Caribou Legal Petition and Outreach

December 1, 2017

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• Caribou
• WLA Archive

Wild Lands Advocate update by Carolyn Campbell, Conservation Specialist

A pdf version of this article is available here.

The Alberta government missed its October 2017 deadline to complete caribou range plans. Under the federal recovery strategy, the provinces and territories had five years to produce plans outlining how boreal caribou home ranges will be managed to reach a minimum of 65 percent undisturbed habitat. That is one of the most important requirements for Alberta’s endangered caribou to survive and recover.  The federal government reported in late October that human-caused disturbance in ten Alberta boreal ranges actually has increased since the recovery strategy was released (it dropped slightly in the two most remote northwest ranges, Bistcho and Yates). This report also stated that Alberta will release its range plans in December 2017.

Meanwhile, AWA has been very active helping people learn why it’s so urgent to protect and restore the lands caribou need, and how to help make that happen. With partners David Suzuki Foundation and Ontario Nature, we highlighted the lack of habitat protection with industrial “hot spot” maps for the Chinchaga (Alberta), Pipmuacan (Quebec) and Brightsand (Ontario) caribou ranges. The satellite image maps, created by Sean Nichols, have interactive ‘sliders’ so people can vividly see the habitat loss in the five years since the recovery strategy’s release. We launched the ‘Quarters for Caribou’ postcards. We screened the beautiful and relevant film “Last Stand: The Vanishing Caribou Rainforest” about BC mountain caribou, where I also discussed the Alberta situation.  We are also making it clear to the federal and Alberta governments that the Species at Risk Act must be upheld. On November 27, AWA, Cold Lake First Nations, David Suzuki Foundation and Ecojustice wrote to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada asking her to recommend a safety net order to protect habitat of five northeast Alberta caribou populations. We included a ‘petition’ documenting that the critical habitat of these declining herds is excessively disturbed and remains unprotected by provincial or federal laws. “If any portion of the critical habitat of the northeastern herds remains unprotected as of May 1, 2018, the Petitioners are prepared to take legal action to ensure that the critical habitat protection provisions in section 61 of the Species at Risk Act are applied and enforced.”

Caribou are central to northern Alberta indigenous communities. In explaining why they are partners in the petition, Cold Lake First Nations Chief and Council stated:

“Cold Lake First Nations sides with the caribou. If the caribou can survive on the land then so can we.” I was proud to participate as a panelist at a caribou forum November 29 at University of Alberta, hosted by the Confederacy of Treaty Number Six First Nations. Event moderator Crystal Lameman of Beaver Lake Cree Nation outlined how caribou are integral to their inherent and Treaty rights. One of the highlights was to hear Elder Brian Grandbois of the Cold Lake First Nations speak about the importance of caribou to his own and neighbouring communities.

As a final note, the caribou4ever.ca website is a great resource for all who want to help caribou. Check out snappy Q and A caribou facts, the hot spot maps, a virtual caribou postcard to send to the Premier, and professional, easy-to-print brochures and cards to circulate. Your help is vital in the next months to save our caribou from extinction.