Courtney (“Court”) Baker is a fun-loving and hardworking land trust practitioner. She began work in conservation seven years ago and has never looked back. As the Office and Acquisition Coordinator at The Couchiching Conservancy, she is continually awed by the dedication and generosity of their volunteers, members, and supporters. Court brings her whole self to all projects, from filling bird feeders to doing taxes, and is excited to apply this philosophy to her role as a member of the YCP Advisory Committee.

Having grown up rural, lived internationally, and earned her degree in anthropology from Trent University, Court brings local and global perspectives and is passionate about making space for diversity, equity, and inclusion. She completed the YCP Program in 2021 and will reap the benefits for the rest of her life. She is hoping to be a champion for others who wish to participate in the program through her role on the Advisory Committee.

Sasha Benevides is the Community Engagement and Outreach Coordinator at Conservation Halton. She holds her HBSc. with a minor in Environmental Sciences from McMaster and has worked in the conservation field for 15 years. She has focused her professional career on sharing her love for the environment with a variety of audiences through various experiential education programs. Sasha participated in YCP in 2017.

After completing her BSC in Wildlife Biology and Conservation, Christine fell in love with connecting folks to nature to inspire change. She wants to share her passion for turtles, trees, camping, canoeing, and more recently, disc golf. Christine has 5-plus years sharing that passion in environmental outreach and education within the nonprofit sector.

Experience including her ongoing interpretive and events employment at Royal Botanical Gardens, her recent contract as Landowner Engagement Program Assistant at CVC, and now she is about to embark on a new role as Landowner Engagement Technician at Conservation Halton.

From school programs and volunteer plantings, to webinars, pub trivia and a young water professional development program, Christine has a wide range of experiences and education in engaging communities. Professionally, Christine is a NAI Certified Interpretive Guide and is in the process of pursuing a graduate certificate in Community Engagement and Leadership from Toronto Metropolitan University.

Nicolas D. Brunet is the Latornell Professor in Environmental Stewardship at the University of Guelph with a research program in the community-based conservation field. His research focuses upon natural resource governance and sustainable community development, and the tools, such as Indigenous community based monitoring and community science, used to measure the impacts of resource extraction (mining, oil and gas) in boreal and Arctic ecosystems. His research aims to build community capacity to engage in decision-making in response to various contributors to environmental and climatic change.

Megan Lalli is a lover of life who connects her passions for environmentalism and community-building to revitalize natural spaces for the health of all living beings. After graduating from McGill with a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Anthropology and Biology, she worked in the charity and non-profit sector, gaining experience in community-based conservation, wildlife rehabilitation, monitoring, and restoration project management. She has completed a graduate certificate in Ecosystem Restoration at Niagara College, and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Conservation Leadership at the University of Guelph.

As a Certified Ecosystem Restoration Practitioner in-Training, she works to foster stewardship, and connect and restore stream, wetland, and forest habitat across Niagara in her work with the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority. As a volunteer, she focuses on restoring the Twelve Mile Creek watershed as a Director at-Large with the Niagara Chapter of Trout Unlimited Canada.

Since completing the YCP program in 2021, she has stayed involved as an Alumni Representative, helping launch the first YCP Alumni Conference in 2023. She is excited to continue volunteering with YCP to strengthen this vital network while supporting the shared goals of educating communities, restoring biodiversity, and creating a more beautiful and connected world.

Peter spent ten years teaching in the Community Studies program at Humber College, eight years as director of recreation and community development for Bell Canada International in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and 20 years as a Research Associate at the University of Guelph in the Centre for Land and Water Stewardship. He co-wrote the Woodlot Management Handbook, a national bestseller, and the Caring for Your Land books for the Niagara Escarpment, the Carolinian Canada Zone and the Oak Ridges Moraine.

Peter started the World Crops Program in 2007 at the University of Guelph and received the Premier’s Agri-Food Innovation Excellence award for this project in 2011-2012. He currently manages a project called New Canadians Go Greenbelt and is closely involved with the Young Conservation Professionals program.

Peter is a past Board Member of the Sustainability Network, Toronto Food Policy Council, Ontario Farm Land Trust, and Humber Watershed Alliance. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Carrot Cache, Montgomery’s Inn and the Etobicoke-Mimico Watershed Alliance.