Session Four - Panel Discussion on
Lessons in Disturbance Research and Monitoring
The First North American Caribou Workshop held in Whitehorse, Yukon in September 1983 selected the theme "Caribou and Human Activity" to focus attention on this important and controversial subject. Our purpose for this focus session at the 8th North American Caribou Workshop is to fundamentally learn from our experience with human developments and their impacts to caribou and examine how we have progressed over the last 15 years.
The panel presentations are constructed to provide a broad range of experience encompassing long and short term monitoring, research findings, mitigation measures, stakeholder interactions, and the evolving role of First Nations in regulatory processes. Panel members will stimulate discussion by sharing with us their experiences. We hope to activate a healthy dialogue and thereby expose the real issues as well facilitate some solutions that will make a difference.
In addition to the caribou research and management community this session will be open to a broader audience composed of environmental groups, industry, First Nation's, management boards and resource councils and, other interested public for questions and comments. Our discussion will be recorded and summarized in the Workshop proceedings.
Let's see if mitigation measures are successful in reducing human
impacts on caribou or are we long on rhetoric and short on fact.
The organizers believe that this will be a very instructive portion
of the Workshop, particularly given the opportunity to compare
experience provided by our Norwegian colleagues with similar approaches
in North America.
Sponsors Messages:
David Parker, Manager, Regulatory and Public Affairs, Cominco
Ltd
Davis Mchaina, Environmental Engineer, Boliden Corp
Eric Madsen, Manager, Site Environment, Diavik Diamond Mines
Inc.
Panel Member Profiles
Chair - Susan Will
Ms. Will is an anthropologist who now works in the conflict resolution
field as a team facilitator within the United Sates federal government
on organizational development, and public dispute processes. The
latter have included the Fortymile Caribou Herd Management Team,
the Muskox Cooperators Group and the Cache Creek subcommittee
for the Tanana Valley State Forest Plan. Susan provides professional
skills in decision-making and problem-solving of public resource
issues.
Jonathan Edward Colman
Mr. Colman is a Ph.D. student at the University of Oslo, Norway.
He is originally from Hartford Ct., USA. The majority of the
work Jonathan is involved in revolves around behavior ecology
of wild reindeer, with special emphasis on activity and "disturbance"
behavior. He has studied wild reindeer in Southern Norway and
on Svalbard and is presently engaged in projects involving the
ecological interactions between reindeer and sheep on shared summer
range, behavioral reactions of wild/feral reindeer to humans on
foot, skis and snowmobiles, and the effects of high voltage power
lines on wild reindeer behavior, distribution and demography.
Jonathan will share with us experience with range fragmentation,
overgrazing and anthropogenic disturbance in Norwegian reindeer
ranges.
Colin Edey
Mr. Edey is presenting on behalf of the Northeast and Northwest
Standing Committees on Woodland Caribou in Alberta, Canada. Colin
joined NOVA Ltd. in 1988 and holds responsibilities for Aboriginal
relations and environmental strategies in support of the NOVA's
natural gas pipeline expansion in Alberta with particular attention
to forest environments. The regional committees have focused
on partnerships, research and consensus building towards integrating
resource development and woodland caribou conservation. Numerous
benefits have been realised as a result of this collaborative
venture. Mr. Edey has thirty years of experience in land and
resource development including major energy pipeline projects
in Canada, integrated land use values, public consultation and
forest research.
Stephen M. Murphy
Mr. Murphy has been working for Alaska Biological Research Inc.
since 1981 as a Research Biologist, and since 1986 as Research
Coordinator for this company. Stephen has specialized in evaluating
the behavioral responses of caribou to anthropogenic disturbances,
including oil-field development and military jet aircraft. He
and his co-workers at ABR have been instrumental in developing
design criteria for pipelines and roads to allow free passage
of caribou through the oil fields. During the past several years
Stephen has collaborated with university and agency scientists
to model the energetic costs of human/caribou interactions, which
greatly enhances our ability to predict the demographic consequences
of these interactions.
Robert Florkiewicz
Mr. Florkiewicz has been employed as a wildlife biologist for
the Yukon Department of Renewable Resources since 1986. Since
1990 he has held the post of Habitat/Regional Biologist in southeast
Yukon accomplishing major projects in the Liard Basin and the
Finlayson caribou range. In 1997, he accepted the position of
Southern Lakes Regional Biologist. Rob has been conducting studies
of the Finalyson caribou herd which has recently been subjected
to intensive mining exploration activity. Findings from these
studies coupled with cooperative planning among mining companies
such as Cominco Ltd. and Westmin - Boliden Resources, the Ross
River First Nation, and Yukon Territorial Government will enable
better land based developments in the herds range.
Joe Tetlichi
Mr. Tetlichi was born and raised in Fort McPherson, Northwest
Territories. As was customary for native children at that time,
he received his formal education through the residential school
system. During his youth he was also taught traditional Gwich'in
skills of hunting and trapping by the male members of his extended
family. Following his formal schooling he spent several years
working and then time on the land trapping. Joe then served as
Chair of the Tetlit Gwich'in Renewable Resource Council and as
Chief of the Tetlit Gwich'in First Nation in Fort McPherson.
He was unanimously selected as Chair of the Porcupine Caribou
Management Board in November, 1995. Joe combines a working knowledge
of traditional values of the land together with the ability to
deal with the ever changing political realities that Northern
people are facing today. Joe will share with us the Porcupine
Caribou Management Board perspective on human developments in
relation to caribou.
Robbie Keith
Mr. Keith has been a member of the Canadian Arctic Resource Committee since 1977 and served as chairperson from 1985 to 1990. Throughout this period his research has focused on several policy issues in the Canadian Arctic beginning with petroleum development and pipelines in the mid-1970's. Since then his research has included work on contaminants, country food and public health; environmental assessment; land use planning and management; mineral exploration and development; renewable resource management; traditional knowledge, scientific information and sustainability; and circumpolar issues. From its earliest days, CARC has maintained an on-going involvement in caribou issues.