Mission Statement
The Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation of Canada is devoted to the promotion and conservation of ecosystems by supporting restoration, education. and research projects that enhance the knowledge and stewardship of these valuable ecosystems. We conduct public outreach, publish articles to disseminate current research findings, and leverage supplemental project funding. To ensure the execution of all of the above, we ally closely with Govenment agencies, academia, consultants, industries operating in whitebark pine habitat, other non-profit societies, and in particular our US partner, the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation.
Board of Directors
Currently there are eight directors. They are; Randy Moody (Chair), Jodie Krakowski (Co-chair), Michael Murray (Treasurer), Alana Clason (Secretary), Joanne Vinnedge, Don Pigott, Adrian Leslie, and Robert Sissons.
Randy Moody, M.Sc., R.P.Bio., Chairperson of the WPEF of Canada.
Randy is a plant ecologist specializing in whitebark pine recovery, ecosystem mapping, and ecological restoration. Randy holds a Masters degree in Forest Science as well as a Bachelors degree in Natural Resources Conservation from UBC. He is a registered Professional Biologist with the BC College of Applied Biology. He has worked on whitebark and limber pine restoration projects throughout BC.
Jodie Krakowski is a forest genetics specialist in the Forest Health and Adaptation Section, Forest Management Branch of Agriculture and Forestry in Edmonton. As co-chair of the provincial whitebark and limber pine recovery team, she collaborates to implement the provincial recovery plans. She also works on gene conservation of native forest species, and applied forest genetics projects and policy. She spent most of her career gallivanting around the forests of beautiful BC as a consultant, terrestrial ecologist, forester, and research scientist with UBC and with the agency that is now B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations. Jodie can often be found backpacking in the mountains, and exploring nature. She is a Registered Professional Forester and Registered Professional Biologist.
Michael Murray is a forest pathologist for the Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resources located at the Kootenay Lake Forestry Centre in Nelson, BC. Michael is a Board Director of both the USA and Canadian Board of Directors for the WPEF. He received his Ph.D in whitebark pine fire ecology-forest health from the University of Idaho, and a M.S degree in natural resources from Humboldt State University in Arcata, California.
Michael's interest include whitebark pine dynamics and long term monitoring, climate driven tree declines, ameliorating forest root diseases, and fire- pathology interactions.
Michael broadcasts his 1970's music show on kootenaycoopradio.com and is joyfully playing pedal steel guitar.
Joanne Vinnedge is a newly-retired biologist still living and working in Fort St. James BC. She holds a BSc and MSc from the University of Victoria, and is a Registered Professional biologist. Her extensive work career involved the management and protection of fish, wildlife and habitat values with a focus in recent years on whitebark pine, caribou, mountain goat and grizzly bear. Joanne grew up in the Fort St. James area, and for years has been a keen advocate for the management of both whitebark pine and Douglas-fir at the northern limit of their distribution in North America. She volunteers as an Important Bird Area caretaker, Christmas Bird Count compiler, and sled dog race organiser. Being retired, she will now have more time to devote to whitebark pine recovery, birding, canoeing and poking around in the bush.
Alana Clason completed her PhD at the University of Northern BC in 2017. Her research focused on understanding the northern range limit of whitebark pine, and what that means for range shifts under climate change. She completed her MSc in summer 2010 at the University of Alberta, in collaboration with the Bulkley Valley Research Centre, working on whitebark pine ecology and resilience at the NW edge of its range. Currently on maternity leave with her second child, Alana looks forward to continuing work on mountain ecosystems in 2018. Originally from Ottawa, Alana fell in love with the west and put her roots down in Smithers, a beautiful and vibrant community in NW BC. When not behind a computer, she loves exploring the outdoors in and around her hometown.
Don Pigott has worked in silviculture within BC, and internationally, for over 40 years. He worked in the Forest Research department of MacMillan Bloedel for 13 years before founding Yellow Point Propagation in 1982. His company is involved in silviculture and tree improvement consulting, gene conservation, and cone and seed collection and processing. For the past ten years Don has been involved in gene conservation of whitebark pine, and several other BC tree species considered to be priorities for both in situ and ex situ gene conservation. If it were not for his young grandson, he would probably be living in the Valdivian rainforest in Chile.
