The Alberta government has announced a long-term recovery plan to help stabilize and recover caribou numbers in two northern Alberta Indigenous communities.
The work required throughout this process is very involved, requiring specific habitats as there are more than 200,000 kilometres of legacy seismic lines that require restoration in caribou ranges. This is complex, specialized work and local expertise is often required.
To help, Alberta’s government is investing $1.25 million into working with Fort McKay First Nation and the Athabasca Landing Métis Community Association to replant trees and restore critical caribou habitats in Northern Alberta. This will help ensure caribou populations can continue to grow while incorporating more Indigenous values and perspectives into Alberta’s caribou approach.
Fort McKay First Nation has received a $1-million grant to reforest the seismic lines and restore caribou habitats. Maintaining landscape intactness is a commitment the province takes on, under the Moose Lake Access Management Plan.
The First Nation will develop a treatment plan and conduct restoration work that supports traditional use and improves caribou habitat recovery in parts of the Moose Lake planning area that overlap with the Red Earth caribou range in northeast Alberta.
The Athabasca Landing Métis Community Association has also received a $250,000 grant over two years to conduct habitat restoration to support the Wandering caribou herd. With this grant, the group will expand their knowledge in all aspects of restoration, including planning, treatment delivery and monitoring in the Wandering River sub-region. This will help build their capacity to undertake and lead more caribou habitat restoration work in the years ahead.
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