Future directions
About the board
Achievements
Current projects
Scholarship Fund research
The caribou herds
Publications
Maps
Links
FAQ
Contact us
Search the site
Site map
Help the caribou
Discuss the issues
Report caribou disturbances
Sign up for BQCMB updates
Home
Current projects
- BQCMB a major intervener in the environmental review of the proposed Kiggavik uranium mine and mill project
- February 2010 BQCMB Caribou Workshop: Exploring ways to take pressure off caribou
- June 2011 survey of Beverly, Queen Maud Gulf and Northeast Mainland calving areas
- Final Qamanirjuaq 2008 population survey results
- "On the Land" program
BQCMB a major intervener in the environmental review of the proposed Kiggavik uranium mine and mill project
In 2010, the BQCMB received $90,000 in federal funding to participate in the environmental review of the proposed Kiggavik uranium mine and mill project, a $1.5-billion project 80 kilometres west of Baker Lake, Nunavut that – if approved – would become Nunavut's first uranium mine.
The proposed Kiggavik uranium project, majority-owned by AREVA Resources Canada Inc., would create four open pit mines, one underground mine, a mill, a new transportation network and more. The BQCMB has repeatedly said that the precedent-setting project could cause significant impacts on caribou, habitat and hunting activities. This includes numerous short- and long-term potential impacts and cumulative impacts associated with disturbance, radioactive materials and other environmental contaminants. These would affect not only Inuit in Nunavut but traditional hunters from the Northwest Territories (NWT), Saskatchewan and Manitoba, too.
The BQCMB outlined concerns and provided recommendations to the Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB) in early 2011 for review scoping, EIS guidelines, and the review process. The BQCMB also participated in the NIRB’s EIS guidelines development workshop in Baker Lake in March 2011. BQCMB comments and analysis on the proposed Kiggavik project date back to March 2007, and all submissions can be downloaded from this website's "Reports" section. To learn more about Kiggavik and the BQCMB's concerns, read "Kiggavik Review: Ball in AREVA's court now" in the Summer 2011 issue of Caribou News in Brief.
Human activity on the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq caribou ranges is a concern because of its potential to disturb caribou, especially while they are on the sensitive calving and post-calving grounds. Levels of human activity – including mineral exploration and mining, hydroelectric power expansion, road construction, increased hunter access and growing communities – have reached an all-time high.
Action is urgently needed to protect the caribou herds and their habitat, but because there's not enough recent data about the herds and how caribou are using their ranges, it's uncertain whether wise management decisions are being made.
In September 2004, the BQCMB released Protecting Calving Grounds, Post-Calving Areas and Other Important Habitats for Beverly and Qamanirjuaq Caribou, a position paper that makes many recommendations for improving the protection of caribou and caribou habitat. A plain language summary of the position paper in English, Inuktitut and Dene was distributed to communities and others.
With the increased levels of human-caused disturbance on the caribou ranges – particularly in Nunavut's Kivalliq region where most of the calving grounds are located – government policies aren't adequate to safeguard the herds' traditional calving grounds and other important habitats. The BQCMB – which has a long history of making strong recommendations on caribou and habitat – has recommended to governments that calving and post-calving areas be protected in permanent, legislated protected areas.
Since 2004, the BQCMB has routinely participated in review processes for proposed exploration and development projects on key seasonal caribou habitats in Nunavut and NWT. All BQCMB submissions to regulatory agencies can be downloaded from "Reports".
The BQCMB wants to work closely with communities, governments, industry and conservation agencies in order to acquire much-needed information about the caribou herds and their ranges, and to prescribe measures for caribou protection. Consultation with communities and other stakeholders has been taking place to see what Northerners think of the BQCMB's recommendations.
February 2010 BQCMB Caribou Workshop: Exploring ways to take pressure off caribou
More than 75 elders, hunters, government staff, scientists and others from Saskatchewan, NWT, Nunavut, Manitoba, Alberta, Yukon, British Columbia and Ontario gathered in Saskatoon from February 23 to 25, 2010 to explore ways to protect Beverly and Qamanirjuaq caribou and habitat in the midst of a rapidly changing world. Annual reconnaissance surveys conducted by the NWT government on the Beverly traditional calving ground since 2007 have observed fewer and fewer animals on transect – in fact, fewer than 20 breeding caribou cows in June 2010. The populations of most barren-ground caribou herds around the world are declining these days, the result of both natural and human-caused factors.
