The documents herein make up the list of completed WRRB projects and the subsequent record of proceedings.
Public Registry: Archives
Archived Documents
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PR (Wolf 2020): 099 - Report on a Public Hearing Held by the Wek’èezhìı Renewable Resources Board 22-26 March 20105-6 August 2010 Behchokǫ, NT & Reasons for Decisions Related to a Joint Proposal for the Management of the Bathurst Caribou (ekwǫ̀) Herd.
In November 2009, the Tłı̨chǫ Government and ENR submitted the Joint Proposal on Management of Caribou in Wek’èezhìi to the Board, which proposed harvest limitations. The WRRB considered any restriction of harvest or component of harvest as the establishment of a total allowable harvest (TAH). The WRRB complied with Section 12.3.10 of the Tłı̨chǫ Agreement and held a public hearing in Behchokǫ̀, NT in two parts on March 22-26, 2010 and August 5-6, 2010. The WRRB has concluded, based on all available information that a conservation concern exits for the Bathurst caribou herd and management actions are vital for herd recovery. However, rather than implementing a TAH, the WRRB has been persuaded by ENR‟s and Tłı̨chǫ Government‟s argument to implement a harvest target instead. The WRRB recommends that the Minister of ENR and Grand Chief of the Tłı̨chǫ Government establish a harvest target of 300 Bathurst caribou per year for 2010/11, 2011/12, and 2012/13. |
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PR (Wolf 2020): 098 - Raven scavenging favours group foraging in wolves.
Wolves, Canis lupus, routinely live in large packs that include unrelated individuals and mature offspring. Studies show that individual wolves that live in large packs suffer reduced foraging returns. Therefore, |
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PR (Wolf 2020): 098 - Raven scavenging favours group foraging in wolves.
Wolves, Canis lupus, routinely live in large packs that include unrelated individuals and mature offspring. Studies show that individual wolves that live in large packs suffer reduced foraging returns. Therefore, |
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PR (Wolf 2020): 097 - The hunt for Ma’iingan: Ojibwe ecological knowledge and wolf hunting in the Great Lakes (ABSTRACT)
With the removal of the Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) from the United States Endangered Species List in 2012 throughout most of the contiguous United States, several states legalized wolf hunting as part of wildlife management programs and the protection of livestock. However, the legalization of wolf hunting has created much conflict between indigenous and non-indigenous populations in the Great Lakes region. Many Anishinaabeg, or Ojibwe, in the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan object to the state-sanctioned wolf hunting because of their long-standing religious and ecological relationship to wolves as relatives. In the Anishinaabe creation story, the Creator Gitchi Manitou sent Ma’iingan, or Wolf, as a brother and companion to the original human, where the lives of Anishinaabe peoples and wolves would forever become intertwined. While the wolf hunting conflict appears to be one between religion and the broader secular state, it is a complex issue, involving historical religious conceptions of land and power among Anishinaabe and non-indigenous Americans. Power and traditional ecological knowledge in Anishinaabe culture originates from non-human sources, where humans must establish relationships with other-than-human beings to survive and achieve bimaadiziwin, or “the good life.” In a bimaadiziwin framework, wolves are a source of power, knowledge, and well-being for humans, suggesting that they and other non-human beings are valid models of potential ways in which humans may develop ecological models and environmental relations. A methodology based on indigenous environmental theory and non-human power may provide a broader and more inclusive framework for environmental conflicts, incorporating the roles of all the beings vi that are indigenous in a certain area. In my thesis, I will show how the wolf-hunting conflict in the Great Lakes region is an example of clashing hierarchical and nonhierarchical systems of relations and knowledge, and explore how an Anishinaabe wolfbased epistemology and ontology is a valid non-hierarchical ecological model for the Great Lakes region and beyond. Key words: ma’iingan, Ojibwe, wolf hunting, the conflict, wolven traditional knowledge, Great Lakes area |
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PR (Wolf 2020): 096 - Survey of permanent wound tracks in the carcasses of culled wild red deer in Scotland.
The number and sites of permanent wound tracts in the carcases of 943 wild culled red deer (Cervus elaphus) were recorded. During the peak period of the red deer rut there was a significant increase in the |
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PR (Wolf 2020): 095 - Characteristics of exploited wolf populations.
