CARIBOU ACTION
It will take a great deal of political will for provincial and territorial governments to do the right thing, and will likely require the federal government to hold them to it. To ensure the right changes are made, Canadians will have to get involved too. Here is what you can do…
1LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ISSUES
• Visit the Canadian Wildlife Federation (cwf-fcf.ca) to learn how it is working to develop sciencebased, land-use models incorporating wildlife conservation, industrial development and economic benefit in the western boreal forest.
• Read the book Caribou And The North, A Shared Future, by leading Canadian conservationists Monte Hummel and Justina Ray, published by Dundurn Press.
• Go online and search “COSEWIC status report on caribou.” This will take you to the federal government’s Species at Risk Public Registry, where you can get detailed info on the parlous state of caribou in Canada.
• Download the new caribou report from the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement website: Understanding Disturbance Thresholds and Opportunities to Achieve Better Outcomes for Boreal Caribou in Canada. (It is not as dry as it sounds.)
2CALL YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS
Be prepared. Be positive. Be patient. Make sure your elected representatives know about this issue and know you care and they should too. Your provincial or territorial members are in a good position to help make a difference. Contact your local MP and the federal minister of the environment and climate change. This is a national issue.
3LOBBY INDUSTRY
Write industry groups to let them know that they have a crucial role to play and that you are watching. Online, you can find provincial and national associations, like the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers and the Forest Products Association of Canada.
4TALK, TWEET AND POST
Talk to your friends, pass this article along. Get them to write letters too. Use your social media to amplify your effect. Help create the awareness that will help conserve this species and the precious boreal landscape they occupy. And remember, personal consumption translates into natural resource development pressures in caribou habitat. Consume responsibly.