Regenerating in-stream
& riparian ecosystems.

About Us

The Chute Creek Stewardship Society is a non-profit charitable organization founded in 2018 in response to a community desire to enhance and restore the in-stream and riparian ecosystems of lower Chute Creek in the southern Okanagan valley of British Columbia on the traditional, unceded and ancestral territories of the Syilx First Nations people. In particular, we seek to restore and regenerate salmon habitat, while concurrently addressing the very real flood protection needs of the local community.

Complimentary objectives are to conserve and enhance biodiversity, contribute to improved water quality, and to inspire and support community stewardship through public engagement and education.

We are a local initiative, inspired by a global movement of changemakers who are imagining and realizing nature-based solutions to address the consequences of human habitation and activity. We are thinking globally and acting locally to support the restoration and regeneration of the natural and diverse ecosystems that we are intimately a part of. We are a ‘micro-example’ of a ‘macro-issue’ in that what we are facing in lower Chute Creek is similar to what communities far and wide are also facing: the reconstruction of aging and inadequate water infrastructure in a way that respects and restores the impacted natural ecosystems.

Photojournal Article

“ We’re a micro-example of a macro-issue…”

Have a look at respected photojournalist Gord Goble’s thorough and insightful article: “Chute Creek: Easing the floods and bringing the salmon back” (read more)

Published on January 29th, 2024 in PentictonNow, KamloopsNow, KelownaNow and VernonNow..

Radio Interview

Listen to Chris Walker of CBC Radio One interviewing our Co-Founder & Chair Peter Mortifee on July 19th, 2023, where they explore the essence of our lower Chute Creek restoration project (Runtime: 7:45 mins).

Board of Directors

  • Heather Fleck

    Heather is a third generation Naramation whose grandparents arrived in Naramata in the Okanagan Valley in 1915. She is married, the mother of two and the grandmother of five. She has worked as a Medical Office Assistant, a receptionist for a dozen lawyers and with a land developer. She is an active community volunteer and networker. She has been a Guide Leader, volunteered at the Women's Institute and was the Chairperson for the local Parks and Recreation. She was a Naramata Firefighter/First responder for over twelve years, five of which as Captain and a training officer. She volunteered with Emergency Support Services. She acted as the Emergency Coordinator for Area E of the Regional District of Okanagan and Similkameen (RDOS) during the great 2003 Okanagan Mountain Wildfire. She is presently a member of the Advisory Planning Commission with the RDOS, and has worked on two Official Community plans, the first in 2008 and the second which is taking place currently. She is the President of the Naramata Heritage Museum Society which oversees the Naramata Thrift Store. In 2017, she was awarded the Volunteer of the Year Award for Area E of the RDOS.

  • Lauren MacPherson

    Lauren was born and raised in Vancouver, BC and spent many of her childhood summers in Naramata. The region of the Okanagan, and Okanagan Lake itself, has always been an important place to her. Lauren attended the University of Victoria where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business & Economics. More recently, Lauren specializes in Technical Recruitment and has mainly worked with FinTech companies based out of Vancouver. In November 2023, Lauren welcomed her first child into the world with her husband, Spencer. Since having her own child, she has found a deeper connection to the importance of environmental responsibility, civic engagement, and the value of actively working towards positive change. As a new parent, she wants to help lay the groundwork for a sustainable world that her children and their peers can thrive in. Being a member of the CCSS Board will help create that connection between idea, and action. In her spare time, Lauren enjoys skiing, walks with her dog Lucy, and spending time with her family and friends.

  • Peter Mortifee

    Linkedin
    Bio-Site
    Instagram
    Twitter

    Peter is a co-founder of the Somerset Foundation and has been its Chair since its inception in 2001. He engages in various capacities with social purpose initiatives where his input and interest relates primarily to governance, structure, strategy, tactics, policy and financial sustainability. He is a member of the global Ashoka Support Network, an Advisory Member of the Wellbeing Project’s Co-Creation Team, and a member of Outward Bound International’s Global Ambassador Network. 
He spent twenty five years training, practicing and teaching as a medical doctor. In 2008, he relinquished his Clinical Assistant Professorship with the Department of Medicine at U.B.C. and retired completely from his medical practice in order to explore new ways of engaging. He is a keen photographer and explores wellbeing photographically through his social media channels and his photographic website - Reflections On Wellbeing. He loves music and travelling. He lives in British Columbia with his wife Nancy. Together they enjoy four wonderful adult children between them, two delightful grandkids and at least one walking adventure every year .

