60 Years of Conservation, Connection, and Community on the Bruce Trail with Michael McDonald

As the days get longer and warmer, the call to enjoy the great outdoors gets stronger. The Bruce Trail, Canada’s oldest and longest marked footpath that stretches over 900 km from Queenston to Tobermory, crosses right through McMaster's backyard and is one of the best ways to explore the natural beauty of the Niagara Escarpment.
Join us as McMaster graduate and Chief Executive Officer of the Bruce Trail Conservancy (BTC) Michael McDonald '96 discusses the important role the BTC plays in protecting and preserving the Niagara Escarpment UNESCO World Biosphere while bringing communities across Ontario into greater connection with nature.
About the speaker:
Michael McDonald is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Bruce Trail Conservancy (BTC), one of Ontario’s largest land trusts and steward of Canada’s oldest and longest marked footpath, the iconic Bruce Trail. Before Michael joined the BTC as CEO in 2019, he spent over ten years as a volunteer for the organization. Michael leads a talented team of staff and volunteers who manage 15,000+ acres of protected natural lands along the Niagara Escarpment and over 1,300 kilometres of trail. Under Michael’s leadership and with the support of the BTC’s staff, Board of Directors, and over 1,400 volunteers, the BTC has been regularly named one of Canada’s Top 100 Charities by Charity Intelligence.
Michael is a proud graduate of McMaster University and has earned a Master Naturalist Certificate from Lakehead University. In addition to his early volunteer efforts for the BTC, Michael was one of the founding members of the Hamilton Burlington Trails Foundation and previously sat on the board of the Ontario Trails Council. He formerly achieved the rank of Private in the Canadian Armed Forces (reserves) and is a certified Hike Leader in Ontario. Michael is a lover of nature and deeply values people’s personal connections to natural environments.