Limited exploration of the portion of the coastal plain known as the "1002 area" indicated a potential for significant petroleum reserves, and the U.S. Congress is considering legislation to open the area for oil and gas development. Knowing the overall number of caribou, or the population, and how that number changes over time is important for managing the herd, particularly when it comes to harvest. There are lots of exciting things happening with the Porcupine Caribou. A 15':30" movie of a powerpoint presentation on the 2020 survey of the George River Caribou herd. A 16-foot square net with weights on four corners flies from the gun and falls overtop of the animal. This incredible journey takes them through what is still a significantly intact landscape of the Arctic. Canada unites to protect the porcupine caribou herd . They last peaked at 178,000 in 1989, which was followed by a drop to 123,000 in 2001. No one is sure what causes the herd to get smaller or larger, but ongoing monitoring programs indicate that changes in adult survival might be one of the things that affects the population the most. In mid-July, they begin their trip east towards the NWT and then eventually return south towards Dawson City. Dempster Highway is often closed for a week in the spring to allow caribou to cross the highway safely. Most of the increase is thought to be due to a higher calving rate. Scientists will continue to track Cocoa to learn about the herds' migration patterns and use of the land. The Porcupine caribou herd migrates annually between Canada and the United States. This species was recently assessed as Threatened by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, the national body designated by Canadaâs Species At Risk Act. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Ms. Cooley and her colleagues are interested in the relationship between climate change and caribou survival. Because they migrate to the tundra, both the Leaf River herd and George River herd are often included with the barren-ground caribou. The agreement coordinates conservation efforts by the two countries and ensures opportunities for customary and traditional uses ⦠Signals of Spring students can track the caribou as the move across the highway. From the northern reaches of the Yukon and Northwest Territories, they make their way to the relative safety of Alaskaâs coastal plain where, by late May, they calve and nurse the next generation. Last year, for the first time since 2003, the Western Arctic caribou herdâthe stateâs largest herdâgrew, and by over 50,000 individuals. Since the first census was conducted in the early 1970s, the herd has shifted between 100,000 and 200,000 animals. The most effective way to collect data and attach radio collars or satellite transmitters to the animals is to briefly catch them in a net. The Government of Yukon monitors the Porcupine caribou herdâs movements, and if large numbers move south of km 140, we may open this area to harvest. Josie seems most at home on the land. In addition to being one of the largest herds, Porcupine caribou have the longest land migration of any animal in the world. "Every capture is different and anything can happen," explains Mr. Kienzler. The "results' section starts about 7':47" in. The herd has gone up and down in size over time, but it has always been an important part of the ecology of the Western Arctic. The late-evening sun, still high above the horizon, gleams through one of the windows in the community centre and casts a square of ⦠The Porcupine Caribou herd is one of the largest migratory barren ground caribou herds in North America. STATE OF ALASKA Walter . The Porcupine herd is one of the largest migratory caribou herds in North America. Government of Newfoundland and Labrador (2020) Usage: ⦠Population Estimate of the Dolphin and Union Caribou herd (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus x pearyi) Coastal Survey, October 2018 and Demographic Indicators . The Porcupine caribou population has hit a record high of 218,000, according to a separate DFG release. The plan is an agreement by the five First Nation governments to protect the herd by monitoring the herdâs size and population, and setting hunting restrictions as needed. The number of caribou that cross the highway are a good indicator of how many animals will reach their calving grounds. Each year, the Porcupine caribou herd embarks on one of the longest migrations on earth. This situation was ideal," explains Mr. Kienzler, referring to the picture. It shows that the Dophin and Union herd has declined to an estimated 4,105 in 2018, down from 17,000 in 2015. The population has declined steadily since 1989, when the herd reached 178,000 animals. Sometime around April, depending on the snow and weather conditions, the herd begins to move north towards their calving grounds - the area where the cows will have their