Caribou summit asks a burning question: What’s the future of the Porcupine herd? – CBC

by ahnationtalk on January 25, 202334 Views

Jan 25, 2023

The Porcupine is ‘one of the biggest herds in the world.’ Will it stay that way?

The Porcupine caribou is one of the few barren-ground herds in the circumpolar world that remains strong and healthy — and the communities who rely on it want to make sure it stays that way.

This was the key takeaway from a three-day Caribou Summit held in Fort McPherson, N.W.T., last week. Organized by the Gwich’in Tribal council, it was the first event of its kind for the region.

“These types of gatherings … bring out the best in our people,” said Ken Kyikavichik, grand chief of the Gwich’in Tribal Council, in an interview on the summit’s first night. “The collective power and the collective knowledge we have in this room really is astounding.”

The herd has gained international attention over the years because of ongoing debate in the U.S. over development in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, where the herd’s calving grounds are.

Read More: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/caribou-summit-fort-mcpherson-1.6723047

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