| CARIBOU NEWS IN BRIEF |
Volume 11 No. 2 · December 2007 | ||
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In this issue ...
DECLINE SUSPECTED IN BEVERLY POPULATION MINING ISSUES WORRY COMMUNITY REPS DONATIONS HELP FUEL BQCMB WORK CARIBOU HARVEST WORTH OVER $20 MILLION WANTED: BETTER CARIBOU PROTECTION MEASURES KEEPING CARIBOU PROTECTION FRONT AND CENTRE INAC REJECTS UR-ENERGY PROPOSAL
DECLINE SUSPECTED IN BEVERLY POPULATION Blizzards largely grounded a survey effort of the Beverly herd in June 2007. But during the occasional times team members were able to fly, they saw “very few caribou relative to past years” – often not even a single caribou per square kilometre, when there should have been between 30 and 40. Survey team leader Deb Johnson believes that’s a sign the Beverly population is declining. The herd’s last survey in 1994 estimated its size at 276,000. If densities of Beverly caribou are still low in June 2008, the Northwest Territories (NWT) government “will most likely attempt a visual stratification survey,” says Johnson, in order to estimate herd size. A photo survey, the traditional method, wouldn’t be worth it. This year’s attempt to survey the Bevery herd cost $188,000 alone. Johnson, a BQCMB member and the South Slave regional biologist, detailed the NWT-led survey attempt at the Board’s November 2007 meeting in Winnipeg. Bad weather meant that the only goal the survey team could carry out was outlining, or “delineating,” the Beverly calving ground while flying. The same was done with the Qamanirjuaq and Ahiak calving grounds to confirm that the three calving grounds are separate, and that no breeding females were between calving grounds. The survey team spotted lots of animals on the Ahiak calving grounds, and plenty of young caribou on the Qamanirjuaq calving grounds, said Johnson. “This is what we should have been seeing on the Beverly calving grounds.” Closer monitoring in 2008 Johnson says the survey team “flew an extensive area” and doesn’t feel any major concentrations of caribou were missed. But BQCMB alternate member Pierre Robillard of Black Lake, who joined the survey attempt as a community observer along with John Nukik of Baker Lake, wasn’t as sure. “There’s some places we miss this year because of the weather,” he told Board members. NWT’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) plans to monitor Beverly caribou more closely in 2008. For the first time in years, spring and fall composition surveys have been slated. Johnson warns that the usual spring mixing with neighbouring herds is unlikely to yield many answers about Beverly calf survival rates, though. In June, the Beverly calving ground will be delineated for the second year in a row. If the caribou densities are again low, a visual survey will likely follow. ENR also plans to buy more satellite collars to better track the herd. Seventeen cows were collared during the 2007 post-calving season to make sure the animals being collared were indeed Beverly caribou. (In March 2006, 20 caribou collared on the Beverly range later proved to be from the Bathurst, Ahiak and Qamanirjuaq herds, too.) Following the 2007 collaring of Beverly cows, six animals died but only one was believed to have died as a result of being collared, says Johnson. Next up: Qamanirjuaq survey A spring composition survey will take place, too, and in April 2008, 10 more collars will be deployed on Qamanirjuaq animals. Like the Beverly herd, the Qamanirjuaq herd hasn’t been surveyed since 1994, when its population was estimated at 496,000. “I expect there’s still lots of animals in the Qamanirjuaq herd but (survey results will be) lower than the last survey,” Campbell said. “We’re pretty sure there’s a decline. We’re not sure of the magnitude of it.” Save the calving grounds Dene leaders made a resolution at the workshop to protect calving grounds. This was partly to follow up on the same action urgently voiced by many of the same Dene leaders at the January 2007 Caribou Summit in Inuvik (see “Around the Range,” Caribou News in Brief, July 2007). At the Dene workshop, NWT Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Michael Miltenberger pledged to discuss the need to protect calving grounds at his meeting with Nunavut Premier Paul Okalik the following week. Consulting biologist Leslie Wakelyn, who had been invited to give a presentation for the BQCMB, described the lack of recent data on the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq herds’ populations, the growing number of land use activities across the caribou ranges, and the BQCMB’s attempts to prompt government action to protect calving and post-calving areas and other important habitats. Wakelyn also relayed concerns expressed by BQCMB community representatives (see “Mining issues worry community reps”).
