New Beginnings: Meet the Dynamic Additions to our Vancouver Team
Recalibrating the Vancouver Hub, with all the same passion of its rich history.
It’s been an exciting year at the Vancouver Community Water Monitoring Hub. The team has been working hard to restructure and implement new technology and protocols to ensure the most accurate and up-to-date information about water quality on the West Coast. The Swim Drink Fish team has worked hard to structure each hub as part of a national network, ensuring that each hub is implementing a cohesive model with the same quality assurance protocols across the country. We’re happy to say that after a short break earlier this year, things have been business as usual at the Vancouver Hub.
We’d like to take this opportunity to introduce two new members of the team, who you’ll see out and about collecting water samples, at tabling events, and sharing knowledge about water literacy. Dana Turner (she/her/elle), Vancouver Water Programs Manager and Madeleine (Maddy) Ankenman (she/her), Vancouver Water Programs Coordinator. They each come from unique backgrounds and have a lot to offer the Swim Drink Fish community.
Dana Turner and Madeleine Ankenman Photo: Nicole Coenen
Dana’s connection to the water is inherent; “ever since I can remember, I have felt a powerful emotional connection to water. From the curiosity and concern of not knowing what lies beneath and fear elicited by the wrath of turbulent storm surges and catastrophic flooding, to the affection and sense of ease elicited by familiar home waters – water has and continues to captivate me.”
This passion naturally led Dana to pursue studies and a career in biology, marine science, and conservation; to say her career has prepared her for the role of Water Programs Manager is an understatement. Her journey reached a turning point when she found herself drawn to science communication and environmental education more so than conducting the science itself. “The level of enjoyment, satisfaction, and passion I derived from watching the “aha” moments in others (that I often didn’t get to directly experience as a research scientist) while making the science accessible to wider audiences and connecting them to our natural world in deep and meaningful ways, would stick with me forever. In fact, it redirected and reinvigorated my sense of purpose for the role I wanted to play in advocating for environmental and socio-economic justice in the world.”
It is this sense of purpose that Dana is using to further ignite the Swim Drink Fish movement in Vancouver. The goal is to build a legacy by developing a hub that others can use as a model to advocate for and protect their local water amongst other goals including building a robust volunteer program and increasing general awareness around Vancouver.
Maddy shares this enthusiasm, having grown up on the Salish Sea, her early connections with water shaped her childhood and this connection is something that she has carried forward into adulthood; going on to study marine biology and work with water thereafter. A defining time in her life was during her undergrad when she had the opportunity to visit the Galapagos Islands. “I thought that the Galapagos Islands were one of the only untouched areas left on Earth. I believe because I had this idealistic image of the island prior to my arrival that my experience marked such a stark contrast.” She saw firsthand the devastating impacts that climate change is having on the world, often seeing massive die-offs of animals around the island and plastic polluting the once pristine water. Maddy took this experience with her back to British Columbia where she was able to open her eyes to local issues that impact our waterways in Canada and was inspired to play an active part in helping clean them up for the community on the West Coast.
Since joining the Swim Drink Fish team earlier this year, she has already felt the power of community that comes with being able to connect with dedicated volunteers and have meaningful conversations. “It is such an inspiration to see that there are so many concerned community members who are looking to clean up our waterways.”
Dana Turner and Madeleine Ankenman collecting a water sample Photo: Nicole Coenen
We are beyond excited to watch the Vancouver Hub continue to grow and transform and we couldn't be happier to have Dana and Maddy along for the ride. Dana said it best, “There are many pathways to getting involved in working toward a swimmable, drinkable, fishable future – everyone will have unique circumstances but can make a meaningful impact on their own unique journey and in their own unique way.”
If you’re interested in joining Dana and Maddy in Vancouver this Summer, here are some ways you can get involved:
Volunteer with Swim Drink Fish
