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National Forest Week 2003
Caribou
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Display items:
Lichen, antlers, collar, overheads, 5 pictures (food/habitat/forest users/hoof pic/3 legged stool)

Handouts:
Crossword puzzle, tracking activity (Space for Species), 5 Billionth Tree Poster,
Story – “The Boy Who Found the Lost Tribe of Caribou”

Hook:

Overhead #1 – Quarter with Caribou on it.

• Hold up a quarter. Does anyone know what animal is on the back of most quarters? If they don’t, show overhead of a quarter. Do you know what this animal is? Take a few guesses and then identify it as a caribou.
  
• Caribou have been on the back of our quarters for a long time. Why do you think they are there? (Take a couple of responses.) …Caribou are an important part of Canada’s biodiversity. They have been a part of Canadian wildlife for a very long time.

Overhead #2 – Map of Canadian Caribou Habitat (where Caribou live).

• It is possible that Caribou have roamed the North for more than a million years.
  
• Caribou are a medium-sized member of the deer family. In Europe, caribou are called reindeer.
  
• Point to the areas that show the different groups or species of caribou and name them:
  • Woodland Caribou – a large, dark caribou that is usually found in small herds in the boreal forests from British Columbia to Newfoundland (south of the Arctic Circle. There is one very large herd of over 500 000 that live in the Quebec/Labrador region but in BC, the herds are small.
  • Barren-ground Caribou – is smaller than the Woodland Caribou and lighter in color. They spend much of the year on the tundra from Alaska to Baffin Island and tend to migrate the longest distances between their winter and summer ranges. (Grant’s Caribou is a type of Barren-ground Caribou)
  • Peary Caribou – a small, light-colored caribou found only in the islands of the Canadian arctic.
    
• Explain that a fourth type lived on the Queen Charlotte Islands but became extinct (died off) around the 1920s. No one knows for sure why but it is thought that changes climate may have caused changes in their habitat (food and shelter areas) and they were unable to adapt to those changes.

Overhead #3 – Map showing Woodland Caribou habitat in BC.

• There are approximately 16,500 Woodland Caribou in BC; approximately half of what there were when BC was first being settled.
  
• Woodland Caribou in BC tend to live in small groups.
  
• In BC, there are 3 types of Woodland Caribou. All 3 “ecotypes” look about the same, but behave differently because of the environmental conditions in which they live. (Conditions like: amount and duration of snow cover, kinds of foods available, topography and predators)
  
• The three types are shown on the map: Northern Caribou, Boreal Caribou, and Mountain Caribou.
  
• Today we are going to look at the Mountain Caribou. They live in an area that receives much more rain and snow than surrounding regions. Unfortunately, the Mountain Caribou are a “threatened” species, which means they are likely to become endangered if we don’t take steps to protect them. In BC, they are on the “red list” which means endangered or threatened under BC Wildlife Act.

Overhead #4 - Mountain Caribou.

• About 98% of the world’s mountain caribou live in British Columbia.
  
• There are approximately 1900 Mt. Caribou in BC.
  
• Approximately 200 Mountain Caribou live between Revelstoke and Mica Creek, which means they are a part of the biodiversity in our region. (biodiversity – all living things).
  
• Appearance (Props: Antlers, Hoof Picture)
  o Bulls weigh approx. 200 kilograms & cows are approx. 135 kg.
  o Their color changes with the season. Autumn - generally a medium brown color with white hair around their rump and in the bull’s ruff (hair growing under the throat) The head and neck often have a mix of grey, white and brown hair. Winter – the dark guard hairs break and fall out causing the brown portion of the body to appear lighter in color.
  o Male and female caribou grow antlers…this is not the case with other deer species. The female antlers are smaller. Show Antlers.
  o Hoof design aids the caribou when walking on snow or soft ground. Show Hoof Picture.
  o Hoof print is similar in size to that of a moose but the caribou weighs half as much. This means the caribou can move quite easily on top of snow.
  o The caribou’s coat is very warm because of its hollow, kinked hair that traps a warm air against its body.
  o The short ears, tail and snout help to minimize the loss of heat…We wear boots and a hat because we can loose heat from out body parts that aren’t close to our heart but caribou can’t do this so it is important that the areas furthest from their heart be small so that the cold can affect them less.
  
• When calving, caribou will head to higher elevations to distance themselves from predators.
  Large Pictures of Habitat & Food, 3-Legged Stool & Lichen and Falsebox samples.
  
• Mountain Caribou live in the Interior Wet Belt, which is an area that has lots of rain and therefore few fires. Here, the forest is made up of mainly older, mature trees. Discuss the picture of seasonal habitats.
  
• The mature trees slowly, over time, develop heavy loads of lichen, which is the main food source during the winter. It is important that there is enough snowfall to allow the caribou to reach the lichen growing on the higher branches in winter. Introduce the picture of food sources and show samples as you discuss winter/spring/summer food sources.
  
