Saturday 30 June 2018

Politics and Jurisdictions

I grew up in a family where both my parents ran in provincial and federal elections.  Politics was a regular topic of dinner table conversation and my folks are still heavily involved with politics to this day.  As a child, during every election campaign I would help my parents deliver leaflets, or go with them to the campaign offices while they phoned constituents.  I grew up in such a political household that when I was in kindergarten and asked by my teacher to come up with a rhyme I proudly replied "Brian Mulroney rolls the dice and Canada pays the price!" *Facepalm*.  Anyways, all this is to say that I take it for granted that I have an innate understanding of how the political system works.  At the last BHA pint night that I attended on the 28th of June, I realized that for those who didn't grow up in politics, it is a confusing system and I should take the opportunity to break it down.

In Canada, we have 3 branches of government; Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. We also have 3 layers of government, Federal, Provincial/Territorial, and Municipal.

Without going into too much detail about how it all works, what is important to know is that they are all responsible for different things.  If you are interested in getting involved with advocacy it is important to be contacting the correct ministries and politicians for it to be effective.

Most hunting and angling issues are provincial, so most of what I am working on is by contacting my local MLA Judy Darcy where I live now in New Westminster (Her office is a 10 minute walk from my house), Minister Doug Donaldson (Responsible for hunting and non-tidal fishing), and Premier John Horgan.  I have had success with emails, letters, and phone calls.

 For hunting, angling, and conservation issues, here is how it breaks down.

Federal (Canada)


Federal Ridings in Greater Vancouver
Canada is divide into 338 ridings each represented by a Member of Parliament (PM) in the House of Commons and 105 seats for the Senate held by Senators.  BC has 42 ridings and MPs in the House of Commons and 6 Senators. 23 of BCs ridings are in the the Lower Mainland (Region 2)

To find your riding any of the following links will take you to maps where you can find out who represents you.  They will have an office in your neighbourhood and split their time between your riding and being in Ottawa.  You can send them mail, email, or call their local constituency office in our neighborhood to arrange a time to discuss issues with them.  You can also go there in person during the hours they are open.

http://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=res&dir=cir/maps2&document=index&lang=e
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_district_(Canada)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament_of_Canada

Federal Government

Executive: The Queen (rep. Governor General), the Prime Minister (Justin Trudeau), Cabinet (Ministers)

Legislative: Parliament which is made up of the House of Commons and the Senate

Judicial: Federal Court, Federal Court of Appeal, Tax Court of Canada, Supreme Court of Canada

Who to Contact About Federal Issues:

The Prime Minister (Justin Trudeau <justin.trudeau@parl.gc.ca>)

The Minister Responsible for the Issue: One of
Dominic LeBlanc dominic.leblanc@parl.gc.ca
Catherine McKenna <ec.ministre-minister.ec@canada.ca> or <Catherine.McKenna@parl.gc.ca>
Ralph Goodale <ralph.goodale@parl.gc.ca> or <Hon.ralph.goodale@canada.ca>

Your Local Member of Parliament (MP) (You'll have to look it up)

A Senator from BC

Federal Jurisdiction

1) Species At Risk Act (SARA):  This is legislation to allow the federal government to take control of the management of a species which is at risk of going extinct if the provinces aren't doing a good enough job. Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada can use SARA to protect fish, wildlife, and habitat.

2) Tidal Angling: Fisheries and Oceans Canada manages all tidal angling, fish stocks, and license.  The minister responsible is The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc.

3) Migratory Birds: Environment and Climate Change Canada manages migratory bird hunting and licensing.  The minister responsible is The Honourable Catherine McKenna.

4) Firearms Licensing and Regulation: RCMP which is under Public Safety Canada. The Minister responsible is The Honourable Ralph Goodale.


