Lucy Chang

Lucy Chang, a professional librarian with an MLIS from the U of Alberta, was with the Departments of Forestry, Fish, Wildlife and Environment before switching careers and pursuing full-time lifelong interests in botany and gardening.

Lucy's interest in plant life is rooted in her family's orchid business in Borneo, nurtured as a student at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in London, and the Master Gardeners program at Alberta's Devonian Botanic Gardens. Lucy is familiar with gardening in varied landscapes across the globe, has been past horticultural president and currently enjoys travelling and judging for Communities in Bloom.

Testimonials:

"Excellent. Enjoyed traveling with (Richard and) Lucy." C.B. 2014

"Excellent. I saw many new plants/trees, which were explained with great patience by Lucy to a student (me) not always attending fully." G.T. 2013

"Good. Expertise very good." P.E. & D.E. 2013

"Excellent. Lucy's kindness to another participant who couldn't walk as far as the rest was commendable. Her knowledge in her field was very extensive!" E.K. 2013

"Lucy is a very sensitive, caring person. Does her best." Anon 2013

"Attentive, knowledgeable, organized, competent, kind. Lucy did a commendable job of accommodating our participant with mobility issues without much expense to the rest of the group. Also, she was clearly well-prepared to heighten our enjoyment and understanding of the gardens." B.M. 2013

"Both (with Peter Clement) were friendly and knowledgeable. Mostly I liked the fact that they gave time and attention to each person in the group. Also, at times when something went wrong, they were good at problem solving." N.F. 2013

“Both leaders (with Richard) displayed great knowledge and I came away from the tour well informed, their conscientiousness was infectious!” D.M. 2012

“Both (with Richard) extremely knowledgeable, patient, kind, and considerate to the needs of everyone and able to keep an even balance throughout the whole trip – a difficult thing to achieve with such a variety of personalities involved.” C.M. 2012

“Having one guide for gardens and another for birds worked out well. It was great to have Lucy providing background and history for each garden, as well as being able to identify the more obscure plants. For me, as a relatively ignorant birder, Richard was wonderfully patient and helpful. Should also mention our driver, Peter, who supplemented Richard’s information with valuable local knowledge.” L.M. 2011

“Very pleasant companions with phenomenal knowledge of birds and flowers.” R.D. 2010

“Both Richard and Lucy are enormously knowledgeable in their fields and tireless in pointing out the birds and flowers as well as finding the most likely places to look. Both leaders were extremely thoughtful for our comfort and for making smooth working arrangements.” M.D. 2010

“The guides (Richard & Lucy) were very good natured and knowledgeable. With my health concerns, I never felt uncomfortable. My one low blood sugar episode (finding the Eurasian dipper) was handled well.” T.M. 2010

“We appreciated the leadership of both guides (Richard & Lucy) and especially the attention provided by Lucy when someone was having problems with her foot. Richard’s skill at locating and identifying the birds was impressive.” J.T. 2010

“Richard’s skills as a birder are a major plus. His driving was excellent and he was generous with assistance and tips on what to be looking for. Lucy’s knowledge of plant species is good and she managed to stay ahead of our progress by checking her books.” J.S. 2009

“Both excellent and complimentary.” Anon 2009

“The trip was extremely well-organized, and we saw fantastic birds. I learned a lot about plants and trees even though birds were my primary interest.” Anon 2009