Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (July 26/02) - Nick Larter would love to be everywhere in the Deh Cho, but that's simply not possible.

Therefore, as the Deh Cho's regional biologist, he's relying on hunters, trappers and travellers to report unusual wildlife sightings or troubling carcasses -- a moose that's severely underweight, a bison with unusual lumps or bumps or a species in an unusual location.

"We'd like to encourage things like that to be phoned in or brought in," said Larter.

For example, a dead bison was reported near Nahanni Butte a few months ago. Larter and a few colleagues were perplexed by the death of what appeared to be well-preserved, healthy bull.

"It looked like it laid down and never got up," Larter said. "The only thing that did jump out at us was that the lungs looked really funny."

The preliminary results from labs in Yellowknife and Saskatoon point to pulmonary emphysema, rare in bison, which may have led to pneumonia.

"It's a very interesting case," he said.

Since beginning work as the Deh Cho's first regional biologist on April 1, Larter has been stocking the office with basic items such as sampling equipment and knives.

He was previously employed with RWED in Inuvik for nine years and had worked with bison in the Mackenzie sanctuary for nearly a decade prior to that.

To become more familiar with the needs of the Deh Cho, he is planning to invite land users from all communities to a conference, where they can discuss issues and problem.

He is also learning a few things about the area from Danny Allaire, wildlife technician intern.

"Having Danny alongside has been really good," he said.

Together they have begun a small mammal and hare population index by counting faeces within small plots.

"Any biologist will tell you that you get into (excrement) all the time," Larter joked, adding that faeces analysis can actually reveal not only the animal's dietary habits but its sex and whether it is pregnant.

Larter's job will also entail studying vegetation, integral to animal life, and mapping with geographical information systems (GIS).

"This is a really rich region as far as wildlife resources go," he said.

"I think there's a lot of opportunities to get a lot of things done here."