Provincial (British Columbia)


The Provincial Riding Boundaries in Greater Vancouver

BC is divided into 87 ridings.  Each riding is represented by an Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) who is your local representative in the government.  Their job is to represent the issues that matter to the people who live in their riding.  48 of those ridings are in the Lower Mainland (Region 2).  Since most hunting issues are provincial and since most of the ridings are in Region 2, those of us in the Lower Mainland have the power to change and shape how wildlife management and habitat conservation happens more than the entire rest of the province combined.  We have a responsibility to advocate since our region holds the most sway.

To find your riding any of the following links will take you to maps where you can find out who represents you.  They will have an office in your neighbourhood and split their time between your riding and being in Victoria.  You can send them mail, email, or call their local constituency office in your neighborhood to arrange a time to discuss issues with them. You can also go there in person during the hours they are open.
 
http://maps.gov.bc.ca/ess/hm/bcede/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legislative_Assembly_of_British_Columbia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_Columbia_provincial_electoral_districts

Provincial Government

Executive: The Queen (rep. Lieutenant Governor), the Premier (John Horgan), Cabinet (Ministers)

Legislative: the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia

Judicial: Provincial Court, Provincial Court of Appeal

Who to Contact About Provincial Issues:

The Premier (John Horgan <premier@gov.bc.ca>)

The Minister Responsible for the Issue: Either
Doug Donaldson <FLNR.Minister@gov.bc.ca>
George Heyman <ENV.Minister@gov.bc.ca>

Your Local Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) (You'll have to look it up)

Provincial Jurisdiction:

1) Hunting, Fresh Water Angling, Forests, Lands, Natural Resources, Rural Development: Conveniently, that is the ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations & Rural Development.  The minister in charge is Honourable Doug Donaldson.

2) Environment & Climate Change: Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.  The minister responsible is Honourable George Heyman.

Municipal (Your City or Town)


Municipal Jurisdiction:
1) Noise bylaws and No Discharge bylaws: Mayor and Council.

Who to Contact About Municipal Issues:
The Mayor and Council



Response from the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations & Rural Development



Yesterday I received the following response from a registered professional Biologist from the Ministry responsible for hunting issues, the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations & Rural Development.  I am not going to post the contact information or the name of the biologist so that I can start to develop a rapport with them on issues, but it just goes to show that if you are persistent, you will be heard.

Dear Alex,

Thank you for your e-mail regarding wildlife and habitat engagement. I’m currently working on the initiative to improve wildlife management and habitat conservation, and have been asked to respond.

Our government is committed to improving wildlife management and habitat conservation in BC, and will be developing policy options starting this fall to deliver on this mandate. This initiative is one of the top priorities for our Minister for this year.

As you know, our government committed to increasing funding for the Provincial Wildlife Management Strategy. Although the allocation is modest this year ($1M), there is a commitment to increase funds over the next two years ($3M for 2019/20 and $10M for 2020/21). However we recognize that even this commitment will likely not be sufficient to meet the expectations of British Columbians for substantial on the ground change. Hence we are exploring many of the opportunities you recommend for generating additional funding. I will send your excellent list of suggestions to the team that is currently exploring funding models.

Please continue to visit our website to share your thoughtful comments and ideas. Your input will contribute to the success of a new strategy moving forward.

Sincerely,

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXX, MSc, RPBio
Wildlife and Habitat Branch
Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations & Rural Development
Phone: XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX@gov.bc.ca

From: Alex Johnson [mailto:XXXXXXXXXX@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, June 6, 2018 7:31 AM
To: OfficeofthePremier, Office PREM:EX; Executive Division Office, FLNR:EX; Minister, FLNR FLNR:EX; Minister, ENV ENV:EX
Subject: 239966 Wildlife and Habitat Engagement

Alex Johnson
XXXXXXXX
New Westminster, BC
XXXXXX
(XXX) XXX-XXXX
June 6, 2018

Dear Premier Horgan, Minister Donaldson, and Minister Heyman

Re: Wildlife and Habitat Engagement

I am writing this letter to ask you to continue to ensure habitat and wildlife issues are a priority for this government and to support addressing all 8 of the challenges, and the associated objectives, discussed in the “Wildlife and Habitat Engagement” which is being undertaken by the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development. As a hunter, I fully support the efforts to address all 8 challenges and I support the direction that the provincial government and the ministry are taking regarding these issues. 

