Search results for "British Columbia"

You did it! Thank you!

Absolutely huge news out of Ottawa today!  The federal government has released a scientific report on the Boreal population of Woodland caribou, a nationally threatened species.  The report identifies critical habitat needed for the survival of Boreal woodland caribou.

Why is this report so important?  Well, it shows that nearly 2.5 million sq. km of the Boreal is considered critical habitat.  That’s a lot of Boreal forest.  In fact it supports CPAWS’ position that at least half of Canada’s Boreal forest should be protected.

Now that this report is out and we know where the scientists say where critical habitat is, the next urgent step is for the federal government to consult Aboriginal Canadians and their Traditional Knowledge, and move quickly to release the national recovery strategy for woodland caribou.  In fact, this is a requirement under the Species at Risk Act (SARA).

I'll let you know how you can help.  In the meantime, why not send a note to Environment Minister Jim Prentice?  He's responsible for the report's release, and will have a large say in how the government deals with its obligation to uphold SARA.  You can let him know you care about caribou and remind him that the recovery strategy is an important next step.

CPAWS and their partners have been pestering the government to release this report for months.  Thanks to everyone (more than 10,000 of you!) who signed the petition and postcards for caribou. You helped make it happen!  Now help us on the next step in protecting Canada’s woodland caribou and their Boreal forest home.

Check out the details of the report and background info here.

My first taste of Vancouver

This week I travelled to the Pacific coast of Canada for my first visit to Vancouver! As I expected, it was a little rainy but the sun came out when I was strolling around Stanley Park.

After visiting everyone at the head office of Mountain Equipment Co-op, I stopped by the MEC Vancouver store where I was put to work, helping customers buy gear for their wilderness trips. I also signed autographs and posed for photos with some of my fans!

Once my work day was over, I had some time to visit the Granville Island market and sample some of the amazing foods for sale. I couldn’t find any lichen to nibble on but I did enjoy a pastry from the bakery.

By this time I needed to find some forest for a rest so I went to Stanley Park and saw the huge cedar trees and amazing totem poles. I walked along the seawall and chatted with tourists and locals about protecting my home, the Boreal forest.

Thank you to everyone at MEC in Vancouver for making me feel at home!

Endangered Southern Mountain Caribou closer to being protected

Great news today for my endangered cousins, the Mountain Caribou of southeastern BC.  My pals Federal Environment Minister John Baird and Nature Conservancy President John Lounds announced today that they'll protect over 550 square kilometres of habitat critical to the South Selkirk population of Mountain Caribou. That's a chunk of land almost as big as the city of Toronto. The Nature Conservancy is saying this is the "largest single private conservation land acquisition in Canadian history".  Wow!

You might be wondering, "what's the difference between a Boreal Woodland caribou like myself and the Mountain caribou?"  While I live in the Boreal forest, my Southern Mountain cousins live almost exclusively in the southern mountains of BC.  Because of industrial logging and other development, their numbers have declined dramatically. In fact, this population is the very last group of caribou in Canada left that ranges into the United States. Have you seen my map of historical and current caribou ranges?   Caribou used to hang out in many parts of New England and the US Rockies.

This is big step in protecting caribou and our habitat.  I hope the federal government will keep making announcements like this, and setting aside big tracts of Canada's Boreal Forest for wildlife. A great next step would be the release of a map showing habitat critical for us Boreal Woodland caribou.  The Species at Risk Act says the government has to do it, and I'm here to make sure they do.

Read more about the announcement at The Nature Conservancy.

Northern Mountain Woodland caribou closer to protection in BC.

We've heard that Environment Canada is consulting with First Nations in northern BC and the Yukon to produce a management plan for the Northern Mountain Population of Woodland caribou found in the Boreal Forest.

This is good news. The plan was due Jan 12, 2008, but at least now they're working with the right partners toward a June deadline. Stay tuned!