I recently met up with Nichole Marples, executive director of the Langley Environmental Partners Society (LEPS).

An alumni of the Wetland Education Program, Ms. Marples participated in BCWF’s highly acclaimed Wetlands Institute workshop over twelve years ago. Despite all the years that have gone by, she can still recall her experience in the intensive 7-day workshop, learning valuable ways to manage and conserve wetlands.

In an interview with the executive director of the effective Langley organization, Nichole Marples directly attributed her experience in the Wetland Institute workshop to several of her subsequent conservation initiatives. She told stories of her wetland stewardship activities where she has taken a keen interest in teaching others that:

“wetlands are not just sticks and mud and scary places that shouldn’t exist”.

Ms. Marples’ work since the Institute has  included a position as the communications liaison for a wetland restoration project at Bertrand Creek in South Aldergrove. She has also played a part in protecting a wetland from destruction at the local Blacklock elementary school (see the photo above from our site visit). Marples has undoubtedly impacted a generation of local schoolchildren by developing a wetland educational kit that that has now distributed to a dozen elementary schools in the District of Langley.

The BCWF Wetlands Education Program continues to foster a positive partnership with Nichole Marples and her organization. Five of her staff were sent to one of our Wetlandkeeper workshops this past year, and we are now exploring options to collaboratively restore a wetland just east of Murrayville in the township of Langley.

To see photographs from our first visit with Stephanie Captein (LEPS) to the potential restoration site in Murrayville, follow this link.