| CARIBOU NEWS IN BRIEF |
Volume 12 No. 2 · Winter 2008/2009 | ||
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In this issue ...
FACTS POINT TO MAJOR DECLINE IN BEVERLY HERD BQCMB SPREADS NEWS, DEMANDS PROTECTION MEETING FORGES IDEAS FOR HERD RECOVERY PROTECTION MORE CRITICAL THAN EVER URAVAN SAYS IT MAY DROP GARRY LAKE PROJECT PUBLIC OUTCRY AGAINST GARRY LAKE CARIBOU RULES NEED TO BE BETTER ENFORCED URANIUM STILL LEADS EXPLORATION ON RANGES OUTDOOR SKILLS HELP YOUTH COPE WITH LIFE COMMUNITY OBSERVATIONS IMPORTANT FOR CARMA THOSE ON THE FRONT LINES VOICE WORRIES BQCMB: NEW CHAIRMAN, EVOLVING ROLE FAREWELL TO TWO FRIENDS OF THE BQCMB CARIBOU AND THE NORTH: A SHARED FUTURE REPORT BACKS CARIBOU COUNTING METHOD – MOSTLY
FACTS POINT TO MAJOR DECLINE IN BEVERLY HERD
Wildlife director Susan Fleck spoke to BQCMB members at their November 2008 meeting in Winnipeg, and the Board quickly responded by alerting media to the situation. Biologists and wildlife staff met again in February to come up with practical suggestions to aid Beverly caribou. All agreed that Beverly caribou had not abandoned their calving ground. But a clear challenge is figuring out what type of population survey can be done, now that the herd is so sparsely populated. Signs of trouble Only 189 adult female caribou (cows) were counted on the Beverly calving ground during the 2007 survey and only 93 cows were seen during the June 2008 calving ground survey. That’s down from 5,737 seen in 1994. Another sign of trouble: only 15 calves for every 100 cows were found during the 2008 reconnaissance survey. That’s far below the 80 calves per 100 cows found on the calving grounds of healthy barren-ground caribou near the peak of calving. And a third red flag popped up in April 2008 when blood samples from 28 Beverly and Ahiak cows on which satellite collars were being placed revealed that fewer than half those animals were pregnant. “That’s very unusual for caribou anywhere,” NWT ungulate biologist Jan Adamczewski told Caribou News in Brief. A pregnancy rate of 70 to 80 percent is the norm. Reconnaissance surveys don’t estimate population sizes. They map the location of concentrated calving grounds and provide information about the numbers of caribou on the calving ground at the peak of calving in a given year. The Beverly herd was last successfully counted in 1994, when it numbered about 276,000. Bad weather grounded the GNWT’s June 2007 attempt to do another population survey. The GNWT plans more reconnaissance surveys of the Beverly and neighbouring Ahiak herds in June 2009. And to better understand the condition of Beverly animals and why their pregnancy rate is so low, the GNWT provided the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) with funds to hire a community liaison officer for four months this winter. Based in Stony Rapids, this officer was to help organize a community caribou hunt and condition study to see if disease, poor nutrition, habitat issues or other factors are blocking pregnancies. A mix of factors may be to blame for the population drop, and the exact cause may never be known. The decline may be part of a natural cycle. The herd may also have been affected by exploration and development, hunter harvest, changes in habitat (including winter range being lost to forest fires), parasites and diseases, predation and climate change, as well as some mixing between the Beverly and Ahiak caribou herds. Five other NWT barren-ground caribou herds (the Porcupine, Cape Bathurst, Bluenose West, Bluenose East and Bathurst) have all seen declines recently. Separating the Beverly and Ahiak caribou in future monitoring work will continue to be difficult. Satellite collaring location data has revealed a large overlap between the herds’ winter and spring migration ranges, and some collared animals from the Beverly-Ahiak range have moved to the Ahiak calving ground. But Adamczewski says examples from Alaskan herds suggest “it’s much more likely that you would have seen a shift of Beverly animals if they had already been reduced to fairly low numbers.” They would have been swept up in the migration of the larger Ahiak herd. Hunter disagrees on decline The Beverly herd’s range stretches from northern Saskatchewan through the NWT to Nunavut. At least one Saskatchewan hunter thinks the Beverly herd has not declined, however, but has moved north. BQCMB alternate member Pierre Robillard of Black Lake, who participated in the GNWT’s 2008 reconnaissance survey with BQCMB member Dennis Larocque of Camsell Portage, thinks Beverly caribou have mixed with other herds north of Baker Lake. Robillard feels that global warming and far-reaching wildfires have pushed the Beverly out of his province. Fire “really, really affects the caribou.” The 2008 report, Economic Valuation and Socio-Cultural Perspectives of the Estimated Harvest of the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq Caribou Herds, pegs the net annual economic value of the Beverly harvest at about $4.9 million (based on 2005-2006 statistics). Of 10 communities from Saskatchewan, NWT, Nunavut and Alberta that hunt Beverly caribou, the five northern Saskatchewan communities harvest the most.
