Vadzaih Srii (Caribou Month)
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October/November 2006 Vadzaih srii (Caribou Month) Gwich'in Renewable Resource Board Vadzaih srii Introduction Drin Gwiinzii, Gwich in traditional tion, health and general Welcome to the GRRB foods. habitat. newsletter for the months The weather has been This newsletter brings of October/November unusually warm this time you some updates from Inside this issue: 2006. of year. I think we can the staff at GRRB and all say that we enjoy the also some information I hope everyone was able Fisheries Updates 2 to stock up for the winter nicer weather, but at the on upcoming workshops months with berries, same time we can see and conferences. NTFP Workshop & 3 how these changes can upcoming conferences caribou and other On behalf of the GRRB I Highlights from the 4 affect us. Late snowfall hope you enjoy the news- GRRB Meeting in Sept/06 and Freeze Up does have letter and feel free to Wildlife hearings in 5 Yellowknife impacts to the land and contact me with any to our lifestyle. People Traditional Values 6-7 comments or ideas you words from our elders are basically forced to may have for future Contact information for 8 adapt to the changes. newsletters. GRRB Staff The animals, fish and Mahsi Cho birds are also impacted and they too are already Bobbie Jo Greenland experiencing changes to Special points of in- their population, migra- Communications Manager terest: Fisheries Updates Walking Together Finding Solutions for the Future GRRB Meeting JRP Wildlife Hearings The Department of Envi- Caribou Management in Inuvik NT on Novem- Gwich in Tradit ional Values ronment and Natural Re- Board and Inuvialuit ber 1st and 2nd, 2006. Hunting & fishing long ago sources, along with the Game Council came to- Contact your local RRC NWT Wildlife Manage- gether for a workshop office if you would like ment Advisory Council, on the Impacts of Cari- more information on this Gwich in Renewable Re- bou Population Decline. workshop. source Board, Porcupine This workshop was held Fisheries Project Update Population Structure The GRRB is conducting a study 3. Loche to examine the number of popula- tions of three species of fish: 1. Coney We need your help in collecting samples (one fin per fish)! If you have been fishing for these 2. Crookedback fish (have frozen fish), or plan to go out fishing, please contact your local RRC or Nathan at the GRRB. This project is a joint ef- fort between the Sahtu, Gwich in, and Inuvialuit to find out more about our shared resources. Mashi Cho! Update on Fish Migration and Spawning Patterns By: Amy Thompson As an update from the last news- find funding for them. letter, I am making the final revi- sions to the draft report completed As always, feel free to contact me in September, Traditional knowl- anytime. My direct line is 777- edge of fish migration and spawn- 6607 and my email is biolo- ing patterns in the Arctic Red [email protected]. River and lower Mackenzie River . I will be taking my annual leave from December 14th to January Once I am finished I will distrib- 15th to visit my family back in ute it as an official GRRB report. Halifax. During that time, I will I will ensure that copies are sent still be periodically checking my to each community. I distributed email. harvest surveys to all the RRC of- fices to present to their council for Mahsi Cho! comments before distributing to harvesters. My next objective is to develop a couple research projects for the upcoming fiscal year (March) and Page 2 Vadzaih srii (Caribou Month) Non-Timber Forest Products Workshop, Hay River By: Amy Thompson I attended the non timber forest prod- mushroom harvesting, Forest Product s in the ucts (NTFP) workshop in Hay River traditional craft mak- area. during the week of October 2nd to Oc- ing, and even tourism. On Thursday, we all tober 6th (some of you may have seen There was also a na- participated in a basket my picture in the newsnorth paper re- ture walk along the making workshop, I leased on October 9th). twin water fall trials on chose willow basket Wednesday afternoon but there was also The workshop was very informative. with a few local elders spruce root baskets and There were many presentations regard- that told us about the birch bark baskets. ing small business opportunities for traditional uses of certain Non Timber More workshops & Conferences By: Amy Thompson Dall Sheep Management Plan Vancouver, BC. To apply Workshop, Aklavik for support, students are invited to visit: www.pbli. I attended the dall sheep manage- com/student. ment plan workshop in Aklavik during the weekend of October 2. National Aboriginal 13th. It was a very productive Achievement Foundation weekend, we completed discus- (NAAF) is hosting their sions on elements 1 and 2 of the Blueprint for the Future plan and started working on ele- conference in Yellowknife ment 3. Another workshop is on November 25th. For scheduled for the weekend of Oc- more