THE GWICH’IN, THE PORCUPINE CARIBOU HERD, AND THE ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

12/08/2005 - While we share the pleasure to be here today at the National Powwow – this inspiring celebration of North American native and First Nations culture – with hundreds of tribal nations from across the United States and Canada participating in traditional dancing, singing and drumming;
and while I am with Chief Joe Linklater of the Vuntut Gwich’in First Nation, who has travelled two days from the Village of Old Crow in the Yukon Territory, north of the Arctic Circle, to be with us;

I want to say that, unfortunately, the traditional way of life of the Vuntut Gwich’in First Nation is seriously threatened by the proposal before Congress in the Budget, to drill for oil and gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the calving grounds of the Porcupine caribou herd.

Drilling in the Arctic Refuge would have devastating impacts on the Gwich’in First Nations of the northern Yukon, the Mackenzie Delta, and north eastern Alaska, who rely on the herd for food and their way of life; on the Porcupine caribou herd, which migrates seasonally across the Canada/US border; and on the 200 other species of wildlife which depend on this fragile ecosystem for their survival.

The Government of Canada does not object to responsible drilling in the less sensitive wintering grounds of the herd, an area that is extremely large by comparison to the calving ground in Alaska, and over which the herd disperses widely in small groups during winter.

Canada opposes the proposal to drill for oil and gas in the most sensitive portion of the herd’s range. As we have consistently stated, our preference would be for the US to provide permanent wilderness protection to this area, as we have already done on lands in Canada where the herd occasionally calves.

Chief Joe and I have a message today: we must protect the Gwich’in, the Porcupine caribou herd and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Canada intends to continue our advocacy in the US leading up to the planned September vote on the Budget reconciliation bill, which contains a provision to allow drilling.

Protecting Home Sweet Home

On a tropical nesting beach at night, a female leatherback sea turtle uses her large flippers to throw beach sand around, disguising her nest to protect her eggs from predators. Then she slowly and awkwardly drags her heavy body back to the water, leaving a trail behind, visible to local poachers.
The approximately 80 eggs in the nest are vulnerable to poachers, who sell them on the black market as, among other things, aphrodisiacs. Those turtles that do hatch, head toward the brightest spot on the horizon which should be the sea. Not only is the trek from their nests to the sea a key time for natural predation by birds and land animals, but finding the sea can also be treacherous. If the brightest spot on the horizon is, for example, hotel lights, the turtles will head there instead, often dehydrating and dying on their misdirected journey.

Those turtles that survive to maturity attain giant size. The leatherback is the world's largest reptile. Their carapace, or top shell, can grow up to two metres in length, and they can weigh up to 900 kilograms. The mature leatherback sea turtle is not just large but strong, travelling further than any other reptile, with migrations that span entire ocean basins. That migration takes some of the population to the coasts of Atlantic and Pacific Canada.
Mature leatherbacks have few natural predators. At this stage of its life, poaching, entanglement in fishing gear and marine pollution are greater threats.
An endangered species, their population has decreased by 70 per cent over the past 15 years, leaving only 35,000 nesting females worldwide. Fortunately, there are programs set up to help protect them from threats to their habitat. In many nesting areas, local programs have been established to protect the adult female turtles and their eggs from poachers and ensure young turtles make their way to the water. While in Canada, projects supported by the Habitat Stewardship Program have taken an active role in enlisting the help of volunteers to conserve the leatherback sea turtle.

Habitat Stewardship

The Habitat Stewardship Program (HSP) helps to promote the conservation and protection of various species at risk and their habitats. The program aims to maintain and restore habitat important to species at risk throughout Canada by supporting conservation projects of community groups, private landowners, aboriginal organizations and local governments. In 2005-2006, HSP's sixth year of operation, the Government of Canada has invested $9.2 million in 153 projects across the country.
HSP is one part of the Government of Canada's strategy to protect species at risk and it is managed cooperatively by Environment Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and Parks Canada. The Program funds projects in three priority areas: securing or protecting important habitat to protect species at risk and to support their recovery; mitigating threats to species at risk caused by human activities; and supporting the implementation of other priority activities in recovery strategies or action plans.
Projects and activities from over the past six years have achieved significant habitat conservation results, including 78 509 hectares of protected land and 3474 hectares of improved land in 2003-2004. In most years, the annual crop of projects benefits the habitats of nearly 200 nationally- and well over 100 provincially-listed species at risk.
The Habitat Stewardship Program has supported turtle rescue projects in Canada since 2002. One successful project is the Nova Scotia Leatherback Turtle Working Group, with an extensive network of approximately 500 volunteer fishers who report sea turtle sightings and who implement practical conservation for leatherback turtles at sea, including disentangling them from fishing gear. Volunteers such as these fishermen provide invaluable assistance for HSP's research, habitat stewardship and animal rescue projects.

The Growing Species at Risk List

In July 2005, 39 new species were added to the list of wildlife species at risk protected under the Species at Risk Act (SARA). This is the second group of species added to the list since the Act was proclaimed in 2003. To date, 345 species including plants, molluscs, arthropods, birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals are protected under SARA.