Survey results still to come Caribou in the classroom BQCMB meetings BQCMB SPREADS NEWS, DEMANDS PROTECTION Taking action to aid the Beverly herd, the BQCMB, with support from several NWT Environment and Natural Resources staff members, issued a press release and backgrounder to almost 40 Canadian reporters in late November. Informing as many people as possible about the Beverly herd’s shrinking numbers – as quickly as possible – was one of two strategies that BQCMB members adopted after learning at their regular November meeting that the Beverly herd’s population has declined steeply. The other strategy was to demand beefed-up protection for Beverly, as well as Qamanirjuaq, caribou and their habitats. Communications plan begun More than 20 newspapers, radio stations, magazines and news websites across Canada covered the Beverly herd decline – from CBC North, the Slave River Journal and Nunatsiaq News to The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, Saskatoon’s The StarPhoenix, The Winnipeg Free Press and CTV.ca. Oddly, there was no coverage in the NWT and Nunavut News/North chain of newspapers, including the Kivalliq News. U.S.-based Orion magazine also carried a lengthy feature about the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq herds, and uranium mining in the Kivalliq Region. A number of Canadian and international websites dedicated to Arctic issues, canoeing, backpacking, uranium mining and more picked up the Beverly herd story as well, bringing the issue to a wider audience. The BQCMB’s press release was part of a bigger communications plan calling for stronger conservation measures for both herds. The Board plans to consult with scientists, communities, organizations and others to gather information and advice about what action to take. Bringing local and traditional knowledge together with scientific knowledge, the Board will do its best to relay critical information among all groups. The BQCMB will also continue to make presentations to regional organizations and communities to spotlight caribou problems. Follow Management Plan The governments of Nunavut, NWT, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Canada are responsible for managing the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq herds and their habitats. Years ago, governments agreed on management actions and strategies. As a result, the BQCMB published the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq Caribou Management Plan (2005-2012), which in part gives direction on how to manage dwindling herds. Governments haven’t necessarily followed the plan. Some have their own caribou management plans (the NWT and Nunavut governments are developing a joint plan). The BQCMB is again urging governments to follow its plan’s principles and goals, including:
Governments should also carry out the plan’s strategy for a declining herd. It steps up monitoring and management actions so that herds can follow their natural cycle and increase in size again. And everyone should follow theplan’s goals of using caribou wisely, and supporting caribou conservation. “We’ve got to get back to the grassroots in teaching our young generation about caribous,” says BQCMB chairman Albert Thorassie. “Just take what you need.” Five other ways to protect The BQCMB is recommending five other important ways to protect Beverly caribou.
Northerners need jobs, but the Board believes they don’t want jobs that harm caribou. “We’re not against mining, but be careful,” cautions Thorassie, especially when it comes to caribou calving grounds. MEETING FORGES IDEAS FOR HERD RECOVERY At a special BQCMB technical meeting in Yellowknife in February, biologists and wildlife staff hashed out ways that all stakeholders and agencies – not just the BQCMB – can help the embattled Beverly caribou population recover. Taking part were BQCMB members and alternates Daryll Hedman (Manitoba), Tim Trottier (Saskatchewan), Jan Adamczewski (NWT) and Mitch Campbell (Nunavut), along with Nunavut government biologist Mathieu Dumond and GNWT wildlife technician Judy Williams. Also participating were the meeting’s organizers, BQCMB biologist Leslie Wakelyn and secretary-treasurer Ross Thompson, who acted as facilitator. Suggestions will be presented to all BQCMB members in May to see which ideas they support. “We wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we were to sit idle up until now,” Thompson said. “The Board has to take concerted action and some bold steps.” Action needed now Leading those steps are two key goals:
While Mother Nature is responsible for most factors behind the decline, two factors that people can manage are human disturbance and hunter harvest. (For example, hunters from the southern portion of the provinces, it’s been suggested, should be controlled). Any lessons learned about factors that led to the Beverly decline should be applied to other herds, like the Qamanirjuaq and Ahiak, to try to make sure their populations don’t fall sharply. The technical meeting pinpointed current gaps in knowledge, and drew up initiatives needed in 2009 and beyond. Working with existing and new stakeholders is critical. The BQCMB will invite PAGC, Kivalliq Inuit Association (KIA) and Nunavut Wildlife Management Board (NWMB) members to its May meeting, as well as INAC regional directors from Nunavut, NWT, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. With few cows on the Beverly calving ground these days and almost no collared animals available to track, it was agreed that a calving ground photo survey wouldn’t be worthwhile. Other options, including a visual population survey, should be evaluated. Also helpful would be assessing the population trend, using data from past surveys on the herd. And to minimize disturbance, no Beverly animals should be collared in the near future. The BQCMB will propose hosting a special workshop along with its November meeting, if funding can be obtained. Both get-togethers would be held in a location close to caribou-range communities – possibly Yellowknife.Here are some other suggestions:
