The Arrow Lakes Caribou Society (ALCS) is preparing for their second year of operating the Central Selkirk Caribou Maternity Pen near Nakusp, a recovery effort for the Central Selkirk herd of Southern Mountain Woodland Caribou.
The ALCS was formed after two public forums discussing caribou recovery efforts, and is a non-profit organization based in Nakusp.
“The maternity pen is one of the recovery efforts aimed at the Central Selkirk herd of Southern Mountain Woodland Caribou,” said the ALCS in a press release. “The population of this subspecies of caribou has drastically declined over the last 20 years by 87 per cent due to various factors. In 2021, the herd census counted 28 animals in the wild, down from 92 animals in 2010, and 222 animals in 1997.”
“Because of this severe population decline, recovery of the population would be next to impossible without actions such as maternity penning, habitat restoration, predator management programs, and adaptive recreation management plans with local recreation groups like the Arrow Lakes Ridge Riders,” added ALCS.
The maternity pen is 10 km northeast of Nakusp on the Kuskanax Forest Service Road, which will be closed to the public from March 23 to April 10 while caribou are adjusting to the pen.
More information is available at www.arrowlakescaribousociety.com.
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