Our 2025 in Review: Reflections from the Team
Moments from 2025
As we wrap up 2025, we want to take a moment to shine a light on the people who make Swim Drink Fish what it is. None of our impact this year would be possible without them.
Alison Lovell:
It has truly been a year of learning.
As a newcomer to Swim Drink Fish, I’ve had the opportunity to learn about so many of their remarkable initiatives—Biinaagami, Fraser River, Swim Guide, the Wave Prize—while contributing to the cause through an art-focused lens. The Swim Drink Fish vision—that connection leads to protection—has deeply resonated. The simple act of connecting people to water is impactful, and connecting people to water through art can be incredibly powerful.
From diving headfirst into the Artists for Water Gala fundraiser, to music-focused engagement opportunities with the Biinaagami Giant Floor Map, to the unforgettable Kent Monkman studio visit, this year has reinforced how the arts spark conversation and inspire meaningful connections.
It has also been incredible to work with—and get to know—the Swim Drink Fish staff, a dedicated team who wear many hats, work tirelessly, and show up every day for swimmable, drinkable, fishable waters for all.
I’m excited for 2026 and all the learning, connections, and opportunities it will bring.
Bryan Bean:
Looking back, 2025 will have been a transformative year in the evolution of Swim Drink Fish. There was before the launch of the WAVE prize, and there is after. It has been incredible to be in the middle of it, working alongside such a dynamic, dedicated team.
What started almost two years ago - being tasked to explore the possibilities for building a swimming pier somewhere in the Vancouver region (to follow on the success of Kingston’s Gord Edgar Downie Pier), to the November 2025 media event and announcement of funding for the City of North Vancouver Harbour Deck and the WAVE prize in British Columbia, it is has been an extraordinary journey for us. The support of the Weston family has been remarkable, pushing us to strive for what could be next and believing in us to get there. And of course, in providing an immensely generous gift and the means to drive ambitious outcomes: $16M for North Vancouver and up to $75M for up to 5 communities in BC to create access to swimming. Truly inspiring.
2025 also saw no shortage of challenges, and we could not have had the success we did without the effort of many. Notably, Gwen Hardy, Lonnie Prouse, Danica Abrams and especially Lauren Brown Hornor, who started and led our work on the West Coast almost 20 years ago and made such an important contribution to the project from the outset. An amazing year!
Carol McDonald:
Looking back on 2025, I am proud of the progress we made as an organization. It was a year marked by stronger partnerships on key initiatives, especially on the West Coast and a deeper sense of alignment across our team.
The increased interest in projects like the North Vancouver Harbour initiative reinforced how meaningful our work is to communities. I was continually encouraged by the generosity and engagement of supporters who helped move our mission forward.
Overall, 2025 reminded me of the power of collaboration and the impact we can have when we work with clarity and purpose. I feel grateful for the opportunity to contribute to Artists for Water 2026, and optimistic about what we will accomplish.
Danica Abrams:
If I had to choose one word to describe this year, it would be growth. We grew as a team, expanded our work, and made meaningful strides toward swimmable, drinkable, fishable water. I also grew as a communications professional, broadening my skill set, stepping outside my comfort zone, and learning more from our projects and my colleagues than ever before.
I’m grateful for the stories I get to tell and the adventures this organization continues to bring my way. Here’s to carrying that momentum into 2026.
Fin Donnelly:
In January, I kicked off the year as the new Fraser Riverkeeper.
In June, at our first annual Great Salmon Rivershed Celebration — and in my first official role as Fraser Riverkeeper — I announced our Fraser River Challenge campaign. We were thrilled to have Mark Mattson MC the event, with special guests Carol McDonald and former Minister of Environment John Cashore.
In August, our small but mighty FRC campaign team hit the road on a whirlwind tour of the Fraser: visiting communities and leaders in the Fraser Headwaters, Robson Valley, Fraser Lake, the Upper and Lower Fraser Canyon, and finishing in the river’s estuary. A highlight of the trip was laughing so hard with the team about one of our favourite Canadian icons. Special shout-out to Justin, Naomi, Henry, Stephanie and Jen!
In November, we signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indigenous Stewardship Fund, cementing our partnership to deliver the five-year Fraser River Challenge. Big thanks to Jordan Point, Karl Dhillon, Yasmin Passos, Sharan Kooner and Sam Seneviratne.
To see a new team step into the river, taking on the challenge I once did, fills me with hope — it tells me the work has grown beyond a solo effort to creating a movement, which is what the river needs to repair and thrive.
In December, we held a special Fraser Riverkeeper Society Board meeting to discuss how we can strengthen relations with Swim Drink Fish. Special thanks to Mark Mattson, Carol McDonald and Aran O’Carroll.
