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ABOUT ME
Hello, I'm Alena! (she/they)
I'm a wildlife conservation scientist, photographer, illustrator, and science communicator living and learning in beautiful coastal British Columbia.
I'm driven through my art and research to find things that connect us all, and use them to inspire action, bring optimism, and find sustainable solutions that benefit nature AND empower communities.
SCIENCE COMMUNICATION +
STORYTELLING
I love to use photography and illustration to engage, educate, and inspire the public about wildlife conservation stories, science, struggles, and successes.
My aim is to do this in a way that's fun, engaging, inspiring, and promotes the importance of protecting nature!
Photography
Over the past 10 years, I've spent much of my time traveling to different ecosystems and visiting various communities, visually documenting the lives of wildlife.
I've found that images have a unique power to connect individuals with nature. I use my images to tell both big-picture stories (like those of conservation and research) and stories on a smaller scale (tales of individual animals or relationships).
Illustration
Recently, I've shifted gears and started to create conservation visuals in a new arena: illustration!
I use these graphics to illustrate research, strengthen science communication, add visual components to publications, promote public awareness about conservation, and provide educational resources.
ReSearch
My academic background is in wildlife conservation science. I wrote my Honours thesis for my degree at the Applied Conservation Sciences Lab at the University of Victoria.
Since then, I have worked with some incredible conservation organizations, to collect data and gather knowledge that can help us protect wildlife populations and natural spaces!
STEWARDSHIP
Stewardship that works for wildlife, ecosystems, AND local communities is something that I am incredibly passionate about.
For the past several years, I have been working in the field of bear protection and stewardship in the Great Bear Rainforest, alongside several incredible organizations and Coastal First Nations.