2009 Annual Report of NWT WILDLIFE RESEARCH PERMITS Photo Credit: Environment and Natural Resources Table of Contents Introduction...............................................................................................................................................................................................1 Wildlife Species Amphibians •. Amphibian.Population.and.Health.Surveys.in.the.South.Slave,.Northwest.Territories,.2009............................................3 Bears •. Ecology.of.Grizzly.Bears.in.the.Mackenzie.Delta.Oil.and.Gas.Development.Area..............................................................5 •. Adaptive.Long-Term.Fasting.in.Land.and.Ice-Bound.Polar.Bears...........................................................................................7 •. Assessment.of.Possible.Impacts.of.Oil.and.Gas.Activities.on.Polar.Bears.in.the.. Outer.Mackenzie.Delta.and.Near.Shore.Southern.Beaufort.Sea..............................................................................................9 •. Populations.and.Sources.of.Recruitment.for.Polar.Bears..........................................................................................................11 Birds •. Population.Management.of.Geese.and.Swans.in.the.Inuvialuit.Settlement.Region.. Using.Aerial.Surveys.and.Banding.Studies.................................................................................................................................13 •. Latitudinal.Impacts.on.Carry-Over.Effects.in.a.Neotropical.Songbird.(Dnedroica.petechia)..........................................17 •. Shorebird.Surveys.in.the.Mackenzie.Delta,.Northwest.Territories..........................................................................................19 •. Snow.Goose.Population.Study.on.Banks.Island..........................................................................................................................21 •. Co-operative.Waterfowl.Population.Surveys.in.the.Northwest.Territories...........................................................................25 •. Identification.of.Beaufort.Sea.Migration.Corridor.for.Sea.Ducks.............................................................................................29 •. Western.Canada.Cooperative.Duck.Banding.Program.at.Willow.Lake,.Sahtu.Settlement,.NWT,.2009.......................31 •. Western.Canada.Cooperative.Pre-season.Waterfowl.Banding.Program.(Mills.Lake,.NT)...............................................33 •. Whooping.Crane.Ecology.and.Rehabilitation.............................................................................................................................35 Caribou •. Collaring.of.Tuktoyaktuk.Peninsula,.Cape.Bathurst,.and.Bluenose-West.Barren-Ground.Caribou..............................39 •. Photocensus,.Late.Winter.Recruitment,.and.Fall.Composition.Surveys.of.the.. Tuktoyaktuk.Peninsula,.Cape.Bathurst.and.Bluenose-West.Barren-Ground.Caribou.Herds..........................................41 •. Pre-collaring.Distribution.Surveys,.Caribou.Collaring,.Late.Winter.Recruitment.Surveys,.Photocensus.. and.Fall.Composition.Surveys.of.the.Bluenose-East.and.Bluenose-West.Barren-Ground.Caribou.Herds..................43 •. Monitoring.of.the.Bathurst.Caribou.Herd......................................................................................................................................45 •. Distribution.and.Movements.of.the.Ahiak.and.Beverly.Herds.................................................................................................47 •. Health,.Condition.and.Contaminant.Monitoring.of.the.Ahiak.and.Beverly.Barren-Ground.Caribou.Herds..............49 •. Ecology.of.Boreal.Woodland.Caribou.in.the.Lower.Mackenzie.Valley,.NT..........................................................................53 •. Continued.Monitoring.and.Deployment.of.Satellite.Collars.on.Dehcho.Boreal.Caribou.................................................55 •. Deployment.of.GPS.and.Satellite.Collars.on.Dehcho.Boreal.Caribou...................................................................................59 •. Boreal.Caribou.Population.Trends.and.Habitat.Use.in.the.North.and.South.Cameron.Hills.Area................................63 •. Greater.Nahanni.Caribou.Population.Monitoring......................................................................................................................65 Moose •. Moose.Census.for.Buffalo.Lake.and.River.....................................................................................................................................67 .continued.next.page Table of Contents continued Wildlife.Interactions •. Dall’s.Sheep,.Grizzly.Bear.and.Wolf.Interactions.in.the.Richardson.Mountains.