Riparian Restoration Specialist
Gregoire Lamoureux is a long-time Slocan Valley resident, educator, and passionate steward of the land. After growing up on a farm in southern Quebec and traveling across Canada, he settled in the Slocan Valley in 1989. Just two years later, he founded the Kootenay Permaculture Institute to bring his deep love for permaculture and ecological agriculture to life. With over 20 years of experience teaching permaculture across Canada, Gregoire now offers the Permaculture Design Course locally in partnership with Selkirk College. On his own farm, purchased in 1992, he has implemented a vibrant forest garden—a multi-layered agroforestry system that integrates fruit and nut trees, berry bushes, perennial vegetables, and medicinal herbs. His land also includes nearly five acres of wetland, which he is actively restoring and protecting. A founding member of the Kootenay Organic Growers Society (est. 1998), Gregoire has long supported organic farming in the region. His dedication to ecological restoration extends to waterways as well—he is a co-founder and current coordinator of the Slocan River Streamkeepers Society, launched in 2003 to promote aquatic ecosystem stewardship. He also serves on the Executive Committee for SWAMP (Slocan Wetland Assessment and Monitoring Project), where he continues his work protecting and restoring riparian ecosystems.