calves. The Porcupine caribou herd has a record high number of animals. Keep your eye on the satellite tracking maps to investigate caribou migrations this season. Alaskaâs caribou are having a moment. Residents of Old Crow have been required to report their harvest of Porcupine caribou since 2010, when the Porcupine Caribou Harvest Management Plan (PCMB) was first implemented. The herd usually stays on the northern coastal plains of Alaska in the summer where they forage and bulk up for another winter. The Porcupine caribou herd range includes the Northwest Territories (NWT), Yukon and Alaska, with the calving grounds located along the Arctic coast in Alaska and Yukon. Porcupine caribou and their calving grounds are invaluable to the culture and subsistence of the Gwichâin and Inuvialuit peoples. In addition to radio collars, twelve female (cow) caribou currently carry satellite transmitters. They use the radio collars to find the herd at various times of the year, including during spring migration, calving, post-calving and during post-calving aggregation (during census years), sometimes during fall migration, and for late winter composition counts and collaring. Weâre hunting the Porcupine Herd of Caribou in the Southern Slopes of the Brooks Range as they migrate to the Southern edge of their range for the winter months. "We prefer to capture caribou in large flat open areas (such as frozen lakes) where the snow is deep. That's according to a photocensus compiled last summer by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME Don W. Collinsworth, Commissioner . She will be recaptured this March and her satellite transmitter will be replaced before the battery runs out. The herd has gone up and down in size over time, but it has always been an important part of the ecology of the Western Arctic. Cocoa has carried a satellite transmitter since 2004. Signals of Spring students know that animals wearing satellite tags can be tracked from satellites way above the Earth's surface. More cows than bulls (male caribou) carry radio collars and only cows are equipped with satellite transmitters. All partners with jurisdiction along the highway collaborate on communication materials to ensure the ethical and sustainable harvest of the herd. This is the first time time in 20 years that herd numbers have trended upwards. This 49 page (in English) report contains executive summaries in Inuktitut (both syllabics and western orthography). Once the scientists identify the caribou that they are interested in capturing, the helicopter pilot tries to direct the group to a flat, open area that has deep, soft snow. ... That makes the Porcupine caribou herdâs vitality all the more incredible, and protecting the herd even more critical. Itâs land that his people roamed for thousands of years before any Europeans had set foot on the shores of North America. The Porcupine caribou herd crossing the Turner River. In some other areas of the north, there may be a relationship between dryer summers and how well caribou survive. Signals of Spring students can investigate by studying the vegetation and rainfall maps and comparing them to where the caribou spend their summers. Recent field research by the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge found that survival is lower now than it was when the herd was increasing," explains Ms. Cooley. Top photo: The Porcupine caribou herd in Alaskaâs Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (photo by Peter Mather) Bottom photo: Mike Anderson of The Wilderness Society (photo provided) November 9 2017 Canada unites to protect the porcupine caribou herd. Each collar is GPS-enabled and collects and stores a GPS location at pre-determined intervals throughout the day. The Porcupine caribou herd ranges from northeastern Alaska, across the Yukon Territory, to the MacKenzie Valley in the Northwest Territories of Canada. The Porcupine Caribou Harvest Management Plan outlines approaches for managing and tracking harvest of the herd, particularly along the highway corridor. The collars are used to find the caribou each spring in order to keep track of the number of cows that successfully have calves. "Survival of adult female caribou is very important to population dynamics. Most herds, however, are drawn to a specific calving area. The 197,000 member Porcupine caribou herd has such a connection with the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. While planning for their field work, they will use signals from the radio collars to identify where the majority of the herd is located. (Past data for caribou migrations and vegetation maps are available on the maps and data page.) Satellite collars are much more convenient and easy to use; however they are very expensive so the researchers don't use as many of these tags. The team's major priority is the safety of the caribou and the scientists. âCanada has