Board of Directors

Paul Horgen – Chair

Paul Horgen is a retired Biology Professor from the University of Toronto. During his 35 years there, he served as Associate Chair, Department of Botany, Chair Biology Executive Committee U. of T at Mississauga, Director Centre for Plant Biotechnology, and Director Master of Biotechnology Program. His research was in Microbial genetics and environmental microbiology. He has published over 140 scientific articles and has co-authored 3 books. He move to the Comox Valley in 2005, He served as science coordinator for Elder College and is currently Chair of the Board at Project Watershed. He is also a member of the Vancouver Island CNIB Board of Directors.

Betty Donaldson – Vice Chair

Betty Donaldson became formally interested in environmental issues when asked to write the first manual on environmental ethics for the Canadian Recreational Canoeing Association during the 1970’s.She served as president of the CRCA, now Canoe Canada (1986-1989). After retiring as a professor (Faculty of Education, University of Calgary), she moved to the Valley to write “With Great Affection, Letters Between a Brother and Sister During the Fur Trade Era. She is currently Vice Chair of Project Watershed and Chair of the Education Committee and is the Project Watershed representative on the CV Conservation Strategy Group. Betty also serves as a Director of the Criminal Justice Institute and on several Elder College Committees' She was the leader for the Blue Planet Songfest (2008) and assists with the forthcoming Estuary Awareness Forum (2011).

Don Castleden – Chair of the Estuary Working Group

Don became involved in environmental education in the mid 90’s when he was asked to develop a national First Nations training program in Environmental Impact Assessment after he had previously developed an award winning program for First Nation managers in Community, Economic and Organization Development at the University of Manitoba where he was an Assistant Professor (Continuing Education) and an Adjunct Professor (Native Studies).

Don has been on the Board of Project Watershed since 2000 and was finished his term as Chair in 2011. He proposed the ‘Heart of the Watershed’ Symposium on the Courtenay River Estuary which proved to be a catalyst that has engaged individuals, organizations and local political leaders in a community wide effort to protect and restore this outstanding feature of the Comox Valley.

Don Munroe – Treasurer
Don, a retired accountant, moved to the valley in 2000. He is interested in environmental issues particularly pertaining to local impacts. One of his major commitments is in participating in the design, construction and development of a cohousing community in Courtenay. The idea of cohousing appeals to Don's sense of sharing resources, reducing the size of his footprint, building it from scratch, locating close to people whose values he respects and reducing the amount of travel he does.

Don is an active volunteer in the valley including work on several boards often serving as treasurer. (World Community Development Education Society, Comox Valley Art Gallery, Comox Valley Project Watershed Society, and Vancouver Island North Greens).

Wayne White – Estuary Working Group / Technical Committee

Is presently on the board of Project Watershed and the Tsolum River Restoration Society. He is a member of the Estuary Working Group and the Courtenay and District fish and Game Protective Association. Background – Was a founding director of the Green Party Comox Valley, the Tribune Bay Environmental Education Society and the Tsolum River Restoration Society – Worked for the Ministry of Environment from 1971 to 2000 and with the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands from 2000 to 2007. His experience included inspecting and monitoring for aquaculture, mines, pulpmills, the logging industry and municipal services.

Dan Bowen -

Dan was born and raised in the Comox Valley, and has a passion for the protection of the elements of the flora and fauna from the bottom of the ocean to the top of the mountains. Dan worked for the Ministry of Transportation as an engineering assistant, overseeing numerous road construction projects on Vancouver Island. In 2010, Danstarted applying his expertise to the aquaculture industry, specifically sustainable hatchery and tenure development and operations. In 2011, Dan was asked to become a director on the Project Watershed board in the Comox Valley and has been working on several committees including the Blue Carbon project. With Dan’s background in the shellfish industry (solid carbon sequestering) and eelgrass gardens (oceanic carbon sinks), he is an asset to the Project Watershed team and the Blue Carbon committee.

Bill Heidrick – Comox Valley Conservation Strategy Representative

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