PROTECTION MORE CRITICAL THAN EVER Across their ranges, Beverly and Qamanirjuaq caribou may battle stressful factors that harm their productivity and survival. Disease, parasites, predators, forest fire and extreme weather are natural culprits. Human activity has shot up, mainly due to mineral exploration and development, but also because of new roads being built, more people hunting caribou, and so on. Today’s caribou also suffer the effects of climate change, which cause some factors like parasites and forest fires to spread further. What results are cumulative effects: environmental effects from similar activities that add up over time and space. That’s why protecting the herds and their habitats is more important than ever. The BQCMB made many recommendations in a 2004 position paper, but governments still haven’t adopted most of them. The BQCMB constantly fights to gain protection. It provides important information and recommendations on caribou-related concerns during regulatory reviews of proposed exploration and development projects on key seasonal caribou habitats. Find all BQCMB submissions to regulatory agencies here. URAVAN SAYS IT MAY DROP GARRY LAKE PROJECT
After being handed guidelines to create a very detailed environmental impact statement (EIS) in its quest to explore for uranium on the core Beverly calving ground at Garry Lake, Nunavut, Uravan Minerals Incorporated chief executive officer Larry Lahusen told The Winnipeg Free Press in a Feb. 24 article that his company might abandon the project. “We can just walk away from it. We can sue the government for the $4 million we’ve spent on this project. We haven’t decided,” Lahusen was quoted as saying. Uravan had threatened to sue governments and/or third parties like the BQCMB and WWF-Canada in a press release issued in late January, prior to receiving the EIS guidelines from the NIRB. The BQCMB and others have stepped up efforts to halt the Garry Lake project. An EIS is needed for a Part 5 Review, as outlined in Article 12 of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. Such a review more closely inspects the proposal. The EIS then undergoes a technical review, followed by a public hearing. Protect calving grounds The Garry Lake property, roughly half the size of Prince Edward Island, accounts for more than 50 percent of all mineral tenures on the Beverly calving ground. Located 245 kilometres northwest of Baker Lake, the property sits in the heart of INAC’s Caribou Protection Area, as well as in a special management area recommended by the recently approved Thelon Wildlife Sanctuary Management Plan to help protect the Beverly herd and its habitat. During the NWT government’s June 2008 reconnaissance survey of calving Beverly caribou, the few cows that were found were all directly south of Garry Lake. The Beverly herd is extremely vulnerable these days. Mineral exploration has increased across the entire Beverly range, with many proposals recently for work on its spring migration route in the upper Thelon in NWT, as well as in calving and post-calving areas in Nunavut. And there has been mining and mineral exploration for decades on its winter range in northern Saskatchewan, Canada’s uranium mining capital. Impacts from disturbance, habitat loss and contaminants will pile up over time. “Caribou herds can recover from very low numbers but they have to be given every opportunity,” BQCMB biologist Leslie Wakelyn has advised the NIRB. “We need to give the Beverly herd every opportunity to recover.” Wakelyn has been submitting BQCMB concerns to the NIRB since Uravan’s land use permit application was launched in early 2008. In November 2008, BQCMB secretary-treasurer Ross Thompson travelled to Baker Lake to give a presentation to the NIRB’s scoping and guideline development workshop on the Garry Lake proposal. Yet Uravan, in its application to conduct activities at Garry Lake until October 2013, outlines operations running from May to June and from July through to mid-September—when pregnant caribou, newborn calves and post-calving caribou are using the area. In fact, Uravan asked to be exempted from having to follow INAC’s Caribou Protection Measures, which are in place from May 15 to July 15. Mining leaders set example More groups like the BQCMB are demanding caribou calving ground protection, but success has been mixed. Protecting the calving grounds in NWT and Nunavut was the top recommendation to emerge from the January 2007 Caribou Summit in Inuvik. The NWT legislature accepted the Summit’s recommendations in a March 12, 2007 vote. (Nunavut and NWT government leaders have still not met to discuss the issue.) In December 2007, following the Dene Nation Caribou Workshop in Yellowknife, leaders also passed a resolution calling, in part, for caribou calving ground protection. The Canadian government, which has worked to safeguard the Canadian side of the Porcupine herd’s calving ground, has repeatedly called on the American government to protect the Alaskan side. Yet it was the Canadian government – through INAC – that gave Uravan most of its mineral tenures on the Beverly calving ground in 1998, 2006 and 2007. Even major mining company De Beers Canada says it does not operate on calving grounds in Nunavut and NWT. Last fall, AREVA Resources Canada and Cameco stated that, currently, their exploration activities in Nunavut (and for Cameco, in NWT as well) are outside traditional calving grounds. But none of the mining companies promised to avoid post-calving areas. What’s more, Cameco is the majority partner in Uravan’s Boomerang uranium exploration properties on the Beverly herd’s key spring migration route south of the Thelon Wildlife Sanctuary, and the company has long mined uranium in northern Saskatchewan. Cameco also still held two mineral claims and three mineral leases on the Beverly calving ground as of November 2008. Cameco’s Ron Matthews said that these tenures are inactive. PUBLIC OUTCRY AGAINST GARRY LAKE It’s not the largest outcry that the NIRB has seen, but the almost 200 messages from Canada, the United States and as far away as Germany, New Zealand and even Thailand – all protesting Uravan’s application to drill on its 336,000-hectare Garry Lake property – ranks up there. The Baker Lake Hunters and Trappers Organization (HTO), the Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation and other groups were opposed, too. Many letters were triggered by an e-mail campaign started by Fort Smith canoe outfitter and biologist Alex Hall, who predicated “a firestorm” of angry public reaction if Uravan got the green light to develop. Jeff Rusk, the NIRB’s director of technical services, says there will be lots of time for the public to comment later, in written submissions and at an eventual public hearing. Excerpts from a few messages received so far:
CARIBOU RULES NEED TO BE BETTER ENFORCED
