Answers to your questions: archives for 1999

• TV film about relocated native community
• Sport hunting in October
• Greenland eyes the BQCMB
• Caribou Schools Program
• "Thank you for the information"
• Woodland vs. barren ground caribou?
• Picture this in Caribou, Maine
• Saskatchewan caribou harvest figures
• Brain worm parasite?
• Tracking the collared Porcupine
• "Greetings from Norway"
• Thought-provoking site
• Report and CD-ROM on important habitats
• Managing the caribou herds
• "Interested in your ventures"
• Questions from northern Quebec
• Caribou: their enemies, how they live
• "Very interesting"
• "If I could help, I gladly would"

TV film about relocated native community

Oct. 7, 1999

Q. Some years ago I saw a documentary on TV about the resettlement of a northern native community because the government was concerned about too much hunting pressure on a herd of caribou. Have you heard about this documentary, or know where I can locate it? I am doing a research paper on caribou conservation and would appreciate the information. Thanks.

D. D.
Calgary, Alberta

A. The film was shown on CBC and was produced by Allan Code whose address is:

Treeline Productions
Box 71
Tadoule Lake
Manitoba
R0B 2C0

Caribou News ran a small piece on "Nuhoniyeh: Our Story" after it won the 1996 Canada award.

You might also want to read Night Spirits: The Story of the Relocation of the Sayisi Dene. by Ila Bussidor published in 1997 by UoM, ISB 0-88755-643-4

Also, "Tadoule Lake and The People of the Caribou" by Harvey Payne. Published by Manitoba Renewable Resources, 1977.

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Sport hunting in October

Sept. 24, 1999

Q. Can you tell me where the caribou are in mid to late october and refer me to an outfitter who hunts them at that time?

B. L.
Sloansville, New York

A. Both the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq herds are on their way to their winter grounds in northern Manitoba and northern Saskatchewan in October, although they could still well be north of 60, close to the provincial borders, at that point.

To get in touch with an outfitter, try contacting the following:

Nunavut Tourism (for outfitters in the Keewatin)
P. O. Box 1450
Iqaluit NT X0A 0H0
Phone: 1-800-491-7910 or (867) 979-6551
Fax: 1-800-307-8223 or (867) 979-1261
Web site: www.nunatour.nt.ca
E-mail: nunatour@nunanet.com

NWT Arctic Tourism (for outfitters in NWT, i.e. around Fort Smith)
P.O. Box 610, Yellowknife NT,
X1A 2N5 Canada
Tel.: 1-800-661-0788 or (867) 873-7200
Fax: (867) 873-4059
E-mail: nwtat@nwttravel.nt.ca
Web site: www.nwttravel.nt.ca

Travel Manitoba (for outfitters in northern Manitoba)
7th Floor - 155 Carlton Street
Winnipeg
Manitoba R3C 3H8
Phone: 1-800-665-0040 ext. VH9
E-mail: afontain@itt.gov.mb.ca
Web site: www.travelmanitoba.com

Sports hunting is not permitted in northern Saskatchewan.

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Greenland eyes the BQCMB

Sept. 16, 1999

Is it possible to order a full text copy of the 36 page Beverly & Qamanirjuaq Caribou Management Plan 1996-2002. Part II – Action Plans. We would like to use this report as a model for developing similar plans in Greenland.

Thanks in advance.

J. L.
Nuuk, Greenland

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Caribou Schools Program

Sept. 20, 1999

Q. Mr. Gunther Abrahamson

Please send me the School Caribou Program copies. I am doing a unit for my Grade 3, 4, and 5 and the school has only the last incomplete copy.

F. C.
Lutselk'e, Northwest Territories

A. Hello!

Unfortunately we don't have any of the Caribou Schools Program materials on hand. You might want to try RWED's Conservation Education section.

It may interest you to know that Saskatchewan has officially adapted the Program for its northern schools and you might be able to get one of their kits. The person to contact is Lizabeth Nicholls, Wildlife Branch, SERM, Regina. You can reach her at lizabeth.nicholls.erm@govmail.gov.sk.ca

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"Thank you for the information"

Aug. 31, 1999

Q. Thank-you for the information with regards to the management of caribou which we depend on so heavyly.

Do you still produce the news paper CARIBOU NEWS, have not seen a copy for some time now?