Similarly, I appreciate, and I fully support, the Provincial Caribou Recovery program. The action taken so far to engage the public and raise awareness is a critical first step. I have attached some infographics from the BCWF as well as some photos of the caribou that are blinking out of existence in BC. Caribou in BC are in crisis and urgent action is needed. 

Both initiatives as well as the modest funding increase in the last budget show that this government is willing to take action on critical matters of habitat protection and restoration in order to save species which are in crisis in BC. Thank you.

Now is the time to redouble the effort on these issues to achieve real lasting success. BC’s plants and animals depend on it. I fear these issues will run out of steam after the consultation is finished, like so many initiatives did with the previous government. I hope desperately that this government will be the first in in my lifetime to make real progress in restoring habitat and wildlife population numbers. 

This can only happen with the necessary funding. There are numerous methods other jurisdictions use to secure stable and sufficient funding to implement meaningful action on habitat and wildlife issues. 

These include, fees or funds from resource extraction, fees on tourism activities such as whale and bear viewing, ski passes, park and trail access fees, hunting and angling license fees, excise taxes on the sale of outdoor and sporting equipment including skis, snowboards, mountain and dirt bikes, ATVs, boats, and snowmobiles. Please fulfill both the NDP campaign promise to earmark 100% of license fees for conservation as well as implement some or all additional funding sources available. Neighbouring jurisdictions are able to reach hundreds of millions of dollars in funding from these sources.

Please continue to keep habitat and wildlife a priority for this government.

Sincerely,

Alex Johnson

Keeping Track of Sign and Hunts

When I first started hunting in 2014, I was fortunate enough to be invited to join a well established group of hunters who took me to their whitetail spot.  On that trip my now father in law showed me a series of paper maps with circles, X's, and lines on them.  These maps, and the notations on them, represented years of accumulated knowledge about where he found sign and where people had achieved success.  From the information contained on these maps my father in law was able to recommend that I spend time in the spot where I eventually managed to get my first white tailed deer.  

During that trip, and several after that, I up using my Garmin etrex GPS to mark all the locations where I managed to find sign as well as all the spots where I had seen deer.  Whe I bought the GPS I also bought the BC Backroad Mapbooks micro SD card for it so it shows the vast majority of the logging roads which is very nice.   When I bought that GPS, I paid around $250 for it and the maps cost another $160.  A pricey little piece of kit, but well worth it.  It runs on two AA batteries.  The only negative comment about it that you have to zoom in quite far before the logging roads become visible. Using the Garmin etrex to plan the next day's hunt is really difficult because you have to be so zoomed in to see anything.  It is really only good for tracking where you have been and way points.



After getting home from that 2014 hunt I started looking a lot at Google Maps and Google Earth.  I remembered years ago making a map for some friends to tell them how to find a campsite using Google Maps.  After a little investigation I found that it is really easy to do through My Maps using Google Maps.  The My Maps tool in Google maps even allows you to use hunting icons like a deer, wolf, bear, moose, etc. as well as tents and a shooter symbol.  Once I found these icons I transferred all my information from the Garmin GPS to a map I titled Hunting on My Maps.


Over the following few years I added a lot of information to my hunting map.  It has a limited number of layers so I limited it to types of game.  I also put the date and a little comment next to every point.  One of the cool things you can do is download it as a .kmz file and import the data into Google Earth.

