2017 Winter Newsletter Email and Digital No Block

Quarterly Publication of the Yukon Wildlife Preserve Operating Society
Volume 12, Issue 3
Winter 2017
In this Issue...
2 Happy Holidays
From the ED
3 Yukon’s Caribou
4 Words from
Wildwise
5 Conservaing
Wildlife
6 23 rd Annual Bald
Eagle Festival
7 Greetings from
the YWP Board
8 Back Page
Winter
Edition

Season’s Greetings from the
Wildlife Preserve!
Happy holidays and wishes to all for a safe and
adventurous new year. If you’re like me, it feels like I
was just saying this a little while ago – not a full year
ago!
Since Christmas 2016, the Wildlife Preserve has
enjoyed substantial increases in visitation numbers
from all market segments. Daily visitors – whether
local Yukon residents or visiting tourists, both have
been attending the Preserve in ever stronger numbers.
Our Travel Trade partners have also experienced a
banner year with record-setting numbers of in-bound
group travel packages and our Exclusive Experience
program continues to gain popularity.
This is in keeping with most of our tourism colleagues
throughout the Territory. As Neil Hartling, Chair of
TIA Yukon recently stated: “This past year has been
incredibly successful for tourism in the Yukon – some
have even gone so far to say that 2017 was a record
year … Based on its discussions with the industry, TIA
Yukon asserts that visitor numbers and spending will
continue to be strong in 2018”.
Our improved visitation and revenue numbers are a
direct result of community support, and for
this we are eternally grateful! The Preserve
belongs to all people of the Yukon and we
are honoured to provide you with quality,
experiential wildlife viewing and learning
opportunities.
A tremendous thank you is extended to our
very generous community, our supporters,
suppliers, partners, and volunteers.
Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday
season!
Executive Director,
Yukon Wildlife Preserve
Cover photo: Male moose poses for a very cartoonlike
photo.
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Top Left: Our red fox, who will turn 4 years old in the spring, is a striking contrast
to the snowy, winter landscape.
Volume 12, Issue 3

Connecting Youth to Yukon’s Caribou
Seeing the Yukon Ice Patches featured in the
The Nature of Things on CBC was exciting –
especially the updates on Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi
(Long Ago Man Found) and the finding of a
locally sourced metal arrow tip.
We’d been working on updating our grade 7
Caribou program already, so it was a perfect
time to incorporate these new developments.
If a class trip to the Preserve says “biology” to
you – you’re not alone. But the animals at the
Preserve are much more than their biology.
They have rich cultural heritage and a long
relationship with humans. Luckily, a new
curriculum hit classrooms this fall. It puts the
focus on locally relevant stories and blend
biology, culture, social issues, math and more!
Tag along with a grade 7 class this fall and you’d find yourself diving into a 1.6million year history that explores
the evolution of Caribou and especially our relationship with caribou over the last 24,000 years – from traditional
stories to modern
population sampling
techniques. Throwing
atlatls gives students firsthand
experience with the
Yukon’s rich snow patch
history. And of course we
explore the many threats
caribou facing and the
complexity in managing
those challenges.
If it sounds like a lot, it is!
But by keeping the focus
on hands-on, tangible
activities, students are able
to tackle some challenging
ideas and really enjoy
some of the richness that
Caribou give to life in the
Yukon.
Winter 2017
Top Right: Students hike through the caribou enclosure to see evolution up close.
Bottom: Students experience Yukon Ice Patch history by learning to use atlatls.
3

Letting Sleeping Bears Rest
We are very relieved for the bears
this December, assuming they
have gone to sleep, that is. 2017
proved to be a pretty tough year to
be a bear anywhere in the Yukon
Territory. Environment Yukon
reports that they have records of 63
bears being killed due to humanwildlife
conflict this season. What
we don’t know is how many are
being killed and not being reported,
which makes determining bear
populations and harvest quotas
pretty hard to determine. The
great thing about bears is that they
are extremely tolerant relative
to humans and most of them will
move on before they are relocated
or destroyed. Busy, busy, busy
bears, always looking for food so
their offspring will survive.
WildWise Yukon is a relatively new
organization and we are still on a
fact finding mission, recognizing
that an evidence based approach
is the way to go. This summer
we went door to door in rural
residential neighborhoods,
in Copper Ridge and in
Carmacks. We offered to
survey properties for bear
attractants and give simple
suggestions for improving
safety and decreasing the
likelihood of human-wildlife
conflict. It has taken us a
while to recognize what we
learned from this outreach
initiative but we are confident
now that we have learned
enough to guide our next
mission, which is to find out
why some people don’t seem
to care much about making
the wilderness safer for bears
and humans and how their
perception of risk shapes the
decisions they make.
All this to say, please keep
in touch to find out what we
will be doing in the coming
year. With an Environment Grant
from the City of Whitehorse we
will be researching what is working
in other places. We will also be
working with Environment Yukon
to find out how to reach out to
tourists and wilderness tourism
operators to reduce the negative
impacts that they may unknowingly
have on bears and communities
that live with bears. And we will
keep working on education and
outreach for people of all ages
throughout the territory. Please
visit our website where we publish
all of our findings and update your
access to information on a regular
basis.
Heather Ashthron is the Executive
Director of Wildwise Yukon. For
more information about this and
other iniatives to reducing humanwildlife
conflict visit
www.wildwise.ca or give us a call at
335-5212.
We would be happy to hear from
you!
Above: Polycarts, used in Whitehorse city limits garbage disposal and collection
program, are an easily acessible and often very rewarding attractant for bears.
4
Volume 12, Issue 3

