Beware the ‘Fawn of the Dead’: a herd of skeletal, pock-marked deer limp menacingly towards their target, moaning, intent on a gory brain feast…grraaahhh !!! OK, not really; there are no zombie deer eating anyone’s brains. So why is the disease known as Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) also known as zo...

Mark Hall’s reaction to my article on the newly legalized practice of hunting bears with dogs started with the statement that it ‘relies on emotional rhetoric, selective science, and mischaracterizations that deserve clarification’. I would like to address each of his criticisms in turn. Mark Hall: ...

In July, Todd Loewen, the Minister for Alberta’s Forestry and Parks, quietly updated provincial regulations to allow the use of dogs while hunting black bears. His rationale? To help protect endangered woodland caribou populations, because black bears prey on newborn caribou calves. Hunter gatherer ...

For 40 years, the province has put industry ahead of endangered species Is the Alberta government hell-bent on eliminating what remains of the two caribou herds that live in the mountains just north of Jasper National Park? Looking at the province’s recently released draft management plan for the Up...

“This is a really exciting opportunity, a novel undertaking in caribou conservation” A first-of-its-kind caribou breeding facility will move forward in Jasper National Park. Ottawa has given its blessing to Parks Canada’s plans to move forward on a new caribou conservation breeding program to suppor...

Parks Canada mum on future of outfitters  There is still time for members of the public to comment on the proposed caribou conservation plan in Jasper National Park. Comments close today (September 2) on Parks Canada’s plans to build a $24 million breeding facility to rebuild small caribou herds in ...

Jasper National Park is holding its annual year-in-review.  On April 27, Parks Canada staff will present highlights of the past year and explain coming priorities at the Jasper National Park Annual Public Forum. The evening starts at 6:30 p.m. with Jasper Field Unit Superintendent Alan Fehr’s addres...

Advancements in monitoring technology have improved markedly since caribou were first monitored by VHF (very high frequency) radio in Jasper National Park in the 1970s. Back then, large, clunky radio collars were attached to a handful of animals in a herd. Using VHF receivers, researchers would hike...

A blockade protesting the planned harvest of 3,500 hectares of old growth caribou habitat has been erected 75 kms south of Grande Cache near the Berland River. Last week, land defenders erected a rudimentary barrier to stop West Fraser Forest Product workers from accessing the Moon Creek forestry ro...