information, please tober 27th. visit the NAAF website: http://www.naaf.ca. Youth conferences I attended the NAAF Blueprint I recently received a couple for- for the Future conference when I warded email messages regarding was in grade 11 (in Halifax). some youth conferences coming up in November. I strongly en- While there, I made contact with courage all interested students to one of the division managers at attend. the local Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) facility, which 1. Pacific Business and Law eventually landed me a job there Institute is organizing that lasted for 5 years. The NAAF Forestry 2006 - Industry also provided me with a $5000 Challanges and First Na- scholarship for my first year of tions Opportunities dur- University. ing November 23-24th in Vadzaih srii Page 3 Gwich in Renewable Resource Board Meet ing in Tsiigeht chic,NT The GRRB held their Fall Meeting black & white in Tsiigehtchic, NT on September spruce on seismic 14th and 15th, 2006. The meeting lines, forest manage- was held at the Community Gym- ment plan, Studies nasium. on Grizzlies, Dall Sheep and Wolves in the Richardson There was a lot of items discussed Mountains. Also on the agenda that were followed Black Ducks in the by decisions and recommenda- Cardinal Lake area tions. GRRB Executive Director and Fish Tagging in and Staff have a number of Action the Mackenzie River. Items to work on before the next Board Meeting. Some of the main concerns being heard from the RRC s were in re- There were a number of project gards to Group Trapping Areas, updates and presentations given Environmental Monitoring, at the Board meeting. Not just Dempster Highway Safety Corri- from the GRRB Staff, but also dor, Gwich in Harvesters Assis- from Staff of Department of Fish- tance Program (GHAP), Caribou eries and Oceans (DFO), Envi- population & health, Rat River ronment & Natural Resources Char population, youth & elders, (ENR), Ducks Unlimited, Cana- traditional knowledge skills and dian Wildlife Services (CWS), also community based harvest Gwich in Tribal Council (GTC) monitoring. The two main management issues and local Renewable Resource have been the decline in the Cape Councils (RRC s). Bathurst and the Bluenose-West Interested persons can contact the Caribou Herds and also the continuous GRRB office in Inuvik or their lo- decline of the Rat River Char. The two main management issues cal RRC office to obtain more in- have been the decline in the Cape formation related to any of the Bathurst and the Bluenose-West specific issues noted above. The Caribou Herds and also the con- next Board Meeting is scheduled tinuous decline of the Rat River for February 2007 and will be Char. These important issues will hosted in Aklavik, NT. be discussed again at the next Board Meeting along with more information provided. Other wildlife & resource topics presented were Boreal Woodland Caribou Project, Regeneration of Page 4 Vadzaih srii (Caribou Month) Oil and Gas Development and Woodland Caribou By: Jennifer Walker Larsen Discussion at the Joint Review Upcoming Wildlife Hearings Panel wildlife hearings in Yellow- knife last month focused on the The Joint Review Panel has an- impacts of oil and gas develop- nounced wildlife hearing in Inuvik ment on woodland caribou. from November 15-16th and a Woodland caribou have been hearing on harvesting on Novem- identified as a threatened species ber 17th. Hearings will be held at in the NWT. the Midnight Sun Recreation Complex from 9 to 4:30 each day. Woodland caribou are known to Discussions will focus on the im- be sensitive to development. pact of the Mackenzie Gas Project Woodland caribou have been on wildlife and wildlife habitat. shown to avoid highways, roads, Presentations planned for the cutlines, and industrial sites. As hearing include: Based on these results ENR stated these types of developments · grizzly bear (ENR) that the Mackenzie Gas Project spread, there is less space for · barren-ground caribou (ENR) underestimated the impacts of the woodland caribou to live. Also, · migratory birds (Environment pipeline project on woodland caribou caribou are more easily found by Canada, Nature Canada) throughout the NWT hunters and wolves that travel · wildlife concerns (GRRB and roads and cutlines. These are be- GTC) lieved to be the main factors be- · wildlife management and hind dramatic declines in wood- monitoring (WMAC) land caribou populations through- out Alberta and British Columbia that have been seen with the de- velopment of forestry and oil and For more information on the Joint gas activities. Review Panel (JRP) and list of community hearings and other up- At the Yellowknife hearings John dates, you can visit the JRP web- Nagy from the Department of En- site at: vironment and Natural Resources http://www.jointreviewpanel.ca (ENR) presented results from his woodland caribou satellite- Or contact the JRP Manager: collaring project in the Inuvik Re- Paula Pacholek gion.