Red Deer Wildlife Management Area can be the first woodland caribou habitat to be protected since caribou was listed under Manitoba Endangered Species Act.

Woodland caribou are the grey ghosts of the wilds, elusive animals that keep to themselves as much as possible. Woodland caribou are very sensitive to forest disturbance, and really need their space. Across Canada, this species is suffering tremendous declines, as more and more of their habitat is fragmented for industrial uses like logging, mining, and oil exploration.

In Manitoba, we have large pieces of wilderness that still provide the undisturbed landscapes which caribou need, but these areas are all feeling pressure from development. In 2006, the Manitoba government took an important step towards preserving the caribou population, by listing them as a 'Threatened' species under Manitoba's Endangered Species Act (MESA). The habitat of species listed under MESA is supposed to be protected, and the government has published several caribou reports that identify 10 caribou ranges in Manitoba. Unfortunately, development is still regularly authorized in woodland caribou ranges. In fact, no permanent protected areas have been established in caribou habitat since the caribou was listed.

The proposed Red Deer Wildlife Management Area (WMA) covers a large portion of the caribou range known as The Bog, where between 50 and 75 animals are thought to be living. Currently, the range has little disturbance, and with the protection given by the new WMA designation, this range of woodland caribou will have a bright future.

This proposed protected area is also the first major protected area to be established in logging corporation Tolko’s public Forest Management License (FML). Even though they have control of the largest public forest ever granted in Canada, the company still refuses to support preserving nature in the area. In short, they have been bad stewards of our public lands. Elsewhere in their FML, Tolko routinely logs caribou habitat, with no thought to the disastrous consequences. Protecting the Red Deer WMA will be a starting step in getting more of the biologically rich natural areas in Tolko’s FML preserved.   

ACT NOW!
The public comment period is open until January 28, 2011. Make your voice heard! Contact the government, and let them know if, in your opinion, the ENTIRE proposed Red Deer WMA should be permanently protected.
Please email your opinion to: pai@gov.mb.ca
You can use our handy online letter writing tool to send a quick note NOW. 

You can read more about the proposed Red Deer WMA by clicking here to check our earlier post.

You can see the government Protected Areas Initiative proposal by clicking here.