The only shield that Beverly and Qamanirjuaq caribou have against human-caused disturbance while they are on their calving and post-calving grounds are Caribou Protection Measures (CPMs). Most of the herds’ ranges in Nunavut and the NWT are Crown land held in right of the federal government. In 1978, INAC introduced CPMs to appease Baker Lake residents worried about the effects of mineral exploration on caribou, and CPMs have since been adopted by the Nunavut Planning Commission’s Keewatin Regional Land Use Plan. CPMs are conditions added to land use permits that developers must meet. But the BQCMB says more needs to be done to make sure that land use permit holders are actually following the rules. Complaints have surfaced about worrisome incidents such as low-flying planes or helicopters over caribou habitats, and rare visits by officials to check up on mining camps. In fact, some people recently voiced unhappiness about low-flying aircraft during regulatory screening for the proposed Kiggavik mining operation. “Don’t fly so low, even though you want to take pictures or chase (wildlife) away,” cautioned Mark Kingilik of Baker Lake in a submission to the NIRB. With the rapid pace of mineral exploration across the North in recent years, such incidents appear to be common. “Everybody that’s out on the land says the same thing,” says BQCMB member Earl Evans of Fort Smith. “These choppers are buzzing the caribou and harassing them because there’s nobody there to watch them.” Inspected “at least once a year” Acting senior communications officer Gillian Martin of INAC’s Nunavut Region Office says the frequency of inspections depends on the level of activity and risk at the sites, plus requirements under the permit, lease or license. “Higher risk projects/municipalities will get inspected at least once a year,” says Martin, “or as many as three or four times a year.” INAC resource management officers perform the inspections, working with other government departments, Inuit organizations and regulatory bodies. CPMs impose seasonal controls on land use operations in areas used by caribou during calving and post-calving periods, and at designated water crossings. These areas, called Caribou Protection Areas (CPAs), were once identified yearly based on the areas caribou used during calving and post-calving periods in the previous five years. In 1991, INAC cut funding to the program’s caribou-monitoring portion – essential in order to identify CPAs. Since 2007, INAC has been asking companies and individuals who apply for prospecting permits and mineral claims on the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq ranges (which far outnumber land use permits) to comply with CPMs. However, INAC can’t legally force prospecting permit and mineral claim holders to follow through on CPMs unless those permits and claims happen to require a land use permit as well. “We have no way to enforce any prospecting done by the permittee if it doesn’t require a land use authorization,” says INAC environmental policy analyst Janice Traynor. “But if prospecting takes place and reaches a level of needing a land use permit, then yes,” CPMs apply. Mineral leases, the most stringent type of holding, require land use permits. Watch for a follow-up story on CPM inspections in the next issue of Caribou News in Brief. URANIUM STILL LEADS EXPLORATION ON RANGES The NIRB has recommended to INAC Minister Chuck Strahl that the proposed Kiggavik uranium mine and mill 80 kilometres west of Baker Lake undergo either a Part 5 or Part 6 Review (as per Article 12 of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement), prior to an environmental review with public hearings. It’s up to Strahl and other ministers responsible to choose the type of review. Part 6 is a review by a federal panel, while Part 5 is a review by the NIRB. Individuals and not-for-profit organizations that want to take part can apply for funding in both cases, although the NIRB’s funding guide (ftp.nirb.ca/GUIDES) stresses that dollars are limited. INAC may also provide funding. (Story continues below.)
The entire regulatory process is expected to take four to five years. During the just-completed screening part, opinions over the Kivalliq Region’s largest uranium mining proposal ran the gamut. “I don’t want the mine open!” wrote Karyn Niego, one of many individuals and groups who responded in February to the NIRB’s request for comments on whether the project could create adverse effects. “One day I am going to have grandchildren and I know it’s going to affect their health.” The Baker Lake HTO, including member Joan Scottie and chairman Thomas Elytook (also a BQCMB member), helped almost 70 people fill out comment forms that were submitted to the NIRB. More than 60 per cent opposed AREVA’s proposal, with the largest block of opposition coming from those aged 16 to 40. Some people were torn by their desire to protect the land, and at the same time to see more jobs in Baker Lake.The Baker Lake Concerned Citizens Committee (which Scottie heads), the BQCMB, the Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation, the Athabasca Denesuline, MiningWatch Canada and the Community Coalition Against Mining Uranium (CCAMU) also registered opposition or strong concerns. MiningWatch Canada – a coalition of 19 Canadian labour, Aboriginal, environmental, social justice and development organizations – supports communities affected by mining in Canada, and affected by Canadian mining companies around the world. CCAMU represents concerned citizens from Ontario’s Ottawa Valley and Kingston area who are trying to stop a uranium mine from setting up in the region. Other people were undecided, plagued by unanswered questions. Former Baker Lake resident Paula Kigjugalik Hughson, who has a degree in botany, worried about open pit mining in permafrost. “With temperatures predicted to rise in the future, what are the plans for AREVA for remediation IF this project goes ahead?” questioned the Nunavut beneficiary. The same question was raised by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Association. Others, like Peter Tapati of Peter’s Expediting in Baker Lake, generally support Kiggavik. “Concerns need to be documented properly,” including the valuable knowledge of elders, he stipulated. Forum Uranium Corporation, which owns the 218,000-hectare North Thelon project beside the Kiggavik development area, voiced support, too. Mineral discoveries it may make “will only add years to the operational life of the (Kiggavik) mine,” Forum pointed out. About 27,000 hectares of the North Thelon project is on Inuit-Owned Land. In December, Forum became the second uranium company to sign a business deal with Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI). NTI signed a similar agreement earlier with Kaminak Gold Corporation, becoming a partner in a new company, Kivalliq Energy Corporation.