Conserving Wildlife
When you think about predator
prey relationships, which two
animals comes to mind first?
Perhaps we think about the cheetah
and a gazelle racing against each
other across the African Savannah,
or maybe the feud between Tom
and Jerry, the household battle of
cat and mouse, comes to mind.
In the Yukon Wildlife Preserve
landscape, another member of
the feline family pits it’s powerful
predatory nature against a speedy
and camouflaged target.
The lynx and snowshoe hare have
a long and highly intertwined
relationship. A long history of
trapping, about 200 years worth,
has shown closely linked 10-year
cycles of growth and decline in
populations of the two species.
A picky eater, the lynx’s diet is
comprised of about 75% snowshoe
hare creating a boom and bust
cycle. When hare populations drop,
the lynx populations also drop
shortly after. This, along with other
threats, jeopardizes the genetic
integrity and overall demographic
stability of the predator.
Recognizing this species’ potential
peril, special efforts began across
the north american zoological
world to actively manage captive
populations of sensitive species.
The Species Survival Plan (SSP)
program was developed in 1981 to
cooperatively manage select species
in captivity in order to enhance the
conservation of these species in
the wild. The program was started
through the Association of Zoo’s
and Aquariums (AZA) and is
further facilitated and participated
in by related
organizations
and conservation
partners
including Canada
Accredited Zoo’s
and Aquarium
(CAZA) facilities
like the Yukon
Wildlife Preserve
(YWP).
YWP participates
in this program
through breeding
and transferring
of individuals. For almost 15 years
our male lynx on display, originally
from the wild, provided unique
genetics in breeding and producing
offspring that were subsequently
rehomed to other facilities across
North America.
When lynx populations decline
and genetic diversity is limited
YWP and other facilities help play
an important conversation role
within the Species Survival Plan
program. By maintaining healthy
and genetically diverse captive
lynx populations, the long-term
conservation of species with
uncertain futures is improved.
Winter 2017
Top Right: Species Survival Plan logo depicting a rhino and offspring - we can
look to our own backyard for animals that might also need greater efforts through
conservation programs. Bottom Right: Winter white snowshoe hare. Bottom Left:
Originally from the wild, this male lynx is 20 years old and gentically, very viable.
5

Reflecting on the 23 rd Annual Alaska
Bald Eagle Festival, Haines
In early November, the American
Bald Eagle Foundation was proud
to host the 23 rd annual Alaska Bald
Eagle Festival in Haines, Alaska.
The festival is a celebration of one
of the world’s largest congregations
of bald eagles. Historically, as
many as four thousand eagles have
gathered in the Alaska Chilkat
Bald Eagle Preserve, specifically
concentrated on a five mile stretch
at the confluence of the Klehini,
Tsirku, and Chilkat rivers. The
eagles are attracted to this area
by the availability of spawning
salmon which are accessible
because the stretch of the river
remains unfrozen, while other
nearby watersheds are typically
frozen. Food is scarce elsewhere,
which brings birds from all over
Alaska, Yukon Territory, and
British Columbia to partake in the
unseasonal feast.
The river is also a draw for tourists
and bird enthusiasts from all
over the world who travel to
Haines to witness the gathering.
Each year, ABEF hosts a weeklong
festival focused on sharing
science, culture, and conservation
with these travelers. This year’s
highlights included a presentation
by researcher Rachel Wheat,
PhD discussing her
research on the bald
eagles of the Chilkat
valley, an evening
of story telling with
members of nearby
Tlingit village
Klukwan, and an
evening of raptor
trivia hosted by the
ABEF staff. The week
culminated with the
release of two subadult
bald eagles who
had been rehabilitated at the Bird
Treatment and Learning Center in
Anchorage, Alaska. The eagles were
released on the river flats near the
Jilkaat Kwaan Heritage Center in
Klukwan by two lucky individuals
who had the winning bids for the
honor. Proceeds from the auction
support the work of the ABEF and
Bird TLC.
Sidney Campbell is the Education and Outreach Coordinator at the American Bald Eagle
Foundation in Haines, Alaska. She works to bring empowering wildlife education to Haines and
surrounding communities by managing outreach, publications, and educational programming.
She works with the Raptor Program Manager to train the avian ambassadors at the facility to
take part in education and outreach.
Visit the American Bald Eagle Foundation in Haines, Alaska. The facility is currently open
Monday to Friday’s 10am - 3pm. Closed Saturday and Sundays.
6
Bottom Left:. The sub-adult seconds after release flies past the Jilkaat Kwaan
Heritage Center and a crowd of onlookers Top Right: Sub-adult bald eagle,
rehabilitated at the Bird Treatment and Learning Center, released by auction
winner Nancy Hamoud.Photos: Bill McRoberts - Field2Frame Photography.
Volume 12, Issue 3

