

Diane Paonessa
I CAN-T.E.R.'s Founder
Former Executive Director
“If you build castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”
-Henry David Thoreau, Walden
Meet Diane Paonessa: Founder of I CAN-T.E.R. Association of Niagara Inc.
I have been married to a wonderful man for 45 years. We have four awesome children and seven beautiful grandchildren. We all share a common love for the outdoors, which led us to an 87- acre farm (Beaver Creek Farms), but best known as home to I CAN-T.E.R.
Educational Background:
Early Childhood Education, Niagara College
Certificate of Achievement: Management of Human Resources, Niagara College
Certificate of Completion: The Salesperson Registration Education Program, OREA Real Estate College
Interests & Hobbies
As a child, I lived for the outdoors. Ponies in the woods, animal tracks in the snow and frogs in the pond all imprinted me. I loved birds, forest animals and wild flowers. Today, I still find those things close to my heart. I enjoy birding, hiking, camping, snowshoeing and reading about nature. My unmet dream is to write Nature Journals.
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”
-Henry David Thoreau