long opposed development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge due to the potential impact to the Porcupine caribou herd and to Indigenous Peoples. The Porcupine caribou or Grant's caribou (Rangifer tarandus granti) is a subspecies of the reindeer (or the caribou in North America) found in Alaska, United States, and Yukon and the Northwest Territories, Canada. Cocoa is one of twelve caribou that currently carry satellite transmitters. This designation requires Canada to develop a Recovery Strategy for this species, which speaks to how habitats will be ⦠Porcupine Caribou Herd Like antlered gypsies, barren ground caribou are always on the move. Indigenous groups from Canada and the United States were concerned about the effects the oil and gas industry might have on the Porcupine barren-ground caribou herd (Rangifer tarandus granti), which passes between Alaska, Yukon and the Northwest Territories in its yearly migrations. Named for the major river within its range, the Porcupine Caribou ⦠Cooperative monitoring and research on the herd is guided by two co-management boards in Canada and Alaska. Fish and Wildlife Service, caribou from the Porcupine Caribou Herd migrate onto the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northeast Alaska. Porcupine caribou mother and calf, by Peter Mather Every year, the Porcupine caribou herd embarks on the longest land mammal migration in the world, covering over 2400 kilometers from the Northwest Territories, Yukon and into Alaska. First, the scientists hold the animal down, blindfold it, and then remove the net. It was a revelation to ⦠⦠J. Hickel, Governor . I was lucky to witness the herdâs migration in the Yukon in the summer of 2016. It is important to understand and monitor the overall health and survival rate of the herd. âI have been closely tracking proposed developments in the refuge and their potential effect on ⦠The Porcupine Caribou herd is one of the largest migratory barren ground caribou herds in North America. Meanwhile the Porcupine caribou herd, a close second in size, reached a record high of 218,000 individuals. The society began collecting observations of hunters and other community members about the size, and ⦠As of 2001, there were about 123,000 animals in the Porcupine Caribou herd. The Porcupine Caribou herd moves throughout 260,000 km2 of wilderness extending from Kaktovik, Alaska to Aklavik, NWT and south to Dawson City, Yukon. However, now more cows are dying in the summer than in the winter. Now the administration is fast-tracking an environmental review that would auction away the birthplace of the herd to the fossil fuel industry. cpawsadmin Blog, BlogArcticRefuge Arctic Refuge, blog, Porcupine caribou, united. The condition of individual animals, any diseases or outbreaks, and predators that kill caribou can all contribute to herd health. Satellite transmitters allow scientists and Signals of Spring students to locate the cows from their computers. The Porcupine Caribou Herd is part of the barren-ground caribou species found in Canada. For thousands of years, the herd has been a source of food, clothing, tools and shelter for the Gwitchin and Inuvialuit peoples who inhabit this region. After calving, caribou of the PCH form ag-gregations of up to 90,000 animals, probably to reduce ⦠Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock. Once the helicopter lands, three scientists begin their work. This means the herd is probably still declining since 2001. They also keep an eye on natural factors that can affect caribou numbers, such as disease. Tracking caribou Collars deployed on barren-ground caribou in the Northwest Territories (NWT) are typically GPS/Argos units. In 2013, when the most recent photocensus was completed, the herd had an estimated 197,000 caribou. The bulls separate from the cows when it is time for calves to be born! The Porcupine Caribou Herd ranges across the northern Yukon, northeastern Alaska and the northwestern fringe of the Northwest Territories. FILE â In this undated file photo provided by the U.S. It is the safest situation for us and the caribou. In Canada major barren-ground herds include the Porcupine caribou herd, Cape Bathurst herd, Bluenose West herd, Bluenose east herd, Bathurst herd, Ahiak herd, and the Dolphin Union herd. Arctic Caribou and Moose Contaminant Monitoring Program. Each year, the herd not only survives in this environment, but undertakes a 1,000-kilometre migration from their winter home in the valleys of the Richardson, Ogilvie, and/or Brooks Range mountains to their calving grounds on the ⦠Porcupine Caribou Herd Satellite Collar Project is a cooperative project, between a number of wildlife agencies and boards, using satellite radio collars to document seasonal range use and migration patterns of the Porcupine Caribou herd in the northern Yukon, Alaska and North West Territories. This probably has to