Greetings from the Board
How I came to the Yukon is
the classic story. My family
and I travelled to the territory
for a summer of work, and
we’ve been here coming up
on three years. What is not to
love about the Yukon? While
the winters may be long, they
are stunningly beautiful and
getting outside to play is just
so wonderfully accessible. And
accessibility matters when
you have two children under
4-years old! I figured the best
way to get involved in my new
community was to become
a board member. Given my
previous work experience;
as a park interpreter, a
zookeeper at the Calgary
Zoo for 10 years and then an
environmental consultant;
the Yukon Wildlife Preserve
seemed the perfect fit. I was
thrilled they welcomed me
into the fold. Yukoners may
not realize the jewel they
have here at the Preserve. The
ability to house large social
groupings of native species in
stunning, natural landscapes
makes YWP the envy of most
zoological facilities. This
makes for exceptionally happy
and healthy animals. The tours
and environmental education
programming are impressive
(be sure to check them out!).
YWP is steadily getting better
and better. I am excited to
be a part of the team that is
working to make the Preserve
a place for everyone in our
community to learn and enjoy.
Cheers,
Shawna Warshawski
Vice-President, Yukon
Wildlife Preserve
Operating Society
Full-time Staff
Yukon
Wildlife
Preserve
Greg Meredith, Executive Director
Randy Hallock, Director of Outdoor
Operations
Dr. Maria Hallock, Wildlife
Veterinarian and Curator
Jake Paleczny, Director of
Programming & Education
Lindsay Caskenette, Manager of
Visitor Services
Briana Van Den Bussche, Senior
Education Programmer
Board of Directors
Alexandra Tait President
Shawna Warshawski, 1 st Vice-
President
Michael Kokiw, 2 nd Vice-President,
Kristine Hildebrand, Treasurer
Jessie Dawson
Chris Evans
Katelyn Friendship
Kirk Cameron
Shirley Adamson
Ed van Randen Non-voting Member
- Environment Yukon
Darrell March, Non-voting Member -
Environment Yukon
Bottom Left: Animals in captivitiy greatly benefit from a veterinary health care
program. Shawna checks the hippos teeth and the hippo enjoys a gum massage in
the process. Top Right: Out for a hike in the beautiful Yukon with Family.
Winter 2017
7

Happy holidays from all the creatures at the
Yukon Wildlife Preserve!
When to Visit
Winter Hours
10:30am to 4:00pm: Friday to Sunday’s
Guided Bus Tours at 12pm & 2pm.
Walk, run, bike anytime while open. Enjoy a safe,
relaxed environment for the whole family!
Dasher!
Is that you?
Extended Holiday Hours
Open daily from Dec 26 th to Jan 2 nd
10:30am to 4:00pm.
Guided Bus tours at 12pm & 2pm
Curious about the latest news? Visit
facebook.com/yukonwildlife or call 456-7300.
We’re Social - join us on Instragram!
Share your adventures and we`ll re-share our favs!
Tag us #YukonWildlife
Writing: Lindsay Caskenette, Greg Meredith,
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Sidney Campbell, Jake Paleczny, Heather Ashthorn, Shawna
Warshawski.
Photos and illustrations: Lindsay Caskenette, Jake Paleczny,
Shawna Warshawski, Bill McRoberts, Heather Ashthorn.
Printed on 100% Recycled Volume Paper 12, Issue 3