News

The Nunavut government is increasing allowable harvest levels of Baffin Island caribou from 550 animals a year to 6,000.  The government says aerial surveys have shown a dramatic increase in the Island's caribou population. The Nunavut Wildlife Management Board approved the increase despite noting that the increase presents "...an unusual and largely unprecedented level of risk in the Nunavut context".

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A story about using artifical intelligence to help predict when caribou from the Dolphin and Union herd will attempt to cross the sea ice in the spring and fall. The herd migrates between the mainland and Victoria Island. The lead researcher says the aim of the project is to produce a predictive tool that "...could help sort of inform vessel operators that there’s a specific window that it would be best to avoid the area because if they break up the ice it can be really dangerous for the caribou crossing or delay the formation of ice.”

Dolphin and UnionRange managementHuman disturbance

This article discusses some known impacts of roads on caribou behaviour, and raises concerns about the impacts of the Grays Bay Port and Road project (now being called the "Arctic Economic and Security Corridor". The story notes that the proposed all-season road will cut through habitat used by several caribou herds, including the calving area of the critically-depleted Bathurst herd. The article also talk about the role of Indigenous guardians in monitoring the impacts of northern roads on caribou, and the need for long-term funding for such monitoring programs.

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A news story about a new film, "Kugluktuk Harvesters on the Grays Bay Road and Port" released by the Kugluktuk Angoniatit Association, a hunters and trappers organization in the Nunavut community. A proposed road connecting an Arctic coastal port to Yellowknife would cut through the habitat of the Dolphin and Union caribou herd. The herd is already under pressure, dropping from a recorded high of 30,000 to 4,000 by 2023.The documentary calls for the Dolphin and Union Caribou to be listed as endangered under the federal Species At Risk Act.

Dolphin and UnionRange managementHuman disturbance

A longer story about the Porcupine Caribou herd and the Gwich'in and Inuvialuit people who rely on the herd. The story is told in the context of pending bids for oil and gas leases on the American side ofv the herd's calving grounds. The article also goes into the deepening climate impacts on the declining herd, including changes in food supplies for the caribou, and an increase in insect harassment. 

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A story that briefly outlines the critical decline in caribou herds in the Northwest Territories, focusing on the Bathurst herd. The story notes that rising prices may be a factor in pushing the demand for caribou meat, nuty also highlights the impact of industrial development on the declining herd.

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A Yukon program "Southern Lakes Caribou in the Schools" that has designed curriculum materials on caribou and their relationship to local people has secured a $475,000 grant from the Arctic Inspiration Prize to help support classroom learning and time on the land for students from kindergarten to Grade 12. The Southern Lakes Region extends from the British Columbia border to near Whitehorse. Links to the curriculum materials are in the "resources" section of this site.

People

A study found that warming in the Arctic is lenghtening the mosquito season. The study authors say the longer season gives the mosquitoes more time to harass caribou. Caribou seek higher, cooler places to avoid the insects, but those places may have less food for the caribou. This in turn can lead to poorer body condition and increased chances of death for the caribou.

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A 2'11" news story about the discussion of a hunting moratorium for the Leaf River herd in northern Quebec. The herd crosses Cree, Naskapi and Inuit traditional territory. It has declined by 75% in the past 25 years.

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The Ross River Dena Council in Yukon Territory has declared the Finlayson caribou herd a legal 'person'. The Council says the move is necessary to protect the herd. Such declarations have been made elsewhere in the world to protect features such as rivers and mountains, as laws in some countries that extend to people have more legal weight. The First Nation has appointed itself guardian of the herd, which tit say will give it the right to launch legal action on behalf of the herd. So far, no juridiction beyond the Ross River Dena Council has recognized the designation of the herd.

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