Photo: Woodland Caribou
 

conservation officials say population is stable

Provincial logging practices in northern Manitoba are endangering the woodland caribou population and should be stopped, environmentalists charged Wednesday.

The woodland caribou is classified as a threatened species under the provincal Endangered Species Act.

But environmental groups the Wilderness Committee and the Manitoba chapter of the Canadian Parks Wilderness Society allege the province is playing loose with the law by handing out permits to cut down timber in areas populated by caribou.

The groups identified the affected area as lying between The Pas, Man., and Thompson, Man., 500 to 760 kilometres north of Winnipeg.

The environmentalists said part of the problem is the number of caribou may be dwindling.

The groups said a recently published map detailing caribou herds in part of Manitoba's north set to be logged shows provincial conservation officials know more than they're letting on.

Few details given

Eric Reder of the Wilderness Committee said he received an August letter penned by Jack Dubois, a senior Manitoba Conservation director, that offered little insight or details.

"The department [says it] currently has minimal to no data on caribou, distribution and movements," Reder said. But he disputes that explanation.

"What we're saying is the government has enough data and they're not acting on it. They're allowing instead, industry to play, to operate in the forest and this is going to be at the expense of the caribou herd," Reder said.

The groups want the province to halt all logging in the affected area "until the province can demonstrate that adequate measures have been put into place to ensure long-term caribou survival."

Manitoba Conservation told CBC News it will not release raw data on caribou population. Instead, the department said it will release its analysis of data collected in future.

Vince Crichton, provincial manager of game, fur and problem wildlife, said he believes caribou numbers in Manitoba are stable at 1,800 to 3,300