General Info and Bookings
- General inquiries
- Bus Tour bookings
867-456-7300 (Front Reception Cabin)
info@yukonwildlife.ca
For special bookings, rentals, events, VIP tours, and commercial film & photography please contact:
Admin Office
867-456-7400
info@yukonwildlife.ca
Programming and Education
- Nature Camps
- School Programs
- Children’s programming
- Outreach
Animal Care and Wildlife Rehabilitation
- Injured Wildlife? Go here first.
- Our staff are often out caring for our animals. Please leave a message.
Accounts
- Accounts Payable
- Bookkeeping
- Billing
Please contact our bookkeeper:
Sheila Downey
1-866-975-3033
accounts@yukonwildlife.ca
Connect With Our Team
Lindsay Caskenette
Manager of Visitor Services
Lindsay joined the Wildlife Preserve team March 2014. Originally from Ontario, she came to the Yukon in search of new adventures and new career challenges. Lindsay holds a degree in Environmental Studies with honours from Wilfrid Laurier University and brings with her a strong passion to share what nature, animals and the environment can teach us.
Dr. Maria Hallock
Veterinarian & Animal Curator
Dr. Maria Hallock was born in Russia where she volunteered at the local zoo as a child. In 1995 she graduated as Doctor of Veterinary Medicine with honours from the University of Novosibirsk in Russia. Maria gained veterinary experience while working in zoos in Russia, Switzerland and Austria, before joining the Preserve team in 2001. Maria is devoted to animal care and brings extensive captive animal experience to her position. She is an invaluable member of the Yukon Wildlife Preserve team.
Jake Paleczny
Executive Director
Jake Paleczny is passionate about interpretation and education. He gained his interpretative expertise from a decade of work in Ontario’s provincial parks in addition to a Masters in Museum Studies from the University of Toronto. His interests also extend into the artistic realm, with a Bachelor of Music from the University of Western Ontario and extensive experience in galleries and museums.
Randy Hallock
Manager of Outdoor Operations
Randy Hallock was raised in a small farming community in Alberta, where he gathered the experience that makes him so valuable to the preserve. Our longest serving staff member, he answered the call of the preserve 25 years ago. Since then, he has been dedicated to the smooth operation of the Preserve and the well-being of the animals that call it home. Randy's long term experience and dedication make him the backbone of the Preserve's operations.
Madison Rushton
Manager Programming and Education
Madison rejoined the Preserve’s team March, 2022; she was once a Wildlife Educator at the Preserve in November, 2017. In the meantime, Madison spent time pursuing other experiences working with children and youth where she gained knowledge from various perspectives, and is extremely excited about returning to the Preserve!
Originally from Nanaimo, BC born and raised in, Madison attended the University of Victoria where she obtained a Bachelor of Science degree with a Biology Major, Psychology Minor. She visited the Yukon once during the bustling midnight summer sun season and, again, during the winter season. Yearning for more of what the Yukon had to offer, she decided to move up to Whitehorse the following spring having graduated university…. ever since, Madison has continued to explore and share with others all the Yukon has to offer!
Seth Brown
Visitor Services Coordinator
Doug Caldwell
Wildlife Interpreter
Doug is one of the Interpretive Wildlife Guides here at the Preserve. Doug has been an incredible member of this team since Spring 2017. He’s an avid angler and hunter he has a broad knowledge of Yukon’s wilderness and the creatures that live here. With a focus on the young visitors to the Preserve, Doug takes the extra time to help our guests to better appreciate the many wonders of the animal kingdom here in the Yukon.
Pete Neilson
Wildlife Interpreter
‘Sir’ Pete grew up in suburban Southern Ontario north of Toronto. In the late 80’s, he followed the lure of London and Service to the Yukon. ‘Sir’ Pete has lived off grid in the Yukon all along from a wall tent and later a tepee in his earlier years and now a small cabin near Twin lakes. He guided wilderness canoe trips many years in the 90’s and early 2000’s and got his first sled dog in ’91; currently he has 15 dogs for recreational mushing. ‘Sir’ Pete enjoys being at home or out with his dogs as much as he can. Pete has been a dedicated long standing Preserve team member since January 2015 – someone’s got to work to feed those dogs!
