June Speaker: Beth Gilhespy The Beaver Valley: Reflections on a Lifetime Love Affair

Join us at the FLESHERTON KINPLEX for an talk with Beth Gilhespy.

Please remember to wear your Probus name badge and to bring a mug.

Description:

Beth Gilhespy will take participants on a journey that highlights her 43 year love affair with the Beaver Valley. She will tell tales of early hiking adventures and misadventures, touch on the geology of the Beaver Valley, and showcase some of the land conservation work being done by the Bruce Trail Conservancy and the Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy.

Beth Gilhespy has been a conservation professional for over 30 years.  In March 2024 she became CEO of the Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy, an organization dedicated to land preservation, following almost 5 years as Executive Director of the Toronto Zoo Wildlife Conservancy, an organization that secures funds for Toronto Zoo endangered species conservation programs. Between 2004 and 2018 Beth was Chief Executive Officer of the Bruce Trail Conservancy, where she oversaw the preservation of more than 6,500 acres of land along the Niagara Escarpment. Beth also served on the Niagara Escarpment Commission from 2017 to 2019. Prior to her work at the Bruce Trail Conservancy, Beth worked for 15 years as a consultant specializing in the environmental impact of toxic chemicals. She holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in physical geography and geology from the University of Guelph. She is an avid hiker, traveller, fossil collector and self-professed landscape fanatic, and when not enjoying her time on the land, is currently in the early stages of writing her third book on the geology of the Niagara Escarpment.