Herd gets “reference” status It’s part of the CircumArctic Rangifer Monitoring & Assessment (CARMA) Network’s International Polar Year (IPY) project to better understand how regional human Rangifer (caribou or wild reindeer) systems are responding to climate change. Big changes have been predicted for regional climates across the circumpolar north at a time when exploration and development of non-renewable resources (like minerals, oil and gas) is at an all-time high. The project features field biology, remote sensing-based habitat monitoring and community-based monitoring projects. BQCMB community members are helping by passing on their knowledge of caribou, weather and human activities taking place on the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq caribou ranges. During the BQCMB’s November meeting in Meanwhile, BQCMB chairman Jerome Denechezhe, vice-chairman Daryll Hedman and consulting biologist Leslie Wakelyn attended CARMA’s fourth annual meeting in Vancouver in November. A caribou body condition monitoring manual and training video, as well as a population monitoring manual, are some tools being developed to help CARMA promote consistent monitoring of caribou across the Arctic. Caribou hunts continue BQCMB meetings
MINING ISSUES WORRY COMMUNITY REPS
Protecting caribou calving grounds topped a list of concerns voiced by community representatives at the BQCMB’s November 2007 meeting. They asked that action be taken on a number of urgent matters – most relating to mineral exploration and mining. In that area, community representatives want:
DONATIONS HELP FUEL BQCMB WORK
Contributions from uranium mining company AREVA Resources Canada Inc. and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) are helping BQCMB projects to move ahead. Caribou research and monitoring, as well as educational and communication initiatives, are getting a hand from a $25,000 contribution from AREVA this fiscal year. The contribution is the first in a five-year $125,000 funding agreement that aims to increase caribou research and improve mining practices. Only projects that both the BQCMB and AREVA agree upon can take place. Current funding will let the BQCMB cover off its contribution to recent satellite collaring work on the Beverly herd. Some of the money may also go toward the planned Qamanirjuaq calving ground survey in 2008 and monitoring of the Beverly herd. Educational and communication projects about caribou would involve boards, communities, government agencies and others. “Ultimately, where we’re heading with AREVA and other companies through these types of agreements is to determine and implement best practices for all kinds of operations and development on the range,” says Thompson, “especially key habitat.” Meanwhile, a $30,000 contribution from INAC will help the BQCMB recover some recent costs resulting from communication projects and visits to communities to share information about the importance of protecting the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq caribou and their habitats. The money will also pay for community youth and elder hunts in Arviat and Tadoule Lake. Working with industry and government to assess permit conditions for roads, mineral exploration and other activities is another BQCMB initiative that will benefit from INAC’s donation. CARIBOU HARVEST WORTH OVER $20 MILLION A new socio-economic report from Intergroup Consultants of Winnipeg reveals that the total annual net value of the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq caribou harvest is more than $20 million. Nunavut, by far, depends on these herds the most. The jurisdictional shares of harvest are:
Most caribou hunted were from the larger Qamanirjuaq herd. Its population stood at roughly 496,000 when last surveyed in 1994, while the Beverly herd was about 276,000. The report, commissioned by the BQCMB in 2006, updates and expands on data about the two herds that were last analyzed in 1990 when the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) assessed the domestic harvest. The Intergroup report, by comparison, determines the value of the domestic harvest and resident licensed hunting harvest using a similar meat sold in stores (beef) to calculate the value of caribou meat harvested. It also assesses the outfitting industry and the commercial sale of caribou meat. Another key part of the study were the eight detailed community interviews conducted (two per jurisdiction) to better understand the social and cultural importance of the caribou harvest. “All respondents viewed harvesting caribou as integral to preserving their culture and, where necessary, revitalizing their culture,” the report concluded. Important activities like passing on traditional knowledge and learning outdoor wilderness survival skills take place while hunting caribou. The report also found that caribou are used mainly to feed northern families – the domestic harvest accounted for more than $15 million of the $20 million-plus total net annual value of the herds – and that the outfitting industry accounts for most of the remaining value of the caribou – more than $4 million yearly. The report will be available for download in spring 2008 from www.arctic-caribou.com.WANTED: BETTER CARIBOU PROTECTION MEASURES
Companies and individuals applying for prospecting permits and mineral claims on the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq ranges will be asked to follow the federal government’s Caribou Protection Measures now. The Measures – established in 1978 to appease Baker Lake residents worried about the effects of mineral exploration on caribou – impose seasonal controls on land use operations in areas used by caribou during calving and post-calving periods, and at designated water crossings. In the past these Measures applied only to land use permits, not to the far more numerous prospecting permits and mineral claims. It’s the first step from a March 2007 report scrutinizing the effectiveness of INAC’s Expanding the reach of the Measures, something the BQCMB has long called for, is “a really good, positive thing,” says BQCMB consulting biologist Leslie Wakelyn. But the INAC-Nunavut director of operations Carl McLean, a BQCMB member, told the Board in November that his department was still committed to improving caribou protection “through the tools INAC has available and with the support of our partners.” Beverly: Method inadequate Among the BQCMB’s suggestions in its feedback on the report were the following.
