Steve Arns - Director
Ever since taking his first paddle strokes in Newfoundland 20 years ago, Steve's been a die-hard river lover. Recognizing that the whitewater community in BC did not have a unified voice speaking to river conservation, he helped found BC Whitewater to ensure British Columbians can continue to enjoy public access to the free flowing rivers in our province. Steve has had a long standing interest in promoting public access to whitewater resources as the author of the online guidebook LiquidLore, which served as the original content for the BC Whitewater River Inventory. He currently lives in North Vancouver and his favorite whitewater river is the Ashlu.
Steph Petrone - Director
Steph has lived in BC for several years in different corners of the province for both work and recreation, and has explored many of the untouched and pristine parts of BC. Having also seen the ongoing degradation, development and industrialization of the lands and waters in BC infringing on public access to the wilderness, she has become motivated to protect these areas and public access to them. Steph joined BC Whitewater with the goal of strengthening the voices of paddlers through community engagement and building BC Whitewater’s network with like-minded advocates and organizations who are also fighting for BC’s wilderness and rivers.
James Rodger - Director
James started paddling in Ontario in the mid 1980’s and found himself in the east Kootenays of BC in the mid 90’s raft guiding and skiing. James has spent the last 20 years working as a river guide and operations manager internationally. He is currently a faculty in the Adventure Studies program at Thompson Rivers University. James volunteers his time with numerous boards in British Columbia, including British Columbia River Outfitters Association and the International Rescue Instructors Advisory Board. He is an ardent fan and supporter of free flowing rivers.
Nick Gottlieb - Director
Nick grew up paddling on the east coast but now lives in the whitewater paradise of Squamish, BC. He’s passionate about public land management and river conservation and has worked closely with American Whitewater over the years. He is helping BC Whitewater with his expertise in web development and community engagement and hopes BC Whitewater can help him protect the rivers and streams of British Columbia. It’s hard to choose, but his favorite single-day run comes down to a tie between the Upper Cheakamus in Whistler and the New Haven in Vermont.
Angus Harley - Intern
Angus split his time growing up between the Southwest Coast of Australia and Colorado where he built a love of the water early on. His dive into Paddlesports started in high school when he joined the whitewater kayaking program and eventually the kayaking team, competing in slalom, downriver, and freestyle competitions and eventually turned his sights to pursuing whitewater. He moved to Squamish in 2017 to pursue an undergraduate degree in environmental studies and follow conservation work through environmental non-profit organizations.