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Festival Guides
Our festival is fortunate to
have local trained guides that
bring unique, varied
backgrounds & experiences to
our 18 guided hikes. Our
guides include arborists, historians, naturalists,
meteorologists and local residents that love hiking.
Below are bios of some of
the guides who will be
leading the hikes in this
year's festival. More will
be added.
Mary MacDonald
is a recent graduate of York
University from the Masters
in Environmental Studies
program. Avid outdoor
enthusiast who enjoys hiking
and biking wherever life
takes her.
Second season working
in Cape Breton Highlands
National Park as an
Interpreter. Co-ordinator
of the Ingonish
Junior Naturalist Program
for community children. She
enjoys sharing the beauty
and mysteries of the natural
world with others and
motivating people to foster
an intimate connection with
their surroundings
Dupie Milne
-Ashton, this will be her fourth year
Guiding for the festival. A
self taught naturalist, she
has been a guide for The Keltic Lodge and Spa in
Ingonish Beach for the last
ten years. Loves to share
the beauty and peacefulness
of Northern Cape Breton with
others.
Sandra Curtis - has lived in North of Smokey area for over thirty years. During that time
she has enjoyed hiking the many national park trails & other local trails and mountains in the
area. Sandra has also experienced many trails and back country areas on cross country skis in the
winter. She is a great ambassador of our wonderful outdoors!!
Bill Danielson has hiked throughout the Cape Breton Highlands for fifteen years, often finding his way
home by himself. This will be his third year as a guide for the Festival. His special interests are
meteorology, astronomy and birding. He is author of the book "Cape Breton Weather Watching."
Bethsheila Kent - Bethsheila Kent is a Cape Breton naturalist and is the owner/operator of WALKING
the WILDSIDE Nature Tours, a land-based outdoor adventure company offering guided/interpreted hikes.
Bethsheila has spent much of her adult life in the study of the natural world. She is a master birder,
having been involved in the hobby/activity for more than 30 years.
Marie Stradeski, has been involved with the Festival the last two years. She looks forward to sharing
her ecological perspective during the festival this year. She feels passionately about inspiring others to
spend more time in nature as it is the primary source for fostering an ecological identity and a
conservation ethic.
Jocelyne Quann, a long time National Park interpreter, enjoys being surprised by nature and watching
it change with the seasons. She has been known to side step slugs and woolly bears along the trails.
Anne-Claude Pepin has been a park warden at Cape-Breton Highlands National Park for 2 years. She
has enjoyed experiencing the many trails of the park. She has also hiked in the Canadian Rockies and
in South America. Anne-Claude has a forestry background, is perfectly bilingual and eager to share
knowledge and fun with you!
David Rasmussen has lived and hiked in the Meat Cove area for the last forty years. Since his
retirement from teaching nine years ago, he has been able to spend more time during all seasons
exploring the northern Cape Breton ‘backlands.’ With a knowledgeable interest of the history of Meat
Cove, David is able to share stories of the area as the group follows old roads through former homesteads
and settlements.
Michael Fitzgerald was born and raised here in Northern Cape Breton. He is passionate about the
region, from it's exciting marine history to it's pristine and rugged hills. Michael is both a fisherman and
a sea kayak guide by trade. His lifetime of experience give him a sense of place here on the trails and on
the water. He enjoys sharing this amazing place, from it's thrilling tales to hidden treasurers.
Jean-Francois Bisaillon is a Park warden at Cape Breton Highlands National Park. He loves to spend
his summers hiking and climbing mountains and his winters skiing down their slopes. His backpacking
adventures have taken him to summits and trails in Africa, South America and many places in North
America.He is always looking for new challenges and to meet new people.
DANIEL AUCOIN
has been involved with
Les Amis du Plein Air,
Cape Breton Highlands
National Park’s
Cooperating Association,
for the last twenty
years. His
leadership and passion
have helped make Les
Amis du Plein Air a
prime example for other
cooperating associations
to emulate. His
involvement with Les
Amis has helped him
develop a life-long
commitment to support
our National Park and
protect our national
environment and cultural
heritage. He
enjoys hiking,
cross-country skiing and
photography.
Derek Quann may be new to the festival this year but he is certainly no stranger to the Highlands.
His work as a Cape Breton Highlands National Park Warden for almost 20 years and his current
involvement in research on the moose of northern Cape Breton have taken him to most parts of this
wonderful landscape at all times of the year. He is fascinated by the ever-changing nature of the land,
the sea, the sky, and the people of this region.
Mariève Therriault has been working as an interpreter at Cape Breton Highlands National Park for the
past three years. She is concentrating her efforts on sharing her enthusiasm and curiosity for nature
with the youth of Cape Breton, and hope that someday, with a bit of wind, wood and sunshine the little
spark she is trying to create will flame up into a life long appreciation and respect for all life around us.
Nathalie Arsenault is an Interpreter at Cape Breton Highlands National Park. She is an Acadian
from Prince Edward Island who loves to share her culture as well as her enthusiasm for the
natural environment.
David Williams is Regional Protected Areas Coordinator with the NS Department of Environment and
Labour, and is responsible for the planning and management of provincially designated wilderness areas,
nature reserves and Canadian Heritage Rivers. David's work and leisure time find him exploring some of
the most beautiful natural areas that eastern Nova Scotia has to offer, and he welcomes any opportunity
to share those experiences with others.
Tom C. Wilson - An avid hiker of Cape Breton Trails, National Parks in Atlantic Canada, and trails in
Great Britain and New Zealand. A guide for the past two years who enjoys meeting people, sharing
nature & heritage. A graduate of the Nova Scotia Outdoor Leadership Program.
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