E. A.
Arviat, Nunavut


A. We still publish a newsletter, although it's called "Caribou News in Brief" now because it's smaller (the board had to cut back because of budget cuts).

Caribou News in Brief publishes twice a year. The next issue should be coming out in about a month or so. In Arviat, you can pick up copies up from the local Department of Sustainable Development (ask for Mitch Campbell, the regional biologist).

We also post Caribou News in Brief on our web site. Here's our last issue from February 1999.

You'll also find earlier issues here.

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Woodland vs. barren ground caribou?

Aug. 15, 1999

Q. I was wondering what the difference was between the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq and the woodland and barrenground caribou? Are they the same herds?

Thank you.

A. Z.
Winnipeg, Manitoba


A. The Beverly and Qamanirjuaq herds are barren-ground caribou. Woodland caribou, which exist throughout Canada except in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, are larger and darker than caribou in Canada's north.

Our web site will give you more information on barren ground caribou. To learn about woodland caribou, you could check out Boreal Caribou Research Program web site.

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Picture this in Caribou, Maine

Aug. 6, 1999

Q. I am looking for pictures of caribou both bull & cow as you can see I live in caribou,maine and we got our town name because a local hunter killed a caribou next to our local river.I am willing to pay or donate for your services.

Thank you
C. D.
Caribou, Maine



A. We don't have photos for sale, but biologists often have excellent recent photos of caribou. You'd probably be looking for images representative of caribou in your area, woodland caribou. (The Beverly and Qamanirjuaq caribou are barren-ground caribou).

Try contacting your local office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who could put you in touch with an area biologist.

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Saskatchewan caribou harvest figures

June 30, 1999

Q. We are conducting an update of the Environmental Impact Statement of Rabbit Lake Mine in northern Saskatchewan. I am looking for the subsistance harvest numbers for Saskatchewan: Camsell Portage, Uranium City, Fond du Lac, Stony Rapids, Black Lake, Wollaston Lake and Total Saskatchewan for the years 1993/94, 1994/95, 1995/96 wher are suppose to be located in the back of the annual reports.

L. S.
Winnipeg, Manitoba



A. Here is the last available information. The government of Saskatchewan no longer funds the collection of harvest data.

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Brain worm parasite?

June 16, 1999

Q. I would like some information on the brain worm parasite that affects caribou. Thank-you.

C. W.
Bay Bulls, Newfoundland

A. It would be best to get in touch directly with biologists who have more technical information.

Try contacting:

Cam Elliott,
Regional Biologist
Manitoba Natural Resources
Wildlife Branch
P.O. Box 28
59 Elizabeth Drive
Thompson MN
R8N 1X4
(204) 677-6644 (office telephone)
(204) 677-6359 (fax)
e-mail: CElliott@nr.gov.mb.ca or celliott@mb.sympatico.ca

Regional Biologist
Saskatchewan Environment and Resource Management
P.O. Box 5000
La Ronge SK
S0J 1L0
(306) 425-4237 (office telephone)
(306) 425-2580 (fax)

Wildlife and Fisheries Division
Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development
Government of the Northwest Territories
P.O. Box 1320
Yellowknife NT
X1A 2L9
(867) 873-7760 (office telephone)
(867) 873-0293 (fax)

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Tracking the collared Porcupine

May 23, 1999

Q. I would like to secure the WEB site for the satellite tracking of the Porcupine Caribou
Herd that is printed every four days. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you

B. P.
Crescent Springs, Kentucky


A. You'll find it at www.taiga.net/satellite/index.html

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"Greetings from Norway"

May 14, 1999

Hey!!
I'm for the moment working on a snowmobile-project at the University of Oslo.

We are investigating how snowmobile traffic effects reindeer behavior. Furthermore, we want to compare this behavior with their fright behavior towards cross-country skiers.

If you do know about any new works concerning this topic or how any other human activity, I would appreciate if you could send me the names of the authors and year the reports were published

Greetings from Norway, Sindre

S. E.
Oslo, Norway

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Thought-provoking site

May 12, 1999

Pleased to hear of this site, gives me some ideas for what we might do in the western Arctic.

P. J. U.
Ottawa, Ontario

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Report and CD-ROM on important habitats

March 24, 1999

Q. I will be consulting with Nunavut Environmental on the Meadowbank gold project. This potential mine development is located about 50 km north of Baker Lake within the ranges of both the Beverly and Qaminirjuaq herds. I am most anxious to obtain the reports and CD-Rom that have been produced through the BQCMB Important Habitats Project. Please advise as to the status and availability of these resources.