The purposes of the Act are to prevent Canadian indigenous species, subspecies, and distinct populations from becoming extirpated or extinct, to provide for the recovery of endangered or threatened species and encourage the management of other species to prevent them from becoming at risk. SARA prohibits the killing, harming, harassing, capturing or taking of species listed as threatened, endangered or extirpated* and the destruction of their habitats that are necessary for their survival or recovery. The Act also encourages species protection through voluntary actions, supported by stewardship activities and legal penalties.
Recovery strategies and action plans are developed for species listed as threatened, endangered or extirpated, while management plans are prepared for species of special concern. These plans and strategies are prepared in cooperation with the Government of Canada and the affected provinces, territories, aboriginal organizations, wildlife management boards, landowners and other groups.

Why Some Species are at Risk

Through a long history of evolution, each species has become adapted to fit into a particular ecological niche. When a species becomes at risk of disappearing from Canada, there are many possible causes, including habitat loss and degradation, genetic and reproductive isolation, suppression of natural events, environmental contamination, over harvesting, climate change, disease and invasive species.
Reasons for species to be at risk can be as unique and complex as the individual species themselves. However, a large proportion of these factors have to do with human influence and interaction. This is why government intervention, through legislative mechanisms such as SARA, is necessary to ensure that ecological integrity and biological diversity are protected for generations to come.
The following species are new additions to the wildlife species at risk list and are examples of the varied environmental changes that can impact a species' survival.

Northern Bobwhite

Harsh winters, habitat loss and increasingly intensive agricultural practices are major factors in the decline of the Northern Bobwhite in southern Ontario – now on the endangered list. Excessive snow and ice crusts are also detrimental; both cover seeds necessary for the birds' survival. Pesticides can be damaging because this bird feeds on insects. Captive-bred, non-native bobwhites – not as well adapted at surviving in northern environments – seriously harm genetically distinct wild populations through interbreeding. Hunting along with predators such as domestic cats, skunks, foxes, owls, raccoons, dogs and snakes, are also contributing factors.

Small-mouthed Salamander

The Small-mouthed Salamander, now on the endangered list, is found in southern Ontario by vernal ponds and flooded wetlands, while the larvae are found in water. Loss of habitat to development has led to the loss of sites, as the Small-mouthed Salamander requires an undisturbed forest. The salamander's breeding grounds are also vulnerable to a decrease of water levels during the critical months of March through July (the breeding and larval periods).

Moth sand verbena

The main threat to the Sand-verbena Moth is the reduction in the abundance and quality of its host plant, the Yellow Sand-verbena, caused by the degradation of the barren sandy environments, such as the coastal dunes, invaded by vegetation. Since in Canada this species is only found along the sandy coasts of southwestern British Columbia, and with the introduction of invasive exotic species, it is no surprise that the species has been on the decline. Land development and the use of the dunes for recreation are secondary threats, which can be important locally. The Sand-verbena Moth is a monophagous species, meaning that it is totally dependant on the Yellow Sand-verbena throughout its life.Monophagous moths are more vulnerable to extirpation or extinction than moths that can rely on more than one plant species. Another potential threat to the Sand-verbena Moth is the use of a natural pesticide used against many harmful butterflies and moths. Unfortunately, this product also affects non-targeted species. Finally, climate change is a potential threat; by triggering a rise in the sea level, global warming could result in the disappearance of Sand-verbena Moth habitat.Another potential threat to the Sand-verbena Moth is the use of a natural pesticide used against many harmful butterflies and moths. Unfortunately, this product also affects non-targeted species. Finally, climate change is a potential threat; by triggering a rise in the sea level, global warming could result in the disappearance of Sand-verbena Moth habitat.Another potential threat to the Sand-verbena Moth is the use of a natural pesticide used against many harmful butterflies and moths. Unfortunately, this product also affects non-targeted species. Finally, climate change is a potential threat; by triggering a rise in the sea level, global warming could result in the disappearance of Sand-verbena Moth habitat.

Butternut Tree

The most serious and widespread threat currently faced by the Butternut tree is Butternut canker - a fungus most likely introduced from outside of North America. The most obvious symptom of the disease is the formation of elongated sunken cankers. In spring, a black fluid seeps from the canker and in the summer, the cankers produce very black, often white-bordered spots on the tree. In parts of the United States, up to 77 per cent of Butternut trees have been killed by this fungus. Butternut canker has spread northward and eastward, and is now in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick, the three Canadian provinces where the tree is present. This tree is now listed as an endangered species.
Beluga Whale (St. Lawrence Estuary population)
The Beluga Whales living in the St. Lawrence Estuary were added to the threatened list. Several pollutants have been discharged into the St. Lawrence and Saguenay rivers and their tributaries, as a result of increased industrialization, agricultural development and urbanization. Belugas are being exposed to toxins both through the waterway and by eating contaminated prey species.

Steller Sea Lion

The threats to the Steller Sea Lion, found in British Columbia and now listed as a species of special concern, can be classified in two main categories. The first category covers human-induced factors such as hunting and killing. For most of the 20th century, Steller Sea Lions were killed as part of programs to control predators of fish raised in British Columbia fish farms. Other human-induced limiting factors include accidental entanglement in fishing gear or debris; catastrophic accidents such as oil spills and environmental contaminants like heavy metals which are harmful to health; and the relocation of sea lion populations away from their critical habitats, or the degradation of these habitats.The species is also subject to a second category of threats, natural this time, which includes occasional decreases in the number of prey available, predation by killer whales and disease.