N.W.T. works to conserve boreal caribou

The Northwest Territories needs more information about its boreal woodland caribouto protect them from industrial development, government biologists were told at apublic meeting in Fort McPherson this week.

The government is developinga conservation plan for the boreal caribou and is consulting communities as part of the process.

Although boreal caribou are endangered in other parts of the country, such as northern Alberta, the N.W.T. government believes its population is healthybut does not have much data to back that up.

Fort McPherson trapper Peter Kay said he rarelyseeswoodland caribou, maybe one or two a year. The Gwich'in rely instead onthe thousands of barren-groundcaribouthat winter along the Dempster Highway.

It's important to protect the home of the boreal caribou inadvance of any industrial development, he said.

"In my mind, sooner or later, we might have to rely on them," Kay said. "Around Inuvik, the decline of caribou has decreased and now everyone ishunting on the [Dempster] highway and taking lots of caribou.[We] have to take care of all herds."

Although the territory only started studying its boreal caribou six years ago, biologists have found high densities along the route of the proposed Mackenzie Valley pipeline.

The conservation plan the N.W.T. develops will become part of a national recovery strategy for boreal caribou.

The national plan is scheduled to be completed in June.