About Lakeshore Eco-Network

After a career in senior university administration and several years as a freelance writer, Carolyn Young brings years of experience from her board work with Friends of Pinery and Reforest London. A keen cyclist, Carolyn is particularly focused on advancing active transportation network planning within Lambton Shores, aiming to create more accessible and eco-friendly commuting options for the community. Enacting practical initiatives aimed at fostering a more environmentally sustainable future is her key priority in serving on the Lakeshore Eco-Network board.

Hi, my name is James Corcoran and I am the owner of Hemlock Grove Tree Nursery. I started growing native trees in 1986 using locally sourced seed, much of it collected by myself, family and friends. This love of native trees began in early childhood growing up in Barrie and was further developed at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay where I completed a BSc in Forestry. After working for industry and then the Province of Ontario in many roles including provincial nursery crops specialist and environmental planner, I now specialize in growing Eastern hemlock from seed in my nursery near Grand Bend.

Environmental Horticulturist Janet Kurasz completed her certification in horticulture through the University of Guelph in 2001 and established a gardening and landscaping business in southern Georgian Bay. In 2009 she launched a landscaping company in Paris Ontario, with a focus on naturalized, low maintenance, sustainable landscapes. Her interest in native plants and biodiversity has taken on new meaning in the face of the climate crisis. Janet has given talks and led workshops on incorporating native plants in the landscape and other topics. She is currently Chair of the Lakeshore Eco-Network Connecting with Nature Committee.

Retired teacher Lynn Tremain has been interested in environmental issues for many years. Since she moved to the Grand Bend area 45 years ago, Pinery Provincial Park has played a huge part in her appreciation of the natural environment. For the past several years she has picked up garbage and plastics along the shore of Lake Huron, becoming acutely aware of the issues that need to be addressed. She has collected helium balloons, food packaging, construction materials, Styrofoam, cigarette butts, plastic water bottles, and much more. She understands that working together is the best way to approach these challenges and influence positive change.

Pat Morden launched Morden Communications, a corporate communications consultancy, with her husband Max in 1995. After seeing An Inconvenient Truth in 2007, she became deeply engaged with the climate crisis, eventually training with Vice President Al Gore in 2015. She is a co-founder of Lakeshore Eco-Network, a former chair of the Friends of Pinery Park, and a former chair and executive director of the Sunset Community Foundation.

Max Morden is the Treasurer of Lakeshore Eco-Network, a member of the Environment Committee of the Rotary Club of Grand Bend, past Chair of the Huron Tract Land Trust Conservancy, and former chair of the Grand Bend Area Community Health Centre. Max is committed to the fight against climate change and has trained with Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project. Formerly a lawyer, he is partially retired from Morden Communications, a boutique corporate communications firm that focuses on strategic writing, editing and consulting.

A childhood spent playing and exploring in Grand Bend’s oak-pine forests led Ian Jean to pursue a career in forestry. As the Forestry Specialist at Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority since 2006, Ian leads the tree planting program, forestry and biodiversity conservation. Working with hundreds of landowners to plant trees and restore natural habitat across the watershed, Ian sees that people are motivated and that they are taking action to protect and restore natural habitat. Ian believes strongly in the need to provide information and resources to people and in supporting collaborative efforts to protect and restore our natural habitats, and to address climate change and other environmental concerns.

Stephanie Donaldson has been a Grand Bend cottager since she was an infant, and a fulltime resident for many years. Active in many local non-profits over her lifetime, she was ordained as a deacon in the Anglican Church of Canada in 2021 and currently serves parishes in Stratford and Port Franks.

Rosalind Chang is an ecologist and conservation educator passionate about all things science. She is currently the Healthy Watersheds Technologist with the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation. She holds a BSc from the University of Toronto in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and an Advanced Diploma in Environment Engineering Technology/Environmental Technology from Centennial College.

Like the old mnemonic “HOMES” for the names of the Great Lakes, “home” is what Lake Huron means to Ginny Loeb. A deep appreciation for the importance of the lakes, their shorelines and watersheds has fostered her passion for stewardship. A native plant enthusiast, she and her husband have worked to restore their Carolinian dune property with local flora to attract pollinators. The addition of solar panels to their garage has allowed them to reduce their carbon footprint for powering their home and transportation. She is excited to serve on this Board and assist its efforts to connect communities to nature and promote the health of our planet now and for future generations.