SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The names of those putting their case forward at next year's public hearings on the Bathurst caribou management proposal are in, and there are some surprising additions and omissions on the list.

Charlton Heston, now deceased, was the outspoken public face of the National Rifle Association (NRA), an organization that has recently registered as an intervenor in the Bathurst Caribou management public hearings in January. - photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Among the list of intervenors is the National Rifle Association (NRA), a organization in the United States that promotes the rights of firearm owners.

Earlier this month the Tlicho and territorial governments released a joint report that proposed a ban on caribou tags for commercial, resident and outfitter hunts until 2012.

Public hearings regarding the proposal are set for January 11 to 13, 2009, where invested parties are given the opportunity to speak on the matter.

John Andre, an outfitter from Montana who runs an outfitting camp in the NWT and who is an NRA member, asked the organization to make a submission on the issue.

"The issue for the NRA is that they represent over four million, mostly American hunters, that have an interest in coming to the NWT to hunt caribou," said Andre.

"The NRA has seen these sort of issues in other places, where the science is wrong, and so they're going to intervene."

Andre will also be presenting his own case at the January hearings but said he isn't satisfied that the Tlicho and territorial governments have developed a united proposal.

"To me, there's very little agreement on the major issues," he said. "In other words Tlicho say, no limitation on harvesting, and ENR (the Department of Environment and Natural Resources) says virtually complete limitation on harvesting."

When asked about the list of intervenors, Andre expressed his surprise there are not more aboriginal groups making a case, with only the North Slave Metis Alliance on the list.

"I was a little surprised that Dene Nation and some of those other groups didn't intervene," he said.

Mayor Gord Van Tighem echoed Andre's surprise.

"The one question I would have is that none of the aboriginal groups are intervenors," he said.

"And under the Tlicho final agreement this board has the authority to limit the aboriginal hunt."

The Yellowknives Dene First Nation could not be reached for comment, but in September it cancelled the traditional fall caribou hunt out of concern for falling herd numbers.

The City of Yellowknife will be making a presentation at the public hearings and Van Tighem said the economic impact of a ban on tags will be illustrated.

The only registered intervener in favour of the proposal is Robert Turner, an aboriginal Yellowknife resident.

He said during his time serving on the North Slave Metis Alliance he was exposed to several environmental assessments that caused him concern about the Bathurst caribou.

"I've seen the trends of the caribou numbers taking a steep decline," he said. "The number of caribou are reducing dramatically, but the pressures (on the herd) are not."

"It's interesting that some of the other aboriginal groups haven't put their names in to support the restrictions on the caribou," he added.

Amanda Peterson, speaking on behalf of the intervening Peterson's Point Lake Lodge, said she hoped the Wek'eezhii Renewable Resource Board, which is overseeing the hearings, and the Tlicho and territorial governments will be receptive to other solutions.

"That proposal would pretty much jeopardize our industry, hence the reason for becoming an intervenor," she said.

"I'd like to remain hopeful that the board and the minister really are open to other submissions and possibilities."