string(31) "Brian Wesley and Monica Dragosz" string(1321) "

Brian Wesley, a local birding enthusiast, has called the valley home for over 20 years. His extensive field experience includes contributions to numerous bird studies such as the British Columbia and Saskatchewan Breeding Bird Atlases, Wildlife Canada Services Lewis’s Woodpecker Studies, and the Columbia Wetlands Waterbird Survey. Brian remains an active participant in conservation efforts, regularly conducting surveys like the Birds Canada Nightjar Survey, BC & Yukon Owl Survey, Columbia Valley Bank Swallow Survey, and the North American Breeding Bird Survey. As a member of the Wings Over the Rockies Board, Brian’s guided walks are always a highlight of the festival. 

Monica Dragosz has worked in mental health for the past 30 years and has been a student of ecopsychology for at least the last fifteen. She recognizes that deep connection and reciprocity with other-than-human nature are central to our well-being, and that personal and planetary health are interconnected. She lives life with a naturalist mindset and has participated in bird counts and surveys for the past two decades, enjoys volunteering for conservation projects, and feels lit up by any encounter with wildlife.

 

" string(6) "Leader" string(90) "https://wingsovertherockies.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Brian-Wesley-Monica-Dragosz.png"