North Shore Rain Garden Advisory Team

Chloe Hartley, MSc. Ecological Restoration, is helping to coordinate the logistics of the rain garden project this year. Chloe has a passion for urban ecology and is looking forward to building rain gardens across North Vancouver!

Sahar Banisoltan, PhD., P.Eng. is a resident of the North Shore. She has experience in Green Infrastructure practices such as Low Impact Development options, strengthening flood protection to adapt to climate change and developing mitigation measures for new developments to ensure sure that the adverse impacts are minimized.  

Janet Dysart is a North Shore Streamkeeper who understands the most important result of a rain garden should be cleaner stormwater entering our streams and their tributaries. Our fish species are struggling in today’s urban jungle with increased development, reduction of natural spaces, loss of trees who filter our air, and disturbed riparian habitat, and last but not least, climate change impacts. Every development should have rain gardens as part of their planning; let’s add rain gardens to all street planning design and yes – you can have a rain garden at home too! 

Kim Walton is a graduate from the Masters of Climate Change program at the University of Waterloo. She didn’t know what exactly a rain garden was when she signed up to help out with this project but has quickly realized the importance of cleaning water from heavy metals and toxins that could end up in our water system. Growing up in North Vancouver has given Kim a passion for the outdoors and gardening. She is also a butterfly ranger with the David Suzuki Foundation and loves the opportunity to help her community in a variety of ways.

Jane MacCarthy is a communications and community relations consultant with an interest in sustainability and community engagement. She became aware of rain gardens after a North Shore developer client installed one more than a decade ago. As the editor of StreamTalk, the newsletter for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ Salmonid Enhancement Program, she grew to understand the importance of stormwater management and the impact on salmon and their habitat. She has also served as a member-at-large with Projects In Place Society, which brings design and planning professionals together with the community to build projects ranging from community gardens to green roofs and playgrounds.