Rebecca Bradford-Andrew

Position:  YG Member; Executive Committee Member of Enhancement Trust

Current Term:  Apr 2006 - Mar 2010

Place of Residence:  Takhini River Rd (Whitehorse), YT

Biography:

The north has been home to my family since my grandfather came up the Stikine River to Telegraph Creek, British Columbia boat from Wrangell, Alaska in 1929. He survived by trapping along the Dease, Liard, and Mackenzie rivers in those early years, and as a result formed strong ties with the Tahltan, Kaska, and Dene people, the values of whom enriched our family culture. My mother was raised in both Telegraph Creek and Watson Lake but she and Dad raised myself and my siblings “off the grid” on the southern shore of Dease Lake. My passion for the north was shaped in this remote region of north-western BC, where our family earned its living by trapping, hunting, and fishing. I grew up knowing that healthy populations of fish and wildlife were critical to our survival. I spent some time in the south, where I got my formal training in biology and education, always with a mind to bringing those skills home and applying them in the north. Having a strong, interdependent relationship with the land meant developing skills as a hunting and fishing guide, and later as a biologist, educator, pilot, and a writer. Although I have done some traveling, my connection to the north is strong, and there has never been another place that felt more like home to me. I encourage in my children the same respect for and connection to the land which has provided so generously for my family over the years. My work on the Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board has been one of my most challenging yet inspirational duties to date, and I feel that it is a great honour to have the chance to make a difference in the future of Yukon fish and wildlife.

Vision Statement:

I believe that we are on the edge of a new age, where the relationships between fish and wildlife and human populations are being rapidly redefined. With this in mind I think that the biggest challenge we face when we strive to “manage” fish and wildlife in the Yukon is the task of achieving balance on a foundation of shifting values. To make good, lasting decisions we must predict the future role that fish and wildlife will play for us in the Yukon. We must apply this knowledge so that it reflects the desires of Yukon society effectively and fairly, and balances the interests of wilderness users with the needs of wildlife populations.