Five mines, one mill and more The Kiggavik project is majority-owned by AREVA Resources Canada Inc. JCU Exploration (Canada) Co. Ltd. and DAEWOO Corporation are the other partners. The Kiggavik project actually includes the side-by-side properties of Kiggavik and Sissons. The project calls for three open pit mines at Kiggavik plus a mill, and an open pit mine and an underground mine at Sissons. It would also build a 300-man camp, a road from Baker Lake to Kiggavik, a 20-kilometre road between Kiggavik and Sissons, fuel storage facilities at Kiggavik and Baker Lake, an airstrip and airport facilities to transport employees and materials such as drums of uranium, and more. See the 297-page project description at the NIRB’s website. The Baker Lake Concerned Citizens Committee is calling for a Part 6 review. “It is critical that the review process examine the cumulative impacts of the entire uranium development scenario likely to result from approval of the Kiggavik uranium mine, in the context of all of the mines that are likely to be developed in the region in the foreseeable future,” wrote Scottie in a letter on behalf of the group. “We all know that if the Kiggavik mine is approved then other uranium mines will inevitably follow. They will be impossible to stop.” The BQCMB repeated many concerns it had described to the NIRB before. Activities on post-calving area, low-level flights and cumulative effects were especially troubling and common to both AREVA’s exploration and proposed development. The BQCMB is also concerned by Forum Uranium’s proposed exploration. Its North Thelon site can harbour important habitat for the Beverly, Qamanirjuaq, Wager Bay and Lorillard herds throughout most of the year. Projects cluster near Baker Lake The BQCMB is also concerned by Forum Uranium’s proposed exploration because its North Thelon site can harbour important habitat for barren-ground caribou from the Beverly, Qamanirjuaq, Wager Bay and Lorillard herds throughout most of the year. The BQCMB stressed these points in June 2007 and June 2008 submissions to the NIRB. About $300 million was spent on mineral exploration and development throughout Nunavut in 2008. Here are some activities companies have announced for 2009:
Meanwhile, Western Uranium Corporation, which operates the Ruby Hill project northeast of Baker Lake on Beverly calving ground, plans no further work for now. “Depending on the resolution of the caribou issue, the Company will carefully consider whether Nunavut is a politically acceptable environment in which to conduct further exploration,” says Western Uranium’s website. No decision yet on NWT environmental assessments No ministerial decision has yet been announced following environmental assessments of four uranium exploration projects proposed for the Thelon watershed in NWT. The ministers of INAC, Environment Canada and NWT’s Environment and Natural Resources are jointly responsible for the decision.Last September, the MVEIRB recommended that Uravan's South Boomerang Lake and North Boomerang Lake proposals in the Thelon watershed be rejected, as well as Bayswater Uranium Corporation’s El Lake proposal in the same area. The MVEIRB recommended Bayswater's Crab Lake proposal, based in the adjacent Dubawnt watershed but operating in the Thelon, be approved with conditions, many aimed at curbing the project’s effects on caribou. The BQCMB had recommended to MVEIRB that all four uranium exploration proposals be rejected, largely due to potential cumulative impacts of these and other projects across the Beverly and Ahiak ranges. Meanwhile, on the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq herds’ winter ranges in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, mineral exploration remains intense. According to the Saskatchewan government, mineral exploration spending was expected to reach a record $360 million in 2008. Interest in uranium and diamonds led the way, just as they did in northern Manitoba, where in December, CanAlaska Uranium Ltd. expanded its holdings. OUTDOOR SKILLS HELP YOUTH COPE WITH LIFE
“If all children were taught from an early age about their environment and the respect needed for the flora and fauna that support life, they would develop into stronger individuals.” That’s the firm belief of Victor Moose, a councillor with O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation in South Indian Lake, Manitoba. He co-ordinated a successful school caribou hunt, funded by the BQCMB, that saw 17 students along with Moose, field trainers, cooks and others journey to nearby Big Sand Lake Lodge March 16 to 21, 2008. The hunt netted 10 caribou, 200 walleye and a moose, a bounty later shared with community members during a potluck supper. Moose’s daughter Waneda, an experienced caribou hunter, learned to butcher and skin caribou, and to filet walleye and pickerel caught while ice-fishing. She also honed her cooking skills, dishing up bannock, caribou soup and caribou stew. “I like camping and hunting,” she says shyly. “I would like to do it all the time.” Each year, the BQCMB channels funds to caribou-range community-based projects that ideally target school-age youth. Educational caribou hunts give kids a chance to gain new knowledge, including learning from elders while out on the land. For 2009, the BQCMB approved funds for hunts in Tadoule Lake, Lutselk’e, Fort Smith, Wollaston Lake, Arviat and South Indian Lake. School caribou hunts aren’t new for South Indian Lake. This was Oscar Blackburn School’s fourth annual “Ultimate Survivor” adventure, as the school calls it. Soaking up the sights, smells and sounds of nature is a way to battle problems among youth, Moose points out – problems such as drug and alcohol abuse, vandalism and dropping out of