Speakers \ Meetings
Meetings take place on the 2nd Tuesday of the month at Princeton & District Museum and Archives, 167 Vermilion Avenue at 7 p.m. Monthly meetings are followed by a guest speaker who makes a presentation on a topic dealing with the natural world. Refreshments are served after the presentation. The public is welcome to attend.
2023 List of Speakers
(Click on the meeting name for more information)
Presentation: Carrie Wentz-Nienierza - Wildlife Videos
September 10th, 2024
Meeting starts at 7:00 PM at Princeton Museum
Any of us who have hiked with Carrie know what wonderful photographs she takes. She is
also a filmmaker and in this session she will be sharing some of the wildlife videos she has
taken. Her years living on the Hidden Springs ranch on the Princeton-Summerland road
gave her lots of opportunities to be close to the local fauna.
Presentation: Teresa Marshall & Billy-Jean Gabriel - Bringing the Salmon Home
October 8th, 2024
Meeting starts at 7:00 PM at Princeton Museum
The mighty Columbia River was once the source of the world’s greatest salmon runs. But
massive dams have blocked salmon from returning to the vast headwaters of the upper
Columbia River in Canada for 85 years. Bringing the Salmon Home tells the story of the
Syilx Okanagan, Secwépemc, and Ktunaxa Nations who uphold their sacred responsibility
to reintroduce the salmon. Today the three Nations are leading a collaborative process with
BC and Canada, and working with US Tribes and allies along the river, to bring the salmon
home for the benefit of all. In this half-hour film, first person stories combine with vivid
landscape and underwater footage, and archival film, to tell the long-hidden story of these
Salmon People.
Presentation: Frank Ritcey - The Complete Naturalist - A Holistic Approach to Understanding Wildlife
November 12th, 2024
Meeting starts at 7:00 PM at Princeton Museum
Join field naturalist Frank Ritcey for an enjoyable evening of videos and discussions about
BC’s unique blend of wildlife and how, as a complete naturalist, you can better understand
the circle of life. His extensive collection of wildlife videos ensures that there will be
something for everyone to enjoy at the show.
Frank was born and raised in the wilds of Wells Gray Park on the land of the Simpcw. His
mother was the daughter of settlers there and his father was a wildlife biologist who
pioneered studies of moose, caribou and wolves. Before retiring from an eclectic collection
of jobs Frank worked with the BC Conservation Foundation as the provincial coordinator
for the WildSafeBC program. And, as an author and a filmmaker, Frank will have plenty of
stories and images to share.
Presentation: John Henry - Exploring Cathedral Park
January 14th, 2025
Meeting starts at 7:00 PM at Princeton Museum
John is a seasoned outdoorsman who has explored Cathedral Park for decades. After
working there for twelve years he became intimately acquainted with all its nooks and
crannies. Over the years he took many stunning photographs of the park’s natural wonders.
John has distilled his enthusiasm for and Knowledge of the park into a seminal book:
Backcountry Adventure in Cathedral Park. During this presentation he will invite us into
the wonderful world of Cathedral Park. He will also have copies of his book for sale.
Presentation: Alex Thomson - The Nature Trust of BC
February 11th, 2025
Meeting starts at 7:00 PM at Princeton Museum
More information coming soontm
Presentation: David Ensing - Research on Invasive Biological Plant Control at the Summerland Research and Development Centre
March 11th, 2025
Meeting starts at 7:00 PM at Princeton Museum
Dave is a Vegetation Ecologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Summerland,
BC, where together with a team of technicians and graduate and undergraduate students,
his research program focuses on the ecology and evolution of invasive plants and their
biological controls, Indigenous food systems, and non-crop vegetation in perennial
horticulture crops like wine grapes and apples. He has undergraduate (BSc. Hons, 2011)
and MSc (2013) degrees in biology from UBC Okanagan in Kelowna. He completed his
PhD in Biology at Queen’s University (2019) where he studied the evolutionary ecology of
species range limits, or why species occur where they do, and not where they don’t. When
not at work, Dave enjoys mountain biking, backcountry camping and keeping invasive
plants out of his yard with his family!
Presentation: Danny Coyne - Wonderful Wildlife Photographs
April 8th, 2025
Meeting starts at 7:00 PM at Princeton Museum
While growing up in the Princeton area Danny explored the hinterlands of where he lived.
His love of the natural beauty that surrounded him inspired him to begin photographing the
diverse wildlife he encountered. His stunning photographs capture the wonders of animals
living in their natural habitat. In this session Danny will share some of these photographs
and describe the circumstances in which they were taken.