Emily Payne Co-Founder & Director
Emily hails from the mouth of the Fraser River on Coast Salish land, and now calls the Yukon home. She is a certified teacher with over 10 years experience working with young people of all ages. She has worked as an international youth leadership trip facilitator in rural Kenya and Ecuador, canoe and backpacking outtrip director, motivational tour speaker, native plant researcher, outdoor curriculum designer and classroom teacher.
She holds a BEd in Indigenous Perspectives from SFU, a BA Geography (Environment and Sustainability) from UBC, and is a Level 3 Childcare worker. She has certificates in 80-hour Wilderness First Responder, Flatwater Canoe Instruction, Swift Water Rescue Level 1 & 2 and Permaculture Design. She has recently trained at The Tracker School in New Jersey in survival skills and tracking. Her big passion in the natural world is working with plants, which she pursues through harvesting and blending herbal teas, making salves & lotions, and basket-weaving out of natural materials. After traveling to nearly every continent, she continues to be inspired by the immense beauty of her Yukon home. She co-founded Rivers to Ridges out of her belief that building curiosity about the natural world at a young age is an integral part of a healthy life. When she’s not outside teaching, you can find her singing along with her guitar/ piano, blues dancing, growing backyard vegetables & herbs or trying to bake the perfect sourdough loaf. |
Erin Nicolardi Co-Founder & Director
For Erin, Rivers to Ridges was born out of a desire to bring more young people into the wilderness, and to guide them as they develop a sense of wonder and stewardship for our home planet.
Erin was raised on Mississauga of the Credit Territory between the Niagara Escarpment and the shores of Lake Ontario. Besides being an amateur paddler and bird-appreciator, Erin has worked as an outdoor, experiential teacher in Canada and abroad, a parks interpreter, and an organic farmhand, amoung other things. She is a certified teacher, with her BEd in Outdoor, Experiential Education (Queen's University). She is also an 80-hour Wilderness First Responder and Canoe Tripping Level 1 Instructor. In 2017, she completed two week-long intensive courses: The Art of Mentoring (Wilderness Awareness School) and the Standard Survival Course (Tom Brown Jr. Tracker School), and achieved Level 2 Flatwater Instructor certification. What makes Erin feel alive?
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Our Story
Emily and Erin's first encounter near Alligator Lake, YT.
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Four years later, in their full-time office space.
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An early fall multi-day backpacking trip in with a local experiential high school program is where Emily found Erin in 2014. At the time, Erin was fresh to the territory and woefully unprepared for her first backcountry hiking trip. With the help of a shared tent, warm tea and lots of duct tape, Emily supported Erin on the adventure. A couple months later, Erin had the chance to repay the love by heading out with a friend to support Emily who was stuck in Watson Lake with a broken down vehicle. A surprise snowstorm closed the roads, and they were forced to stay the night at the Cozy Nest. Conversation eventually turned to life passions, and it turned out that Erin and Emily both had the same (not-so) secret dream of building a program that guides young people towards a meaningful connection with the land. Rooted in mutual support for one another and a deep love of working with children in wild spaces, Rivers to Ridges was born! Now, in 2019, Rivers to Ridges has been in operation for nearly four years.
Our 2019 Summer Team
We warmly and enthusiastically introduce you to our incredible summer staff team! We have two new and two returning faces guiding our young people out in the forest for our biggest season yet. We are humbled by the highly skilled, knowledgeable and passionate team we have on board. Learn more about these wonderful humans and all the diverse skills and backgrounds they have below.
Matteo Friesen - Senior Outdoor Facilitator
Matteo is returning for his third season with Rivers to Ridges. He was raised in Sto:lo territory in southern BC, and has since drifted far and wide in both education and travel. He currently lives in Sechelt BC, working as an Indigenous Education Support Teacher with the Sunshine Coast School District. He has recently taught in the nature-based education program - NEST, Nature Education for Sustainable Todays and Tomorrows, which provides opportunity for students to learn outside and from the natural environment.