school. Unfortunately, many remote school divisions still don’t include nature activities in their programs, he says. “Outdoor skills should be taught and life skills established to assist (students) in coping with the society they have chosen to rebel against.” Thelon Wildlife Sanctuary Management Plan: In August 2008, the GNWT finally endorsed the plan, joining the Government of Nunavut, the KIA, NWMB, NTI and the Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation as partners. The NWT and Nunavut governments will try to find funding so that a management committee can meet to develop a budget and workplan. The GNWT is ready to develop Memorandums of Agreement for Aboriginal groups excluded from the management committee (such as the Denesuline and the NWT Métis Nation) to ensure they’re consulted on management decisions. Upper Thelon Land and Resource Management Plan: In December, INAC held a technical workshop for decision-making partners in Yellowknife. This didn’t include the BQCMB. Once the Board gets the report on this workshop, it will see how it can get involved in future. Nunavut Land Use Plan: The Nunavut Planning Commission is working with government and Inuit organizations to finalize the consultation process. The BQCMB will probably be invited to discussions/workshops in the fall or winter of 2009 to provide input on caribou management. Regional consultations will follow in early 2010. Athabasca Stage 1 Land Use Plan: The Saskatchewan government, PAGC and Athabascan communities have reviewed the document, and comments have been incorporated. The Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment hopes to work with the PAGC to wrap up the plan for approval in 2009/2010. CARMA
By Anne Gunn The meeting’s theme was “Putting it together” – a recognition that CARMA has come a long way since its official launch in 2004. The real beginnings of CARMA go back to 1998 when the Arctic Council set in motion projects to monitor circumpolar biodiversity, which includes caribou and reindeer. CARMA lays the groundwork, collectively monitoring caribou. But then we have to make sense of all the information. So as part of ”putting it together,” we heard about how environmental trends such as plant growth, temperatures and winter weather are affecting herds in Russia, Alaska and Canada. Many people, especially students, had a chance to report on their field studies. A dominant theme was caribou health, where students, veterinarians and biologists worked with local hunters to collect samples and share their information. Efforts have focused on the caribou on Southampton Island, the George River herd in Labrador and Quebec, and the Bathurst and Bluenose West herds. CARMA emphasizes collaborative monitoring. That means we must make sure that we collect information on caribou in a similar way so that we can make comparisons between herds around the Arctic. In working towards that goal, CARMA recently produced two technical manuals on monitoring caribou. These can be downloaded from CARMA’s website at www.carmanetwork.com.
One manual is about individual body condition and health. The second manual focuses on monitoring at the herd level. A video that goes along with the manual shows how hunters of the Bluenose West herd did caribou sampling. The video was presented during the CARMA 5 meeting and was met with enthusiastic interest. CARMA’s new website was revealed at the same time, and everyone had a chance to learn how to add information to the site. CARMA is all about working together to monitor caribou and share information. At CARMA’s annual gatherings, there are the more formal group discussions and then there are many informal conversations during coffee, lunch and evenings. Those conversations between such a diverse group of people lead to exchanges of ideas, information and future collaborations. CARMA 5 was no exception. One day, group discussions focused on the tools that agencies/co-management boards need to monitor caribou, and CARMA’s role in developing these tools. Tools suggested to support management decisions that CARMA could develop included a manual for cumulative effects assessment, models and other tools that would help develop thresholds for risks to herds. Another example of the many suggestions was ensuring that predictions about the implications of global change – especially climate change – flow to policy-makers as well as to communities. The meeting ended with a flurry of good wishes and the promise of getting together again in 2009. And so we went our ways, committed to work together for caribou and the people dependent on them. Although Anne Gunn retired a few years ago as caribou biologist for the NWT, she is still committed to working with people and caribou conservation. As part of that, Gunn works with CARMA, the circumpolar network dedicated to caribou and reindeer.COMMUNITY OBSERVATIONS IMPORTANT FOR CARMA CARMA (CircumArctic Rangifer Monitoring and Assessment Network) is a group of scientists, managers and community people who have a common interest in the survival of the northern Rangifer (caribou and wild reindeer) herds. CARMA works collaboratively among communities, scientists and governments to share information on the environment, and the status and use of wild caribou and reindeer herds around the North. CARMA also synthesizes information about existing community monitoring, climate stations, remote sensing, field studies, socio-economic data and development activity to understand the full impacts of change on the human/Rangifer system. Presently, CARMA is funded under the Canadian International Polar Year program. With this funding, we are in turn funding a number of international projects that will help us achieve our goals. Observations from community