Herds in the headlines

Caribou, industrial development, climate change, subsistence economies, the importance of traditional knowledge – these stories seem to be gaining ever more media prominence in Canada and other countries these days. Check out some articles that caught our attention in recent months.

2009

It’s not oil vs. beauty in the Arctic
New York Times
October 26, 2009

Sure, the Arctic Coastal Plain may only yield enough oil for a six-month supply at current consumption rates but what if there is 30 years’ worth under there? This opinion piece argues that mining and environmental protection can co-exist. You be the judge.

Caribou meat wasted in Cambridge Bay
CBC North
October 22, 2009

Conservations officers are looking for the hunters responsible for leaving the carcasses of 18 caribou to rot and be scavenged near Cambridge Bay. The animals, believed to be from the Victoria Island herd, appear to have been killed with a small calibre weapon. Area hunters have since butchered and distributed salvageable meat but in doing so have unintentionally hampered the investigation, since animals were processed before officers could observe or retrieve bullets or bullet fragments.

Caribou crime: The hunt for the hunters
Alaska Dispatch
October 21, 2009

This article recounts the year-long investigation and ongoing legal saga concerning Point Hope, Alaska villagers who slaughtered and wasted the meat of nearly a dozen caribou in the Western Arctic Caribou Herd.

Mighty caribou herds dwindle, warming blamed
Associated Press
October 4, 2009

The Bathurst herd has dropped to about 32,000 from 128,000 animals since 2006. The Beverly herd has almost disappeared. In fact, caribou herds all over the globe are shrinking and the culprit appears to be climate change. In a University of Alberta study published in June, the researchers found that 22 of 34 North American herds are shrinking and that 34 of 43 herds worldwide are herds are in decline.

"Climate change in Russia's Arctic tundra: 'Our reindeer go hungry. There isn't enough pasture'," The Guardian (October 20, 2009)

"Caribou Crash," The Star – Malaysia (October 19, 2009)

"Arctic animals living on thin ice," The Toronto Star (August 1, 2009)

"Reindeer herds in global decline," BBC News (June 11, 2009)

New hunting rules for Porcupine caribou herd
CBC News North
September 29, 2009

New rules require caribou hunters to hunt bulls only and to report all caribou that they kill. Aboriginal hunters won’t have to limit bull hunting but cannot hunt cows. It’s hoped that these measures will help Porcupine caribou cows produce more calves and, in turn, reverse the population decline that’s seen the Porcupine herd reduced to half the size it was – approximately 200,000 animals – 20 years ago.

Barren Lands Caribou Blog
CBC News North
September 25 – October 6, 2009

For six adventure-filled days, 20 Yellowknife students from St. Patrick High School joined CBC reporter Loren McGinnis and went out on the land at MacKay Lake Lodge. The blog is a day-by-day account of their journeys – cultural, spiritual and geographical! The many terrific photos give the story added depth.

Lutsel K’e shocked by chief’s support of Ur-Energy exploration
CBC North
September 3, 2009

Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation Chief Steve Nitah took his community by surprise when he signed off on an agreement to allow uranium exploration at Screech Lake. Residents fear that mining could create toxic tailings similar to those that ended up in Stark Lake in the 1950s. They also worry that drilling the Upper Thelon Basin would impact culturally and spiritually on the Lutsel K’e Dene people.

Climate change doubles tundra plant life
CTV
August 23, 2009

Arctic researchers are up to their shins in proof that climate change is real, rapid and changing the northern landscape in dramatic, dangerous ways. Plant materials that used to grow no taller than 10 cms now reach three times that height. Worse, these bushy new invaders could crowd out the lichens and mosses caribou rely on for survival.

IPY follow-up requires year-round research on Arctic and global warming
Innovations Report
August 14, 2009

The International Polar Year may be over but the research is going on, and on, and on . . . perhaps with more urgency than ever before.

Reindeer herders battle alcohol on Russia's edge
Reuters
August 14, 2009

Russian government support has helped turned reindeerherding back into a profession and a commercial hunting moratorium helped restore herd numbers. Now, the indigenous people whose lives are most closely tied to the herds struggle to revive their culture.

Outfitters blast N.W.T. government at caribou meeting
CBC News
July 24, 2009

Some hunters are saying the government is crying wolf over dwindling caribou populations instead of hunting predatory wolves. Outfitters in the NWT say the territorial government should look at the impact of wolf packs, Aboriginal hunters taking caribou for food and resident hunters before curtailing outfitters' quotas, which in turn could kill outfitters’ businesses if they lose the visiting hunter trade.

Don't hunt Peary herd, scientist warns
Northern News Service Online
July 20, 2009

Scientists and Inuit residents can’t agree on whether or not the Peary herd is stable enough to hunt, in decline or if decreases are just part of a natural population cycle. Studies suggest that some herds have all but disappeared. However, residents argue that because the animals are constantly on the move, they’re hard for occasional visitors to count with any accuracy.

GG visit inspires dreams for Inuit food
Edmonton Sun
May 30, 2009

Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean’s bite of ‘country food’ may kickstart a gourmet stampede for seal, caribou and other northern meats, kicking off a new industry in an underemployed North.

Increase in Teshekpuk and Central Arctic caribou herds reported
Sitnews
April 20, 2009

Good production rates, weather, low predation, and favourable habitat are being credited for growing numbers in the Teshekpuk and Central Arctic herds. These are the only two herds known to be increasing at a time when herds worldwide are in decline.