Hunt Buddy Icon
Recently I heard about the app called Hunt Buddy.  I downloaded it onto my iPhone and used it last hunting season.  Overall, I really like how it helps you keep the regulations close at hand.  On my last day out scouting I used it to mark the location of sign and game sightings for the first time.  You have to pay for the topographical maps, but they are about 10% the price of the BC Backroad Mapbooks micro SD card. There are a lot fewer icons than on Google Maps, but there are enough to mark sign and game locations.

Example of mapping with Hunt Buddy
One nice thing you can do is download your My Map from Google Maps into Hunt Buddy, so that all of the accumulated info that I have from all the years and sources is now downloaded onto my phone.  You can also download the maps ahead of time so when you are in the bush you have full topographical maps on our phone.  It worked really well on my last hunt.  From the accumulated data you can really start to see the commonalities between where sign is found and where you can achieve success. 


Sunday 24 June 2018

BCWF: Urban Hunter Fighting for Wildlife

Recognition is always nice, but I'll do anything to help show other new hunters like myself that they can make a difference.  If you are thinking of learning to hunt or getting involved with conservation efforts it is easier than you might think!


Urban Hunter Fighting for Wildlife

IMG_0219
Alex Johnson went hunting for the first time in the fall of 2014 at the age of 29. He was drawn to hunting for the food opportunities and was lucky enough to be invited to join a well established group who were happy to share their knowledge and experience.  He first became concerned about conservation the following year after seeing the level of road density and deforestation on the way to and from a LEH moose hunt.  He then learned about the declining moose populations in much of the province and became interested in becoming active in conservation.

The natural heritage of BC is something which Alex feels needs to be protected and restored for the benefit of future generations. The native animals and plants of BC are what make our province such a special place. Additionally, he feels that having a strong connection with these animals and their habitats is the most important way to ensure that people will fight to protect them.

After listening to Jesse Zeman of the BC Wildlife Federation on the Rookie Hunter Podcast and the perspective of Steven Rinella on MeatEater, it became clear to Alex that there was widespread misunderstanding in the public about hunting, conservation, and declining wildlife populations.

The misinformation and lack of public awareness about hunting became acutely evident throughout the process which resulted in the ban on hunting grizzly bears.  It was the push he needed to become a Wildlife Warrior.

Since then, Alex has met with his MLA, spoken to the office of the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations & Rural Development, become involved in conservation organizations, provided feedback to government engagement initiatives, and started a blog www.vancouverhunter.com. In the future, he hopes to regularly meet with his MLA, help grow the number of wildlife advocates, and recruit other urbanites from non-hunting backgrounds to become hunter conservationists and increase awareness in the lower mainland.

KTW: Province planning steelhead sport fishery shutdown


http://www.kamloopsthisweek.com/news/province-planning-steelhead-sport-fishery-shutdown-1.23344870

The B.C. government is planning to shut down the coming steelhead trout sport fishery as fish return to the Thompson and Chilcotin rivers.

Although the official word has yet to come down from government, one official, who asked not to be named, said the shutdown is “in the works.”

he move would be the latest effort to save the steelhead, which have returned in diminishing numbers in recent years.

Last year, fewer than 200 Thompson steelhead and fewer than 50 Chilcotin steelhead returned — the lowest levels since record-keeping began.

On Feb. 13, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (an advisory body to the government) assessed the Thompson River and Chilcotin steelhead as endangered and recommended an emergency order to place the fish on the endangered list under the federally controlled Species at Risk Act.
That order would mean changes to commercial fisheries, where bycatch — like steelhead caught incidentally alongside salmon — means increased mortality among stocks.

So far, the federal government hasn’t taken action.

Mike Simpson, Thompson region senior manager with the Fraser Basin Council, told KTW the province’s move might mean a little or it might mean a lot.

“Well, this is the thing that’s been disputed. I don’t think there’s clear science on what the impact of sport fishing — catch and release only on Steelhead — I’ve heard some people say it’s only a one per cent mortality,” Simpson said.

“I’ve heard other people say that it’s a lot and I know First Nations, who we engage on steelhead, don’t like that there’s any catch and release,” Simpson said.