members, particularly Rangifer hunters, are important for CARMA. We are working with co-management groups to develop tools that will aid in decision-making. Over the next couple of years, CARMA will gather data about a number of herds and, through a cross-herd analysis and synthesis, will assess the vulnerabilities of herds to future global change. CARMA has identified a number of “reference” herds to which we will pay particular attention in order to compare and contrast their ecology, including relationships with people. These reference herds include the Qamanirjuaq and Southampton. Contact Mitch Campbell of the Government of Nunavut about these herds (phone: 867-857-2828 or e-mail: MCampbell1@gov.nu.ca). - Anne Gunn THOSE ON THE FRONT LINES VOICE WORRIES Getting the perspectives of caribou-range residents – many of whom hunt regularly – is vital. So while the number of those at the Aboriginal peoples’ meeting held before CARMA 5 may have been small, the points they raised dealt with big issues. That included selective hunting, a concern voiced by BQCMB member Earl Evans of Fort Smith, one of the handful of Canadian and U.S. participants at the meeting. Outfitters take prime bulls, Evans told Caribou News in Brief, “all the best they can get their hands on from the herd,” while Aboriginal hunters take all the best cows. “They’re trying to get the fattest animals.” The result is that the best animals from both sexes are being hunted, and over time, breeding could “lead to an animal of lesser genetics.” He envisioned other problems, too. Weaker cows wouldn’t breed as early in their lives. And often cows in poor shape “won’t come into heat when they should,” coming into heat a month later instead. This delays the calving period, and calves born later are smaller and frailer heading into winter. A related worry is the sight of cows lactating as late as March. “Why are we seeing these cows with milk so late in the year?” questioned Evans, who has witnessed this while doing caribou sampling for the NWT government. “Something is happening with the breeding cycle, I think.” Before, “they’d be long done by the time we’re hunting in the spring.” Discussions at the meeting also focused heavily on industrial development – both in Alaska, where fear of disturbance to the Porcupine calving ground in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge remains a real threat, and in Canada. Evans predicted that extensive uranium exploration in the upper Thelon could change life for the caribou-reliant residents of Lutselk’e, as development and other factors did years ago for Fort Smith. “I see Fort Smith like a snapshot in time of what’s going to happen to them,” Evans says. “We used to be a caribou community, but we’re not now. We’re way on the outskirts.” BQCMB: NEW CHAIRMAN, EVOLVING ROLE
Albert Thorassie of Tadoule Lake has assumed the reins as Board chairman, replacing fellow Manitoban Jerome Denechezhe of Lac Brochet, whose three-year term came to an end in November 2008. Denechezhe, with the Board since it began in 1982, also served as chairman from 1993 until 1999. Thorassie started as a BQCMB observer in 1986. When Board member Peter Yassie of Tadoule Lake passed away, Thorassie stepped in as a member in 1991. Well-spoken and well-liked by his colleagues, Thorassie has a strong grasp of caribou management issues, having attended almost all BQCMB meetings despite a heavy travel schedule in his land negotiations job with the Sayisi Dene First Nation. “When you’re committed, you’re committed,” Thorassie chuckles. “I’ve learned so much since 1986.” The new North’s challenges A new chairman at the helm is not the only change around the Board table. For the past few years, the BQCMB has been evolving to meet new caribou management challenges, and it’s now a stakeholder of standing, recognized by regulatory agencies such as the NIRB. Canada’s North has changed tremendously since the drafting of the original Beverly and Qamanirjuaq Barren Ground Caribou Management Agreement, the document that sets outthe BQCMB’s responsibilities. Resource development, new roads, climate change and growing communities on the ranges are some of the new realities that make managing large caribou herds more demanding – especially when one of those herds, the Beverly, is in a major decline. Some new tasks that the BQCMB has taken on include:
WWF-Canada, AREVA Resources Canada and Cameco all have made financial contributions to help the BQCMB carry out initiatives, such as caribou monitoring, and gathering and circulating information. (Cameco is the newest partner, having given the BQCMB $25,000 in 2008 to go towards caribou management efforts.) Others like Titan Uranium have lent the use of camps and facilities during caribou monitoring efforts. “One of the positive things that we’ve noticed in the Board’s new role is the willingness of industry and non-government organizations to come forward and help us do our work, which is more pressing now with the issues facing the two herds,” says BQCMB secretary-treasurer Ross Thompson. FAREWELL TO TWO FRIENDS OF THE BQCMB
