YFGA Newsletter

Good day members,

I’m sending this email to introduce myself and to provide some important updates to all members of the Yukon Fish & Game Association. My name is Logan McKillop, and I recently started as the new Executive Director for the YFGA. A little bit about me:

• I was raised in Onanole, Manitoba, a rural community along the southern border of Riding Mountain National Park. A significant part of my upbringing was getting out onto the land with my family to hunt white-tailed deer, waterfowl, and to catch some fish. I have always had a passion for the outdoors.
• I moved to the Yukon in August 2020 to further my education. I enrolled in the Northern Environmental and Conservation Science degree program at Yukon University/University of Alberta. As of yesterday morning, I have officially completed the program and I am looking forward to applying what I have learned in my new role as the YFGA Executive Director.  
• I am passionate about wildlife conservation and am committed to ensuring the sound, long-term management of fish and wildlife resources in the best interests of all Yukoners.

I am very excited for the opportunity to be in the YFGA Executive Director role and I am looking forward to working towards YFGA initiatives with members, partnering organizations, and other stakeholders. As of January 6th, 2025, I will be working out of the YFGA office at 509 Strickland Street from 9am-2pm, Monday to Friday. If you would like to meet, ask any questions, or discuss anything related to the YFGA, I encourage you to swing by the office sometime - my door is always open, and I would love to meet you.

What’s New and Exciting at the YFGA?

It has been a busy time for the YFGA. The YFGA board of directors and office staff have been keeping busy with planning some exciting events in 2025 that we encourage all members to attend and support if you can. In addition, there are some important updates regarding potential impacts to resident licensed  hunting as well as a revised and improved fish and wildlife regulation change process. We have been actively working on several wildlife conservation files such as the elk-agriculture conflict, new deer hunting opportunities, and tracking moose population survey data, with the intent to have moose hunting on the South Canol reopen, now that the data shows there are no population concerns. A similar situation exists in which licensed resident hunters’ opportunities are being unfairly reduced, and resident harvest rates are declining. Furthermore, there is an imbalance developing in the sharing of wildlife harvest at the expense of YFGA members and resident hunters.

Modernizing The YFGA Office

You may have noticed that we have been emailing you from different email addresses. To modernize our office systems and keep our data secure, we have recently purchased new computers, have moved our files over to Google Workspace, and are now using Gmail accounts. Below is a list of the new email addresses:

• Board Members (General Email Address): yfgadirectors@yukonfga.ca
• Charles Shewen (President): yfgapresident@yukonfga.ca
• Sevn Bohnet (Vice President) : vp@yukonfga.ca
• Logan McKillop (Executive Director): executivedirector@yukonfga.ca
• Saxon Ritchie (Office Manager): officemanager@yukonfga.ca
• Rose Sellars (Treasurer): treasurer@yukonfga.ca
• Website: info@yukonfga.ca

YFGA Wild Game Banquet & Fundraiser

The YFGA Wild Game Banquet & Fundraiser will take place on April 19th, 2025, at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre. We are currently communicating with different caterers, exploring menu options, and working on other logistics to ensure a successful event. An integral part of the banquet will be the wild game dinner, and to pull this off, we will need wild game and fish donations from the board and general membership. If you would like to donate meat for the banquet, please reach out to us. We thank you in advance! We will be sharing more details about the YFGA Wild Game Banquet & Fundraiser in the new year, so keep your eyes and ears peeled for another update. Looking forward to seeing you all there.

YFGA Big Bull Night / Big Game and Conservation Award Nominations

We are currently working on revitalizing Big Bull Night after a year of its absence, and are looking into different venues to host the event and exploring potential dates in February 2025. Chuck Shewen, the President of YFGA, is planning this event, and it is shaping up to be a great opportunity to gather, celebrate our community by nominating a member for a conservation or outdoor education achievement, and measure and score a variety of big game species that members have harvested using Boone & Crockett methods. Stay tuned for upcoming announcements about this event - we will have more information in the new year.