See the BQCMB’s full comments here. While the report termed the Caribou Protection Measures “relatively effective” given available data, the BQCMB criticized how the Measures were evaluated. Between 1978 and 1990, the Measures’ effectiveness in protecting both the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq herds was determined based on information from yearly aerial survey monitoring reports. This monitoring program ended in 1990 when INAC withdrew the funding. Conclusions about the Measures’ effectiveness from 1993 to 2005 were drawn only for the Qamanirjuaq herd because the assessment was based on satellite collaring location data. The Beverly caribou collaring program began only in 2006, so there wasn’t data for a similar assessment of that herd. Yet “it’s the Beverly calving ground where we have the most pressure from land use activities,” Wakelyn points out. “The Beverly herd is also most in question in terms of its population status.” As of October 2007, there were more than 600 prospecting permits and mineral claims on the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq calving grounds, including 430 on the Beverly calving grounds. Boundaries differ These boundaries, defined many years ago by the BQCMB and the NWT government, are based on government survey data up to 1994. That’s when the two herds last underwent population surveys. Since late 2005, the BQCMB has recommended that the territorial caribou protection measures under the Nunavut Wildlife Act be changed to use the boundaries of Beverly and Qamanirjuaq traditional calving grounds. KEEPING CARIBOU PROTECTION FRONT AND CENTRE
Knowing that the Baker Lake HTO wants to get a non-industry perspective on the mining industry, the BQCMB is helping to organize visits to the Nunavut community by two knowledgable individuals from Lutselk’e and northern Saskatchewan, areas experienced in dealing with the mining industry. Plans have not yet been finalized. BQCMB consulting biologist Leslie Wakelyn most recently met with the Baker Lake and Arviat HTOs in May to get feedback on caribou protection recommendations in the BQCMB’s 2004 position paper, Protecting Calving Grounds, Post-Calving Areas and This would balance out recent promotional visits to the Kivalliq Region by uranium mining companies. Nunavut Planning Commission board and staff visited a Saskatchewan mine site with AREVA in September 2007. And in 2005, AREVA and Cameco Corp. brought about 60 people from Nunavut to tour McClean Lake Mill and McArthur River Mine in northern Saskatchewan. Non-industry perspectives could also help Baker Lake ready itself for its mining future. A gold mine will soon open nearby and a uranium mine may be operating by 2015. NWMB presentation Wakelyn gave a presentation on BQCMB activities, providing briefing notes and handouts in English and Inuktitut. She described concerns about the lack of protection for the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq herds and their habitats, as well as worries outlined by BQCMB community members (see “Mining issues worry community reps”). The presentation was well received, and Wakelyn noted that the recent socio-economic evaluation of Beverly and Qamanirjuaq caribou showing that Nunavut receives the greatest economic benefit from the herds was a much appreciated eye-opener. She expressed the BQCMB’s desire to continue ongoing communications, such as presenting regular updates at NWMB meetings. Ad gets message out INAC REJECTS UR-ENERGY PROPOSAL
In October, Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl accepted a rare recommendation by the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board (MVEIRB) to reject a development proposal – Ur-Energy’s proposed uranium exploration operation at Screech Lake, NWT, south of the Thelon Wildlife Sanctuary on key Beverly and Ahiak caribou spring migration range. MVEIRB’s recommendation underscored the need for a land use plan for the uranium-rich Upper Thelon watershed, a cultural sanctuary for the Akaitcho Dene. Now, as part of Strahl’s decision, INAC will work with Aboriginal groups, governments, industry reps, resource management boards like the BQCMB and non-government organizations to develop an Upper Thelon Land and Resource Management Plan. The bulk of work – geologic studies, environmental studies and cultural/traditional knowledge studies – will occur between now and March 2010, according to a Dec. 7 letter issued by INAC-NWT regional general director Trish Merrithew-Mercredi. (The BQCMB has been pegged for help on environmental studies.) But a short-term goal for March 2008 is to create a “win” for industry to balance out recent achievements for other groups, such as the approved interim land withdrawal for
