Please join us in welcoming our new Watershed Stewardship Assistant, Chantel Youmans!
Like many passionate nature lovers, Chantel was born into a love of the outdoors, and also happened to collect some indoor hobbies, like crochet and cross-stitch, along the way. Originally from the sunny East Kootenays in B.C, she was raised just a few steps away from the woods in her rural hometown of Wardner by a family passionate about outdoor recreation, spending a good chunk of her time at guiding camps with her father and fishing with her brothers. Determined to turn her stick-wielding, frog-catching childhood into a career, she jumped headfirst into post-secondary education in Lethbridge.
Once firmly planted here, the hands-on approach to science education at Lethbridge College immediately had her hooked, and she knew that applied science was just right for her. After completing her diploma in Environmental Assessment and Restoration in 2021, Chantel opted to return home to her community. While there, she worked with a local seed and fertilizer distributor, which gave her a chance to connect with and learn from the hardworking farmers that keep us fed. As well as learning a lot about alfalfa, she prepared soil fertility testing, analysis, and seeding recommendations to help producers achieve more sustainable pasture management.
The itch to learn more about environmental restoration and conservation was a strong one, however, and in 2023 she returned to Lethbridge to complete an Ecosystem Management degree at Lethbridge College. During this time, she served as vice president of the Ecological Restoration Club and participated in several native seed collections in support of sage-grouse habitat recovery. Inspired by this initiative, she chose to do her senior thesis on methods to improve native seed collection, focusing on using seed treatments to increase success of revegetation efforts. These experiences highlighted just how important individual relationships to the land are for community building.
In her new role as Watershed Stewardship Assistant with OWC, Chantel is beyond excited to help community members foster deep, long-lasting connections with the watershed we call home. When she’s not bouncing around the watershed planting, trail building, or ogling wildflowers, you may just spot Chantel hunting for geocaches or haunting local bookstores.
