Philippe Morin
Northern News Services
Monday, July 30, 2007

AKLAVIK - There's an old cliché that "counting sheep" should put you to sleep.

But for biologists working in the Richardson Mountains outside Aklavik, it's a pretty exciting exercise.

Standing on guard at the research station are, (from left), Hideaki Koizumi, Brian Dokum, Freddie Furlong, Corey Greenland and Ryan McLeod. The men joined biologist Catherine Lambert to study Dall sheep in the mountains in June. photo courtesy of Catherine Lambert

Last June, a team working under the Gwich'in Renewable Resource Board (GRRB) spent a month camping near the Willow River, examining the behaviour of Dall sheep.

Catherine Lambert, who works as a biologist for the GRRB, said much was learned about predators and sheep herds.

"We left for the whole month of June," she said, explaining the group stayed in a tent and hiked an average of 15 kilometres a day.

Lambert added that some people from Aklavik, Fort McPherson and Inuvik joined the six-person team.

Together, they watched Dall sheep and recorded their behaviour from a distance, to learn about predators and the animals' diets.

She added this relatively isolated sheep herd has declined by about 50 per cent since 1997 in the studied region, but seem to be remaining steady today, which is unexplained.

"The goal of the trip was behavioural observation," Lambert said on July 24.

She added the North provided a unique advantage because of the sun.

"The midnight sun made more observation possible," she said.

Lambert added the GRRB will next conduct interviews across the Gwich'in Settlement Region of the Beaufort Delta, asking elders about Dall sheep.

Another field study is also likely to happen next year, so biologists can learn more about predators in the North.

This year's team also consisted of Ryan McLeod, Freddie Furlong, Corey Greenland, Rhonda Ransome, Hideaki Koizumi and Brian Dokum.