LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - The future of three wildlife monitoring projects was discussed in Fort Simpson last week.

Staff from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources participate in a wildlife meeting in Fort Simpson on Oct. 20. From left, regional superintendent Carl Lafferty and Dehcho wildlife technician Danny Allaire. - Kassina Ryder/NNSL photo

Delegates from Dehcho First Nation communities gathered in Fort Simpson to participate in the Deh Cho Regional Wildlife Workshop on Oct. 19 and 20.

The meeting is held every two years and is sponsored by the Department of Environment and Natural resources along with the Dehcho First Nations.

During the two-day workshop, delegates discussed the progress of programs currently being carried out in the region, the department's regional biologist Nic Larter said.

"The big three we've got in the go are the boreal caribou project, the moose project and the Nahanni bison project," he said.

Some of the projects, such as caribou, moose and bison monitoring programs have been running for five years and it was time to discuss the future of the programs, he said.

"We're kind of getting into the next phase," he said.

The establishment of a Nahanni Bison Management Plan Committee is currently being reviewed, Larter said. Representatives from the department met with residents of Fort Liard and Nahanni Butte in 2009 to discuss possible membership options.

"It's one of the things that is in the works," he said.

Placing tracking collars on Nahanni bison was also considered a high priority item. Three collars had been deployed in November 2008 and four more were deployed in January 2009.

Larter said there are about seven collars that need to be refurbished, but the department aims to have them deployed before the next bison survey takes place in March.

"The ones that are being fixed up are being fixed up right now," he said. "The plan is to make sure all of the ones that we've got in hand, that we try to get them out on bison next year before the survey."

Trout Lake resident Margaret Jumbo said she and other community members have noticed more bison.

"We seem to have bison coming closer to the Trout Lake area," she said.

Delegates also discussed the possibility of offering high school Career and Technology Studies credits for youth interested in attending ecology camps. A lack of attendance was identified as an issue during the meeting.

"We were investigating the possibility of aligning this course so that it would become something where there was the potential for CTS credits," Larter said.

Cutting down on the amount of modern technology permitted during the camps was also discussed during the meeting. Youth had been bringing iPods and other items along with them to camp, which some delegates said took away from the traditional learning and cultural experience aspects of being out on the land.

"We need to review camp policies," Larter said during the meeting.

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