She is best known for her committed role to the Western Canada Wilderness Committee as national policy director (2001–2017) and participation in environmental campaigns for the British Columbia government to preserve tens of thousands of hectares for the northern spotted owl in 2011.

Barlee co-wrote a book titled “In Defence of Canada's Spotted Owl” with authors Andrew Miller and Devon Page, published by the Wilderness Committee.

[1] Barlee was the national policy director of the Wilderness Committee in British Columbia, where she fought legislation to create environmental preservation laws and protected many endangered species within Canada for over 15 years.

[3] She participated in many protests and helped educate people about the risks of privatization of waterways, motiving thousands to protect Upper Pitt Watershed, Bute Inlet rivers and Glacier and Howser from industrial hydro projects.

She was an active participant in Lyme disease advocacy, as director for ten years and later vice president of the BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA).

[5] While battling cancer, Barlee continued to advocate for the environment as months prior to her death, she showcased forty thousand signature petitions for the creation of provincial endangered species law.

The fund contributes to many of Barlee’s passions, such as: preserving the nature of British Columbia and Canadian parks, fighting for at-risk species and wild rivers, a new generation of environmental activists, and supporting indigenous communities.