• During the spring to summer seasons, the Mt. Caribou feed on lichen, leaves, and shrubs and gradually move upslope following the food supply of young plants. In early winter, they will move downwards to find food in the shallow snow and then once again gradually move upwards as the snow deepens and the only available food source is the lichen up in the tree branches.
  
• The Mt. Caribou is the only member of the deer family that heads upslope during the winter deep snow period.
  
• Mt. Caribou especially like fallen trees and branches as they provide easy access to lichen.
  
• Pregnant female caribou or “cows” will move to rugged, high elevation sites in late May or early June to have their calves…higher elevations offer protection from predators.
  
• Mt. Caribou prefer their habitat to have mainly old forest and will live in gentle highland terrain as well as rugged mountains peaks. A gentle terrain offers easy movement and less danger of avalanches.

Brainstorm – Ask students to name other users of the forest, besides caribou. Take 6-8 answers. Discuss the picture showing different users of the forest. (human uses – logging, mining, dams, power lines, tourism activities, snowmobilers, trappers, heli-skiing etc. Animal users – large and small animals, including predators of the caribou and other ungulates.)

Overhead #5 – Snowmobile tracts, Heli-skiing & Logging sites.

• Ask – In what ways would snowmobilers and loggers affect the habitat and population of the Mountain Caribou?
  o Human use can cause fragmentation of habitat, opening up areas and roadways that will bring in other ungulates (hoofed mammal) wanting to feed on the new growth that comes up. These animals will draw more predators such as wolves. The wolf population has recently increased in the Revelstoke area.
  o Opening access to logging, mining, tourism, commercial recreation, pipelines, hydro lines, heli-skiing, etc. can alter food supply and open up areas to hunters.
  o Loud noises and fast vehicles can frighten the caribou. This may cause them to leave their habitat. (In some situations, the caribou have become accustomed to some noise and have been observed feeding within sight distance of snowmobilers and loggers. eg. Frisby snowmobile area and winter logging sites.)

Overhead #6 –Education

• We can post signs, talk to the public (like we are doing now with you). Can you think of other ways to teach people about Caribou and how to protect them? (Take several answers.)

Overhead #7 & #8– Small clear-cut blocks and Partial Cuts (Harvest Planning)

• Ask - How can forest companies protect the Mountain Caribou? Then show overhead and discuss how harvest planning can include systems, which mimic natural disturbances like blow down, or areas with diseases.
  o Control human access to key habitat areas.
  o Maintain suitable lichen-producing ranges.
  
• Ask – What other ways can we help protect our Caribou?
  o Manage habitat to keep predators away from Caribou.
  o Regulate hunting…some areas will have no hunting allowed.
  o Control human access to key habitat areas.
  o Maintain suitable lichen-producing ranges.
  o Consider movement of caribou when planning harvest areas and maintain this movement through corridors, which will allow the caribou to travel between low and high elevations.

Overhead #9 – Collaring a Caribou.

• Another way to protect the Caribou is to gain more knowledge about their habits. Collaring the Caribou and following their movements will give us more knowledge of key habitats, which we can then protect. Show collar to students.

Overhead #10 – Conclusion

• Discuss causes of mortality (top half of overhead, keeping bottom half covered.)
  
• Review: Introduce the picture of the three-legged stool and remind the students that there are 3 factors need to be managed in order to maintain caribou population…predator populations, food supply and access.
  
• Ask students What did you learn about Caribou today. If they need help, have them take turns reading the facts listed on the bottom half of the overhead.

 

Cause	Number of Caribou	Percent %
PREDATION	9	28
Cougar	4	13
Bear	3	9
Wolverine	2	6
NONPREDATION	17	53
Avalanche	8	25
Accident	6	19
Condition	3	9
UNKNOWN	6	19
TOTAL	32

 

Caribou Facts:

In Europe, caribou are called reindeer.

Moutain Caribou spend early winter at low elevations where big trees shelter the forest floor and their food from first snowfalls.

Mountain Caribou in winter use the 2-3 metre snowpack level at treeline to act as a platform to reach the lichens that grow on trees.

Mt. Caribou are the only members of the deer family that travel to deep snow in winter on purpose.

Lichen is slow growing. At high elevations, only the older, mature trees carry enough lichen to support Mt. Caribou.

Creating reservoirs can remove some of the low elevation habitat. The reservoirs can flood the productive forestland.

Old trees are valued for their size by loggers, their beauty by hikers, and their food source by Caribou. It is important to consider the needs of all users when managing the forest.

Highways and railways can be barriers to the traditional corridors used by Mountain Caribou.

Increased access to the backcountry can affect the habitat of the caribou.

Research is key to better understanding of and protection for the Mountain Caribou.