The effectiveness of aerial wolf survey techniques was evaluated in Game Management Units (W's) 20A and 13. Results indicated that under certain conditions, aerial wolf surveys can provide reasonably accurate estimates of wolf numbers in the types of habitat typical of Southcentral and Interior Alaska. Most important of these conditions are the presence of an adequate amount of fresh snow and sunlight, and the use of pilots and observers possessing the ability to identify, interpret, and follow wolf tracks observed from the air. In relatively level terrain, flight transects about six miles (10km) apart appear to be adequate to detect the presence of wolf packs under present ecological conditions in Alaska. In more broken terrain, waterways and ridge systems should be followed most closely with the average distance between flight lines also being about six miles (10km) or less. Results of an extensive survey and control effort in subunit 20A during early 1976 suggested that previous survey estimates tended to be slightly conservative. It appears that the wolf population in subunit 20A has been relatively stable since 1973, numbering about 200 individuals in late winter. |
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PR (Wolf 2020): 094 - Attitudes to Wolves and Wolf Policy Among Ojibwe Tribal Members and Non-tribal Residents of Wisconsin’s Wolf Range (ABSTRACT)
Gray wolf (Canis lupus) policy is dynamic and involves multiple stakeholders. Attitudinal surveys have historically measured stakeholder attitudes, although Native American views have rarely been studied systematically. We sent a mail-back questionnaire to members of the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians (Ojibwe) to assess attitudes toward wolves and Wisconsin wolf policy. We compared their responses to a sample of non-tribal residents of Wisconsin’s wolf range. Tribal respondents held significantly more positive attitudes toward wolves, were more supportive of protective policy, and were less supportive of a public wolf harvest than non-tribal respondents. Multivariate analyses revealed several demographic factors associated with observed differences in attitudes; the most frequent and strongest predictor was whether or not a respondent was a tribal member. Ojibwe perspectives deserve attention in future wolf policy and may influence a possible wolf harvest, especially given Ojibwe treaty rights in the Great Lakes region. Key words: wolf management, stakeholder opinion, treaty rights, survey, Native Americans, Ojibwe |
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PR (Wolf 2020): 093 - Hunting Caribou: Subsistence Hunting along the Northern Edge of the Boreal Forest (ABSTRACT)
Denésuliné hunters range from deep in the Boreal Forest far into the tundra of northern Canada. Henry S. Sharp, a social anthropologist and ethnographer, spent several decades participating in fieldwork and observing hunts by this extended kin group. His daughter, Karyn Sharp, who is an archaeologist specializing in First Nations Studies and is Denésuliné, also observed countless hunts. Over the years the father and daughter realized that not only their personal backgrounds but also their disciplinary specializations significantly affected how each perceived and understood their experiences with the Denésuliné. In Hunting Caribou, Henry and Karyn Sharp attempt to understand and interpret their decades-long observations of Denésuliné hunts through the multiple disciplinary lenses of anthropology, archaeology, and ethnology. Although questions and methodologies differ between disciplines, the Sharps’ ethnography, by connecting these components, provides unique insights into the ecology and motivations of hunting societies. Themes of gender, women’s labor, insects, wolf and caribou behavior, scale, mobility and transportation, and land use are linked through the authors’ personal voice and experiences. This participant ethnography makes an important contribution to multiple fields in academe while simultaneously revealing broad implications for research, public policy, and First Nations politics Key words: Denésuliné, wolf and caribou behaviour, land use, mobility and transportation, gender, women’s labour, insects |
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PR (Wolf 2020): 092 - Comparative Ethnology of the Wolf and the Chipewyan, Chapter 4 (ABSTRACT)
Wolf and Man: Evolution in Parallel is a collection of papers that discusses certain crucial attributes of humans including traits that are shared with other social predators. Some papers describe the wolf as the equal of man—the animal is a social hunter of large game, disregards human boundaries and properties, and consume livestock when it is necessary. The wolf's will to survive is as great as that of man, and brings along many resources to the competition. Several papers review the behavior and culture of man, wolf, dog, and the Chipewyan people who hunted caribou. Another paper examines the communication, cognitive mapping, and strategy in wolves and hominids. Hominids have developed cognitive maps, forced by their predation on large animals to cover wider ranges, to communicate and form complex sequences of utterances. One paper notes that the wolf was able to penetrate on every continent except Australia and Africa due to the Australian continent's isolation. In Africa, there is no ecological space for another highly organized social hunter of large game. The collection can be appreciated by anthropologists, sociologists, psychologists, and scientists involved in paleontology and human evolution. Key words: wolves, Chipewyan, hunters, subsistence patterns, social organization, demography, terrain use, yearly cycles, cultural logic and structural characteristics Book topics: anthropology of wolf, behaviour and culture, communication and cognition, paleobiology, wolf and human |
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PR (Wolf 2020): 091 - A review of wolf management programs in Alaska, Yukon, British Columbia, Alberta and Northwest Territories.
To support the review of the Wolf Conservation and Management Plan (WCMP, 1992), the Review Committee contracted a review of the documented wolf management programs in Yukon and surrounding jurisdictions. The following report is organized in two sections: 1) a summary of the key elements of the wolf management programs and 2) a 1-2 page review of the completed and existing programs that involved wolf control in Alaska, British Columbia, Alberta, Northwest Territories and Yukon. |
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PR (Wolf 2020): 090 - Hunter Reporting of Catch Per Unit Effort as a Monitoring Tool in a Bushmeat-Harvesting System.
Growing threats to biodiversity in the tropics mean there is an increasing need for effective monitoring that balances scientific rigor with practical feasibility. Alternatives to professional techniques are emerging that are based on the involvement of local people. Such locally based monitoring methods may be more sustainable over time, allow greater spatial coverage and quicker management decisions, lead to
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PR (Wolf 2020): 089 - Estimating wolf densities in forested areas using network sampling of tracks in snow.
