OUR TEAM
Meet The Team
Fernie
Nycki Wannamaker
Director / Rescue Chair
Nycki has been saving animals as long as she can remember. Always sneaking in little pets as a child until her parents caught on and then knew the fastest route to the SPCA.
Originally from Toronto, she moved here to ski but stayed to raise a family. With her passion for animals running deep, she founded TMARS with the help of other Elk Valley residents to help the local abandoned animals of the place she loves.
Alex Simons
Director / Rescue: Fosters & Adoptions
Alex grew up with pets all her life and was often told that she has the passion, grit and stomach to work with either animals or kids. She has conquered both feats, having worked a Veterinary Nurse, before shifting career from the four-legged mammals to the equally rewarding and challenging two-legged variety, as a Kindergarten teacher.
Hailing from Kettering, UK, Alex is now happily settled in Fernie, BC with her rescue "zoo" of guinea pigs, cats, rats, a dog, and her husband (debatably ranked in that order of preference). In her spare time, Alex is a passionate singer, outdoor sports enthusiast, gardener, and also seeks to covertly add more members to her menagerie.
Savannah Crawford
Director / Rescue: Animal Health
Savannah works under the guidance of TMARS animal health director Kaida. Savannah is a student Veterinary Technician employed at Tanglefoot Veterinary Services. She has had a love for animals her whole life. This passion only grew as she did.
Savannah grew up in Elkford and moved to Fernie in the fall of 2021. Not long after her move she became employed at the local vet clinic where her passion for helping animals could really be put to use. Joining the TMARS team has been such a rewarding experience that Savannah hopes to continue on for many years to come!
Kaida Wannamaker
Director / Rescue: Animal Health
Kaida is our animal Heath director who ensures our animals receive the best medical care possible. She was born in Fernie into an animal loving family. Early on she knew she was meant to be working with animals after she began helping to rehabilitate animals both domestic and wild from a very young age.
Kaida moved to Northern Ontario for three years to attend Northern College where she received her diplomas for both veterinary technician and wildlife rehabilitation. She is a Registered Veterinary Technician working at Tanglefoot Veterinary Services. Kaida is an active volunteer in the animal community and assists with injured wildlife from the elk valley and beyond. Saving animals is kind of her thing.
Krista Gibbs
Director / Rescue
Krista and her husband live in Fernie with their two adopted dogs, Benny & Turtle. After visiting Fernie for a weekend in 2014, they knew this was where they wanted to live and have been snowboarding, biking, and hiking these beautiful mountains ever since.
Animal welfare has always been her biggest passion. Growing up she cared for a variety of animals and took in animals in need when her local rescue center was full. As well as volunteering for TMARS as the Fundraising Director, Krista has been a volunteer with the Calgary Humane Society for a number of years as an animal care assistant. She loves working closely with community members in order to help as many animals in the Elk Valley as possible.
Michele Dauphinee
Secretary
Michele grew up with family dogs and was an avid equestrian. She rode competitively in 3-day riding events throughout western Canada. Michele and her husband, Keenan have adopted many animals from local rescues over the years; their current brood includes a Belgium Malinois, Avy and a calico kitty, Gabby.
Michele spent 25 years working in Calgary before transitioning to the non-profit sector and gaining experience in fundraising roles. She spent 10 years as the Fundraising Coordinator for the Avalanche Canada Foundation. After retiring, they moved to Fernie to pursue their love of skiing, hiking, biking, gardening and of course, dog walking! Joining the TMARS team has been a perfect fit for Michele’s passion for animals and expertise in fundraising.
Sparwood
Angela Jansson
Treasurer
Angela joined the TMARS team in April 2024. She works at Teck as a Senior Analyst and lives with her 3 year old Aussie Shepherd, Haggard.
Elkford
Sharon Soames
President
Sharon developed her love for animals at age 37 when her husband Bruce brought home a dog, Sam, her first pet. Before moving to the Elk Valley in 2014, Sharon was involved as a founding member of Pemberton Animal Wellbeing Society. Just like TMARS, PAWS was developed in 2007 by a group of animal lovers seeing a need for an animal rescue in the area. In 2022 PAWS continues to successfully support the Pemberton community.
Over the years, her love for animals grew and so she helped them wherever she could either by fostering or adopting them. She currently lives in Elkford with Bruce and her most recent adoptees, Rex and Coco.
Elkford
Wendy Huisman
Director / Rescue
Wendy joined the TMARS team in January 2024.