Board of Directors and Committee Chairs

Founded in 1988, The Friends of Presqu'ile Park is a 100% volunteer organization consisting of over 230 members, people just like you, who share an interest in this beautiful resource.

We have a strong belief in the importance of sharing the valuable knowledge and experiences with both current and future generations.  Presqu'ile Park, with its unusual combination of diverse ecosystems and a myriad of intriguing historical events, is a special place in Ontario whose story needs to be shared.

Our Board of Directors is made up of up to 9 volunteers and 1 Park representative, all of whom bring a special dedication to our group.

Scroll down to read more about our volunteers who serve on the  Board of Directors and/or as committee chairs:

Board of Directors

Committee Chairs

Volunteer Profiles

Brent Barnes: Director of Operations

Brent and his partner Angela retired to Brighton in 2015 after a 35 year career as an urban/parks planner. He has been a  volunteer with the Friends of Presqu’ile Park for many years, first as a trail monitor and for  the past several years as a part of the  Operations team. As Director of Operations Brent and his team are responsible for assisting park staff with maintaining and upgrading park facilities.

Michelle Buchkowsky:  Director at Large

Michelle has been coming to Presqu'ile Park since 1989.  She retired and moved fulltime to the point in 2021.  She has strong administrative and marketing skills, honed in both large and small organizations throughout her career. She served on the Oakville Angels Girls Softball Board for over 5 years, with the responsibility of running their girls umpiring program.  She has also been working with a dedicated team to assist in getting the Friends of Presqu'ile Gift Shop back to pre-covid operations.

Terry Buchkowsky:  Chair

Terry’s career background is in Marketing & Sales with various transportation companies.  His business demeanor and love of the outdoors has been valuable to the various organizations in which he has served as president, namely The Drag Lake Property Owners Association in Haliburton, plus the Brampton & Mississauga Transportation Clubs.  He has been coming through the gates of Presqu’ile Provincial Park for close to 25 years.  He and his wife Michelle now reside on Bayshore Road in the park.  In his spare time, Terry enjoys walking the dog on many of the park’s trails.  Their daughter Emily, a business graduate of Carleton University, is currently enjoying a successful career in sales with an Ottawa based  ecommerce error detection and resolution software company. 

Beverlie Cook: Chair of Communications

Beverlie Cook enjoyed many camping trips to Presqu’ile Park. In fact, that is what brought her and her husband Ted to Brighton. Bev firmly believes in giving back to the community she calls home. After volunteering to prepare the Policies and Procedures for The Friends of Presqu’ile Park, Bev was extremely impressed with the work they do. 30 years’ experience in Association Management, working with both charitable and business associations, serves Bev well as the Chair of The Friends of Presqu’ile Park. Bev offers her professional services, to assist The Friends of Presqu’ile Park as they move forward with the many exciting initiatives they have planned. It has been Bev’s great pleasure to serve as the Chair of the Board for the past two years. In June 2019, Bev is entering her final year on the Board of Directors. Her past roles have included: Corporate Secretary, and Finance Director. She’s also a keen volunteer at Christmas @ Presqu’ile. In Bev’s spare time, she enjoys pole walking, reading and traveling with Ted. They are the proud parents of two sons and enjoy spoiling our five grandchildren.

Bjorn Jakobsen: Vice Chair

I am retired after working in various sales capacities ending my career as VP Sales in a Canadian company for 23 years.  In that role I was responsible for a sales department with 25 salesmen, servicemen and district managers across the country.

My wife and I are avid campers and have visited a number of Provincial Parks.  Presqu'ile is one of our favourites and we return regularly. For the past two years, I have volunteered as the photographer for the Memorial Tree planting.

I am interested in several of the organization’s  projects and hope to apply my talents where they can be most useful can be useful.

Catherine Lariviere: Corporate Secretary

Catherine has enjoyed spending time in nature, including camping and kayaking/canoeing since a young age. Upon moving to the area in 2017, she fell in love with Presqu’ile on her first visit to this beautiful park. 

Catherine’s background is in administrative support staff/secretarial positions in both the corporate and education sectors in Ottawa, and most recently with a local church in Trenton. She is also a member of the Quinte West Gardens – Growing Community as a volunteer.

She is looking forward to supporting Friends of Presqu’ile as their Corporate Secretary and learning all about the many facets involved with the workings of a Provincial Park.
 

Phil McRae: Director of Environmental Initiatives

Phil is our former Chair and has also held the Chair of Environmental Initiatives for over six years. Phil resides in Oshawa; but is a life-long cottager at Presqu’ile. He is retired from a long career with General Motors. He is also a member of the first graduating class from Trent University. In addition to his long volunteer service to the Friends, Phil is a former director of the Oshawa Kinsman Club. He currently serves as the leader of SOS (seniors on Spokes) Bicycle Group. 

Dan Riggs: Director at Large

Dan was a faculty member in Biology at the University of Toronto for over 30 years.  He and his wife fell in love with Presqu'ile many years ago, and the park was a major factor in our decision to retire to Brighton.  They love the dunes, the pannes, the wetlands, the forests, and the beaches. Dan says:  "I'm constantly astounded by the natural beauty and rich biodiversity of the park.  I may get old, but it never will. As the grants coordinator, I hope to be able to secure funding for projects large and small."

Christy Trescher: Director at Large