Ashley Van Acken, Director of Lands and Resources
Written by Rose Aday, Communications Coordinator
New leadership is taking off in the Lands and Resources Department! Ashley Van Acken, the new Director of Lands and Resources, began work on November 12, 2024, ready to help protect and manage Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ lands in alignment with YG priorities.
Ashley’s educational background is in geology, the science of earth and environmental systems and has a Master of Science in Earth and Ocean Sciences from the University of Victoria. Ashley has previous experience working in government as she spent the last four years working for the Government of British Columbia under the Water Sustainability Act. “My expertise is in groundwater management, resource evaluation, and landscape level impact assessment and management. My perspective is unique as I take a very systems-based approach.”
The Director of Lands and Resources has an important role within the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Government. Ashley is responsible for “providing strategic leadership and operational management of Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ ’s lands and resources. This role ensures the protection, sustainable use, and development of the Nation’s lands in alignment with Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ ’s vision, laws, and policies.”
Naturally, due to the wide range of responsibilities, the Lands and Resources Department collaborates frequently with other Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Government departments, the community and external stakeholders and works actively to “safeguard Indigenous rights, promote sustainability, and drive land-use initiatives.”
Excited to work as a part of a collaborative team, Ashley is going to prioritize “integrating traditional and local knowledge into landscape level planning and preservation. I really enjoy the diversity in the work that the Lands and Resources Department is involved in and believe that there are really amazing opportunities to align the direction of the department with the communities’ vision and goals.”
The new director shared she is looking forward to “building new relationships with the community and administration to better improve how Land and Resource [based] decisions are made.”
Ashley is available to any community members who would like to connect. “If anyone ever has questions, ideas, or wants to learn more about the department feel free to reach out!”
Ashley can be contacted by email, Ashley.VanAcken@ufn.ca or phone, (250) 266-2699.