Andrew Penley
Wildlife Interpreter
Andrew is originally from a small town south of Ottawa, Ontario. He has had a love for all animals since he could walk, except chickens! Andrew grew up on a farm with horses, chickens ( how he gained a dislike for them) cats and dogs. He moved up to the Yukon with his fiancée at the start of November 2021 to help his family with their property in the beautiful Fox Lake area! His work as a Wildlife Interpreter combines two of his favorite things, talking to new people and hanging out with animals. He hopes to be working for the YWP for a long time to come like many of the other Interpreters and other management crew!
Maddie Crumpton
Wildlife Interpreter + Animal Care Assistant
Maddie joined the team in the winter of 2022 as a Tour Guide and Animal Care Assistant. Growing up, she always found fascination with wildlife and has continued to pursue a career Nature Management and Education. Over the years she has gained experience starting with her education in Tourism, and Ecosystem Management with Fleming college. This sparked job opportunities with Ontario parks focusing on Bear Wise education and teaching safe practices in bear country. From there she has taken opportunities all-over, including a field placement in South Africa, assisting with the restoration work and care for local wildlife from cheetahs to elephants!
Just before joining our team, Maddie was working for the Alberta Government helping high-school students gain real life experience in Natural Resource Management, working with all different departments; from Wildfire to Fish and Wildlife Management. Shortly after her first visit to the Yukon in September 2022, she fell for the wilderness and wildlife of the north bringing her to her most recent Adventure; The Yukon Wildlife Preserve!
Jan Möller
Animal Care Assistant
Jan joined the team August 2020. After falling in love with the Yukon’s wilderness during a working holiday year in 2012, he went back to his home country Germany to get a degree as a poultry specialist. In 2018, his knowledge and passion for working with animals led him back to the Yukon where he worked at local farms and gained experience working with horses, cows and sheep. Jan is passionate about caring for the animals – big and small and especially enjoys being a part of the journey for those animals that come through the Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre be released back into the wild.
You can find Jan around the Preserve on the weekends. During the week he spends his time with his family, his partner and their two kids, a boy and a girl while he takes Parental Leave. Come August 2022 he will take on full-time work with the Preserve.
Maureen Peterson
Wildlife Interpreter
Maureen is originally from North Vancouver, BC, where she lived for the first 20 years of her life. In grade 5 she did a project about the Yukon, which is when she decided to go there. It was at age 20, and the day after she was married, that she finally moved North. The Yukon was everything the 10 year old Maureen thought it would be and she has never had any desire to move anywhere else. Maureen has been a dedicated long-term member of the team since November 2013.
Johanne Maisonneuve
Wildlife Interpreter
Johanne joined the Wildlife Preserve in the Fall of 2014 as a wildlife Interpreter in the winter. In the summer she is a visitor attendant at Kluane National Park and Reserve. Passionate about the outdoors, she has spent a lot of her time learning about the ways of the land throughout the Yukon in the 40 years + she has lived in the territory. A cabin dweller at heart, she now enjoys sharing her knowledge and experience with visitors from all over the world who come to visit the Wildlife Preserve.
Ensio Lera
Outdoor Operations Assistant
Ensio joined the team at the preserve in 2019, and worked there for 2 years before leaving to pursue his commercial pilots licence. He is happy to be back in 2022 as an Outdoor Operations Assistant.
Ensio was born in raised in Whitehorse and was home schooled in Mt. Lorne. As a teenager he had a strong interest in wilderness, photography, and obtaining his private pilots licence. Some of his hobbies include computers, wood working, electrical, mechanics as well as film photography. He loves fixing things that are broken!
He spent a lot of time growing up with his family in the outdoors. They would often go on kayaking and canoeing trips, as well as hunting trips. Ensio also spent a lot of time caring for farm animals such as chickens and ducks.