Deninu Kue First Nation gets funding to revive caribou habitats damaged by fires

Deninu Kue First Nation in Fort Resolution, N.W.T., has received funding from the territorial government to lead a new environmental project aimed at reviving caribou habitats damaged by forest fires.

According to Deninu Kue elders, caribou are taking longer and longer to return to burned areas, which further endangers the already-threatened animals.

The First Nation completed an initial two-year study last year on the effects of forest fires on caribou with financial backing from the federal government. Based on the results from that study, rehabilitating those caribou habitats is the next step for the community.

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Deninu Kue First Nation's caribou habitat recovery project is one of 12 environmental impact projects funded by the N.W.T. government's Cumulative Impact Monitoring Program announced on July 4.

The project will receive a portion of the program's $760,000 funding allocated for three years. Deninu Kue First Nation and the territorial government would not share the exact amount of funding the project is receiving.

The habitat recovery project is led by Rosy Bjornson, who said it's important this work is completed by the First Nation, rather than scientists with no connection to the region.

She said elders feel that First Nations must be at the forefront of the environmental management of traditional territories.

"The relationship between the animals, the land and the people is one that can't be changed," said Bjornson.

"The elders always said the scientists could do their study, but how are we going to know what they're really studying if we're not involved?"

1st step is to visit burn sites

The first step in the project, Bjornson said, is to visit three different burn sites: the site of a fire this summer, a burn from a year or two ago, and a decades-old burn. The First Nation is currently in the process of choosing these sites.

Two local land users will be hired as environmental technician monitors. These technicians will work with a caribou expert based in Victoria, B.C., to measure changes in the lichen abundance. This information helps predict when habitats disturbed by forest fires can support caribou again, Bjornson said.

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However, one problem is that caribou are "very shy animals," said Bjornson. She said that if there are no footprints, it's very hard to know where they are or where they've been.

Bjornson said she believes the grant will bring both environmental and economic benefits to the community. Since the project has funding for three years, Bjornson said many people in the community will have the opportunity to get involved.

The project is set to begin in August near Fort Resolution.

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