J. V.
Fort Smith, Northwest Territories

A. The quickest way for you to obtain a copy is to ask Sam Ransom at RWED who has a supply. The CD-ROM is in preparation and should be available by the end of May.

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Managing the caribou herds

March 19, 1999

Q. Can you please send me, either by mail or via my email address any information about methods of managing caribou? I have a deep interest in this field and am curious about methods used in other areas of Canada.

Thank you very much.

K. S.
Woodlands, Manitoba

A. I think you would probably be interested in reading The Beverly and Qamanirjuaq Caribou Management Plan, a summation of the board's objectives and action plans. You can order a copy for Cdn $1.50 per copy, while supplies last. To order, e-mail or fax your request to:

BQCMB
Secretary-Treasurer
3565 Revelstoke Dr.
Ottawa ON K1V 7B9
(613) 733-1304 (fax)
e-mail: bqcmb@cyberus.ca

We've also just added an index of all Caribou News articles to our web site. You could scan through the index for topics that interest you, then check with your local library to see if they carry back issues of Caribou News. Otherwise, back issues are available in microform from Micromedia Limited, 20 Victoria St., Toronto, ON M5C 2N8. Toll-free: 1-800-387-2689. Fax: (416) 362-6161.

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"Interested in your ventures"

Feb. 16, 1999

I am a recent graduate of Fish and Wildlife technology. I am interested in employment opportunities, but also, seeing as I am a Status member of the Garden River First Nation, I am also interested in your ventures in Natural Resources Management from a First Nations perspective.

Thank you.

T. J.
Edmonton, Alberta

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Questions from northern Quebec

Feb. 15, 1999

Q. Working as a consultant for the Schefferville Band Council (Northern Québec), I was very much interested by the information in your web site.

You say that the average annual harvest of caribous in the herds of Beverly and Qamamirjuakis is around 16000. Can you tell me:

what is the number of caribous harvested by the aborigenal people (knowing that their population is 11000)?

what proportion of caribou hides harvested is used for craftwares (moccasins, mittens...)? N.B.: a proportion of 15% is found in Northern Québec

besides the Beverly, Qamanirjuak and Bathurst herds, what other major herds do we find in North West Territories?

Thank you.

D. B.
Sept-Iles, Québec

A. We don't have a breakdown for caribou harvested by aboriginal hunters vs. non-aboriginal hunters, but given that the communities on the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq ranges are largely inhabited by aboriginal people, it's probably safe to assume that the vast majority of caribou are harvested by aboriginal hunters. Only a few of the larger communities have sizable non-native populations (for example, about a quarter of Rankin Inlet's population is non-Inuit, and about 40 per cent of Fort Smith's population is non-aboriginal).

Because the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq caribou range across two provinces and two territories, it's difficult to say collectively what percentage of caribou skins are used for manufacturing crafts. You would need to contact the individual territorial and provincial government departments tracking this information. Check out the "Government" section of our Links page for web site addresses for varying government departments.

There are four major herds of barren-ground caribou in the NWT. Bluenose, Bathurst, Beverly and Qamanirjuaq. Another herd, the Porcupine, is found mostly in Alaska and the Yukon and only on the western fringes of the NWT. Smaller populations are found elsewhere on the mainland, on Baffin and some of the other arctic islands.

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Caribou: their enemies, how they live

Jan. 28, 1999

Q. I was wondering if you had any general information on the caribou. I am doing a report and I need some infomation about them, their enemies, what they eat, where they are located, how they live, etc. If you could email this information back to me or give me some web addresses as soon as possible I would appreciate it.

Thanks

L. N.
Edmonton, Alberta

A. You'll find most of your questions answered in the FAQ section of this web site. Other good web sites can be found in our Links section, including the Canadian Wildlife Service web site.

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"Very interesting"

Jan. 19, 1999

We have found your web page very interesting. Please put us on your mailing list.

D. H. & F. H.
Newmarket, Ontario

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"If I could help, I gladly would"

Jan. 7, 1999

I love that your web site has a strong push toward sound ethics.
Keep it up. If I could help your organization I gladly would.

K. S.
Anchorage, Alaska

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