive walks on Thursdays through Sundays. The planned trails will be Clearwater Lakeshore, Dragon’s Tongue, Bailey’s Chute and Marcus Falls, Ray Farm and Mineral Springs, Helmcken Canyon Clifftop, and Grove of Giants. During the Trophy Meadows alpine flower bloom, they will lead visitors to the Shepherd’s Hut and sometimes to Sheila Lake.
On Friday and Saturday evenings, they will present talks about various Wells Gray Park topics at the Nature House between Clearwater Lake and Falls Creek campgrounds.
In between all these activities, they will set up a booth at busy places in the Park such as Helmcken Falls and Spahats Falls. They will answer questions and provide advice for Park visitors.
This is the third year that Wells Gray Park visitors have enjoyed the benefits of a naturalist program, thanks to the donation from Roland and Anne Neave. They have also funded the trail crew since 2023, ensuring that the Park’s trails are maintained in excellent condition.
In British Columbia, there are now 25 parks with ambassadors, all funded by private or corporate donors. There were naturalist programs in many parks starting in the 1970s until 2001 when all funding was cancelled by the government. BC Parks Foundation restarted the popular service in 2020, calling it Discover Parks Ambassador Program. It has connected with more than half a million visitors since then and even rekindled the Jerry’s Rangers program, teaching environmental stewardship to youth.
Dyck commented, “I’m looking forward to connecting with as many Park visitors as possible and hope to inspire people to explore, learn, and promote the beauty and importance of this province's lands.
McKinnon said, “I’m excited to educate people who love the outdoors and maybe aren't familiar with everything Wells Gray has to offer.”
Neave couldn't agree more adding, “Wells Gray Park is still our family's favourite place to be and we feel there is no place on earth like it."
You can learn more about Wells Gray Park by visiting: Visiting Wells Gray Park