Adrian Leslie, M.Sc., R.P.Bio, is the South Selkirks project manager for the Nature Conservancy of Canada in Nelson, BC. He has been working on whitebark pine research and restoration since 2003, initially with Parks Canada in the Rocky Mountain National Parks and then as an independent consultant. Adrian is particularly interested in assisting ecosystems adapt to changing climates and integrating active forest management with ecosystem restoration. His role at NCC includes managing Darkwoods, a 55,000 hectare property that contains a great deal of beetle killed and rust infected whitebark pine, where he intends to restore a glorious and thriving whitebark haven full of happy nutcrackers and fat grizzlies.
Randy Moody, M.Sc., R.P.Bio., Chairperson of the WPEF of Canada.
Randy is a plant ecologist specializing in whitebark pine recovery, ecosystem mapping, and ecological restoration. Randy holds a Masters degree in Forest Science as well as a Bachelors degree in Natural Resources Conservation from UBC. He is a registered Professional Biologist with the BC College of Applied Biology. He has worked on whitebark and limber pine restoration projects throughout BC.
Jodie Krakowski is a forest genetics specialist in the Forest Health and Adaptation Section, Forest Management Branch of Agriculture and Forestry in Edmonton. As co-chair of the provincial whitebark and limber pine recovery team, she collaborates to implement the provincial recovery plans. She also works on gene conservation of native forest species, and applied forest genetics projects and policy. She spent most of her career gallivanting around the forests of beautiful BC as a consultant, terrestrial ecologist, forester, and research scientist with UBC and with the agency that is now B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations. Jodie can often be found backpacking in the mountains, and exploring nature. She is a Registered Professional Forester and Registered Professional Biologist.
Michael Murray is a forest pathologist for the Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resources located at the Kootenay Lake Forestry Centre in Nelson, BC. Michael is a Board Director of both the USA and Canadian Board of Directors for the WPEF. He received his Ph.D in whitebark pine fire ecology-forest health from the University of Idaho, and a M.S degree in natural resources from Humboldt State University in Arcata, California.
Michael's interest include whitebark pine dynamics and long term monitoring, climate driven tree declines, ameliorating forest root diseases, and fire- pathology interactions.
Michael broadcasts his 1970's music show on kootenaycoopradio.com and is joyfully playing pedal steel guitar.
Joanne Vinnedge is a newly-retired biologist still living and working in Fort St. James BC. She holds a BSc and MSc from the University of Victoria, and is a Registered Professional biologist. Her extensive work career involved the management and protection of fish, wildlife and habitat values with a focus in recent years on whitebark pine, caribou, mountain goat and grizzly bear. Joanne grew up in the Fort St. James area, and for years has been a keen advocate for the management of both whitebark pine and Douglas-fir at the northern limit of their distribution in North America. She volunteers as an Important Bird Area caretaker, Christmas Bird Count compiler, and sled dog race organiser. Being retired, she will now have more time to devote to whitebark pine recovery, birding, canoeing and poking around in the bush.
Alana Clason completed her PhD at the University of Northern BC in 2017. Her research focused on understanding the northern range limit of whitebark pine, and what that means for range shifts under climate change. She completed her MSc in summer 2010 at the University of Alberta, in collaboration with the Bulkley Valley Research Centre, working on whitebark pine ecology and resilience at the NW edge of its range. Currently on maternity leave with her second child, Alana looks forward to continuing work on mountain ecosystems in 2018. Originally from Ottawa, Alana fell in love with the west and put her roots down in Smithers, a beautiful and vibrant community in NW BC. When not behind a computer, she loves exploring the outdoors in and around her hometown.
Don Pigott has worked in silviculture within BC, and internationally, for over 40 years. He worked in the Forest Research department of MacMillan Bloedel for 13 years before founding Yellow Point Propagation in 1982. His company is involved in silviculture and tree improvement consulting, gene conservation, and cone and seed collection and processing. For the past ten years Don has been involved in gene conservation of whitebark pine, and several other BC tree species considered to be priorities for both in situ and ex situ gene conservation. If it were not for his young grandson, he would probably be living in the Valdivian rainforest in Chile.
Adrian Leslie, M.Sc., R.P.Bio, is the South Selkirks project manager for the Nature Conservancy of Canada in Nelson, BC. He has been working on whitebark pine research and restoration since 2003, initially with Parks Canada in the Rocky Mountain National Parks and then as an independent consultant. Adrian is particularly interested in assisting ecosystems adapt to changing climates and integrating active forest management with ecosystem restoration. His role at NCC includes managing Darkwoods, a 55,000 hectare property that contains a great deal of beetle killed and rust infected whitebark pine, where he intends to restore a glorious and thriving whitebark haven full of happy nutcrackers and fat grizzlies.