Cape Churchill
- Herd size: 3,000
- Total range: 27,192 km2
This small herd is relatively unsurveyed, but is thought to be stable. It ranges along Hudson bear near the Ontario-Manitoba border, and a large part of the range is contained within Wapusk National Park.
Related news
Caribou butts and wolf cameos: How motion-activated cameras may reveal the secrets of a healthy Manitoba herd
A News story about ongoing research on the Cape Churchill herd, much of whose territory is protected by Wapusk National Park. The research has used a network of trail cameras to help track caribou location and behaviour. The researchers are trying to determine why this particular herd is stable while many herds are declining - the hypothesis is that the park's protection has much to do with it.
24 August 2023 | CBC
Related resources
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT-LED MONITORING OF SUMMER RANGE USE BY THE EASTERN MIGRATORY CAPE CHURCHILL CARIBOU POPULATION USING MINIMALLY INVASIVE TRAIL CAMERAS AND STANDARDIZED CRITERIA
This is a conference poster that describes the four-year project to document the Cape Churchill caribou herd. The project uses trail cameras to monitor the herd, and high school students are involved in the analysis.The project also includes fieldwork that measure such things as permafrost depth and vegetation cover in the herd's range.
(2023)
Usage: Non-commercial with attribution Format: pdf
Eastern MigratoryCape ChurchillRange managementClimate changeMapping and Modelling Summer and Winter Range use of the Eastern Migratory Cape Churchill Caribou: Bridging Trail Cameras and Community-Based Approaches
a confer4nce poster describing a collaborative project (University of Saskatchewan, Manitoba Métis Federation, Wapusk National Park) to define the summering and wintering areas of the Cape Churchill caribou herd. The co-developed project methodology uses trail cameras to establish presence of the herd at different places over different seasons.
(2023)
The Candid Caribou Project
A 3':21" video explaining research being done with trail cameras in Wapusk National Park. The trail cameras are helping to monitor the abundance and behaviours of the Cape Churchill caribou herd. The videos gives a breif overview of the project, and some messages about the importance of caribou at the end.
(2023)
Wapusk National Park
A federal government (Parks Canada) blog post about the work of one of its employees includes information about efforts to promote caribou conservation within Wapusk National Park (in northern Manitoba close to Churchill). The post talks about workshops that brought together "Indigenous communities, various levels of government, academic researchers and local communities as a structured way to share Indigenous Knowledge and western science perspectives related to caribou in Wapusk National Park and the Greater Wapusk Ecosystem". One outcome of the workshops was a collaborative project to place more than 90 trail cameras in the park to capture caribou movements.
Parks Canada (2022)
Collaborative Research and Monitoring of Migratory Eastern Cape Churchill Caribou: Linking Wapusk National Park and an Indigenous Conservation Protected Area
A recorded presentation by several people (41:40 to end of presentation, 57:43 to end of questions) about the Cape Churchill herd and plans for its further conservation. The presentation description says, "The summer range of the Cape Churchill herd is almost completely protected by Wapusk National Park, however the winter range is largely unprotected, existing outside of the park boundaries. The development of a proposed Indigenous Protected Conservation Area (IPCA), led by the Manitoba Métis Federation is a priority goal of our group, with caribou being its focal species." The part of the presentation focused on caribou conservation starts at about 07:00.
(2022)
KEEYASK GENERATION PROJECT TERRESTRIAL EFFECTS MONITORING PLAN REPORT - CARIBOU WINTER ABUNDANCE ESTIMATE 2019
this 48 page report is part of a multi-year monitoring plan designed to assess the effects on caribou of construction and operation of the Keeyask hydro project. The project is on the Nelson River in Northeast Manitoba. The project area is used by the qamanirjuaq herd, as well as two herds of Eastern migratory caribou in the Hudson Bay region. The report concludes that it is difficult to tell what influence the project has had on caribou crossing affected water bodies, but that it appears construction access roads had minimal impacts on their movements.
(2019)
Usage: Non-commercial with attribution Format: pdf
Beverly and QaminirjuaqCape ChurchillSouthern Hudson BayRange managementHuman disturbanceWapusk National Park: Curious Caribou
A brief 2017 web feature on the herd. It is part of the Wapusk National Park website
Parks Canada (2017)
Usage: Non-commercial with attribution Format: web
Cape Churchill