Since Anne Macey of Lanark, Ontario joined COG in 1982, she has worked hard locally and nationally to promote its objectives. She was the natural choice to become COG’s president when Elizabeth White stepped down in January.;

A native of England, Anne has an academic background in biological sciences. Before coming to Canada in 1977, she had the opportunity to work on a number of interesting projects in the U.K. and in Central and South America. She spent five years in Latin America doing ecological survey work and development of management plans for proposed national parks in Costa Rica and Ecuador. Anne welcomed the opportunity to return to South America in November 1992, to attend the IFOAM conference in Brazil as COG’s representative.

In England, Anne worked at the Coastal Ecology Research Station on a project examining the ecological impact of a proposed airport development. "It never went through," she says. "Maybe we convinced them that too many sea birds would get sucked into their jet engines!"

In Canada, prior to the birth of her twin son and daughter in 1983, Anne worked as a contract biologist at the Museum of Natural Sciences in Ottawa, writing reports on the status of endangered species. She also worked for Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources.

When Anne and her husband, Nicholas Courtier, settled on Maple Lane Farm near Lanark in Eastern Ontario, shortly after moving to Canada, her focus of interest gradually changed from wildlife conservation to organic agriculture. Her strong convictions and high standards, coupled with her willingness and ability to act on them, have made her a leader in COG from her first discovery of the group. At one time or another, she has held just about every position going on the COG Ottawa coordinating committee, including chairperson and chapter representative to the COG national executive. She continues to help organize the chapter’s successful annual Ecological Farming Day. Anne has long served on the editorial board of COGNITION, and has been involved in national projects such as the Organic Field Crop Handbook and Video as well as with the accreditation committees of COUP and COAB.

When she isn’t working on behalf of COG, Anne can be found at the farm where 10-year-old Tim and Jessica keep her and Nicholas as busy with their activities as do the family’s two small commercial farming enterprises, a 25-ewe flock of sheep and a 400-tap maple syrup operation. The 100-acre farm has a 20-acre maple bush and 40 cleared acres; the rest is low-lying bush and beaver swamp. Anne and her family have achieved a good degree of self-sufficiency with respect to the food they eat. They are able to grow most of their own fruit and vegetables in their quarter-acre kitchen garden and old orchard, and in addition to pork and lamb, they raise assorted poultry for meat and eggs. In a more frivolous vein, they keep a Great Pyrenees dog, three cats, a horse and several peacocks to strut about the barnyard.

At the moment, COG is Anne’s main outreach activity, along with the occasional contract on projects which interest her. Nicholas works in geophysics for the federal government in nearby Ottawa. In rare free moments, depending on the season, the family enjoys cross-country skiing and camping. Anne and Nicholas are looking forward to getting back into white water canoeing, a sport they used to love but have neglected for the last eleven years.

Anne’s expert knowledge of organic growing, intense dedication to sustain-ability and the environment, and her ability to communicate and get things done make her the perfect choice as COG’s incoming national president.