UBC Reports | Vol.
51 | No. 5 |
May 5, 2005
Forestry Grad Hears Call of the Wild
By Brenda Austin
Yulia Stange had never heard of the Faculty of Forestry.
She was studying science at UBC when the student across the
hall in her residence noticed Stange had a passion for the
outdoors, and suggested she take a forestry course. Stange
did so, and has never looked back.
“There are four possible programs to follow in Forestry
and I am in the Natural Resources Conservation program,”
says Stange. “It’s a broad integrative program
needing a background of sciences, but including studies in
areas such as the social sciences, forest biology and ecology,
fisheries science, and many more.”
Stange’s bent toward conservation stems from her love
of many outdoor activities -she competes with her horse, Pete,
in dressage when not studying or serving as a research assistant.
Yet she laughs at the irony of her direction. Her father worked
as a developer, and was often frustrated by environmental
regulations.
“I grew up camping, rafting and kayaking, but I also
often heard my father discussing his difficulties as a land
developer, [when he was] required to leave a stream buffer,
and so on,” she says. “Now my dream job is protecting
and saving the natural environment, to somehow make a difference
in how we live.”
Stange has obtained a certificate in conflict resolution
and leadership and served as a volunteer in a First Nations’
witness project in the Elaho Valley. She has also been an
assistant leader with an outdoor school for youth at risk.
Stange is also co-authoring two scientific papers from botanical
and ecological research projects, undertaken during one of
her summer positions as a forestry faculty research assistant.
In 2005, she earned the Canadian Institute of Forestry Gold
Medal for scholarship, sportsmanship and citizenship.
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