CAPP brings ideas to save woodland caribou to County Council

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers thinks it has some ideas on how to save the woodland caribou.
 
They brought some of those ideas to County of Grande Prairie Council’s Monday’s meeting.
 
Chris Montgomery with CAPP says the group’s plan has what it calls three pillars of action. Those include a landscape approach that would see deferral of some activities and land disturbance assessments, along with programs for habitat restoration and population management
 
“If we take together habitat restoration programs, some population management tools to help grow the population of caribou, as well as ensuring that industry can still access resources that are here in Alberta, we feel that we can have industry thrive and that industry can then afford to help to pay for some of these tools to restore habitat and to actually grow caribou populations.”
 
He adds the group is not entirely opposed to penning off some habitat for caribou.
 
“We need to learn some science around this. The only way to learn that science is to actually do (something). We would supportive of, on a pilot basis, having some sort of rearing facility to protect caribou, for at least part of the year during calving season, from predators so that we give those calves a greater chance at survival out in the wild.”
 
Montgomery says one thing that would be helpful is tools for industry that would speed up reclamation work
 
“We’ll need to have a conversation with government about the specifics there. One of the things we’re finding is, because of the policy uncertainty today, companies have been reluctant to take up voluntary restoration programs that they have been doing in the past. So, if we get some certainty around some of these and understanding of how government views restoration programs, companies will act if the right conditions are in place.”
 
Montgomery says the energy sector is committed to helping caribou thrive, calling it an important species for the entire country.