The Porcupine Caribou Management Board works to manage the Porcupine Caribou Herd, one of the largest herds of migratory caribou on the continent, and protect and maintain its habitat in Canada. The herd faces numerous threats, including climate change and increasing human activity within its range and on its calving grounds.
 New & noteworthy
The Draft North Yukon Land Use Plan review period has concluded. All comments, including the PCMB's comments, can be viewed on the North Yukon Planning Commission website. The site will also have links to the draft plan.
Go to the Draft North Yukon Land Use Plan comments
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This spring, researchers made yet another admirable attempt to obtain a caribou census. As it turns out, the caribou herd didn't cooperate. Instead of gathering on the coastal plain like they usually do – which creates an excellent photo opportunity, allowing the herd to be counted from the pictures – the caribou gathered in the mountains, which cast shadows over large numbers of caribou. The photos were thus not properly exposed, and the caribou could not be counted.
This memo from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game provides a detailed explanation of why the caribou could not be counted.
The good news is that this photocensus is really a luxury. Most other species or other caribou herds never get counted in this manner. Although the photocensus is the best method of counting the herd, researchers are able to estimate the herd's population using other methods. At the current time, it is estimated that the herd's population is between 110,000 and 112,000.
For more information about the latest attempt at a photocensus and the herd's population, read the October 2007 edition of Caribou Update.
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The Harvest Management Strategy Workshop took place on October 18-21 at the Midnight Sun Recreational Complex in Inuvik, NWT. You can download the meeting report here.
We are pleased to announce that all user groups and the territorial governments have signed the Harvest Management Strategy Protocol. The one remaining signature will come from the Government of Canada, which has expressed its support in principle. Canada has also already contributed funding to further the Harvest Management Strategy. Given this strong commitment, we are in an excellent position to proceed with the Strategy.
This Strategy is possibly our single most important step in ensuring the caribou are best protected in the face of the herd's declining population. We know that all user groups are concerned about the declining population of the herd, and there are many different ways to approach the problem.
This Strategy is our attempt to bring the representatives of all parties together, face to face, so they can share their concerns and ideas. The community representatives then can work together to develop a comprehensive plan that will be presented to the governments. If all leaders sign the Harvest Management Plan, the Plan will have credibility and strength, so that the Ministers will have to take it very seriously.
We know that in the absence of the Strategy the governments might opt to impose harvest management options on their own. The greatest risk is that the population of the herd will decline before any action is taken, to the point that there are too few caribou remaining to hunt.
For further information on the Harvest Management Strategy, consult our new Harvest Management Strategy section.
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The 20th anniversary edition of the PCMB Annual Report is now available for download. It contains a wealth of information on the Board's activities, as well as herd information, community profiles, and much more. You can download your copy from our Reference desk.
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A summary of the September PCMB Board Meeting is now available. It covers what was discussed at the meeting, including the state of the herd, PCMB activities, Dempster Highway hunting regulations, the Harvest Management Strategy workshop, and more. You can find it in the Updates section.
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Each year, we receive a calving survey report from Stephen Arthur from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. This year, the calving survey was conducted in June of 2007, and the news is very good. Estimates of calf production and survival for June this year are among the highest ever recorded. Highlights of the report are as follows:
- During winter of 2006-07, the majority of the herd wintered in or near the Richardson Mountains.
- By early June, much of the traditional calving area in ANWR was covered in snow, and most calving occurred in northern Yukon. By June 19, most of the herd had moved into the Refuge, where the weather was sunny and warm. By June 22, a cold front moved in, and the caribou moved south into the Brooks Range. When warm, sunny weather returned on June 29, the caribou began their aggregation, which enabled the photocensus.
- The parturition rate is the percent of cows that were pregnant or had given birth. This June, the rate was 88%; the mean is 67 percent.
- By June, 83% of the calves still survived, and the mean is 74%.
- The late June calf:cow ratio was 73%, and the mean is only 60%.
Usually, when the herd calves in Canada, calf survival is reduced. This year is different. Several factors may have helped, including:
- The herd wintered farther north than usual, and the range conditions might have been better.
- Because the winter range was closer to the coastal plain, the spring migration was shorter. The caribou arrived in the calving area sooner than in many years.
- Most calves were born several days earlier than usual, so they had additional time to grow before the herd moved west into Alaska. This movement involves crossing some major rivers, which is likely an important cause of mortality of young calves.
- There was mild weather and favourable snow conditions in the calving area, and that probably helped the new calves survive.
You can read the entire report here.
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In April of 2006, the PCMB made the following recommendations to the Yukon and Northwest Territories Ministers of Environment:
- The Government of Yukon should enforce mandatory use of blaze orange safety vests or jackets by all hunters year-round in all Dempster Highway subzones within the Yukon.
- The Government of Yukon and the Government of the Northwest Territories should work with a sub-committee of the PCMB, in partnership with all relevant governments and user groups, to develop and implement educational programs incorporating traditional knowledge and cultural values.