As we near the year’s end, I reflect back to thirty years ago, when I first stepped into the icy cold waters of the Fraser River. For the following 21 days, I averaged about 70 km a day, finally completing the 1,375-km swim on BC Rivers Day. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life — and one of the most rewarding.
Becoming the Fraser Riverkeeper feels like a full-circle moment: after dedicating my life to this rivershed, I now get to defend it with the support of a whole organization.
The Fraser Rivershed is home to three-quarters of BC’s population, including more than 70 First Nations. It is a critical salmon system and one of BC and Canada’s most important rivers. It needs our help more than ever — which is why our campaign to protect one-third of its vast watershed by 2030 is so vital.
Grace Van Alstyne:
2025 was a year of growth for Swim Drink Fish as a whole and for me personally. I stepped into a few new roles this year, starting as the Swimmable Waters Coordinator, where I got to take the lead on the Blue Flag program. While some of the work was tedious, I really enjoyed learning about the communities across Canada that are passionate about their local waterways. Both beaches and marinas in different corners of the country lifted my spirits with their passion for water conservation.
After the Blue Flag application season came to an end, I got to return to the Toronto Hub, where I worked alongside the Toronto Coordinator, supervising water monitoring and our outreach events. I am so grateful for all the opportunities Swim Drink Fish has introduced me to this year, and all of the wonderful people I have met.
Gregary Ford:
This year, with support from the Weston Family, we announced and launched the WAVE Prize, and as I reflect, I find myself contemplating that acronym more and more. WAVE stands for Waterfront Access, Vitality, Engagement. It was things like jumping off the salt docks in Parry Sound in the beautiful waters of Georgian Bay, filled with energy and excitement, and surrounded by others doing the very same thing that inevitably drew me to Swim Drink Fish and the work we do today. I’m incredibly excited that we have the chance to provide those opportunities to youth and families throughout BC who will make their own connections to their waterfront, creating lifelong memories that will ultimately strengthen the Swim Drink Fish movement.
Heather Patterson:
2025 was a year of communities, connections and collaborations! From travelling to Milwaukee WI, to present about our Algae Pilot work in Lake Erie using VAST, to travelling to Niagara Falls to present our new fish consumption project at the Chiefs of Ontario’s Great Lakes Water Gathering, Swim Drink Fish has traversed most of the Great Lakes watershed in the name of fulfilling our shared responsibility to these lands and waters we call home. The best way to connect with land and water is to spend time on and with them. Having explored parts of the watershed I had never experienced, I am ending 2025 with a newfound appreciation for all of the wonders these watersheds have to offer!
Henry Challen:
2025 was a year of learning. I stepped into new roles at both Swim Drink Fish and Fraser Riverkeeper, each teaching me valuable lessons that I did not initially expect. Academically, I was enrolled in two different degree programs, where I continued to see just how much there is to learn about environmental law and policy. I was fortunate to watch two amazing campaigns come together across the country and saw how committed teams can work through the many challenges that this work has in store.
My favourite moment of 2025 was camping under the stars in the Upper Fraser and feeling the energy and capacity of the river to give, to take, and to remind us of the importance of protection in an increasingly extractivist political order.
Jennifer Ruddy:
A year ago, Gregary Ford and I convinced Fin Donnelly that Swim Drink Fish and the Fraser Riverkeeper would be a good home for his grand plans, for the Fraser River Challenge. He told us about his big plan, and we said we were the kind of organization that liked to get out in front, ahead of our skis. Here we are, a year later, at the Fraser River Challenge, which is now green-lit. It's a go. It’s going to be big, as big as the river is long. Swim Drink Fish likes big ideas. I like big ideas, and I get to work in a place that consistently outmatches my own. That has been the past year: trying to meet these big moments, finding authentic ways for all of us to do what we do best - getting people to connect with water (that and keeping up with my boss).
Justin Smith:
2025 was a year of exploration, connection, and collaboration.
On the West Coast, Fraser Riverkeeper launched the Fraser River Challenge, an initiative to help protect 30% of the rivershed by 2030. We signed an MOU with the Indigenous Stewardship Fund, allowing us to work closely with First Nations in their efforts to protect their lands and the critical habitats within them.
We travelled throughout the rivershed, from the headwaters at Mount Robson to where the river meets the sea in Richmond. Whether standing in the majestic valleys of the Fraser Canyon, the quiet communities along its banks, or the vast forests in between, it was clear that this river binds us together.
The beauty of the river was matched by a sense of urgency. Advocates told stories of clear-cut logging and habitat loss. Community members spoke about struggling local economies, harmed by exploitation and irresponsible resource use. First Nations leaders shared concerns about diminishing salmon returns and the risks they pose to their way of life.