  • Sheila Reynolds

    Sheila is inspired by taking complex visions and developing the strategy to make them a reality. She has spent over 25 years realizing her vision to incorporate indigenous rights and knowledge into corporate strategies and operations. Her work has advanced changes to how a large provincial crown corporation plans and operates its business. Guided by the footsteps of her young grandchildren as they explore natural environments for the first time, Sheila imagines a world in which millions of small backyard green projects help to shift the tide against global warning. Sheila believes that habitat rehabilitation and species protection is something we share across cultures and as such these projects create an opportunity for community education and relationship-building. Sheila uses her professional background in strategic planning, policy development, regulatory, communications and negotiations to advance the goals of the Society. Sheila holds a BA in Anthropology from the University of British Columbia.

Partners & Supporters

Complex nature-based solutions require the wisdom, knowledge and perspectives of a variety of like-minded individuals and organizations in order to create effective and sustainable solutions. As such, we are partnering with other regional, provincial and national organizations to manifest our shared vision. (With their permission, they are shown below)

In addition, we sincerely wish to thank ALL those not mentioned below who have and are assisting this project in so many different ways ~ your support and belief in the vision and values means a great deal to us.

Special thanks to…

  • Pat Dennett

    As a Founding Director of the Society, Pat stepped up with enthusiasm and vision for the restoration of lower Chute Creek when it was only a dream. With clarity of purpose, he helped build essential relationships across sectors, clarify the direction and develop a project plan at a critical time in the project's evolution. He ably served as the Treasurer of the Board for over five and a half years. Thank you Pat!!

  • Tracy Green

    Tracy has provided countless hours of ‘pro bono’ expert assistance with the development and implementation of this beautiful website. In her day job, she is the Manager of Digital Fundraising and Marketing at the Pacific Salmon Foundation. Thank you Tracy!!

  • Grant Davidson

    Grant has gifted us with his heart-centered and courageous approach to dancing and thriving in complexity. He has helped us to more fully appreciate the regenerative nature of our work and has expanded our thinking about how Chute Creek is nested in and interconnected to a larger, dynamic whole. He is a master facilitator and coach. Thank you Grant!!

  • Karla Kozakevich

    Karla is the former Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen Area Director for Naramata. She has been an important supporter and advisor of our efforts from the very beginning. Her meaningful engagement has been catalytic in terms of igniting incredibly generative connections to representatives of government and key support organizations. Thank you Karla!!

The emblem of our Society is a hand-crafted paper collage (click on the image) created for and gifted to the Society by a talented artist who we feel has beautifully captured the purpose and spirit of our work.

~ ARTIST’S STATEMENT ~

I remember visiting salmon spawning creeks in BC as a child in the 1980s. I was amazed by their drive and resilience. The inspiration for this emblem came to me after a recent visit with my two young children to the Okanagan Valley where the Chute Creek restoration project is located. As an educator and mother, it is a gift to witness their discovery of nature’s beauty, interdependence and belonging. I have a desire to engage in creating the conditions where restorative change can occur.

The emblem symbolizes the life cycle of the salmon, starting with the roe safely nestled into the protective embrace of the creek bed as they begin their lives. Having the spawning salmon leap beyond the surface in their final offering represents the understanding that this project is only the beginning. We can’t fully conceptualize in these early stages the powerful potential for regeneration.

Future generations must continue to be inspired by these magnificent creatures. As I watch young learners connecting with nature, it is abundantly clear to me that nature based solutions and thriving ecosystems must not become things of nostalgia, but rather principles that determine our future.

Our Emblem

Karen Taylor Cornes
August 2022