Reiley Terbasket

Reiley is located on the traditional territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən Peoples, known today as the Songhees, Esquimalt, W̱SÁNEĆ First Nations communities in Victoria, BC. Reiley is a proud member of the Lower Similkameen Indian Band, syilx (Okanagan) Nation. 

Reiley attainted a B.Sc. in Biology at the University of British Columbia Okanagan in 2021. She has three years of experience working for Indigenous organizations and directly with Indigenous Peoples. After graduation, she worked for BC Parks as a Student Ranger which allowed her to explore many provincial parks in the Okanagan doing park restoration, conservation, invasive species removal, recreation improvements, public outreach, and Indigenous engagement. Reiley then went on to participate in the Indigenous Youth Internship Program (IYIP) and worked for the BC Conservation Data Centre as an Ecosystems and Biodiversity Specialist. In this position, she partnered with members of the syilx Nation on an Indigenous cultural ecosystems project which focused on one of their traditional foods, bitterroot, to incorporate Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge and practices alongside Western scientific practices to assess the conservation status of this ecosystem. She finished the final portion of IYIP working for CIER on the Species at Risk Act Consultation, Cooperation and Accommodation Project (SARA-CCA). 

Reiley is currently working for CIER as a Biodiversity Associate. In her role, she is supporting the delivery of CIER’s projects, workshops, trainings for Indigenous communities across the Nation and is maintaining collaborative initiatives and partnerships with Indigenous communities, government agencies, private sector companies, philanthropic and charitable organizations, non-profits and academic institutions.

Outside of work, Reiley enjoys playing basketball recreationally and competitively with her community women’s team, Similkameen Starbirds, at the annual BC All Native Basketball Tournament. She also enjoys outdoor activities like hiking and camping.