Background: Wabakimi Provincial Park serves as a vital anchor habitat for boreal woodland caribou, which rely on the broader landscape, including the surrounding five Crown Land Forests, other provincial parks, and conservation reserves. However, parts of this habitat are affected by forest harvesting, road development, and other human impacts, putting increasing pressure on the caribou population in the region.
By building on the volunteer-driven spirit of The Wabakimi Project, the three-year WBCCMP empowers paddlers in the Wabakimi area to identify and document signs of caribou presence. 

So what’s so important about boreal caribou?
The boreal caribou population (Rangifer tarandus caribou) is listed as Threatened both provincially in Ontario and federally. Boreal caribou have specific habitat needs that vary with the seasons and their life stages. They typically form small groups, maintaining distance as they move across the landscape to reduce predator pressure. As a result, they require large, uninterrupted tracts of mature coniferous forests. In Ontario, this critical habitat is increasingly fragmented and degraded by industries such as logging. Both provincial and federal governments have recognized the urgent need to protect these vital caribou habitats.

Boreal caribou play a crucial role in the health of the boreal forest ecosystem, and protecting their habitat not only safeguards this iconic species but also benefits a wide array of other boreal flora and fauna.

Here are some resources to learn more about boreal caribou and caribou conservation efforts: 

• Ontario Nature’s Boreal Caribou Program
• Government of Canada Species at Risk Registry: Caribou (Rangifer tarandus), Boreal population
• Ontario Species at Risk List: Caribou (Boreal Population)
• David Suzuki Foundation Science and Learning Centre (with Caribou filter)

Our goal: The goal of the project is to empower and guide community scientists in collecting data on the potential presence of boreal caribou in remote areas of the Wabakimi region, with a particular focus on calving sites. This data will contribute to an up-to-date body of knowledge about caribou in the area, providing valuable insights to conservation professionals, scientists, and policymakers. The information gathered will help inform future conservation strategies and support efforts to advance the recovery of the at-risk boreal caribou population.

Funding: The WBCCMP is funded by the Caribou Conservation Stewardship Program, a Government of Ontario initiative that is part of a five-year conservation agreement with the Government of Canada. This grant supports FOW’s efforts to survey historical and potential caribou calving lakes for signs of caribou presence in areas of Crown land surrounding Wabakimi Provincial Park. The funding will be used to purchase field survey and communication equipment, hire a Project Manager and Assistant, conduct a winter aerial caribou survey similar to those carried out by Wabakimi Provincial Park, and will help offset volunteer travel costs for those participating in the survey trips.

Timeline: 

• Applications for 2025 Year 2 survey volunteers are now OPEN. Interested individuals can check out the volunteer requirements and find the link to apply here.
• Applications will be reviewed as they are received, so apply early!
• If you missed it, watch the Year 2 Kickoff webinar for all the project background and information about volunteering.
• ​Volunteer training (online) will take place on May 4, 2025.  Teams will organize their trips in the spring, in preparation for surveys in July or August, 2025. 

Participating in the project: Volunteers may apply individually or as part of a team of up to four people. Survey teams will be assembled based on each individual’s experience, availability, and the specific needs of the project. Volunteers must meet certain requirements and submit an online application to be considered for the WBCCMP. Once teams are selected, additional pre- and post-trip steps will be required including online training. 

Learn more details about participant requirements and the application and participation process HERE​.
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While we welcome all expressions of interest, please note that due to logistical limitations, we can only support a certain number of volunteers and trips each year.

Any paddlers who have found evidence of caribou, or have observed caribou in the Wabakimi Area can submit observations from their trips on iNaturalist. Please submit your observation to both the WBCCMP project, and the (NHIC) Rare Species of Ontario project. Please contact us with any questions or for assistance submitting your observations. Your observations make a difference in the effort to protect caribou!

For more information on using iNaturalist, check out our Instructions for Reporting an observation on iNaturalist.
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Data Collection and Uses: A standardized survey protocol, developed in collaboration with the project's Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) consisting of recognized experts, is being used to collect caribou data. Comprehensive training prior to the survey trips will ensure teams are equipped with the knowledge and tools needed to collect high-quality data.

Each year of the WBCCMP, target survey areas will be selected. Teams will survey islands and peninsulas within these designated areas, looking for signs of caribou and potential calving sites. Female caribou typically travel alone to isolated locations such as islands, peninsulas, lakeshores, or peatlands to calve, seeking areas that are relatively predator-free and rich in lichen and plants for foraging. Evidence of caribou presence may include tracks, pellets, and discarded antlers. 

After the survey trips, teams will submit their data to the Project Manager, who will compile and make it available to conservation professionals and policymakers. This data will contribute to a clearer understanding of the presence or absence of caribou in specific blocks of the Wabakimi Area. As Friends of Wabakimi continues to engage in local resource management planning by providing input during the Forest Management Plan planning process, this data will enable FOW to offer informed, up-to-date insights on caribou presence in relevant managed forests.

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wbccmp news
stay up to date here

We've now launched Year 2 (2025) of the WBCCMP and are accepting volunteer applications now. Check out the launch webinar for all the project background and information about becoming a survey volunteer.

Year 2 Launch

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Friends of Wabakimi launched the Wabakimi Boreal Caribou Citizen Monitoring Project (WBCCMP) in 2024. You can learn all about the first year of the project here. 

YEAR 1 RESULTS

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Please consider a donation to support this project!
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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