Save the caribou!
August 2005
The Porcupine Caribou Management Board is grateful for all the work many organizations and individuals have been doing in an effort to protect the 1002 lands in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
The PCMB continues its own efforts to that end as well as supports other organizations' work. Without permanent protection of the herd's calving grounds, the future of the herd remains uncertain.
It is important to also remember, though, that the population of the herd has been declining steadily over the past decade – even though there has been no disruption of the calving grounds.
Protecting the calving grounds, then, is only part of protecting the caribou.
While hunting is not the cause of the herd's decline, conscientious hunting can be a part of the solution. Thus, individuals can immediately help the herd by lessening hunting stress on the caribou so more animals can live to reproduce. Fortunately, this can be accomplished by changing hunting habits rather than reducing harvests.
For example, if hunters shoot only bull caribou, then the cow caribou can live to reproduce and replenish the herd.
Hunters can also prevent losses of caribou due to wounding. Some wounding losses happen when the bullets pass through one animal and then injure other animals. Those injured animals can die days after being shot, so they don't get harvested.
To prevent wounding loss, hunters can practice their shots to check accuracy, ensure their guns are sighted-in before each hunt and only shoot caribou that are positioned away from the rest of the herd.
Some animals are lost when they are shot and cannot be retrieved by the hunter. This can happen if an animal is killed just before dark and it cannot be properly retrieved or field dressed before the light disappears.
Other times, an animal might be shot when it is in a location the hunter cannot access, and then the hunter can't bring home the meat. Or an enthusiastic hunter might waste meat if he takes more animals in a day than he or she can pack home.
To prevent these kinds of losses, hunters need to be alert to the time, location and number of animals they are hunting.
Animals are wasted, too, when mature bull caribou are shot during the rut. Between October 8 and 31, you can expect their meat to be tough, stringy, and foul smelling.
To ensure you get the best meat for your hunt, schedule your hunting trips for a different time. The second best strategy would be to aim for young male caribou that are probably not actively breeding.
The caribou that lead the migration should not be hunted; they guide the rest of the herd. Protecting the leaders ensures migration patterns aren't disrupted.
The Dempster Highway is closed to hunting for a week during the fall in most years to ensure the leaders can pass that area without being affected by hunting.
The time of the hunting closure varies, depending on the migration pattern. Notice of the closure is provided on the radio, in the newspapers and on signs posted on the Dempster Highway.
Despite the fact that the Porcupine Caribou hunting tradition has existed for thousands of years, advocates for oil development have argued that the biggest threat to the caribou is the hunters. When hunters adhere to conservation-minded hunting practices, they prove drilling proponents wrong.
Non-hunters can make a difference, too.
All outdoor enthusiasts can be respectful of the caribou and their habitat. For example, everyone should avoid chasing caribou on snow machines.
Not only is harassment of wildlife is illegal, but also, when frightened caribou flee, the accumulated stress from several incidents over time can seriously affect their health. This stress can even affect the ability of cows to calve and nurse their young.
Hunters have noticed that after caribou are chased, the caribou's stress hormones make the meat less tasty.
Snow machines should only be used after the ground has frozen with six inches of snow on the tundra.
Conservation officers at checkpoints along the Dempster Highway can confirm that snow machine use is permissible. This regulation protects vulnerable plants from damage and ensures the caribou have food when they need it.
Other actions we can take to save the caribou are less directly related to the caribou themselves.
Everyone who cares about the environment can commit to reducing their oil consumption. Even small steps can have a cumulative benefit on world oil consumption, so here are a couple pain-free ideas.
Those who don't walk or bike can keep their automobile tires properly inflated and replace old tires with premium quality tires.
The Natural Resources Defense Council speculates that if everyone looked after their tires, the fuel savings over 50 years would equal about 35% of the amount of oil that 1002 drilling is estimated to produce during that same timeframe.
California Senator Barbara Boxer (D) suggests advising oil companies that you would boycott their companies if they try to develop in the Refuge. From www.barbaraboxer.com, you can link to "Tell the Oil Companies to Stay out of ANWR."
Boxer provides online contact information for CEOs of oil companies as well as sample letters to send them.
Many, many advocates are working for protection of the calving grounds.
The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society has been advocating for protection of the calving grounds.
International advocates include the Gwich'in Steering Committee with its members in Alaska and Yukon, as well as the Sierra Club and the World Wildlife Fund.
American organizations include the Alaska Coalition, Defenders of Wildlife, the National Resources Defense Council, the Wilderness Society and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.
The Alaska Wilderness League's Web site provides regular updates on the American Congressional debates that affect the caribou, as well as other environmental matters in that state.
Many individuals and organizations are still working hard to protect the calving grounds.
It is up to those of us who live in the North to ensure we tread lightly on the rest of the herd's range and ensure the caribou are harvested responsibly.
UPDATES MENU
|