But whether the impact is small or large, Simpson said that might not matter.

“Given that the numbers are so low, even if it is one per cent mortality, I think a lot of people would say it makes sense to have a sport fishing ban,” he said.

Wednesday 6 June 2018

BCWF: Sign the Petition

If you haven't already signed the BCWF petition to protect BC habitat and wildlife, please consider doing so.

http://bcwf.net/…/2017-political-election…/sign-the-petition


British Columbia (BC) is home to more than half of all fish and wildlife…

Tuesday 5 June 2018

Good Fires Prevent Bad Ones


" Prescribed fires create natural wildfire barriers by removing brush, shrubs, and small trees that fuel out-of-control wildfires. They also help fire-adapted plants and animals grow and thrive. #PacificNorthwestResearchStation scientists provide the data and tools needed to plan and manage prescribed fire. Learn more at https://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/research/fire.  "

It seems that in BC the approach is, and has been, to fight fires as much as possible when in reality fire is a natural part of the succession of a forest.  Most of what I have read suggests that allowing fires to burn with minimal intervention helps insure that there is a more natural cycle of forest rejuvenation and less accumulation of large areas with excessive buildup of flammable undergrowth.  For the most part, it appears that we have removed fire from the landscape to disastrous consequences.  Now, when there is a fire, it is huge, out of control, and much hotter and more damaging than had we let smaller fires do their job of clearing out old dead brush.

Monday 4 June 2018

BCWF: Caribou Recovery - Help Us Advocate Now

 

http://bcwf.net/index.php/committees/wildlife/fish-wildlife-restoration-program/caribou-recovery  

 

Intro


Caribou is a symbol of wilderness in British Columbia and across Canada; Caribou is on our quarter, and are far more sensitive to the effects of people than other species such as burrowing owls, grizzly bears, and orcas.  We likely know more about Caribou than any other wildlife species in Canada.  British Columbia has been investing in caribou research and recovery for decades, yet most populations continue their downward slide to extinction.  Caribou is a symptom of a more significant problem: an intentional long-term defunding and dismantling of natural resource management in British Columbia and across Canada principally due to a lack of political will to adequately conserve and manage our natural resources.

 

Status

While the most recent government report indicates three extinct populations, it is likely that the Columbia South, South Selkirks, George Mountain, Central Purcells, Kinbasket, and Central Monashees are extinct or functionally extinct as well.  There are glimmers of hope in the Columbia North and Klinze-za populations where management levers are exercised. In most of Central and Southern B.C., we are in a crisis.

 

Funding

Caribou recovery, wildlife management, and natural resource management have been chronically under-funded for decades.  Without funding, the science which managers and elected officials need to make sound decisions often is not available.  Wildlife does not exist on four-year election cycles and should not be a passing thought in the budgeting process.

Recommendation: All who use and benefit from our natural resources to give back to conservation, including but not limited to; hydro-electrical development, heli-skiing, ski hills, logging, mining, oil & gas, ecotourism, hunters, anglers, naturalists.  Natural resource conservation funding should be based on a pay to play approach which increases legitimacy and provides stable, predictable, long-term funding.

Funding should be placed at arm’s length from government to increase transparency, public confidence, and the ability to leverage funding.

 

Science


Photograph by: Handout , Mike Jones for Canadian Boreal Initiative
Academics and some government researchers, most of which have retired or will retire shortly, are at the leading edge of caribou ecology and recovery.  Due to under-investment, cutbacks, retirement and attrition government is losing capacity and expertise to carry-out long-term research required to conserve caribou effectively.

The BCWF is extremely concerned since last year’s funding announcement that the province has excluded the top caribou ecologists from meetings, and failed to engage researchers on study designs for management, monitoring, and recovery.  Significant expertise is available, and research is being conducted at the University of Alberta as well as University of Northern British Columbia, and University of Montana which should be a focal component of caribou recovery.