Speaking out for Lutselk’e Working with a coalition of like-minded groups, the BQCMB submitted comments and information requests at different regulatory stages after Ur-Energy made its initial application to the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board in 2005. In January 2007, BQCMB consulting biologist Leslie Wakelyn spoke at the MVEIRB’s public hearing in Lutselk’e. Her detailed presentation on the potential cumulative effects of mineral exploration on barren-ground caribou was in two parts, one of which was a joint presentation with the GNWT. See the presentation here. Florence Catholique of Lutselk’e, who sat in for BQCMB member August Enzoe at the “It’s not that we’re totally against development,” she continued. “But we have to be the determinator of what’s going to happen because we have to live there.” PEOPLE AND CARIBOU
Communication. That, in a word, sums up the BQCMB’s reason for being. A lack of communication is why the BQCMB was created in 1982 in the midst of a perceived caribou crisis, and an atmosphere of distrust between governments and some Aboriginal people. Constant communication is why the BQCMB has since succeeded. “Over the past 25 years, one of the most important things that Board members have done is try to see how other people see things,” BQCMB chairman Jerome Denechezhe, a founding member of the Board, told members and friends gathered in Winnipeg in November for a special anniversary dinner. “We have learned to co-operate and work together.” “We’re just catching up to the wisdom of the caribou,” said Manitoba Conservation Minister Stan Struthers of the migratory animals who live without regard for man-made boundaries. Struthers, the dinner’s guest speaker, commended Denechezhe and all involved with the interjurisdictional BQCMB for their efforts to protect the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq herds.
In the 63 times the BQCMB has met since its first regular meeting, it “has worked successfully to improve communication and understanding between hunters and governments,” wrote the man who engineered the Board’s creation, former member and secretary-treasurer Gunther Abrahamson. His tribute was read aloud by current secretary-treasurer Ross Thompson. “The Board’s accomplishments over the past 25 years would not have been possible without the commitment of its members and supporters.” “Right from Day One, I think there was a recognition that there was a need to foster interjurisdictional communication,” Manitoba Conservation director Steve Kearney later told Caribou News in Brief. Kearney, a BQCMB member in the 1980s, said that while government technical and advisory committees gave biologists and directors forums for cross-border discussions in the days prior to the BQCMB, nothing similar existed for traditional users. That, Kearney says, remains the key of the Board. “You can do a lot of stuff electronically these days but there is still nothing, in my opinion, that substitutes for a sit-down session where you can put names to faces.” Among the familiar faces at the BQCMB’s November meeting were alternates Pierre Gary Kofinas of the University of Alaska Fairbanks discussed the international caribou monitoring efforts of the CircumArctic Rangifer Monitoring & Assessment (CARMA) Kivalliq regional biologist Mitch Campbell discussed developments with the Qamanirjuaq herd, NWMB member Robert Moshenko apprised members of his board’s endeavours, and Brett McGurk and Jeff Crozier of Winnipeg’s Intergroup Consultants disclosed the findings of a near final version of a socio-economic evaluation of the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq herds. Manitoba Conservation’s Vince Crichton, manager of game, fur and problem wildlife, joined the Board for its anniversary dinner, as did others attending the BQCMB meeting. Caribou News in Brief is funded by the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq Caribou Management Board. It is produced twice a year by M.E.S. Editing and Writing Services. ISSN 1489-3436. Opinions expressed are those of the editor and contributors. Back issues available at www.arctic-caribou.com and in microform from Micromedia Limited. All comments and suggestions are welcome, and may be sent to:
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