I leave 2025 inspired by what we witnessed and motivated by the urgency to protect it.
Kyle Chuckry:
2025 was a year of new beginnings, both in terms of transitioning from college to the workforce and in terms of the VAST revival brewing in the Niagara Region. The opportunity to work alongside environmental professionals and monitor some of the beaches I grew up visiting in Niagara is a rewarding and fulfilling experience I’m lucky to have.
There were a number of surreal experiences I had over this summer, including attending the Artists for Water Gala way back in May. The passion and support from all the wonderful people involved to protect and appreciate the waters around us were truly inspiring.
The weekly sampling days were surreal too, standing knee deep in algae, music through my headphones, fishing around with a sample bottle to collect sediment felt... serene. While the algae may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I’m proud to be a part of a team that works to protect our waters and connect communities to their shorelines so they can have their own moments of serenity.
Megan Coad:
2025 was a year packed with new learning, opportunities and projects! I transitioned into a new role leading our technology department, which came with a lot of initial learning but quickly also became mentally enriching and fulfilling. Of all the projects I oversee in my department, I can highlight a couple that were extra fun to work on this year.
I had the pleasure of taking on the Visual Assessment Survey Tool (VAST) and leading the transition of that tool over to Swim Drink Fish, envisioning how we could utilize it and integrate it with our existing programs and start playing with the ample data. Any project that lets me utilize my GIS skills makes me happy and is a welcome challenge.
I also had the pleasure of working on our Fish Consumption project, which required a significant amount of travel and outreach events, learning about a variety of First Nation communities across Ontario and how their needs are or are not being met by the current available resources. I have really enjoyed seeing more of the province I live in and learning more about First Nation history and experience. I also just love talking to people who are equally as interested and passionate about the projects we are working on, it reminds me that there is always hope.
Although my job was always busy, I was able to blend many of my passions this year, including science, technology, partnership building and working towards protecting the water I love. Here's to an exciting 2026.
Naomi Devine:
This summer, I travelled deep into the Fraser River rivershed to begin preparing for next year’s headwaters-to-sea swim—a journey that will trace the spine of British Columbia’s lifeline. What I expected was a scouting trip. What I encountered was something closer to a calling. Standing at the river’s edge, listening to the ancient push and pull of water shaping the land, I felt the quiet truth of this place settle into me. The Fraser is not just a river; it is a force that holds stories, feeds communities, and threads together entire ecosystems. Being there changed the way I see my work, my role, and the responsibility we carry in trying to restore what has been broken.
I’m fortunate to partner on this project with Fin Donnelly—someone who knows the Fraser in ways most of us can only imagine—to lead the strategy behind the Fraser River Challenge. Fin has swum this incredible river twice. He’s felt its power kilometer after kilometer, and he carries the lessons of the rivershed like a second pulse. To be collaborating with him, Justin, Jen, Stephanie, and Henry on this project is both humbling and energizing. Together, we are charting a path rooted in respect, ambition, and a belief that bold action is not only possible, but necessary.
Next summer, when I enter that water, I’ll be carrying the memory of this year’s trip with me—the stillness of early mornings, the thunder of rapids, the enormity of what’s at stake. The Fraser carved this province, and it continues to shape us. As we close out the year, I’m more committed than ever to ensuring this river’s future is one defined by restoration, connection, and the collective effort of people who love it enough to fight for it.
Sandy Herkimer:
2025 started out in an entirely different way compared to where I am now. Feeling stuck in a job I was beginning to resent, and looking for some light at the end of the tunnel, I found that light in February with the posting for what would turn out to be my "dream job" at Swim Drink Fish. What an exciting time the next few months would be for me - transitioning from something I had done for 22 years to the completely new (for me) non-profit world. Since late April, Swim Drink Fish has brought me a whole new set of colleagues (whom I can call friends now), a new work city, events, work/life balance, and renewed passion for my career. I have grown as a person through my experiences here this year, not only by becoming a "commuter" to Toronto (I see this city from a totally different lens now!!), but by understanding what we do, why we do it. the impact we’re making for swimmable, drinkable, fishable water - and my involvement in that movement.
From the beginning, I have learned about a different world of people and their passions - and it's all very exciting to me. The perks were a bonus - being part of the Coldplay and Barenaked Ladies concerts, where memories with new friends and colleagues were made while we were recognized by huge musical artists for our involvement and impact on the blue economy. As we near the end of 2025, I have nothing but deep respect, appreciation and honour to be part of this organization and the Swim Drink Fish family. I can't wait to dive in and catch the WAVE that awaits us in 2026 !! 🩵🏊🥛🐟🌊💙
