Growing up outside of a small town meant that I was always playing outside, and I quickly developed a love for the natural world. When I moved to Toronto before high school, what I missed most was the green space, and I decided to make it my mission to dedicate my career to conservation.
"Montanna's not in right now; she's probably up a tree somewhere. Can I take a message?"
I spent four years in British Columbia completing an undergraduate degree in geography, where I learned first-hand the magic that can happen when people in cities act as environmental stewards. A “Sustainable Cities” course I took in third year was particularly inspiring, and I started volunteering at several urban agriculture and ecosystem restoration initiatives around the city. However, despite—and because of – all I was learning, I still missed the diverse forests of southern Ontario, and realized that urban forest conservation has a particularly large role to play in the place I call home. With this in mind, I flew back to start a Master of Forest Conservation (MFC) program at the University of Toronto, which is what I'm doing today.
Watering a mango tree in Malaysia as part of the MFC program!
When I first heard of LEAF, I was impressed not only by their dedication to the urban forest, but also by how they put it to use – leading by example, but also engaging with and enabling residents, businesses, municipalities, and other organizations to care for what's around them. Cities are places of untapped power, where many environmental stewards can be born, come together, and work for positive change. LEAF’s work gave me a chance to jump right in!
Pathway at Cedarvale Park - one of my favourite green spaces in Toronto.
I’m looking forward to helping LEAF, and all of you, strengthen the urban forest in the Greater Toronto Area…one tree at a time.
Montanna is LEAF’s new Education and Stewardship Assistant.