LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - A new group will help the Dehcho First Nation manage boreal caribou in the region.

Community representatives including, clockwise from right, Edward Cholo of Fort Simpson, Darrell Betsaka of Nahanni Butte and Stan Sanguez and Ernest Hardisty of Jean Marie River participate in the first meeting of the newly-formed Dehcho Boreal Caribou Working Group on Feb. 10. - photo courtesy of Daniel Allaire

Nine years in the making, the Dehcho Boreal Caribou Working Group held its first meeting in Fort Simpson on Feb. 10. The group's purpose is to gather information and research about boreal caribou and for the Deh Cho communities, said Nic Larter, the regional biologist for the Deh Cho with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR).

By having access to as complete a picture as possible, community members and groups will better understand and discuss issues related to boreal caribou, Larter said.

"Everybody is there to look out for caribou," he said.

The idea of creating a wildlife working group was first raised at the department's first two regional wildlife workshops in 2002 and 2004. Land claim groups usually have a working group to organize issues and research regarding wildlife, Larter said.

Its scope was narrowed to focus solely on boreal caribou partially because of a recommendation made by the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board in 2005, said Larter. While looking at a Cameron Hills extension project the board recommended ENR form a working group on boreal caribou.

In the following years, ENR and Dehcho First Nations discussed and debated how the group should be formed and who should be on it. The group is currently made up of representatives from Dehcho First Nations, Nahanni Butte, Jean Marie River, Kakisa, Trout Lake and ENR.

The group plans to meet quarterly. For the next meeting in early April the members have requested access to the most current information available on boreal caribou in the region.

One of the group's interests is making forest fire management aware of areas important to boreal caribou so if a fire occurs in one of the areas it can be fought, said Larter.

Darrell Betsaka, the representative for Nahanni Butte, said he's pleased to see the group come together.

"The caribou have to be monitored," he said.

Across the border in the Yukon, years of monitoring have already shown that caribou numbers are declining. Monitoring has only started recently in the Deh Cho and the working group is a step towards ensuring it continues, Betsaka said.

Nahanni Butte and the surrounding communities don't have a good understanding of boreal caribou. This group will help the region get a handle on the issue, Betsaka said.

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