Gary Parkstrom has been a resident of the Bow River watershed since 1995, where university studies and outdoor recreation adventures in the mountains triggered an interest in watershed issues. He completed a BSc in Earth Science and an MSc in watershed management at the University of Calgary. During his studies, he helped organize youth forums on environmental sustainability with the Sierra Youth Coalition. In 1999, he joined the Castle Crown Wilderness Coalition as a Director and later President to help protect wilderness in the southern Alberta Rockies. While working on National Parks policy issues for UTSB Research in Banff, a group of community residents saw a need for a community watershed stewardship organization in the Bow Valley. In August 2001, they formed the Mountain Parks Watershed Association (MPWA), and in February 2003, were awarded western Canada's first program of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Waterkeeper Alliance. Parkstrom now works as the Bow Riverkeeper for MPWA conducting educational activities, scientific monitoring, and campaigns for healthy aquatic resources.