Students

Convocation ‘24: Remington Bracher, BSc Environmental and Conservation Sciences

Donna McKinnon - 12 June 2024

 

Remington Bracher’s connections to the land are deep, thanks in part to his father who taught him how to hunt and fish, and also to his Cree heritage, awakened by his exposure to Indigenous cultural practices through various educational experiences and interactions with communities throughout Alberta and the Yukon.

It’s a passion that permeates all areas of his life, from his academic focus to his volunteer activities involving mentorship and outreach programs through organizations such as the Environmental and Conservation Sciences Students' Association and the Alberta Chapter of the Wildlife Society.

Closest to his heart, Remington is interested in helping Indigenous people re-establish their connections to the land and to their culture, which he believes will spur wildlife conservation efforts among the communities.

“This province has been home my entire life, and I feel a duty to the next generation and seven generations after that to ensure they're given a chance to experience it as I did.”

Now working with Parks Canada in Banff as a resource management officer working with the bison and cultural fire resource conservation team, Remington will start a graduate program in wildlife restoration at UBC Okanagan in the fall.

“Everyone graduates with the same degree,” he says. “It's what you do during your degree that will make you stand out once you graduate.”

Congratulations Remington!

 

What program are you graduating from?

Bachelor of Science in Environmental and Conservation Sciences, Conservation Biology major

What led you to choose your current area of study, and why the U of A for your studies?

My Cree cultural heritage was lost to me growing up — away from my home community and without a solid Indigenous presence within my family due to the residential school system and the spillover of generational trauma.

For years, I would question what it meant to be Indigenous. Fortunately, my dad was an active outdoorsman who sparked a passion for the fish and wildlife that call Alberta home. I spent each autumn chasing mule deer up the coulees in the aspen parklands and trudging through boreal wetlands to locate moose to fill our freezers. My winters were spent on our family trapline, trapping beaver and ice-fishing walleye, whitefish and perch. These activities sparked a passion for conserving fish and wildlife. This province has been home my entire life, and as a result, I feel a duty to the next generation and seven generations after that to ensure they're given a chance to experience it as I did.

What is one of your favourite memories from your time at the U of A?

I was a part of this year’s Yukon winter field course REN R 465 (Environmental and Conservation Field Studies) which in itself was the best course I’ve ever taken! The week was spent traveling around the Yukon, learning about challenges and impacts surrounding the ecological, economical and cultural issues from a northern perspective. We spent time learning from Elders and knowledge keepers on how to make traditional tools and shared stories that deeply resonated with me as I could see similarities with the Cree stories I was taught. However, the single best memory I have from that course is catching my personal best Lake Trout through the ice of Kluane Lake while fishing with the class!

Tell us about your favourite professor and/or class.

I need to highlight a few of the mentors I’ve had throughout my undergrad. Andrea McGregor (REN R 474), Andy Derocher (ZOOL 408) and René Belland (REN R 464 and REN R 327) have been fundamental to my success in developing my own research interests, philosophy and perspectives. Andy helped develop my scientific writing in a way that no one has in the past. Also, if you're interested in anything/everything about mammals I highly recommend his course! Andrea’s course on wildlife utilization was critical in putting my philosophical beliefs, ethics and values surrounding hunting, fishing, trapping, management, etc., into words. Finally, the moss man himself René Belland! René is inarguably the most supportive professor to be found within the Renewable Resources department without a shadow of a doubt. You can email him a question at midnight and he’ll respond within minutes. You need to vent about challenges happening in other courses, his office door is always open. He is always there to support his students and is truly the heart of the conservation biology program. The U of A will truly lose one of the greatest professors ever in ALES when he retires.

Did you take on any leadership roles while you were a student? 

I serve on several wildlife-based committees, including the Alberta Chapter of the Wildlife Society (ACTWS) as their student director and the education and outreach committee chair. I also serve on the committee of the local Delta Waterfowl chapter and previously on campus as part of the Environmental and Conservation Sciences Students’ Association. These positions allow me to organize community-based events and unite like-minded individuals for the betterment of wildlife and their habitat through conservation projects, such as Delta Waterfowl's Hen Houses project.

I hope to positively influence students' early career development through programs such as the Native Student Professional Development Program, where I serve as the coordinator. I also strive to pass my passion for wildlife to anyone willing to listen through hunting and fishing mentoring programs such as Delta Waterfowl's University Hunting Program, AHEIA's hunting mentorship program and the Alberta Conservation Association’s Kids Can Catch events. This past year, I even started the ACTWS Hunting Mentorship Program with the goal of expanding it to include an Indigenous branch to help Indigenous people reconnect to the land and their culture like I did. I do this because we need to re-establish those long-lost connections and relationships to the outdoor world to conserve wildlife.

Did you face any significant obstacles or challenges during your program?

The biggest challenge I faced while in school was the constant trouble of funding my education while balancing my academic workload. Tuition, rent, and other costs of living are becoming increasingly expensive, adding stress for students like myself. Unfortunately, only my final year was funded by my community, so as a result I spent many hours writing scholarship, grant and bursary applications while working part time jobs and saving money from seasonal positions to ensure I had enough to get through the year.

What advice do you have for current and future students?

If I could give any piece of advice to up-and-coming students, it would be to remember that everyone graduates with the same degree, it's what you do during your degree that will make you stand out once you graduate. Volunteer with organizations that align with your jobs, work seasonal jobs in the field you're interested in, network with professionals and remember no job (other than grad school) will ask you about your GPA so don’t sweat the small stuff. Trust the path you’re on and be true to who you are.

How do you plan on celebrating convocation?

Unfortunately, I won’t be at the convocation in June due to the logistics with work, but I plan on celebrating in my own way, out on the land with the bison and other wildlife, or wading up a trout stream waiting to see my dry fly disappear in a splash of water. My love of fish and wildlife is what inspired me to choose my academic field, so I find it fitting to spend time reflecting on my academic journey and celebrating in a way that honors that inspiration.

What's next after graduation?

Over the summer I will be working with Banff National Park as part of the Bison team and the Fire/Restoration team.

I’m set to start with Banff National Park as part of the bison and cultural fire resource conservation teams that will have a heavy field component that will get me on the land. On top of that, I’m transitioning to my graduate program at UBC Okanagan as part of Adam Ford’s Wildlife Restoration Ecology Lab. My project will look at the effectiveness of Parks Canada’s management strategies and policies related to Indigenous inclusion and wildlife conservation. I aim to bridge the gap between Indigenous communities, scientists, managers, stakeholders and academia in my research and further into my career to ensure Indigenous values and perspectives are incorporated into decision-making.