Powell River Salmon Societies Board of Directors
aboutus
The Salmon Preservation Foundation (SPF) was created to ensure the long term sustainability of Pacific Salmon in BC. The need for salmon champions is vital now more than ever. The SPF was officially launched in 2022 out of necessity to support the government funding shortfalls of the Powell River Salmon Society and pacific salmon in general. The Powell River Salmon Society operates three facilities in support of Lang Creek, Willingdon Creek, and Mouat Creek Salmon, releasing over a million salmon fry per year, and has been successfully doing so since near its inception 40 years ago.
PRSS Registered Charity #119097624RR0001
Salmon Preservation Foundation #793747809RR0001
Rod Tysdal - President
​Sprouting on a wheat farm in Southern Saskatchewan in 1947, Rod fell in love with our big woods while spending the summer of 1965 on Vancouver Island. Following many school years studying business and forestry, he and his wife, Vicki, arrived in Powell River with their family in 1974. “I like this place!” he said upon arrival. Following 35 years as a forester with MacMillan Bloedel, Rod retired after completing the drive for CSA Sustainable Forest Management Certification which emphasizes all values inherent in our forests. Since retirement, Rod has continued to be active with the local Hospital Foundation, the Community Forest, and our local Salmon Society. His personal mottos are “do good and keep doing it” and “things work out!”
Matt Neall - Vice President
Matt Neall has been an active volunteer with PRSS for many years in the Lang Creek fish house and recently serving as the Vice President. He takes pride in his dedication to ensuring a secure future for the salmon and the vital role they play in our community.
Matt is a former Mill employee, like family in generations before him, and has recently put down deeper roots in the community starting his own young family. He has a strong connection to Powell River and the nature that surrounds it. Matt knows that hard work and synergy with our surroundings are key to making a good life here and when we work together on shared visions, we can all prosper from positive outcomes.
A majority of his free time is happily spent on the water at home in Brew Bay, observing and angling with his father and son in the ocean and creek to better understand the fish and our crucial relationship with them.
Peter Giroday - Treasurer
Peter Giroday graduated grade 12 from Vancouver College in Vancouver. He continued his education for two years at Merced College in California where he also was a co-captain of their football team. Upon his return to Canada, he attended BCIT in the evenings where he took adult courses in Sales and Marketing.
​He has volunteered as an assistant football coach to broad age groups over the years. He has spent 40 years in lumber sales and sales management and is now semi-retired.
​Peter has lived in both Powell River and the lower mainland for the past 35 years and now makes Powell River his permanent base. He is married to
Powell River- born Marilu Adamson, who started her teaching career at Kelly Creek Elementary school and has since retired after many years in Burnaby. They have two adult daughters and two grandchildren.
Peter has been a PRSS volunteer for the past three years and has been participating in many projects and improvements. He is committed to maintain and help grow the success of the PRSS.
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Bill Bird
Bill Bird is a retired Mill Electrician who is an active community member on many fronts. Bill has previously served on the PRSS board of directors for over 20 years, in roles such as treasurer, fundraising, and membership coordinator. Bill was instrumental in setting the Salmon Preservation Foundation on the right track and helped take the PRSS Tide guide to a new level. Bill also serves on the Sport Fishing Advisory Board.
Gordon Jones
Gordon Jones is a retired Mill Engineer who has committed a large amount of his time to aiding in preserving and enhancing Pacific Salmon. Gord has served on the board of directors in every executive roll for the Powell River Salmon Society over the past 25 years, and is now currently serving as treasurer. Gord’s impact can be seen in everything from the engineering of dozens of infrastructure projects, to the meticulous administration that allows our organization to thrive. Gord was instrumental in the creation of the Salmon Preservation Foundation
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Josh Statham
Josh is born and raised in Powell River and grew up enjoying the natural beauty of the area, especially the ocean and lakes around this coastal paradise. Today he considers himself fortunate to work and raise a family in his hometown, passing on the traditions he learned with his dad and grandpa. Supporting salmon enhancement ensures these traditions will live on for generations to come. He first began supporting PRSS through the Fins n Skins combined fishing derby and golf tournament, raising nearly $18,000.00 to date. He now hopes his experience in event organization and marketing will grow revenue streams and awareness for salmon enhancement as a member of the Powell River Salmon Society board of directors.
Sydney Goward
Sydney is a professional forester with BC Timber Sales here in Powell River, where she works on strategic planning and forest stewardship, and specializes in non-timber resource conservation and wildlife ecology. She recently graduated with a Master of Science in Environmental Studies where her work focused on Indigenous-led community-based monitoring of wild sheep and grizzly bears in the NWT. Sydney got involved volunteering with PRSS in 2022, as a way to give back to the resource she cherishes and respects as a dedicated angler. When she’s not on the water, you can find her carefully tending her tomato garden or playing in the backcountry. Sydney is skilled in community & youth engagement, grant-writing, working with First Nations, and science-based natural resource management.
Powell River Salmon Societies Board of Directors
Powell River Salmon Societies Employees
Membership
For more information on the opportunities to support the SPF's Powell River Salmon Society, please contact 604-483-9440 or email info@salmonpreservation.org
Membership to the PRSS can be obtained in the following ways:​
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Life time membership granted to any individual donating more than $500.
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Annual Membership can be granted by the Manager of PRSS, or the Director of membership, to volunteers who have dedicated a minimum of 40 hours of time or resources in the past 12 months.
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*members must be in good standing as of end of previous fiscal year/March 31