Caribou and You

An Endangered Species Act that's starting to look like swiss cheese

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 22:10:17 +0000

Ontario's Endangered Species Act helps to protect Woodland caribou habitat from encroaching development. Or at least it did.

Now, the Ontario government is announcing that it will exempt industry from the Act where caribou are concerned. In other words, the only major threat to an endangered species will be ignored by the very law meant to protect them!

You can help -- write a letter to Ontario's Minister of Natural Resources, and learn more here.

Harness your inner ninja

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 20:51:05 +0000

Here's something new for the young folks and the young at heart: A youtube-based video game starring everyone's favourite boreal ungulate!

Make it all the way to the end, and a special opportunity awaits.

Play the game now!

Back to the Boreal

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 14:07:15 +0000

Wow! I can’t believe it’s been 18 months already since I left my Boreal home to come to Ottawa to work with CPAWS on their Caribou And You campaign. It’s been a fantastic year and a half for me. I learned so much more about the intricacies of the relationship between woodland caribou, humans, and the boreal. There are a lot of very passionate, smart, and amazing people involved in helping to save my species from disappearing from Canada. It’s an honour and pleasure to have met so many of them.

But, now it’s time for me to return to my Boreal roots and do my part to help grow the herd.Thank you to everyone who supported my adventures in Ottawa and the Caribou And You project. You made my stay with CPAWS an awesome experience. I wish you all the best and a very Happy Holidays.

Until we meet again,
-Bou
a woodland caribou

How to be a woodland caribou for Halloween this year.

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 16:08:20 +0000

Last year I put together a DIY video on how to make your own set of woodland caribou antlers with some tips on how to act like one of the herd. Just in case you missed it and are still fretting over what to go as for Halloween, here it is again:

Happy Halloween everyone - BOU!!!

Vote to give ends Oct. 31, 2010

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 18:37:32 +0000

The Body Shop Foundation is celebrating 20 years of giving by giving you the opportunity to vote for one of three awesome causes to be awarded a Foundation grant.

You can vote for environmental protection, human rights, or animal protection. The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) was chosen by the Foundation to represent the environmental protection cause.

I encourage you to participate by voting. It takes less than a minute to do. Yes, I voted for environmental protection. Yes, I work with the amazing people at CPAWS. But, more importantly my species, Canada's threatened woodland caribou, need to protect our environment, Canada's Boreal forest, and keep it intact to give us a fighting chance to survive.

Voting closes October 31, 2010. Please vote now.

You can vote here: http://www.facebook.com/thebodyshopcanada?v=app_10442206389

Give a Park some love!

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 21:09:35 +0000

I spent yesterday afternoon shooting a video with a beaver. But not just any beaver, Parks Canada's very own Booomer! Why? Well, to help get the word out about the awesome CelebrateParks.ca video contest. The contest is all about sharing the greatness of our parks and giving away amazing prizes such as a $15,000 adventure trip to Nahanni National Park!

Boomer and I love parks, especially protected ones. Knowing someone will not bulldoze your house down is always a good thing. We are all for getting people better acquainted with all the wonderment that Canada’s National Parks have to offer because the more love there is for parks, the more parks there will be!

So please show a park some love. It’s easy. Just view, vote, and share some of the awesome CelebrateParks.ca videos. You need to register to vote and comment, but it is super simple to do. To show a park some über love and have a chance to win, take a couple of minutes to make a video to tell the world why it’s so stupendous!

Psst! here’s a contest tip. There will be 42 semi-finalists winners representing the top video for each park. So find a park that hasn’t been hugged by a video yet and make a video about it. Your chances of winning will be that much greater.

My video with Boomer should be up in the next 10 days, so keep an eye out for it :)

Caribou morning news for Sep 15, 2010

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:12:05 +0000

This morning there seems to be a lot of caribou related news floating around online. So, I thought I would do up a summary rather than tweet or facebook each individual piece. Without further ado, here is your daily dose of caribou news for the morning of September 15, 2010:

Wild caribou 'at threat from oil companies'
(The Telgraph.co.uk)
Campaigners show evidence that rare caribou will be driven to extinction if oil companies such as BP go ahead with "illegal" plans to extract oil from beneath pristine forests in Canada. A note to the story’s editor: the picture used is that of a moose not a caribou. If you want to learn the difference between the two try our recent Caribou vs. Moose challenge.

Woodland Carib…Who?
(U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services)
The Office of Enforcement at the U.S. Fish &Wildlife Services (USFWS) has posted some great facts about Woodland Caribou and the threats faced by the Selkirk population. The USFWS reminds readers that the caribou are protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and activities such as snowmobiling and skiing in the caribou’s range could constitute a violation of the ESA. The USFWS will be paying close attention this winter to catch any such violations. Now that’s what I like to hear!