The BQCMB family was deeply saddened by the untimely deaths in early 2009 of two strong supporters of caribou management. Lawrence Catholique of Lutselk’e died accidentally from carbon monoxide poisoning while in his sweat lodge. A BQCMB member from 1991 to 1997, Catholique was a spiritual healer, drug and alcohol counsellor, and former band leader. His funeral service noted his lifelong love for the land. He often spent entire seasons on the land, sometimes completely alone. Catholique also greatly respected traditional Dene culture and history. In an effort to bring back the Denesuline way of drumming, a Denesuline drumming workshop was staged in Lutselk’e in the spring of 2008. It hosted drummers from Lac Brochet and Catholique had them meet community members, and demonstrate their drumming for students at the local school, as well as drum dances and hand games during the community’s spring carnival. That summer, Catholique travelled to Lac Brochet to work with drummers and elders there. Long-time Baker Lake resident Orin Durey, a former commercial pilot and teacher at Jonah Amitnaaq Secondary School, also passed away earlier this year, succumbing to cancer. Over the years he attended a number of BQCMB meetings, and several times piloted his own plane, bringing former BQCMB member David Aksawnee with him. Durey was passionate in his commitment to caribou, and pointed out disturbances to the herds arising from industrial development in submissions to regulatory agencies. The BQCMB extends condolences to the family and friends of both men. They will be missed. CARIBOU AND THE NORTH: A SHARED FUTURE
REPORT BACKS CARIBOU COUNTING METHOD – MOSTLY An independent report intended to end an argument over whether NWT caribou herds are dwindling or not concludes that, based on current limited data, the herds have been declining since the 1990s. But the government should gather much more information about caribou movements to draw stronger conclusions, says the Alberta Research Council report released in January. The report was reviewed for accuracy by veteran biologists Don Russell and Ray Cameron. For herds such as the Beverly, Qamanirjuaq and Ahiak, the number of collared caribou should be increased by at least “two to three times more than are currently out there,” says Jason Fisher, the report’s principle author. Still, “we recognize there are all kinds of political views against the collaring of caribou. . . . The NWT has to weigh these out together.” Both NTI and the Dene National Assembly have opposed collars, asserting that they harm caribou. The report also said surveys were irregular, both in how often they were conducted and the way they were done, and this hampered population comparisons. The report made eight other recommendations, and ENR communications planning specialist Ella Stinson says the government’s response will be built into its upcoming 2011-2016 caribou management strategy. A lawsuit filed by three caribou outfitters against the NWT government was dropped after the government agreed to have an independent report done. Caribou tags for outfitters were sharply limited after surveys discovered declines in NWT barren-ground caribou herds. The BQCMB’s action-packed November 2008 meeting was brimming with guest presenters, as well as observers. Chief Rosalie Tsannie-Burseth of Wollaston’s Hatchet Lake Band spoke fervently about the importance of caribou. Councillor Phillip Josie of the Hatchet Lake Band, plus councillors Florence Catholique of the Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation and Willie Joe Laurent from the Fond du Lac Band, attended, too. Conservation Minister Stan Struthers, deputy minister Don Cook and director Steve Kearney came to hear more about the 2008 Qamanirjuaq population survey. Brian Hagglund and Ken Rebizant of Manitoba Conservation were there, too, as was biologist Vicki Trim. Students Waneda Moose and William John Spence of South Indian Lake, along with councillor Victor Moose, regaled all with highlights from a school caribou hunt funded by the BQCMB. And the Sayisi Dene Thunder drumming group gave a stirring performance (see “Around the range”). On hand, too, were Robert Moshenko of the NWMB, Raymond Mercer of NTI’s wildlife secretariat, Monte Hummel of WWF-Canada, Nathan Clements of the Canadian Wildlife Federation and John Williams of the Manitoba Wildlife Federation. Mining company reps also briefed BQCMB members, including Barry McCallum and Diane Martens of AREVA Resources Canada, and Rachel Gould of Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited. Ron Matthews, Cameco’s regular liaison, has moved to Perth, Australia, where he’s setting up an office for the Kintyre uranium exploration project. Sean Willy will be Cameco’s new rep at BQCMB meetings.
Replacements haven’t been appointed yet for former BQCMB members Dan Shewchuk (Nunavut government), Carl McLean (INAC), and Deb Johnson (NWT government), although Allicia Kelly has now replaced Johnson as the South Slave Region biologist. Wildlife director Susan Fleck participated on the NWT’s behalf, Nunavut district manager Peter Kusugak represented INAC, and Kivalliq Region biologist Mitch Campbell filled in for Shewchuk, who successfully ran for the Nunavut legislature last October, and then became Nunavut’s Minister of Environment. For six years, Shewchuk was a much-appreciated BQCMB member. Johnson is handling “a tremendous workload” as a student at the University of Saskatchewan’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon, but she’ll return to ENR this summer to do work on the Beverly and Ahiak caribou herds. McLean, meanwhile, is back in caribou country – he’s in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador, working as lands director for the Nunatsiavut government’s Department of Land and Natural Resources. “I learned lots about the caribou we were tasked to watch,” McLean recalls fondly of his time with the BQCMB. “I encourage the Board to keep up the great work and watch over this important resource for all northerners.”
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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Although the size of the Beverly herd population is still unknown, the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) says evidence from its June 2007 and June 2008 systematic reconnaissance surveys at the peak of calving season shows that the herd’s numbers have dropped sharply. 