Feasibility Assessment for a New Protected Area in the Ross River Area

We received a correspondence letter from Lindsay DeHart, the Director and Associate Chief Negotiator for Aboriginal Relations, notifying us that the Ross River Dena Council, Parks Canada, and the Government of Yukon signed a Memorandum of Understanding on December 4th, 2024 to assess the feasibility of establishing a new National Park Reserve and Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA) in the Ross River area. A feasibility assessment will be conducted over the next few years to see if a protected area is viable. Licensed resident hunting and other approved activities within the proposed area will not be affected throughout the duration of the feasibility assessment. However, if they do create a National Park Reserve and IPCA, licensed resident hunting may be affected, which the YFGA is concerned about. We discussed this matter at our last board meeting on December 11th and have since started a committee to develop a strategy to address this in the most effective way possible.

A Steering Committee composed of representatives from Ross River Dena Council, Parks Canada, and the Government of Yukon will be launching an engagement process in the coming months. I spoke with Dennis Berry (Deputy Minister of the Department of Environment) and Jean Langois (Senior Negotiation Advisor) to inquire about when the Steering Committee will be appointed, when the engagement process will launch, how it will be structured, and if it is open to the public. It sounds like the intent is to have the engagement process open to the public so the Steering Committee can gain feedback from as many Yukoners as possible. If this is the case, we encourage you all to directly participate in the engagement process. We are still waiting to learn more about when the engagement process will launch and how it will be structured, as those details will be determined by the Steering Committee, which has not yet been appointed. The YFGA will be providing input and participating throughout the engagement process. To prepare, we will be compiling hunting and harvest statistics for all big game species in the proposed area and developing a response to outline how this potential protected area could impact licensed resident hunters and result in increased harvest pressure in other areas of the Yukon.

Here is a link to the letter we received from Lindsay DeHart, the Director and Associate Chief Negotiator for Aboriginal Relations:

https://www.yukonfga.ca/news-posts/assessing-the-feasibility-of-a-new-protected-area-in-the-ross-river-area

Revised and Improved Fish and Wildlife Regulation Change Process

The Government of Yukon and the Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board have worked collaboratively to revise and improve the process for amending fish and wildlife regulations. This updated process clarifies roles and responsibilities, improves transparency, and streamlines the overall process to make the regulation change cycle more consistent and efficient for all parties involved. Fish and wildlife regulation change proposals will be accepted throughout the year using a rolling intake process. The Review Committee is currently being established, and a first call out for fish and wildlife regulation change proposals will be issued in early 2025. The Review Committee expects to initiate its first review of proposals in spring 2025.

This is a great opportunity for the public to have their voice heard. If there are any fish and wildlife regulation changes that you would like to see in your area, we encourage you to consider engaging in this process by submitting a proposal. We encourage you to contact your local Renewable Resource Council, which is a great resource to collaborate with on your regulation change proposal. The YFGA will be submitting regulation change proposals of our own, and we also encourage you to reach out to us if you have any ideas you would like to share, or questions about the process.

Here is a link to the letter we received from Dennis Berry, the Deputy Minister of the Department of Environment, regarding the revised and improved fish and wildlife regulation change process:  

https://www.yukonfga.ca/news-posts/revised-and-improved-process-for-amending-fish-and-wildlife-regulations

Thank You to Eric Schroff

I would also like to take a moment to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of Eric Schroff, who served as the Executive Director of the YFGA for nearly 5 years. During his time as Executive Director, Eric was an effective voice for the YFGA and has diplomatically brought the views, values, and concerns of YFGA members into discussions and decision-making processes around conservation, environmental stewardship, hunting, angling, and education. Eric played an integral role in the Aishihik Wood Bison Management Plan, was instrumental in implementing the elk-agriculture management pilot program in the Takhini Valley, and provided countless educational materials and programs for Yukoners.  

In the summer of 2024, I worked as the YFGA Wildlife Resource Manager and had the great pleasure of having Eric as my supervisor. Eric has been a mentor to me, and has led by example of what it means to be a strong leader, a team player, and valuable member of this community. As the new Executive Director, I certainly have some big shoes to fill and I am looking forward to building upon the legacy that Eric has left behind. Thank you for everything, Eric!

Moving forward, we hope to release a newsletter with YFGA updates twice per year. Please do not hesitate to let us know what you think about our communication strategy - we always appreciate feedback from members.

On behalf of the YFGA board of directors and office staff, we wish everyone a great holiday season!

Thank you,

Logan McKillop
Executive Director
Yukon Fish & Game Association
509 Strickland St, Whitehorse, YT, Y1A 2K5
executivedirector@yukonfga.ca
(204) 848-0344

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