(Collar.Retrieval)................................71 Wolverine •. NWT.Wolverine.Carcass.Collection...............................................................................................................................................73 •. Wolverine.DNA.Sampling.on.the.Central.Barrens.....................................................................................................................75 Wood.Bison •. Monitoring.of.the.Nahanni.Wood.Bison.Population....................................................................................................................77 •. Bison.Control.Area.Program,.2009..................................................................................................................................................81 •. Slave.River.Lowlands.Bison.Population.Monitoring...................................................................................................................83 •. Mackenzie.Wood.Bison.Population.Monitoring.Project,.2009...................................................................................................85 •. Validating.a.Technique.to.Salvage.Semen.from.Infected.Wood.Bison,.April.6-9,.2009.....................................................87 Wildlife Health •. Bathurst.Caribou.Health,.Condition.and.Contaminant.Monitoring.......................................................................................89 •. Caribou.Body.Condition.and.Health.Monitoring........................................................................................................................91 •. Wildlife.Health.and.Genetic.Monitoring........................................................................................................................................93 Wildlife and Habitat Monitoring •. Small.Mammal.and.Hare.Transect.Surveys.................................................................................................................................97 Protected Area Strategy •. Protected.Area.Strategy.- Shúhtagot’iné.Néné.........................................................................................................................101. •. Phase.2.Ecological.Assessment.for.Buffalo.Lake,.River.and.Trails.–... Breeding.Birds,.Waterfowl.and.Vegetation.Surveys................................................................................................................103 •. Wildlife.Reconnaissance.of.Candidate.Sambaa.K’e.Protected.Area...................................................................................105 •. Ecological.Assessment.of.the.Ka’a’gee.Tu.Candidate.Protected.Area................................................................................107 Research Related to Development Activities •. Summer.Field.Assessment.and.Advance.Barging.and.Staging.Project:.2008-2011.........................................................111 •. 2009.Wildlife.Monitoring.Program.for.the.Diavik.Diamond.Mine..........................................................................................113 •. De.Beers.Snap.Lake.Mine:.Wildlife.Effects.Monitoring.Program...........................................................................................115 •. 2008-2010.Baseline.Studies.for.Avalon.Ventures.Proposed.. Thor.Lake.Rare.Earth.Metals.Project.–.Wildlife.Component...................................................................................................117 •. Terrestrial.Environment.Baseline.Studies.for.the.Lutselk’e.Mini.Hydro.Project.................................................................119 •. Quantifying.Boreal.Bird.and.Mammal.Response.to.Human.Land.Use.Practices.in.the.Northwest.Territories.........121 Index............................................................................................................................................................................................................124 2009 Annual Report of NWT WILDLIFE RESEARCH PERMITS Under.the.Wildlife Act.(section.24),.a.valid.Wildlife.Research.Permit.is.required.to. study.wildlife.or.wildlife.habitat.in.the.Northwest.Territories.(NWT)..It.is.an.offence.to. conduct.a.survey.or.census.of.wildlife.or.wildlife.behaviour,.administer.drugs,.collect. or.purchase.specimens,.or.carry.out.any.scientific.research.relating.to.wildlife.without. a.permit... The.Department.of.Environment.and.Natural.Resources.(ENR).is.responsible.for. issuing.Wildlife.Research.Permits...Each.year,.researchers.carry.out.studies.on.all. types.of.wildlife.and.wildlife.habitat,.throughout.the.NWT..As.a.requirement.of.an. NWT.Wildlife.Research.Permit,.researchers.must.submit.a.summary.report.of.their. activities.and.findings.to.ENR..These.summary.reports.are.published.each.year.in.an. annual.report. This.publication.provides.summary.reports.for.wildlife.research.carried.out.during. 2009..Contact.information.for.the.main.investigator.leading.each.project.has.been.