The 2024 RiverWatch Team
Operational Leadership & Seasonal Staff
At the heart of RiverWatch are our Interpretative River Guides, who bring the science of the river, its watershed, and the city’s history, culture, and geology to life. We are incredibly fortunate to have a team of super smart and highly skilled guides who are passionate about nature, science, and the river and excel in communicating with our students and guests. To become a RiverWatch guide, individuals must complete an intense week of training covering a range of topics, including rafting, emergency response, health and safety, equipment maintenance, water quality monitoring, natural history interpretation, science curriculum, and wastewater tours. This comprehensive training program ensures that our professional river guides are fully prepared to work with students and clients on Alberta’s rivers.
For many, being a RiverWatch Interpretative River Guide is the perfect summer job, particularly for post-secondary students studying environmental sciences. Our team also includes nationally certified nature interpreters and skilled whitewater paddlers, creating a diverse culture that supports one another to provide the best possible experience on the river for our students and guests. Want to become a RiverWatch River Guide? It’s the best summer job EVER!Click here to learn more and apply now!
Expand Names Below to Meet Our Leadership Team!
Joining RiverWatch in the spring of 2023, Michelle is our visionary science lead, managing all CreekWatch water science programs and citizen science initiatives. Michelle is an honours graduate from Mount Royal University, holding a BSc in Environmental Science. Her academic journey ignited her passion for water resources, including hydrology, water quality, pollution, and watershed management. Data analysis, one of her favourites, serves as her tool to uncover the intricate connections between people, water, and the environment. As a former interpretative guide for RiverWatch, Michelle thrived on educating others about waterway importance, its impact, and mitigation strategies. She firmly believes that fostering this understanding sparks environmental advocacy and inspires citizen scientists. Michelle’s fervent goal is to contribute to a sustainable future. A self-professed “data nerd”, Michelle can often be spotted doing water tests along Calgary creeks and rivers in her spare time. A proud Calgarian, Michelle enjoys the Bow River, Fish Creek Park, and creative pursuits at home with her cats, Stevie and Luna.
River Hoffos joined the RiverWatch team in 2020 as a Guide and is now the team’s Float Operations Manager. He loves sharing his passion for nature, education, conservation, and rafting with the many students, guests, and staff who make RiverWatch a part of their lives. River’s favourite part about his job is fostering a fun, supportive, and effective teamwork environment!
Outside of work, River is a Semi-Professional Ukrainian Dancer with the Viter Ukrainian Dancers in Edmonton. He spends most of his free time hiking, backpacking, camping, and canoeing across the great outdoors! In the moments between work and wilderness, you’ll find River hard at work planning events in the Ukrainian Community.
He hopes to see you on the river!
Now in her 4th year with RiverWatch, Emma Schneider is our Citizen Science and Creekwatch Coordinator for the Northern Alberta region. She is an experienced environmental enthusiast with a diploma in Natural Resource Technology from Portage College. Emma brings her passion and experience in water management, wildlife conservation, and environmental law to the organization. She is committed to practical, hands-on learning, which she integrates into her role at CreekWatch. In her current position, Emma aims to connect science with the community, focusing on water conservation and inspiring others through her passion for environmental stewardship. She enjoys outdoor activities like kayaking and volunteering in community environmental projects. Emma’s prior experience as a lead River Guide for RiverWatch for 3 seasons further solidifies her dedication to our mission and environmental stewardship, showcasing her leadership skills and genuine love for her work.
Lucas has been a RiverWatch guide for four seasons. His passion for water has led him to many adventures and experiences worldwide. Whether that is chasing waves to surf, snow to ride down, or rivers and lakes to swim in, his love for anything water-related has shaped him into the person and river guide he is today. He is also very passionate about sharing that love with people, helping them create their own adventures and experiences with water and the outdoors. He believes in creating meaningful and impactful moments and memories with those around him, always learning and exploring. According to Lucas… every day is an adventure.
Jay Ball is a seasoned executive with over 20 years of experience, including 14 years as President & CEO of an Alberta-based educational nonprofit. During this time, he collaborated closely with teachers, principals, and school districts to align curriculum with unique in-classroom experiences delivered by thousands of volunteers annually.
Appointed as Executive Director of RiverWatch in the summer of 2022, Jay has driven the organization to become the largest guided river float operation in Western Canada, with a significant focus on environmental education and stewardship. Under his leadership, RiverWatch now impacts over 13,000 guests annually, with an environmental and water education component through the school science floats (aimed at JH/HS students) and with the EcoFloat River Tours (summer public float program) which won the 2024 Edmonton Tourism Award for Sustainable Tourism. Additionally, he has expanded RiverWatch’s CreekWatch program into a vital municipal water monitoring service, enhancing community water health across Alberta. Since his arrival, Jay has been most proud to have been able to promote and develop top-tier talent from within the organization to lead Riverwatch programs.
PERSONAL: An avid hockey fan, Jay has worked for the Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club as a member of the game-night media relations team for nearly 30 years. During his time with the Edmonton Oilers, he has worked the press box for two Stanley Cup finals, two Heritage Classics, and over 850 NHL regular-season and playoff games.