During three very busy days at the 2010 BQCMB Caribou Workshop, people heard presentations about challenges facing caribou herds in Canada and globally. Then participants divided up into smaller groups to discuss caribou issues further and suggest ideas. Workshop participants concluded that five main factors affect the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq herds today:
- climate change
- loss of habitat due to forest fires on the winter range
- disturbance from human land use activities
- harvesting, and
- predation (especially on the calving grounds).
Suggestions from participants are featured in two photo-packed reports: a 26-page Overview Report and a longer 60-page Detailed Report that includes descriptions of many workshop presentations, a more comprehensive account of comments about challenges facing the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq herds, and possible solutions.
A priority for the BQCMB now is developing a full list of mitigation measures, based on discussions from the Caribou Workshop. The BQCMB is also assisting with caribou-range community meetings to discuss the main issues affecting caribou. The first meeting was held at Wollaston Lake, Saskatchewan in May 2010, drawing more than 90 people. Meetings are expected to wrap up by the end of 2011. These community meetings allow many more people who rely on the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq herds to hear from the BQCMB about the caribou. They also give people a chance to share their knowledge and provide input on ways to help caribou.
In spring 2012, the BQCMB will publish a report summarizing discussions from these community meetings, making recommendations to governments and others based on comments provided.
The BQCMB Caribou Workshop was organized with the help of numerous sponsors: NWT’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Nunavut’s Department of Environment, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (NWT and Nunavut regional offices), Manitoba Conservation, Prince Albert Grand Council, the Athabasca Land Use Office, the Athabasca Denesuline Negotiation Team, the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, WWF-Canada, AREVA Resources Canada Inc., and Cameco Corp.
To learn more about the BQCMB Caribou Workshop, read "BQCMB Caribou Workshop: Ideas to action" in the Summer 2011 issue of Caribou News in Brief. A March 2010 two-page summary of the workshop is also available to download.
June 2011 survey of Beverly, Queen Maud Gulf and Northeast Mainland calving areas
Results are pending from the Government of Nunavut-led June 2011 survey of the Beverly, Queen Maud Gulf and Northeast Mainland calving areas, as well as an area of land further east. Many partners and supporters helped Nunavut's Department of Environment carry out the large-scale population survey.
Two schools of thought now exist about what has been going on with the Beverly herd, estimated at 276,000 in 1994. One view is that the Beverly herd has declined dramatically and the remaining Beverly cows have joined the larger Ahiak herd to the north. The second view is that the Beverly herd has shifted its calving area north from its traditional calving ground up to the western Queen Maud Gulf area. The BQCMB will wait to decide which view to adopt for management purposes until more information describing these two schools of thought becomes available, and until new data from the 2011 population survey is announced.
For more details, read “Looking for answers about Beverly caribou” in the Summer 2011 issue of Caribou News in Brief.
Final Qamanirjuaq 2008 population survey results
According to final results of the Government of Nunavut's June 2008 Qamanirjuaq herd calving ground population survey, the herd now numbers around 348,000. That might mean a decrease of a third own from 496,000, when the Qamanirjuaq caribou were last censused in 1994, but the decline is not certain due to statistical issues. The BQCMB played an instrumental role in helping partners and funding come together for the long-overdue population survey.
Meanwhile, the Government of Nunavut has stated that a 2010 Qamanirjuaq spring composition survey found 33 calves for every 100 cows, a sign of a slightly increasing population.
The final report of the Qamanirjuaq 2008 population survey is available for download from the website of Nunavut's Department of Environment.
Each year, the BQCMB channels funds to caribou-range community-based projects that ideally target school-age youth. This give kids a chance to gain new knowledge, learning from seasoned hunters, trappers and elders. The BQCMB community caribou program, started in 2007, has shifted its focus from hunting caribou to providing general "on the land" experiences. Recently, the BQCMB granted program funding to Lutsel K'e Elementary School in Lutsel K'e, NWT; and to Father Porte Memorial Dene School of Black Lake and Father Gamache School of Fond du Lac, both in Saskatchewan.
Other schools that have availed of the BQCMB's program in the past include Father Megret High School in Wollaston Lake, Saskatchewan; John Arnalukjuak High School in Arviat, Nunavut; and Oscar Blackburn School of South Indian Lake, Petit Casimir Memorial School of Lac Brochet, and Peter Yassie Memorial School of Tadoule Lake, all located in Manitoba. Partial funding for the program has come from the BQCMB's five-year funding agreement with AREVA Resources Canada and from Cameco Corporation.