Marie-José Auclair
Board Chair
Graduated in Biology with a Major in Sciences of the Environment at Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), specialising in Aquatic Ecology. She has been working for the Environment for more than 35 years.
At Environment Canada, Marie-José Auclair worked as an advisor in environmental evaluation and to establish the state of the health of the St-Lawrence River. She also represented the Federal Government among different environment comities under the “Convention de la Baie James et du Nord québécois”.
She is now a freelance Biologist. She has written many books and articles on the many natural, historic and cultural beauty of many regions of Québec and published articles on Outdoor, Ecotourism and Biodiversity throughout the world. Her book “Le Québec au fil de l’eau” (2009) published by Les Éditions de l’HOMME puts forth the beauty and fragility of this precious resource in Québec and North America.
She has also been an additional Commissary at “Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement du Québec” (BAPE) and supplied freelance works on Environment and Biodiversity of many Organisms.
Luc Dumouchel
Vice-President
Hailing from Granby, Eastern-Townships, Luc Dumouchel graduated from the Forestry and Geodesy School of Université Laval (1981). Mr. Dumouchel has worked in the private forest sector for over 25 years. He is Manager of the Association forestière de la Montérégie since 1996.
He became a member of the Ordre des ingénieurs forestiers du Québec in 1985 where he was a board member delegate for the Estrie-Montérgie area in 1994-1995 and from 2002 to 2010. From 1985 to 2004, he was Forest Service Manager for Brome-Missisquoi RCM. He was actively involved with municipal activities in the forest sector, especially the development of a land use plan, first and second generations, as well as conception and application of regulatory framework regarding felling of trees. In 1987, he established the Pépinière régionale de la MRC Brome-Missisquoi which he managed until 1996.
In addition to its professional activities, Luc Dumouchel sat at numerous boards of organizations (watershed organization, G.I.S. Agency, private school, etc.)
Michèle Turcotte
Secretary
Since childhood, Michèle has been interested in nature and curious about the place of humans in the planet’s ecology. Her interest in Appalachian Corridor and the conservation of natural environments was immediate.
As a municipal councillor (2009-2013) in Saint-Étienne-de Bolton, then mayor until 2021, she had the opportunity to get to know the organization better and to appreciate several collaborations for the benefit of the municipality. She was also involved in the environment, culture and planning committees of the Memphrémagog MRC.
Professionally, she has acted as portfolio manager for the provincial agencies Société de Développement Industriel, now Investissement Québec, after serving as director of administration at the Agence québécoise de valorisation industrielle de la recherche (AQVIR) and as program officer (status of women and community organizations) at the federal Department of the Secretary of State.
A native of Quebec City, she spent a few years in Montreal, before settling in Saint-Étienne-de-Bolton, where she has been happily settled for the past forty years.
Peter McAuslan
Treasurer
Peter McAuslan is a native of Lachine, Quebec, graduating from Sir George Williams University in 1972. He was secretary-general of Dawson College in Montreal in 1987 when he left to establish The McAuslan Brewing Company, a ground-breaking and internationally respected, award-winning small brewery.
Peter has served as a director of many industries and community boards and has received awards and distinctions, most notably a McGill Management Award in 2002 and an award of distinction from the John Molson School of Business of Concordia University in 2008. He was named ‘Personality of the year’ in the category of Business and the Arts by the Conseil des Arts de Montréal the same year. Peter was awarded the Order of Canada in 2018 for his pioneering work in the development of the small brewing industry in Canada, his commitment to the support of the arts and his leadership in establishing the Chair of Canadian Scottish Studies at McGill University.
He is the founder and president of the McAuslan Malting and Distilling Corporation developing and marketing ‘Peter McAuslan’s Spirits’ in Quebec.
Mr. McAuslan is a member of the Green Party of Canada, a supporter of Greenpeace Canada, and other environmental organizations. He was a founder of Hortinove, a local citizens’ organization that successfully defended against the sale of the federal Agricultural Research Centre in Frelighsburg, Quebec. He has supported fundraising initiatives for the Ruiter Valley Land trust and Appalachian Corridor. He was a director of the Mount Echo Land Trust from 2018-2021.
Peter has recently published “Brewing Better Beer, The story of St-Ambroise and the birth of Quebec craft brewing”
Peter and his wife Ellen share their Sutton home with 4 dogs in the beautiful Eastern Townships of Quebec.
Michel Boivin
Board Member
A Parks Canada retiree where he worked for more than 33 years, Michel cumulates a vast and diversified experience in the management of protected areas. During the course of his career he held a variety of positions, namely superintendent of Saguenay Saint-Lawrence Marine Park, Yoho, Kootenay national parks and Lake Louise (Banff) and Executive Director for Quebec. As such, he was responsible for overseeing all Parks Canada operations in the province and ensuring strategic relations with various government representatives, business community, elected officials and regional partners.
Now back in the Eastern Townships, he wishes to use his experience in support of the environnement and of the community. Avid fly fisherman and fly tyer, he also enjoys numerous outdoor activities.
Claude Bérubé
Board Member
Claude holds a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture from McGill University and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Université de Sherbrooke.
He worked for 3 years in international cooperation and community development. He has a GREEN heart and has used it to work in agroforestry and urban forestry for 10 years. His Master’s degree in Business Administration provided him with a well-stocked toolbox and enabled him to become an Industrial Commissioner. For the past 16 years, he has been a manufacturer’s representative for fire departments in Quebec and the Maritimes, as well as for SOPFEU. Seeing the forest burn leaves him infinitely sad… he must and wants to work in conservation!
Jean-François Girard
Bord member
A biologist and lawyer specializing in environmental and municipal law, Jean-François Girard has been practicing with the law firm DHC Avocats since 2002, where he offers special expertise to municipalities wishing to meet the challenges of sustainable development and improve the quality of their citizens’ living environment. Mr. Girard was also a member of the Board of Directors of the Centre québécois du droit de l’environnement (CQDE) from 2002 to 2016, serving as President of the organization from 2003 to 2013. Prior to this, he was an employee of CQDE, responsible for the Conservation and Biodiversity sector, from September 1998 to January 2002. He is now an honorary member.
In addition to publishing articles in specialized journals, he has written several doctrinal texts and contributed to collective works on environmental issues. He is currently author and editor of the doctrinal work “L’environnement au Québec”. Mr. Girard is also a regular speaker at conferences and training seminars on municipal and environmental law for elected officials and citizens’ groups. Finally, he is a regular speaker at municipal (UMQ, FQM, COMBEQ and COMAQ) and environmental (basin organizations, conservation, etc.) events.
Danielle Dansereau
Delegate for Western Affiliate Members
A citizen and resident of Frelighsburg since 1974, Danielle has been actively involved in conservation efforts in her region since the late 1980s. At the time, she took part in a citizens’ battle over a controversial recreational-tourism development project on Mont Pinacle, one of the region’s natural gems.
It was during this struggle, in order to propose a positive solution to the conflict, that the idea of creating a land trust was born. The Mount Pinnacle Land Trust (MPLT) was born in the spring of 1991.
Danielle eventually became president of the FFMP for a few years, working to negotiate the very first conservation easements (at a time when there were still no tax incentives) and set up a recurring fundraising activity (an annual benefit luncheon, with guest of honour and lecture) to raise the organization’s profile and provide a material foundation for our educational activities, which were growing in scope over the years.
After ten years as president (from 2012 to 2022), she remains active as an administrator, especially in conservation and communications. She joins the Board of Directors of Appalachian Corridor in 2023.
Alongside her passion for the natural environment, she is also a professional author and scriptwriter.