June Speaker Series - Adrian Leslie on Whitebark Pine

Wednesday, June 23, 2021 - begins at 6:30 pm

This presentation will be in-person on the Rossland Museum upper bench. Please walk or bike up to the upper bench. If you have accessibility challenges, you are welcome to drive up (Please contact us in advance so we can designate a parking spot for you).

Event is free, but registration is required because space is limited. Please RSVP in advance.

Header photo from the Nelson Daily Times, June 21, 2019. “Nature Conservancy of Canada adds 7,900 hectares to the Darkwoods Conservation Area in BC’s South Selkirk Mountains.” — Photo courtesy Steve Ogle

White bark pine Pinus albicaulis

Learn more: BC Tree Index

Synopsis:

Adrian Leslie is a biologist with a focus on high elevation whitebark pine ecosystem restoration, and is the manager of the Darkwoods Conservation Area with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). Adrian will be here to discuss whitebark pine ecology and restoration in the West Kootenays. Whitebark pine is a keystone species that plays a critical role in subalpine ecosystems in the mountains around Rossland. It is also a species at risk due largely to White Pine Blister Rust, a non-native fungus that is decimating the species. Learn about whitebark pine ecology, restoration projects, and how you can help recovery efforts and be a part of a vibrant future for the whitebark pine in BC as you play in the great outdoors!

Adrian Leslie, Darkwoods project manager (Photo by Adrienne Shaw)

About Adrian Leslie:

Adrian Leslie is a Registered Professional Biologist with a focus on high elevation whitebark pine ecosystem restoration. He is the project manager of the Darkwoods Conservation Area with the Nature Conservancy of Canada. He started out on this career path by working for Parks Canada as he was going through school; first, a forestry diploma, then a natural resource science degree, followed by a master’s degree in environment and management. He has experience working in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems from low elevation floodplains to high elevation forests throughout the Columbia Basin. For the past 15 years, he has been focused on terrestrial ecosystem research and restoration with a focus on forest health issues, fire ecology and climate change adaptation. To be the manager of the Darkwoods property is a dream come true for Adrian. To manage multiple watersheds that stretch from the tops of the mountains down to where the water reaches Kootenay Lake is a truly unique opportunity, and Adrian is dedicated to maintaining the natural beauty of the area and the full complement of species currently on the property by using the best available science to help guide the ecosystem through challenges associated with climate change.

THIS PROGRAM IS FREE, BUT REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED

DONATIONS ARE WELCOME

THANK YOU TO THE TRAIL & DISTRICT ARTS COUNCIL AND GABRIELLA’S RESTAURANT FOR THEIR SUPPORT OF THIS PROGRAM!

Please contact Sarah Taekema-Slot, RMDC Researcher, if you have questions or concerns: archives@rosslandmuseum.ca or 250-362-7722.