The PCMB also renewed its recommendation for a second one-week closure to allow the leaders to cross the Dempster Highway undisburbed in both the northern and southern portions of the range.
The recommendations can be viewed here.
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On May 12, 2006, the Minister accepted the recommendations, but committed to undertake the appropriate government-to-government consultations with affected First Nations, as required.
The Minister concluded his consultations, and on April 30, 2007, he replied to the PCMB. You can view his letter here. Essentially, the Minister replied that he would not proceed with a regulation requiring use of blaze orange safety vests or with the second hunting closure along the Dempster Highway.
In his letter, the Minister indicated that he received mixed support from affected First Nations and Inuvialuit. In addition, the Minister indicated that he hoped that alternative solutions, or a broader support for the two proposed regulations, will come out of the Harvest Management Strategy. He went on to say that if the Harvest Management Strategy fails to address the conservation and safety concerns, then he would be prepared to implement measures on an emergency basis or on a long-term basis.
The PCMB agrees with the Minister that the Harvest Management Strategy is vital to the conservation of the herd. The PCMB also agrees that any regulations can potentially affect each user group differently, and that each user group has its own perspective. Thus, the Harvest Management Strategy, by bringing all parties together to discuss in person conservation concerns and potential, will indeed be the most effective way to ensure the caribou and the users can thrive.
It is important to note that the Minister had committed to the PCMB recommendation for a Porcupine Caribou Herd education program that incorporates traditional knowledge and cultural values, and this support continues.
Finally, the PCMB recognizes the Minister's commitment to supporting the Harvest Management Strategy. Unlike the PCMB regulation consultation process, in which all parties submit their comments only to the PCMB, the Strategy will allow parties to hear from each other and respond to each other's concerns. Thus, this Strategy is truly the best way to ensure the users can work together to identify their own recommendations.
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Northern Cross recently made an application to the Yukon Environmental and Socioeconomic Assessment Board (YESAB) to pursue a project in the Eagle Plains area, part of the Porcupine Caribou Herd's winter range. The PCMB made a submission to YESAB on February 21, 2007.
On April 4, 2007, the Government of Yukon issued its decision. Click here to download the final decision document.
All parties' submissions as well as YESAB's evaluation can be found online at www.yesab.tzo.com/wfm/lamps/yesab/lowspeed/projectsearch.jsp. Refer to project number 2006-0285.
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The PCMB oversees a satellite collar project in cooperation with other organizations. The collars provide information about the location of the herd and help monitor the migration patterns. Publication of locations used to be updated regularly, with a two-week delay. On February 20, 2007, the PCMB directed that publication of the exact locations be discontinued. Click here to view the letter. This direction was made pursuant to the PCMB's resolution that recognized the immediate need for conservation of the herd. Specifically, the PCMB notes that hunters used the Web site to assist them in determining when where to hunt.
The Satellite Collar Project Web site still provides information about the project. Maps with seasonal movements of the caribou herd continue to be available, as well as maps showing movements of individual caribou for all years of this study.
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We have just updated our Population page to include more recent herd information and increased details on census methods and population fluctuations.
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The Porcupine Caribou Management Board is concerned about the rate of the herd's decline. However, fear that the population might have dropped by over 60 percent in the last five years is unfounded. Read more in this news release.
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The PCMB recently passed the following three resolutions:
- Resolution 06-01: Board Member Communication
- Resolution 06-02: For the Conservation of the Porcupine Caribou Herd
- Resolution 06-03: Board Member Representation
The full text of these resolutions can be found in our Reference desk.
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There are many instances where the PCMB prefers to react to concerns with education as opposed to regulation. In the fall of 2005, the Board started working with First Nation and Territorial Governments to prepare a comprehensive education program for Yukon and NWT caribou hunters. The PCMB is leading the development of this package to ensure that those hunting issues which the PCMB recommended further education are included in education programs delivered to PCH users. The program will:
- include traditional knowledge
- teach best practices to ensure hunter safety and reduce meat wastage
- clarify legal requirements for licensed hunters, resident hunters and non-resident hunters
- have many components suitable for all age groups
- be shared with First Nations and other groups who might deliver hunter education relating to the Porcupine Caribou herd so that these groups can use all or part of this curriculum to suit their education needs.
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This report, written by D.E. Russell and P. McNeil of Environment Canada, summarizes the most recent research on the status of the herd, the ecological factors affecting its productivity during the calving and immediate post-calving periods, and how climate change and potential hydrocarbon development may affect the herd. This 2nd edition was published in March 2005. Click here to download a copy.
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These summaries, compiled by the U.S. Government, give an in-depth study of wildlife and their habitats in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, including a large section on the Porcupine Caribou. You can look at the summaries online at www.absc.usgs.gov/1002, or you can download a PDF copy at alaska.usgs.gov/BSR-2002/usgs-brd-bsr-2002-001.html.
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If you have spotted unusual animals or animal activity in the range of the Porcupine Caribou Herd, please report your sighting at this link: yukon.taiga.net/unusualsightings.
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