Taxpayers could be paying for oilsands cleanup
(Edmonton Journal)
Oil sands mining leaves behind a big mess, not to mention the irreparable damage it may cause wildlife and the environment. Cleaning up after a mining operation costs a lot of money and it seems the Alberta government may not have collected sufficient funds from industry, which means taxpayers may be on the hook for the bill.

Zoo's last surviving caribou dies of age-related illness
(Watertown Daily Times)
Costello, NY state zoo's last woodland caribou, passed away. Very sad news :(

If you have any other caribou related news to share, please leave a comment.

Urban Caribou

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 21:53:34 +0000

(image source)

I have only been to Toronto a couple of times, but HOW DID I MISS THIS - the enormous beautiful quilt by Joyce Wieland entitled “Barren Ground Caribou” that hangs in the TTC Spadina station?

Apparently, it’s been there since 1978. Have you seen it? Is it still there? I really need to make a pilgrimage to go see this to pay homage to my northern migrating barren ground cousins. (psst, click here for the difference between my species, boreal woodland caribou, and barren ground caribou).

I now wonder what other urban caribou I’ve missed during my last year out of the Boreal. Have you spotted any urban caribou? Where? Please post a link to its location or a photo of it. If there’s a lot, then maybe it's time for an urban caribou tour by yours truly :)

Resource links:

Book excerpt about Wieland’s quilt

Joyce Wieland bio info

Barren Ground Caribou quilt on flickr

More support for protecting Alberta's woodland caribou

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 16:07:37 +0000

(photo by Wayne Sawchuk)

A few days ago, the Environmental Law Centre (ELC) posted the letter (pdf) it sent to The Honourable Jim Prentice, Federal Minister of the Environment. ELC’s submission supports the earlier requests of certain First Nations and environmental organizations for the Federal Government to implement immediate protection for woodland caribou (also referred to as boreal caribou) in northern Alberta. Here’s a summary of ELC’s submission:

7 boreal caribou herds in Alberta need immediate protection in order to give them a chance to survive.
The Alberta Government’s actions and policies with respect to the development of boreal caribou habitat pose a real significant threat to the 7 herds.
The Federal Government is obligated to protect the herds from such threats under the Species at Risk Act. To fulfill its obligation, the Government needs to halt any further disruption of the habitat of the 7 herds while the Government’s existing woodland caribou studies and consultations are being completed.

Sounds reasonable to me, but then again I am a woodland caribou. What do you think?

For those of you who want the full details, check out the ELC’s written submission (PDF).

Caribou vs. Moose on twitter!

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:58:00 +0000

While I've enjoyed getting out and meeting people at this year's summer festivities such as Toronto’s Taste of the Danforth, Michelle Simson’s Scarborough community BBQ, and Ottawa’s SuperEx, it was disheartening to hear 98% of the people I met call me a moose. At first, I didn’t understand it. Physically, we woodland caribou differ from our ungulate cousin the moose in size, antler shape, and colour. Not to mention we are totally different creatures of habit. So what gives? Then I realized, maybe most people don’t know the differences because my species is a shy one and we live up north in the Boreal. So, to identify those in the know and to help those not in the know, I created the quiz Woodland Caribou vs. Moose tweetdown all on twitter. Think you can tell a caribou from a moose? Then take the challenge and see if your friends can do better. Pssst - there's a little bonus for those who make it to the end ;).

Who should save the woodland caribou?

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:35:48 +0000

Alberta Primetime wants to hear from you about "Who should be responsible for saving the woodland caribou from extinction?"

You can answer them on:

twitter by replying to @abprimetime
facebook , or
on their website (see right hand side).

Their show about Alberta Woodland Caribou should be airing tonight as well.

FYI: Answering the question on their website seems to require your name, email, and location while their facebook page requires you to "Like" them.

Caribou in the Classroom

Sat, 19 Jun 2010 03:53:08 +0000

Did you know that students as young as grade 2 are learning about biodiversity? The other month, Jill Sturdy, CPAWS National Conservation Outreach Coordinator, and I visited a couple of grade 2 classes at Briargreen Public School. They invited us to talk about, you guessed it, Canada's threatened woodland caribou.

We talked about how to tell a caribou from a moose, the unique features of woodland caribou, their connection to Canada and the environment, why woodland caribou are at risk of disappearing forever, and what needs to be done to save them. It was a great meet-up. And what made it great was that it wasn't just Jill and I doing all the talking. The students had outstanding questions and even better answers. The whole thing was very interactive. We played a game with them to demonstrate the importance of Canada's magnificent boreal forest to woodland caribou. The students took on the part of the trees and helped me hide from my predator "Jill the wolf".