Few reliable methods exist for estimating population size of large terrestrial carnivores. This is particularly true in forested areas where sightability is low and when radiocollared individuals are unavailable in the target population. We used stratified network sampling to sample wolf (Canis lycaon) tracks in the snow to estimate density in western Algonquin Park, Ontario in February 2002. We partitioned our 3,425‐km2 study area into 137 5 times 5‐km sample units (SU) and stratified SUs as having a high (n = 61) or low (n = 76) probability of containing detectable wolf tracks based on the relative amount of watercourses and conifer cover within each block. We used a Bell 206B helicopter to survey 28 high (46%) and 17 low (22%) SUs. When fresh tracks were found in a block, we followed the tracks forward to the wolves themselves and then backward until the tracks were no longer considered “fresh.” We observed 17 “fresh” track networks within 45 SUs. The average pack size in the area we surveyed was 4.2 ± 0.4 (SE). These observations resulted in an estimate of 87 ± 11.4 (90% CI) wolves in the study area, for a density of 2.5 ± 0.3 wolves/100 km2. We detected no violations of the assumptions of this survey design and obtained a similar density estimate (2.3 wolves/100 km2) in 2003 using location data from 24 radiocollared wolves in 10 packs from an area that overlapped our 2002 survey area. The sampling unit probability estimator (SUPE) provides an objective, accurate, and repeatable means of estimating wolf density with an associated measure of precision. However, tracking wolves in forested cover was time‐consuming, so costs will be considerably higher per unit area in forested areas relative to the more open cover types where this technique was originally developed. Key words: aerial survey, Algonquin Park, Canis lupus, density estimation, Ontario, population estimation, probability sampling, radiotelemetry, track surveys, wolves |
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PR (Wolf 2020): 088 - When the Caribou Do Not Come Indigenous Knowledge and Adaptive Management in the Western Arctic (ABSTRACT)
In the 1990s, news stories began to circulate about declining caribou populations in the North. Were caribou the canary in the coal mine for climate change, or did declining numbers reflect overharvesting by Indigenous hunters or failed attempts at scientific wildlife management? Grounded in community-based research in northern Canada, a region in the forefront of co-management efforts, these collected stories and essays bring to the fore the insights of the Inuvialuit, Gwich’in, and Sahtú, people for whom caribou stewardship has been a way of life for centuries. Anthropologists, historians, political scientists, ecologists, and sociologists join forces with elders and community leaders to discuss four themes: the cultural significance of caribou, caribou ecology, food security, and caribou management. Together, they bring to light past challenges and explore new opportunities for respecting northern communities, cultures, and economies and for refocusing caribou management on the knowledge, practices, and beliefs of northern Indigenous peoples. Ultimately, When the Caribou Do Not Come drives home the important role that Indigenous knowledge must play in understanding, and coping with, our changing Arctic ecosystems and in building resilient, adaptive communities. This collection is essential reading for multiple groups and interested parties – scientists, scholars, graduate students, wildlife managers, and members and leaders of Indigenous communities. |
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PR (Wolf 2020): 087 - Distribution and densities of wolves within barren-ground caribou range in northern mainland Canada (ABSTRACT)
Observations of wolves (Canis lupus) were recorded during aerial surveys of barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) from May 1966 to October 1968 over portions of northern Manitoba, northeastern Saskatchewan, and southeastern District of Keewatin, Northwest Territories. These observations were made over the entire range of the Kaminuriak population of caribou. There was a close association between the distribution of wolves and caribou. The average size of wolf packs was larger in autumn and winter (3.0) than in summer (1.7), and there was little change in the monthly mean sizes of packs from October to April. The area used by caribou wintering in northwestern Manitoba and northeastern Saskatchewan, decreased from 3594 square miles in January to 682 square miles in April 1968, with a consequent increase in caribou density from 14 to 68.5 per square mile. A corresponding increase in wolf density during that period within the same area was not detected. Wolf densities appeared to maximize at approximately one wolf per 7 to 8 square miles and remain stable. Estimated wolf numbers in the area of high caribou density decreased from 258 in January to 60 in April.
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PR (Wolf 2020): 086 - Wolves, Bears, and Their Prey in Alaska: Biological and Social Challenges in Wildlife Management (ABSTRACT)
This book assesses Alaskan wolf and bear management programs from scientific and economic perspectives. Relevant factors that should be taken into account when evaluating the utility of such programs are identified. The assessment includes a review of current scientific knowledge about the dynamics and management of large mammalian predator-prey relationships and human harvest of wildlife in northern ecosystems, and an evaluation of the extent to which existing research and management data allow prediction of the outcome of wolf management or control programs and grizzly bear management programs. Included is an evaluation of available economic studies and methodologies for estimating the costs and benefits of predator control programs in Alaska.
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