SUNSHINE COAST BEAR ALLIANCE
our team
evelyn kirkaldy
After graduating from the Ontario College of Art in Communication and Design, Evelyn worked as an illustrator, graphic designer and art director for many prominent clients and advertising agencies, full time as well as on a freelance basis, but eventually shifted her focus to fine art. Because of her love for the outdoors, she eventually became an active proponent for the preservation of wilderness and wildlife, and especially bears. Accordingly, she graduated with honours as a wildlife technician from Selkirk College’s Recreation, Fish and Wildlife Program.
Evelyn has been creating educational printed materials and teaching “Bear Safety at Home and in the Woods” for almost 30 years. She launched and served as advisor, spokesperson and coordinator for several organizations that advocate for bears.
Evelyn joined SCBA in March of 2026, and looks forward to continuing her work, “Teaching people how to live with bears and teaching bears how to live with people”.
Natalie kawaja
Natalie developed a deep regard for bears and the other wildlife around her while living near Glacier National Park. Natalie has worked in the medical field for thirty years. Her caring, diligent nature lends itself to her work as a volunteer for the bear alliance. After moving to the coast she sought out the bear alliance with a desire to educate residents about living in a community home to bears and other wildlife. Natalie is a passionate and dedicated volunteer who visits residents providing educational information and tips to ensure residence have safe, positive encounters with our coast’s bears.
Natalie hopes people will appreciate how important bears are to our ecosystem and how important it is to live respectfully with the bears in our community.
kristy lewis
Growing up on a farm in SK, Kristy Lewis has been an animal lover since birth. Retired (WestJet YVR & competitive curling (sport) — Kristy moved to the Sunshine Coast in late 2019. Driven by truth & compassion, Kristy is an online advocate for humans & animals alike. She is a firm believer in protecting animals big or small, especially with the climate crisis. She was therefore a natural fit to join & volunteer for the SCBA. Kristy & her beloved dog Rocco, volunteer by driving injured wildlife/ birds for Coastal Wildlife Rescue & Conflict Resource Services on the Sunshine Coast. She joined SCBA in late 2020.
Our Mission
We aspire to end negative human-bear encounters on the lower Sunshine Coast through education, understanding and appreciation of our bears and to promote safe, respectful coexistence between wildlife, residents and visitors to the community.
Our History
In October 2019, in response to the significant number of black bears killed in the community during bear season, a small group of compassionate citizens banded together to ascertain the reasons for the demise of these bears.
Shared beliefs and determination led to the formation of the Sunshine Coast Bear Alliance.
Our Values and goals
We believe that bears and all wildlife deserve our respect.
Our goal is to end negative human-bear encounters by creating a greater understanding of bears and their true nature on the lower Sunshine Coast, through education and promotion of safe, respectful coexistence between wildlife, residents and visitors to the community.
We aim to eliminate the death of any bear on the Sunshine Coast as a result of unmanaged garbage, other attractants issues, as well as disrespectful and/or unsatisfactory practices.
We strive to replace fear with knowledge through a variety of educational measures; door to door informational campaigns, community presentations, and collaborations with local agencies and governments.
We work collaboratively with local governments to address habitat loss from development such that; future development allows for the inclusion of wildlife travel corridors into Official Community Plans, as well as for the protection of den sites and other sensitive bear and wildlife habitat.