Wayne is a long-time logger (skidder owner/operator), guide, trapper, sawmill worker, contractor, and wilderness advocate. He is a lifetime resident of northern British Columbia. Wayne has made numerous pack horse trips in the northern BC wilderness up to 85 days in length, and he owns a wilderness trapline 100 kms. south of Muncho Lake, BC.

Sparked by logging plans in the Mount Lemoray Pine Pass wilderness area, Wayne began working as a volunteer in environmental issues in 1990. In January of 1993 he became a full time conservation representative, and since 1998 Wayne has been self-employed as a conservationist.

During the past 15 years, Wayne has been active in grass roots networking among environmental, outfitting, trapping, conservation, first nations, and other interests. He has also particpated in land use planning processes, consultation processes, the development of a Protected Areas Strategy, as well as forestry and natural gas exploration issues. He served on the recently completed Mackenzie, Dawson Creek, Fort Nelson and Fort St. John LRMP’s which created the Muskwa- Kechika Management Area. During these processes, he represented the interests of the Northern Rockies and the Muskwa- Kechika, and helped to ensure that the Muskwa- Kechika Advisory Board and Fund were part of the final plan.

Wayne helped found the Chetwynd Environmental Society and the Friends of the Northern Rockies. The Society has provided part of the impetus for the creation of the Ministry of Energy, Mines, and Petroleum Resources Oil and Natural Gas Tenure Review Process, and on behalf of the Society, Wayne reviews referrals for all seismic exploration and wellsites in sensitive areas along the Rockies from the Yukon south to Alberta.

Wayne is a founding appointee to BC’s Muskwa Kechika Advisory Board, and was a founding member of BC’s Oil and Gas Commission Advisory Committee. He serves on the Board of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, BC Chapter, and on the National Board of CPAWS. He is a past and founding board member of the Coordinating Committee of the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative. He was a member of the public panel, appointed by government, that completed the BC Parks Legacy Project. In 1998, Wayne was honoured to receive the Minister’s Environmental Achievement Award, in the category of individual citizen, and in 2006 received a Canadaian Geographic Environment Award.

Wayne has published a very successful large format photo book on entitled “Muskwa-Kechika, the Wild Heart of Canada’s Northern Rockies,” as well as a professionally produced DVD video by the same name. For more information on these items, see www.MuskwaKechika.com

Wayne is now working on his second book about his life story and the formation of the Muskwa-Kechika Management Area, and continues to plan and lead the annual M-K Expedition and Camps.