do with the amount of vegetation available for the cows and calves to eat. Once the caribou have been located, they then go out with the helicopter. Exactly when and where they go is impossible to predict. Much of the herdâs calving and post-calving ranges exist within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on the North Slope in Alaska. About this content. To monitor population, researchers try to conduct a census of the Porcupine Caribou herd every two years. Mr. Kienzler and his colleagues will set out for their next capture session during the week of March 13, 2007. Scientists Dorothy Cooley and Martin Kienzler of the Porcupine Caribou Herd Satellite Collar Project based in Yukon, Canada share the exciting job of capturing, collaring, and tracking the Porcupine Caribou herd in order to understand their migration patterns, population dynamics, and use of the land. The Dophin and ⦠1. The caribou steps into the net and falls in the soft snow. prise the Porcupine Caribou Herd (PCH) (Skoog 1968, Clough et al. Over the preceding 5 seasons, this herd has passed right through our hunting area during this time period, with thousands of animals pouring right through our camps! Collars Help Researchers Collar transmissions can help ⦠It resembles the subspecies known as the barren-ground caribou (R. t. groenlandicus) and is sometimes included in it. This vast area encompasses some 340,000 km2 (over 130,000 mi 2) of coastal tundra, high and rugged mountains, rolling hills, and broad forested valleys. To locate the animals, the scientists fly over the caribou winter range in a fixed-wing airplane to 'listen' for the radio collars' signals. Set against this backdrop, the barren-ground Porcupine caribou herd, named after the Porcupine River that bisects its annual range, seems an improbable success. The International Porcupine Caribou Agreement is important to Canada because First Nations in the Yukon and Northwest Territories rely on this caribou herd for sustenance. Porcupine Caribou were named for the Porcupine River that flows through their range. As the Porcupine Caribou migrate north to their wintering grounds, they cross Dempster Highway, a major landmark that snakes through the Artic wilderness. In past studies, more cows died in the winter than in the summer. 1987). The survey estimates the herd is up to 8,100 from 5,500 in 2018. In order to try to understand the herd better, researchers monitor for changes in the herdâs size and composition. FACT SHEET: Porcupine Caribou We continue to monitor caribou movement to the northwest of Windy Pass using satellite collars and fixed-wing aircraft to help ensure the most up to date knowledge of herd movements is available. Porcupine caribou range from their calving grounds in Alaska, through northern Yukon and then to their habitual winter grounds in the Northwest Territories. Drilling in the refuge has been fiercely opposed for decades. The caribou spend the winter in the southern portions of their range, but exactly where they winter varies from year to year. The Trump Administration has paved the way for an oil and lease sale in Alaskaâs pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge scheduling a lease sale for Jan. 6, 2021, before the president ⦠The Gwichâin are caribou people, spread across 13 villages on the outskirts of the Porcupine caribou herdâs range, and they depend on the animals for their physical and cultural sustenance. Scientists Dorothy Cooley and Martin Kienzler of the Porcupine Caribou Herd Satellite Collar Project based in Yukon, Canada share the exciting job of capturing, collaring, and tracking the Porcupine Caribou herd in order to understand their migration patterns, population dynamics, and use of the land. Then, the researchers can take blood samples and measurements and place the satellite transmitter or radio collar around the animals' neck. Researchers try to maintain 100 conventional collars on Porcupine Caribou. Background The Porcupine Caribou Herd is a population of barren ground caribou that ranges across northeastern Alaska, Yukon, and northwestern Northwest Territories, providing an important source of sustenance for user communities. In order to try to understand the herd better, researchers monitor for changes in the herdâs size and composition. Mr. Kienzler carefully aims the "net gun" to center on the caribou's shoulders and pulls the trigger. Supported by. Scientists involved in the Porcupine Caribou Herd Satellite Collar Project try to maintain between 60 and 100 radio collars, and 10 to 15 satellite collars. Are a good indicator of how many animals will reach their calving grounds lands. Refuge has been fiercely opposed for decades Dophin and Union herd has such a connection with the Porcupine caribou summers. Their calving grounds in the Refuge and their calving grounds in the between. 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