About us
The Board is comprised of representatives from three parties, Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, Kluane First Nation and the Government of Canada. Each party has equal representation with 2 voting seats each. There is a non voting, ex-officio seat for the Site Manager of Kluane National Park and Reserve.
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Meet the Board
Tom Buzzell
Chair
My name is Tom Buzzell, I am a proud citizen of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, deeply connected to the land and communities of Dezedeash Lake and Dalton Post, Yukon, which boarder Kluane National Park.
With a profound respect for the environment, I have lived and harvested in the Kluane National Park area for most of my life, carrying forward a rich tradition of stewardship and sustainable living.
In my career I have 16 years of dedicated service at Parks Canada, this has allowed me to work in all the Yukon’s National Parks and Heritage sites. I have been able to develop a deep expertise in conservation, cultural heritage, and community engagement. This extensive experience laid a solid foundation for my current role as the Chair of the Kluane National Park Management Board as well as my day job as Director of Partnerships at Yukon Energy, where we work to build collaborative relationships that balance the needs of people and the environment in the Yukon.
I am a passionate advocate for sustainable development and indigenous rights, I look forward to continuing to contribute to the preservation and promotion of First Nation heritage and the natural beauty of the region. Through my professional and personal life, I strive to create a future where traditional knowledge and modern innovation work together to benefit all Yukoners.
Robin Chambers
Vice-Chair
Robin is a Kluane First Nation citizen, born and raised in Yukon. Robin grew up in Haines Junction and the Kluane Area and is of Southern Tutchone and Tlingit ancestry. She lives in Whitehorse, working for Government of Yukon, the Kluane Community Development Corporation and participates on various Kluane First Nation committees. Robin joined the Kluane Park Management Board as a representative for Kluane First Nation in 2017 and is grateful for the opportunities and the board members I share this opportunity with.
Kluane National Park and Reserve holds a special place in my heart and plays a significant role in my life. I take great pride in being able to say that I have grown up in Kluane and I continue to appreciate Kluane for all it offers, represents and has given me. I am proud to represent and benefit from the beauty that is Kluane National Park.
Grace Southwick
Board Member
A citizen of Kluane First Nation, and daughter of Park and Babe Southwick. Grace is a member of the Dickson Family and of Tlingit ancestry. Grace lived in Burwash near Dalan Campground until her mother passed away in 1964 then the family moved to Whitehorse.
Grace was a Justice of the Peace, Territorial Court of Yukon from 2001 to 2014, and was a Destruction Bay ambulance supervisor, volunteer, and driver from 2001 to 2009, and past Vice President of the Kluane Lake Athletic Association. Currently a member of the Kluane First Nations Lands Committee, and the Constitution Committee; and now once again a member of the Kluane National Park Management Board.
Now residing in Burwash, Grace’s hobbies include: hunting, fishing, gardening and most importantly is family time that includes her 3 beautiful grandchildren.
Todd Chambers
Board Member
Todd is a Champagne-Aishihik First Nation citizen originally from Haines Junction who grew up in the Kluane and Aishihik area and whose family is of Southern Tutchone and Tlingit ancestry. His father was a Kluane National Park Warden for over 20 years and Todd worked as a member of the trail crew in the park for 11 seasons. After that, he worked as a commercial helicopter pilot and in the aviation industry in Canada, spending 11 years with Air North’s flight operations. Currently he has a role in logistics, infrastructure and communications management for projects across Yukon, N.W.T, Nunavut, Northern BC and Northern Alberta.
“I have hiked and worked on all the trails in Kluane National Park, canoed, boated and floated most of its rivers and lakes and flown over its peaks and valleys and ice fields. Every time I’m in the park I feel like I’m rediscovering it all over again, it is always beautiful and amazing. Our people, elders and ancestors are a part of this land and I will do what I can to ensure that this continues and that all future generations can say the same thing.”
Elsabe Kloppers
Board Member
Elsabé has been a resident of Haines Junction for 15 years, and loves to explore Kluane by air, trail or water, with a camera in hand. She works for Yukon University and YESAB, and also serves as a naturalist and musician on folk festival trains with Roots on the Rails. She is a wildife biologist by training, and worked in the field for many years studying a variety of species in the Yukon and Alberta. Past work includes graduate studies with Parks Canada, and many years with Yukon Environment, the University of Alberta, and the Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board. Elsabé was appointed to the KNPMB as a representative for Canada in 2017, and has served as its Chair, Vice-Chair and Board member since then. She is grateful for this opportunity to contribute to KNPMB initiatives and develop a deeper understanding of Kluane, while building relationships with First Nations and the community.
I love Kluane’s vast landscape, its species and landforms; I love its icefields, with peaks as high as they are remote, and its wild rivers, worthy of their Heritage River designation; and I love the culture of Kluane, the living landscape of its First Nations, their trails, history, stories, and their shared knowledge of this area.
Ellen Bielawski
Board Member
Ellen is a northerner by birth (Alaska) and choice (Yukon.)
“I love and respect Kluane country for its vibrant First Nations cultures and communities and their daily work to implement self-government within Canada. Serving on the KNPMB is a joy because I get to participate in caring for gorgeous land and waters that I love, in partnership with First Nation colleagues and friends whom I value, enjoy and respect.”
Ellen has authored books set in the Northwest Territories and in Alaska. She’s at work on a book set in Kluane and Ireland. She holds a doctorate in arctic archaeology and has worked on land and water with First Nations and Inuit in Alaska, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Greenland. She has led research on Indigenous Language Revitalization. Ellen is one of five daughters, and mother to two sons who are not harming the world. She works so that Kluane National Park and places like it will exist for the generation of her grandchildren, and theirs.
Secretariat
The Board is supported by a part-time Office Manager, Aynslie Ogden, who provides administrative and operational support to the Board, prepares all Board materials, financial documents and information necessary for Board operations, and coordinates Board events and meetings.
