ElknWillow Environmental Consulting is an independent consulting company located in Whitehorse, Yukon. The company was founded in 2014 by Alexandra de Jong Westman, the principal consultant. Since its inception, ElknWillow has taken on projects that combine practical management, defensible science, and a deep appreciation for the natural world, working to bring these diverse branches of knowledge closer together.
Alexandra is Metis-Cree and a Registered Professional Biologist with the College of Applied Biologists. Alexandra's technical background in ecology, wildlife biology, and toxicology, enables her to bridge the divide between pure and applied biology, translating scientific rigour into practical environmental management strategies.www.cab-bc.org/
Alexandra has a Master of Science from the University of British Columbia, in Wildlife Toxicology, focusing on the influence of environmental pollutants on amphibian growth and development. As well, Alexandra has a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science and a Bachelor of Agriculture in Agroecology, and over 15 years of field and survey experience in terrestrial, marine and freshwater ecosystems. Early experience was focused on intertidal systems and organisms, then to small mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, plants and general ecology. Over the years, professional training and project experience has expanded this knowledge to include large mammal habitat assessments and inventory methods.
Alexandra also serves as President of the College of Applied Biologists, the regulatory association overseeing practice and ethics of biologists and serving the best interest of the public; President of the Yukon Wildlife Preserve Operating Society, in place as caretakers of the animals and facility, providing education and rehabilitation services to the Yukon and beyond; and is sometimes a sessional instructor at the Yukon College in the Renewable Resource Management program, having taught courses in Environmental Management, Impact Assessment, and First Nations Land Management.
Alexandra is bound by a Code of Ethics and held accountable by the various measures implemented by the College of Applied Biologists, and adheres to Principles of Stewardship, the scientific method, and a lifetime of experience in the field of biology.
Alexandra has a Master of Science from the University of British Columbia, in Wildlife Toxicology, focusing on the influence of environmental pollutants on amphibian growth and development. As well, Alexandra has a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science and a Bachelor of Agriculture in Agroecology, and over 15 years of field and survey experience in terrestrial, marine and freshwater ecosystems. Early experience was focused on intertidal systems and organisms, then to small mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, plants and general ecology. Over the years, professional training and project experience has expanded this knowledge to include large mammal habitat assessments and inventory methods.
Alexandra also serves as President of the College of Applied Biologists, the regulatory association overseeing practice and ethics of biologists and serving the best interest of the public; President of the Yukon Wildlife Preserve Operating Society, in place as caretakers of the animals and facility, providing education and rehabilitation services to the Yukon and beyond; and is sometimes a sessional instructor at the Yukon College in the Renewable Resource Management program, having taught courses in Environmental Management, Impact Assessment, and First Nations Land Management.
Alexandra is bound by a Code of Ethics and held accountable by the various measures implemented by the College of Applied Biologists, and adheres to Principles of Stewardship, the scientific method, and a lifetime of experience in the field of biology.