Wabakimi Boreal Caribou Citizen Monitoring Project Description Background: Wabakimi Provincial Park provides anchor habitat for woodland caribou that also need the essential boreal habitat of the surrounding five Crown Land Forests and other reserves. These lands are subject to forest harvest, roads and human impacts. Friends of Wabakimi (FOW) launched our Wabakimi Boreal Caribou Citizen Monitoring Project in 2024. Read about the results of the first year of caribou surveys here. This is phase 1 of a multi-year effort to equip paddlers in the Wabakimi area to identify signs of caribou presence. A Steering Committee (CPSC), along with a Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) of recognized experts, have been actively designing the project. The project will continue the volunteer spirit of The Wabakimi Project which successfully explored, mapped and improved canoe routes across this wider area. Our goal: The Project goal is to equip and guide community scientists to collect data on the potential presence of woodland caribou in remote locations of the Wabakimi area, with a focus on calving sites. The hope is that this data may provide important information to conservation professionals, scientists, and policy makers to impact conservation strategies in the future, and advance the recovery of the at-risk Boreal Caribou. What’s so Important about Boreal Caribou? The Boreal Caribou population (Rangifer tarandus caribou) are listed as threatened in Ontario, and federally. Boreal Caribou have specific habitat requirements relative to the seasons and their life stages. They typically occur in small groups to remain spaced out as they move across the landscape, to reduce pressure from predators. Therefore, they require large tracts of intact, mature conifer forests. In Ontario, this habitat continues to be fragmented and degraded by industry such as logging. Both the provincial and federal governments have acknowledged the need to protect critical caribou habitat. Here are some resources to learn more about the at-risk Boreal Caribou:
The Grant: The Friends of Wabakimi (FOW) has received a grant from the Ontario Government, which is supporting projects aimed to support caribou conservation. This grant will provide money to survey historical and potential caribou calving lakes for caribou evidence in areas on crown land around and near Wabakimi Provincial Park. This money will be used to fund, among other things; a Project Manager & Assistant, required survey equipment and materials, winter aerial caribou surveys (similar to those conducted by Wabakimi Provincial Park) and will provide dollars to partially offset survey individual travel costs at a pre-set amount. Timeline:
Participants: Participants will be selected as teams of 4 people, based on application responses, requirements fulfilled, date of submission, project needs and possible team interviews. Project participants will need to fulfill certain requirements to be considered for the Wabakimi Boreal Caribou Citizen Monitoring Project. The application process will consist of the completion of a participant application form. Once teams have been selected, additional pre & post-trip steps will be required. While we appreciate all interest expressed in participating in this project, we have some limitations as to how many volunteers and trips we can support each year. Any paddlers who have found evidence of caribou, or have observed caribou in the Wabakimi Area can submit observations from their trips through the WBCCMP project on iNaturalist. Please contact us with any questions or for assistance submitting your observations. Your observations make a difference in the effort to protect caribou! Learn more details about participant requirements and the application and participation process HERE Data Collection and Uses: The Caribou Project Steering Committee (CPSC) will determine the designated survey area to search for evidence of caribou presence and potential calving sites each year. To calve, female caribou often travel alone to isolated areas such as islands and peninsulas in lakes, peatlands, or lakeshores. Ideally, these areas would be relatively predator-free with plenty of lichen and plants to forage. Teams will survey islands and peninsulas within a designated area in search of evidence of caribou presence and calving sites. Evidence of caribou may include tracks, pellets, and discarded antlers. Thorough training prior to the survey trips will ensure that teams are equipped with the knowledge and tools to collect quality data. Following the survey trips, teams will hand in all of their data to the Project Manager, who will then compile the data into the Project’s database. (See Participant Requirements- Post Trip Requirements). After the Project is complete and data from each year of surveying is compiled and analyzed, we hope to have a better understanding of the presence or absence of caribou within certain blocks in the Wabakimi Area. The data collected may be used by organizations, conservation professionals, scientists, and policy makers to impact conservation strategies. For example, the data may help to inform FOW’s comments on Forest Management Plans within relevant managed forests. |
Please consider a donation to support this project!
References:
1: Government of Canada. Species at Risk Registry: Caribou (Rangifer tarandus), Boreal population. 2023. Accessed at: https://species-registry.canada.ca/index-en.html#/species/636-252
2: Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario (COSSARO). Ontario Species at Risk Evaluation Report for Caribou, Boreal population (Rangifer tarandus). Assessed by COSSARO as THREATENED. May 2015. Accessed at: https://cossaroagency.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Accessible_COSSARO-evaluation-Caribou-Boreal.pdf
3: Mackey B, Campbell C, Norman P, Hugh S, DellaSala DA, Malcolm JR, Desrochers M, Drapeau P. Assessing the Cumulative Impacts of Forest Management on Forest Age Structure Development and Woodland Caribou Habitat in Boreal Landscapes: A Case Study from Two Canadian Provinces. Land. 2024; 13(1):6. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13010006
References:
1: Government of Canada. Species at Risk Registry: Caribou (Rangifer tarandus), Boreal population. 2023. Accessed at: https://species-registry.canada.ca/index-en.html#/species/636-252
2: Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario (COSSARO). Ontario Species at Risk Evaluation Report for Caribou, Boreal population (Rangifer tarandus). Assessed by COSSARO as THREATENED. May 2015. Accessed at: https://cossaroagency.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Accessible_COSSARO-evaluation-Caribou-Boreal.pdf
3: Mackey B, Campbell C, Norman P, Hugh S, DellaSala DA, Malcolm JR, Desrochers M, Drapeau P. Assessing the Cumulative Impacts of Forest Management on Forest Age Structure Development and Woodland Caribou Habitat in Boreal Landscapes: A Case Study from Two Canadian Provinces. Land. 2024; 13(1):6. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13010006