Help communities fighting for endangered caribou
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- Published on Sunday, 29 November -0001 16:00
- Written by editor
The story of people protecting caribou
Hi Paov,
I woke up early Thursday morning shivering despite the rock I heated up in my sleeping bag from the campfire last night. Looking outside my tent I saw the sky was saturated with colours of liquid fire and glacial ice. This was one of many beautiful mornings on a cross-province trip to meet people standing up for endangered southern mountain caribou.
Last month my coworker Emily Hoffpauir and I set out to document the extraordinary efforts of people fighting for caribou in British Columbia and Alberta. Read on to find out about incredible efforts to protect them, and take action.
The boreal forest in western Alberta.
Our first visit was with Kukpi7 (Chief) Wayne Christian of Splatsin First Nation near Enderby, BC. He described his vision for caribou throughout the territory, including a maternity pen that can increase the population while habitat restoration and protection goes on. The goal is to have caribou return to the mountains they once roamed in high enough numbers to be self-sustaining. He insisted that saving caribou means working together in a non-adversarial way, including with federal and provincial governments.
Left to right: Charlotte Dawe, Kukpi7 (Chief of Splatsin First Nation), Emily Hoffpauir.
Kukpi7 told us the Splatsin First Nation held a ceremony for folks at the Revylution blockade to keep them safe. These people have been holding down space in the forest and turning away logging trucks in order to protect Argonaut Creek, home to the North Columbia caribou herd.
Take action to protect caribou habitat
We travelled to the blockade where we met incredible people who are staying on the land, sometimes just one person at a time. They’ve been sacrificing their “normal” life since July to protect caribou and the old-growth forests they rely on. This summer the blockade turned around two road-building crews in two separate areas. Preventing roads into caribou habitat from being built further also prevents predators such as wolves from reaching caribou.
At the Revylution blockade.We set out again early the next morning to Moon Creek/Berland River, Alberta where another blockade is stopping logging company, West Fraser, from clearcutting 54 cutblocks in the La Peche caribou herd’s migration corridor.
Migration habitat for the La Peche caribou herd to be logged near Grande Cache, Alberta.
One person with a huge heart and passion to protect the habitat established this blockade.Fifty-four cutblocks would remove a lot of caribou habitat, making the whole area unusable for the animals. West Fraser is pushing this plan through quickly because it wants to log before a long-awaited herd plan is complete. We can’t let that happen.
Take action to protect caribou habitat
If you want to visit folks on the ground, their contact info is listed below.There are so many people like you fighting to protect our planet and the creatures throughout. There’s comfort in knowing that.
For the caribou and the people fighting to protect them,
Charlotte Dawe
Conservation and Policy Campaigner
Wilderness Committee
Want to connect with folks at a blockade?
Alberta Moon Creek/Berland blockade:
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People powered wilderness preservation for a wild future.
Charitable Registration # 11929-3009-RR0001
Wilderness Committee
46 E. 6th Avenue
Vancouver, BC V5T 1J4
Canada
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