Recommendation: Caribou research should be funded and housed in an academic institution, or cooperative wildlife unit, which would minimize big"P" politics and provide focus and the rigour required to inform and guide science-based decisions.

 

Inventory

The status quo approach is "fly when you have money," which is not meaningful for caribou or other wildlife species.  It will not restore caribou populations by confirming that there is fewer caribou than the last inventory flight restore caribou populations.

Recommendation: Monitoring should occur via stratified random block surveys every five years.  Between collaring, camera trapping, citizen science, and aerial inventory work there may be more efficient and cost-effective means to monitor caribou populations.  The results of inventory need to inform an adaptive approach to landscape-level management.

 

Objectives

There are currently no meaningful objectives for mountain caribou.  Aggregated or long-term objectives, without short-term objectives, will fail the test of time.  While the government has indicated recovering all caribou herds may not be feasible, the critical habitat provision in SARA exists even after caribou populations have become extirpated.

Recommendation: There should be legislated objectives for all Mountain Caribou populations, as well as legislated objectives for habitat, and all other species to ensure caribou recovery is successful and those involved are accountable to the process each other, and caribou.

 

Tools

The BCWF recognizes habitat restoration, access management, predator management, maternal penning, supplemental feeding, and management of over-abundant prey species, as legitimate management tools.  The BCWF does not support using these tools in isolation, or when they are politically, or socially convenient.

 

Penning


Photo courtesy of CBC
The BCWF recognizes neonate mortality is high and that maternal penning has proven somewhat effective in combination with other management tools.  The BCWF acknowledges this as an interim step but is not highly supportive of using this over the long run because of cost, a lack of scalability, animal health-related concerns and de-wilding of wildlife.  Given those concerns, the BCWF is not supportive of captive breeding and this time.

 

Feeding

The BCWF recognizes that supplemental feeding is part of maternal penning and supports it as an interim measure for small populations.

 

Prey management

With legislated objectives for habitat and wildlife populations comes management of all species.  The BCWF supports managing habitat and wildlife by setting objectives and following them, using hunting as a legitimate wildlife management tool.

 

Predator Management

The BCWF notes that caribou population declines and extinctions have occurred both inside and outside Provincial and Federal Parks and protected areas for a myriad of reasons which are often correlated to people and industrial development as ultimate causes, with proximate causes related to predation.  While controversial, predator management is a legitimate tool to ensure the perpetuation and support recovery of prey species.

Recommendation: The Federal government's guideline wolf density target is 3/1000 km2 for Southern caribou populations.  Site-specific wolf management has proven to be ineffective; it must be meaningful for caribou and applied at the landscape level.


 

Land Use

Recommendation: B.C. needs to set a vision for what its landscapes should look like in five decades, including caribou recovery zones.  Land use should include private lands, and private land acquisition and management.

Recommendation: The environmental assessment process needs:

1) A commitment to scientific integrity
2) Mitigation measures which are ground-truthed, and monitored
3) Cumulative effects must be applied spatially and across all industries and uses
4) Information must be transparent, public and permanent

 

Access



British Columbia’s wilderness is crisscrossed with resource extraction roads and other linear features such as seismic lines.  The most commonly cited threshold for wildlife is 0.6 km/km2; nearly all of southern B.C. exceeds this threshold.  Caribou is more susceptible to roads and linear features than most other wildlife populations.
A threshold for landscape-level management and caribou recovery should be legislated.  Linear features (logging roads, seismic lines) should be decommissioned as part of licensees’ obligations to ensure these targets are met.

The BCWF recognizes changes to commercial and recreational use will likely need to be adjusted over time.  The BCWF supports limiting and modifying commercial and non-resident use before that of British Columbians.

