Yorke Edwards

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orke Edwards (1924–2011) was a highly regarded biologist, ecologist, museologist and thinker who in many ways was also conceptual godfather to Wells Gray Park as we know it today.

To say that Yorke had a powerful influence on shaping Wells Gray Park is an understatement. Having successfully argued, in 1950, for a ten year wildlife study here, he went on, in 1954, to oversee a southward extension of the park boundary to include Battle and Green Mountains. In the years that followed, he also published, often with with Ralph Ritcey (below), several seminal wildlife papers based on field work in the valley.

Yorke thought and wrote extensively about wilderness interpretation and, in the mid 60s through the early 1970s, masterminded the summer naturalist programmes that operated in Wells Gray Park, as in dozens of other parks across the province, until the mid 1980s.

One way or another, both directly and indirectly, Yorke touched the lives of uncounted thousands of British Columbians, not least many of the other researchers and supporters celebrated here.

Yorke led an active and engaged life as you can read here in his biography by retired BC Museum researcher Rob Cannings. He was also a prolific writer, authoring more than 300 papers, books, popular articles and reports recently compiled by Rob Cannings and listed here in his bibliography.

Thirty of Yorke’s publications and reports incorporate fieldwork conducted in the Clearwater Valley:

Yorke Edwards 1965
  1. Edwards, R.Y. 1951. Land use in Wells Gray Park with special reference to wildlife. Unpublished report, B.C. Forest Service, Victoria. 38 pages.
  2. Edwards, R.Y. 1952. How efficient are snap traps in taking small mammals? Journal of Mammology 33: 497–498.
  3. Edwards, R.Y. 1952. An aerial moose census. Research Notes 23. B.C. Forest Service. Victoria. 9 pages.
  4. Edwards, R.Y. 1953. Land use is Wells Gray Park with special reference to Wildlife. Unpublished report, BC. Forest, Victoria. 26 pages.
  5. Edwards, R.Y. 1953. The value of moose in Wells Gray Park. Unpublished Report, B.C. Forest Service, Victoria. 8 pages.
  6. Edwards, R.Y. 1953. Report on an area proposed for experimental burning, Wells Gray Park. Unpublished report, B.C. Forest Service, Victoria. 5 pages + appendix.
  7. Edwards, R.Y. 1954. Fire and the decline of a mountain caribou herd. Journal of Wildlife Management 18: 521–526.
  8. Edwards, R.Y. 1954. Comparison of an aerial and ground census of moose. Journal of Wildlife Management 18: 403–404.
  9. Edwards, R.Y. 1956a. The influence of poisoning for predators on the wildlife of parks. Unpublished report, B.C. Forest Service, Victoria. 5 pages.
  10. Edwards, R.Y. 1956b. Snow depths and ungulate abundance in the mountains of western Canada. Journal of Wildlife Management 20: 159–168.
  11. Edwards, R.Y. 1958. Land form and caribou distribution in British Columbia. Journal of Mammology 39: 408–412. Map.
  12. Edwards, R.Y. 1960. Conserving Nature in parks. xxx. 3 pages.
  13. Edwards, R.Y. 1971. Moose heaven is a valley. Ontario Naturalist 9: 24–26.
  14. Edwards, R.Y. 1990. Nature Wells Gray. (book review). Canadian Field-Naturalist 104: 513.
  15. Edwards, R.Y. 1996. Nature Wells Gray. (book review). Cordillera 3: 45.
  16. Edwards, R.Y. and D.E. Green. 1959. The measurement of tracks to census grizzly bears. Murrelet 40: 14–16.
  17. Edwards, R.Y. and I.T. McCowan. 1957. Fur production of the boreal forest region of British Columbia. Journal of Wildlife Management 21: 257–267.
  18. Edwards. R.Y. and P.W. Martin. 1956. The Cariboo method for evaluating browse species. (mimeograph). 8 pages.
  19. Edwards, R.Y. and R.W. Ritcey. 1956. The migrations of a moose herd. Journal of Mammology 37: 486–494.
  20. Edwards, R.Y. and R.W. Ritcey. 1958. Reproduction in a moose population. Journal of Wildlife Management 22: 261–268.
  21. Edwards, R.Y. and R.W. Ritcey. 1959. Migrations of caribou in a mountainous area in Wells Gray Park, British Columbia. Canadian Field-Naturalist 73: 21–25.
  22. Edwards, R.Y. and R.W. Ritcey. 1960. Foods of caribou in Wells Gray Park, British Columbia. Canadian Field-Naturalist 74: 3–7.
  23. Edwards, R.Y. and R.W. Ritcey. 1967. The birds of Wells Gray Park. Unpublished report, B.C. Parks, Victoria. 37 pages.
  24. Edwards, R.Y., J. Soos and R.W. Ritcey. 1960. Quantitative observations of epidendric lichens used as food by caribou. Ecology 41: 425–431.
  25. Hartman, F.H. 1956. The 1956 Moose trap and lead-fence construction work. Memo to Mr. R.Y. Edwards. 12 pages.
  26. Lyons, C.P. and R.Y. Edwards. 1953. Battle Mountain Reconnaissance. Proposed addition to Wells Gray Park. Unpublished report to B.C. Forest Service, Victoria. 15 pages.
  27. Miller, R.G., R.W. Ritcey and R.Y Edwards. 1955. Live-trapping marten in B.C. Murrelet 36: 1–8.
  28. Ricey, R.W. and R.Y. Edwards. 1955. Live-trapping mink in B.C. Jour. of Mamm. 37: 114–116.
  29. Ritcey, R.W. and R.Y. Edwards. 1956. Guide to moose hunting in Wells Gray Park. B.C. Forest Service Publication B 44: 1–35.
  30. Ritcey, R.W. and R.Y. Edwards. 1956. Trapping and tagging moose on winter range. Journal of Wildlife Management 20(3): 324–325.
  31. Ritcey, R.W. and R.Y. Edwards. 1958. Parasites and diseases of the Wells Gray moose herd. Jour. of Mamm 39: 139–145.
  32. Ritcey, R.W. and R.Y. Edwards. 1963. Grouse abundance and June temperatures in Wells Gray Park, British Columbia. Journal of Wildlife Management 27: 604–606.