FortWhyte Spotlight: Ian Barnett

Ask any staff or volunteer why they love it at FortWhyte Alive and they’ll all tell you the same thing – the people.

People who care deeply for nature and spend their days doing everything they can to inspire the next generation of climate champions.

People like our Vice President, Ian Barnett, who recently celebrated his 25th year of working here at FortWhyte.

Since he first started in 1999, Ian has seen a lot of change in this land, and as his role evolved, he saw a lot of changes in our programs too. One thing that remained consistent was Ian’s appreciation for the impact FortWhyte has had on him.

Just weeks after he started working here, he got married. His kids grew up alongside the forests, first as visitors, then as volunteers and staff. His mother, Barbara, who first introduced him to this land, spends her days volunteering in the same building Ian works in.

And through it all, Ian has remained a constant support to the entire FortWhyte community, working late to clean up after events, providing tech support around the office, and helping people through challenges they encounter.

To celebrate this amazing milestone in his career, we’ve asked Ian to reflect on what these years have meant to him.

Tell us a bit about yourself!

I’m a born and bred Manitoban, originally from Pinawa but have spent most of my life in Winnipeg and the surrounding area. I am married with two adult children who both grew up going through FortWhyte Day Camp programs as campers and then as volunteer camp counsellors. My mom originally made me aware of FortWhyte in the 90’s when she was a volunteer here (she still is today!). I graduated from the University of Manitoba with a degree in Recreation Studies, followed more recently with a Master of Business Administration degree. We live on a small acreage so I’m kept busy with work around the house and yard. I am moderately obsessed with tree planting, having planted and cared for several hundred seedlings in my yard over the last few years. I also enjoy camping, golfing, reading and spending time with family and friends.

How did you begin your career at FortWhyte and how have you developed personally and professionally since then?

I started at Fort Whyte Centre (that’s what we were called back then) as the Recreation Coordinator. The position was a nice fit with my background in Recreation Studies and my work experience in outdoor recreation and summer camps. I had quit my previous position without a job prospect but about a week after I quit, an ad appeared in the newspaper for the position at Fort Whyte and I leapt at the opportunity – it seemed like it was meant to be! That first job description encompassed a lot of different responsibilities – Day camp programs, paddling and outdoor recreation programs, special events as well as being on the trail as a school program interpreter. After a few years in that role, I was offered the opportunity to develop some new programming for youth that would take advantage of FortWhyte’s bounty of natural spaces to develop initiatives centred on urban agriculture – this was the genesis of the FortWhyte Farms program.

Above: Ian and other FortWhyte staff run for a photo shoot for the Communications department.
Below: Ian, Bill Elliott (former FortWhyte CEO), and Mayor Sam Katz at FortWhyte Farms.

That program and facility slowly grew from nothing into the thriving campus of programming and activity that positively impacts so many youth every year. The work at FortWhyte Farms had a profound impact on me, and soon I found myself and my family living outside the city on our small acreage, taking up many of the activities we were doing at FortWhyte Farms as hobbies in my spare time, including beekeeping and raising chickens for eggs and meat. After about 10 years of working with FortWhyte Farms, I was promoted to Director of Operations with a place on the management team. It was at this point that we started talking about further expansion to accommodate our growing programs and take some pressure off our strained existing facilities. So it’s immensely satisfying to see that, 10 years after we started talking about it, the new Buffalo Crossing facility is nearing completion.

Above: Ian speaks at a citizenship ceremony for new Canadians held at FortWhyte Alive.

 

How has FortWhyte changed since you first started?

In many ways, it was a completely different place in October 1999. The Alloway Reception Centre was just starting construction, the Manitou Buffalo Rubbing Stone was craned into place a couple weeks after I started working here, the Bison prairie was built but had no resident Bison. The land base was about to double from 200 acres to nearly 400 (it’s now 660!) Places like the Siobhan Richardson Field Station and FortWhyte Farms were nothing but twinkles in Bill Elliott’s eye! The staff team was much smaller with fewer than 20 full-time employees. The growth and change since then has seemingly been non-stop – there always seems to be some type of major project on the go. The change has all been for the better, as these initiatives have added to the reach and impact of FortWhyte’s programs in the community.

What is your favourite thing about FortWhyte?

The easy answer is the natural spaces that provide such an incredible opportunity for reconnecting with the land – there’s nothing like arriving into work and travelling along the road overlooking the lake each morning, especially in the fall. But I think unquestionably the best thing about FortWhyte is the people I work with every day – my fellow staff people and our dedicated volunteers. You won’t find a more passionate, committed crew of people anywhere and it is my utmost honour and privilege to work alongside them every day. In my time here, I have had the pleasure of working with and being mentored by some FortWhyte legends, including Bill Elliott, Maureen Krauss, Michelle Eldridge and Ken Cudmore. I have fond memories of my time spent with volunteers like Jack Larcombe, Stan Swanson and Bob Stewart, as well as Annette Bell’s friendly greeting every Friday morning as she tends to the plants in our office. I’m naming specific individuals, and by doing so I am doing a disservice to all the incredible people that I have encountered over the years of my career here – so many have made an impact and I am deeply grateful for all those treasured interactions and relationships.

 

Below: Ian and FortWhyte President and CEO Liz Wilson at the 2019 Sunset BBQ fundraiser.

What would you tell someone who has never heard about FortWhyte?

Ah the old elevator speech – FortWhyte has such a breadth and depth of programming and facilities that it doesn’t lend itself to a brief description that fully encompasses all that we do here. What I will say is that FortWhyte is a vital institution in our community – as our planet and our people face the climate crisis, spaces such as FortWhyte Alive that reconnect us to the land that sustains us and provides crucial education programming on how we can all live more sustainably are needed more than ever.