 

Enforcement and Oversight

Currently, there are numerous ‘voluntary' guidelines, which may not be sufficient to manage the impacts of resource extraction and recreational use properly.  There must be research on the effects of eco-tourism, heli-skiing, and cat skiing.  Enforcement of snowmobile closures and the associated penalties have not been sufficient.

Recommendation: The BCWF would like to see increased oversight, enforcement and monitoring of all industries provincially, including those in caribou recovery zones.  Oversight would be conducted through a Natural Resources Practices Board to evaluate practices and serve as an independent watchdog for natural resource management in B.C.

Recommendation: The BCWF recommends legislated commitments around staffing and budgeting through the Conservation Officer Service.  All fines resulting from infractions in Caribou recovery zones should go back to landscape-level management in the area where the violation occurred.

 

Communication

The BCWF supports increased communication and the incorporation of modern web-based tools to report.  The BCWF is disappointed in the current consultative process which provides no substance or legitimacy to respondents’ comments.  Public consultation should be qualified, and transparent.  The current process delegitimizes public consultation, integrity, legitimacy, and accountability of the process.

 

Social Support

Government’s historic top-down, divisive and authoritative approach creates and leaves caribou recovery subject to the elected regulatory framework.

Recommendation: The BCWF would like to see a roundtable approach, similar to the current Mountain Caribou Recovery Implementation Plan where legitimate interests are represented.   A roundtable would include First Nations, NGOs, experts, scientists, the public sector, and industry.  Represented interests should be B.C.-based, be provincial in nature and non-governmental organizations should be involved in on-the-ground conservation and stewardship projects.  The roundtable would add to the legitimacy of the process, and minimize free-riding, mistrust, and instability.  The BCWF would also like to see a non-partisan MLA committee formed included in this process.

 

Conclusion

The BC Wildlife Federation is excited that this review is occurring and that there has been a short-term commitment to funding.  For caribou to continue to exist in B.C., we will have to do things differently.  In the short-term, we need to stop the bleeding by reducing mortality of caribou by wolves and cougars, access, and the loss of large intact blocks of habitat until the habitat becomes caribou friendly.  In the long-term, we need to decommission roads, seismic lines, trails, cut blocks, other activities (heli-skiing, cat-skiing, snowmobiling), and high-density ungulates.

If we are to recover caribou, and wildlife broadly, B.C. has to change its approach: we need a new model which is adequately funded, has legislated objectives and which puts wildlife first.

 

Help Advocate for BC's Caribou Now

 

Share this page with your Network

 
ACT NOW! encourage others to give their feedback to the BC Government on Caribou recovery before June 15th at 4 pm!

 

Send your MLA a Letter and Book a Meeting:

1) CLICK HERE TO Download a template letter for you to easily format, email or mail off to your MLA
2) Find your MLA
3) Email and Snail Mail your Letters to your MLA
4) Find your MP and Book a Meeting 




Example of Letter:
Your Name 
Your Address Here
Your Address Here

June xx, 2018
Your MLA's Name and
Address Here

Dear ____________,
 
Re:  BC Caribou Recovery

I am writing to you today to request that you put more funding and effort into the recovery of BC’s Caribou.

Caribouare a symbol of wilderness in British Columbia and across Canada. Yet, caribou recovery, along with wildlife management, and natural resource management, have been under-funded for decades.

I believe more funding should be allocated to wildlife management, so more effort can be put into collecting data and setting legislated objectives for all mountain caribou populations, as well as a legislated objective for habitat, and all other species.

To provide more funding, I suggest all who use and benefit from our natural resources should give back to conservation, including but not limited to; hydro-electrical development, heli-skiing, logging, mining, oil & gas, ecotourism, hunters, and anglers.

If we are to recover caribou, and wildlife broadly, B.C. must change its approach. We can no longer manage our wildlife to zero. We need a new model which is adequately funded, has legislated objectives and which puts wildlife first.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

Respectfully,

Sign

Insert your name here

CC: Right Hon. Justin Trudeau
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A2

Insert name of your MP
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A6