Whoa! I Made It To Kelowna’s Top 40!

I’ve spent 15 years of my life working in the Parks, Tourism and Recreation sector, both in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada, so I have a deep appreciation for wild places and conservation. You’ll frequently find me outdoors, breathing in the fresh air, especially at higher elevations. The Okanagan has no shortage of breathtaking vistas, and I always take my out-of-town guests to one of the most magical spots I know: Johns Family Nature Conservancy Regional Park. The park bears the scars of the 2003 Okanagan Mountain Fire, when fire ripped through the region and burned a huge number of trees and other vegetation, as well as 239 homes. With the trees gone, visitors who walk along the upper park trails can see literally from Peachland to Lake Country – the entire Central Okanagan region of British Columbia. The park has a story all its own which I will be sharing with you in video form in 2025, but today I want to tell you about the recognition I received for the work I did to help create a special designation for this already amazing park with its own very unique history.

I had the privilege of working for Parks Services in the Regional District of the Central Okanagan for nearly seven years, and I spent four years spearheading a very, very special designation for Johns Family Conservancy Regional Park. I worked with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, the Central Okanagan Land Trust, members of Westbank First Nation, Regional Parks staff, Tourism Kelowna staff, and the local community in order to bring about awareness of light pollution and achieve the designation of the park as Canada’s third Nocturnal Preserve. In the summer of 2023, I was absolutely over the moon to be recognized for this work when I was the recipient of the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce Top 40 Over 40 award. Okanagan Edge covered the story here or you can read their article below.

Okanagan Edge and Kelowna Chamber of Commerce are partnering to showcase some of the region’s most exciting entrepreneurs through the “Top 40 Over 40” program.

Sponsored by BDO, the “Top 40 Over 40” recognizes high-achieving professionals in our community and showcases their accomplishments. This marks the ninth year the chamber has conducted a “Top 40” showcase. Honourees will be featured throughout the year on Okanagan Edge.

A former instructor at the University of Calgary, where she completed her PhD in English, Isabella Drzemczewska Hodson moved to Kelowna in 2017 to spearhead the RDCO Parks Visitor Services program.

Being the lone female voice in the male-dominated park management field, Hodson exercised her passion for equity and inclusion. She leads a team in the Environmental Education Centre for the Okanagan and ensures that district programming reaches both the larger Central Okanagan community as well as underserved populations.

In addition to offering a plethora of public programming year-round, Hodson and her team work with community partners to offer Indigenous programs led by Syilx knowledge keepers, low-income families and Community Recreational Initiatives Society to ensure barrier-free park program access, offer programs in other languages, and even connect with senior citizens in care homes to bring meaningful nature connections indoors.

A certified international dark sky advocate, Hodson championed the creation of a dark-sky preserve in the Okanagan. Her dream and legacy reached fruition last month with the creation of Canada’s third nocturnal preserve, located in Kelowna.