GOERT: Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team

Acorn Award recipient Michelle Gorman in Japan with cedars thousands of years old

January 2013: Congratulations to long-time GOERT volunteer Michelle Gorman on receipt of her Acorn Award! Michelle has been the co-chair of GOERT’s Invasive Species Sub-committee (ISSC) for many years. She has worked for City of Victoria Parks for 20 years as the Integrated Pest Management (IPM)* Coordinator, and she co-chairs the Municipal Committee of the BC Plant Protection Advisory Council. She enjoys giving plant diagnostic workshops to Master Gardeners and other horticultural groups as time permits. Michelle’s training is in plant protection—particularly in finding environmentally sensitive solutions to plant insect and disease problems. READ MORE →

Acorn Award recipient Jen Psyllakis with one of her daughters and their friend the horse

September 2012: This season’s Acorn Award goes to Jennifer Psyllakis. Jen has ably seen GOERT through one of its most challenging times during the past year, acting not only as Chair of the Board, but also as Treasurer. She willingly took increasing amounts of personal and holiday time to handle the hiring of a new Executive Director, fill the gap created by the departure of the Financial Administrator, negotiate a possible office move, ensure financial stability for the society, plan and run Board meetings, and perform many other Board-related tasks.

Fellow director Jan Kirkby says, “Jen has been one of GOERT’s most dedicated members and directors, willingly taking on a myriad of duties and roles with an unfailingly positive attitude, even when she had a new baby in tow! An amazingly well-organized and hard-working person who does most of her GOERT work behind the scenes, Jen is a wildlife ecologist with the BC Ministry of Environment, and has served on the GOERT Team and Board since 2007. Jen has been a pleasure to work with, and although she is stepping down as Board Chair, we’re very happy that she has agreed to carry on as a Board member.”

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Acorn Award recipient Art Robinson with a large Garry Oak

May 2012: This season’s Acorn Award goes to Arthur Robinson, a long-standing participant on the Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team (GOERT). For more than 20 years, Art worked as a Federal Lands Forester at Pacific Forestry Centre (PFC), and has been a key federal partner for GOERT, providing insight into activities and perspectives from both Natural Resources Canada and the Department of National Defence related to Garry Oak ecosystems conservation. He has recently become Archives Manager at PFC and is engaged in setting up a system and documenting the information he holds from all his years as a forester. READ MORE →

January 2012: It gives us great pleasure to present long-time volunteer Tom Gillespie with an Acorn Award. Tom is one of the founders of GOERT and of the Vertebrates at Risk Recovery Implementation Group (RIG). He is the founding Treasurer of the Garry Oak Meadow Preservation Society (GOMPS), Treasurer for the Rocky Point Bird Observatory Society, and volunteer for the Victoria Natural History Society, Friends of Ecological Reserves, and the BC Purple Martin Stewardship and Recovery Program. READ MORE →

Jan Kirkby is the Chair of our Conservation Planning and Site Protection working group

September 2011: We surprised long-time GOERT volunteer Jan Kirkby with her well-deserved Acorn Award at our AGM in September. Jan has been a part of the Conservation Planning and Site Protection Recovery Implementation Group (CPSP RIG) since its inception, and the Chair for the last couple of years. Additionally, she serves in a management capacity on the GOERT Board of Directors and is a member of the Recovery Team. Her work with the Sensitive Ecosystems Inventory (SEI) has been crucial for conservation planning.

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