Given that children are the future, I am very glad we had the chance to meet with them to help secure a better future for my species, the ecosystem, and biodiversity. Below is a short video of our visit. Thank you to the teachers and students of Briargreen Public School for the awesome opportunity. We hope you'll invite us back next year!

Quarters for Caribou: "Small Change, Big Difference"

Sat, 19 Jun 2010 03:23:04 +0000

(some of the Quarters For Caribou project team in Calgary: L to R Dave, Carrie, Maureen, Bou (magically in Calgary!), Lynn, and Faye)

The CPAWS Southern Alberta Chapter recently developed an educational awareness and fund-raising program for grades 5-6 all about woodland caribou. It's called "Quarters for Caribou". It was piloted in a Calgary school in May and, if successful, will be hitting schools across Alberta and other provinces. I was fortunate to be able to assist with the program by providing some videos for the presentation. I asked Julia Millen, who worked with the CPAWS Chapter to create the program, about some of the project's details:

Q: How did the program get stared?

Julia: It was started by volunteers in the CPAWS Southern Alberta Chapter’s Conservation Leaders Program. As a group they decided to take action that would make a difference for wilderness in Alberta. Inspired by the caribou, the icon of Canadian wilderness featured on Canadian quarters, they came up with a plan to help raise awareness and support for wildlife conservation, and get students in schools involved.

Q: What does the program consist of?

Julia: First there is a short and fun Quarters For Caribou presentation to help the students understand the plight of the woodland caribou and the need to protect its boreal forest home. The presentation will be the kick-off for a fund-raising campaign in the school where students will collect as many “caribou quarters” as possible. The donated money will be used by CPAWS to help protect wildlife corridors and boreal forest habitat. Once we have done the first presentation and campaign, we’ve got lots of great ideas about how to involve more schools in Alberta and beyond.

Q: Thanks Julia and good luck!

Julia: Thank you Bou. Your videos were seen by about 550 students in our first school visit, and that’s just the start!

With hooves crossed, you may soon see the Quarters For Caribou: Small Change, Big Difference program at a school near you! In the meantime, here's one of the videos from Quarters For Caribou program. It's about why Canada's woodland caribou are disappearing.

Do you know what's happening at the Bonn Climate Talks?

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 22:14:46 +0000

Do you remember all the press and online chatter leading up to last December’s UN climate talks in Copenhagen? For many, the results were disappointing. In particular, countries did not reach an agreement to be accountable for their true carbon emissions from forestry activities (check out MakeForestsCount.org to learn about the issue).

One big disappointment from the Copenhagen talks was the proposal of a Logging Loophole. This loophole basically allows developed countries to increase logging activity without accounting for the carbon released from it. This is where the UN Bonn Climate Talks come into play. It’s at this meeting that the Logging Loophole could be formalized and put into a climate agreement. I obviously hope not and CPAWS’ forest and climate expert Chris Henschel is there right now trying to ensure that it doesn’t.

If you are interested in this issue which will have a very real impact on climate change and how it affects all of us, then I strongly encourage you to follow Chris on his blog at: http://climateforests.blogspot.com

Here is Chris' video blog from the Bonn Climate Talks:

(watch on YouTube)

If you are wondering why making forests count is important to a woodland caribou like me, then check out my past post: Why Making Forests Count is a Caribou concern.

Have a safe flight back Chris and thank you for keeping us up-to-date on what’s happening with this very important area of the UN climate talks!

The Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement - Q&A

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 19:04:55 +0000

A couple of weeks ago the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) and eight other conservation organizations signed the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement with the Forest Products Association of Canada. This is huge step toward protecting my home, Canada’s amazing boreal forest, and my species, Canada’s threatened woodland caribou.

But, like most agreements it isn’t an easy read. It left me with a few questions such as what does it mean and what are the next steps? So, I figured I should go straight to the source. I sat down with Aran O’Carroll, CPAWS’ lead negotiator for the Agreement, to ask him some questions. Here’s what we talked about:

(clicking on the question will to take you to YouTube and the spot in the video where the question was asked)

Aran, how were you involved with the Agreement process?

How did the idea for the Agreement come about?

What factors made this Agreement possible?

What was the biggest barrier to overcome?

What are the immediate benefits of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement?

What does this mean for Canadians?

The Agreement is for 3 years. What is suppose to happen during that time?

I then put some of your questions to him:

From @Kabutar on twitter:
The logging zones seem really small – are they enough to save woodland caribou?

From Johan on CPAWS.org:
Why is virtually no forest protected in Saskatchewan?

From Dr. Prior on CPAWS.org:
Please explain the agreement in detail, together with its strengths and weaknesses.

Where were the First Nations?