He has taught for a number of years both in BC and the Yukon and holds a BA in History and Fine Arts and a BEd in Environmental Education from SFU. Before finding his groove as an educator, he was involved in urban farming projects in Mexico, helping develop a Young Weavers cooperative in Oaxaca, and pursuing his passion for the natural world through travel and work. He holds a Wilderness Advanced First Aid certificate, and a Conservation Outdoor Recreation Education certificate through BC wildlife Federation. His enjoyment of the natural world and passion to share it others, has connected him with opportunities to lead student teams on adventure and educational based trips, ranging from kayaking in south - eastern Alaska to multi-day alpine trips. |
Kelly Scott - Outdoor Facilitator
Kelly Scott has lived in Whitehorse for 5 years now. Born in Rockwood Ontario, Kelly spent many childhood days exploring nature and discovering the wonders of the local Conservation Area. As an adult, Kelly is keen to spread the joy of outdoor exploration with other children.
Kelly graduated with a BA in Modern Languages (Spanish and French) and a Minor in Sociology in 2009 from Bishop’s University in Quebec. Kelly then taught as a French Assistant in Toronto Ontario for 4 years with children ranging from 3 to 9 years old. During this time Kelly realized that Montessori was where she wanted to focus her time and energy and she is now a trained Elementary Montessori Guide with AMI, qualifying her to teach in Montessori Schools internationally. Kelly has chosen Whitehorse as her home base and has been teaching at the Yukon Montessori School for 5 years with grades 1-3. Her other passions include singing, performing at open mic nights, theatre (you may have seen her in the Zeitgeist Cabaret recently), connecting children with theatre opportunities (5 plays to date), crocheting, making jewelry, reading, writing, cracking jokes (teachers love wordplay). Kelly is thrilled to put on her sunhat and join the team at Rivers to Ridges to guide children in finding their place within society by connecting them with the outdoors! |
Véronique Lachance - Outdoor Facilitator
Born and raised in Southern Québec, Véronique has a familial heritage of bush life and traditional herbal medicine passed down by her grandmothers.
Véronique spent much time exploring the wilderness and since childhood, visual arts and theatre have been a significant part in her life. She spent a couple of years in Montréal where she built her artistic approach through an Acting Degree (from the University of Montréal in Québec), several artistic residencies, and experiences as a performer, director and writer. She enjoys developing installations and performances in an immersive space, to feel the same organic sense of being in the bush. In 2017, she found in the Yukon a perfect balance of living in a cabin, spending time on the land and living aligned with her passions. Since she began her life in the Yukon, she has worked with Gwaandak Theatre, Ramshackle Theatre and Nakai Theatre. She is also teaching an afterschool program at Ghùch Tlâ Community School (Carcross) and works at the KDFN government in the Youth Recreational Program as support and art facilitator. She also teaches weekly drama and art in many schools with the program Artist in the Schools. In the last few years, she has developed a passion for teaching and mentoring youth through art and outdoor activities. Her work in predominately indigenous and diverse backgrounds inspired her to go back to school this fall in the YNTEP program (Yukon Native Teaching Education Program) at the Yukon College. Véronique also has a Wilderness First Aid certification. |
Zach Zimmerman - Outdoor Facilitator
Zach was born in the Arctic and has lived in the Yukon for most of his life. He is seventeen years old and is currently attending Pearson United World College inside peaceful Pedder Bay on Vancouver Island. Zach loves to travel and has been to nearly every continent. He also loves the ocean and his favourite thing to do is scuba dive.
Zach is always willing to share awesome stories from his travels and adventures. He enjoys playing with kids, and his favourite thing to show them is how to make fire without matches. He loves everything to do with nature and is excited to teach new people about Yukon's natural environment. Zach is funny, outgoing, enthusiastic and always excited to meet new kids. This will be Zach's third summer with Rivers to Ridges. |
Our team of staff are highly qualified and have professional education, training and
certifications through some of the following organizations, schools, and institutes:
certifications through some of the following organizations, schools, and institutes:
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