Autumn EagleSpeaker

Michael's Bio

Michael Wagner | Forest Hydrologist, Alberta Forestry, Parks and Tourism
Round Tables (Friday afternoon)

Michael Wagner is a Registered Professional forester and Forest Hydrologist with Alberta Forestry, Parks and Tourism. He has over 18 years of experience in research hydrology, forestry, and land and watershed management issues. The position he has with the Forestry Division is focused on developing policy and decision support tools related to sustainable forest management and cumulative effects for addressing water and watershed management issues across Alberta’s forested regions.

Alberta Ministry of Forestry, Parks & Tourism

Erinn's Bio

Erinn Drage | Programme Officer, International Union for Conservation of Nature - World Commission on Protected Areas
Youth Environmental Action Panel (Saturday Morning)

Erinn Drage is an environmentalist, filmmaker, protected areas enthusiast and outdoor adventure guide. In recent years Erinn has worked as an expedition guide in the Arctic and Antarctica, directed, shot, and edited digital media series’ for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and conducted research on nature-based tourism economies in the Denali region of Alaska.

Her first feature-length documentary, In the Footsteps of Our Ancestors, follows the story of the Sahtú Dene and the Canol Trail in the Northwest Territories. She currently works full-time in international conservation policy with Parks Canada and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), while pursuing her other passions by writing and editing film projects on the side. 

World Commission on Protected Areas

Murdoch's Bio

Murdoch McKinnon | PhD Student, University of Waterloo
Youth Environmental Action Panel (Saturday Morning)

Murdoch is a PhD student in Geography at the University of Waterloo. His research involves studying a new method to turn oil well pads back into peatland wetlands just outside of Slave Lake, Alberta. Accordingly, he spends much of his time knee-deep in peat, swatting mosquitoes, and pouring water out of his boots—all in the name of science.

He is also a member of the new Youth Advisory Council at Ducks Unlimited Canada, where he works as part of a team of young people from across the country to help improve wetland conservation programming for youth. When not out studying a wetland or in the lab, Murdoch can usually be found exploring the Canadian Rockies on foot or on skis.

DUC Youth Advisory Council

Jessica's Bio

Jessica Needham | Youth Advisory Council Coordinator, Ducks Unlimited Canada
Projects in Action Workshops (Saturday morning)

Jessica is currently the Youth Advisory Council Coordinator for Ducks Unlimited Canada. She has the privilege of working with youth from across Canada who are helping to shape the future of conservation and youth engagement at DUC. Jessica is also a part of the National Education Team at Ducks Unlimited Canada, where she helps to develop and deliver educational programming.

In recent years, Jessica has been conducting research on how to transform local knowledge into spatial data that can be used to help make conservation decisions. She completed the Master of Environmental Studies program and a BSc in Environmental Science at Dalhousie University.

Ducks Unlimited Canada