tropical climes rarely decide to move to cold Take any creature from the African grassland and drop it in Austria during an Ice Age and the poor creature would surely not fare well Except Homo sapiens. We did just that, expanding into some of the coldest regions on Earth. New research into a 24,000-year-old site shows how technological innovations helped early humans keep warm during the Last Glacial Maximum the paleolithic Kammern-Grubgraben site from above While we tend to associate early humans with caves Austria’s Kammern-Grubgraben site is open air with a highland on one side and a sloping river valley on another Nearby sites had an even older human history — 33,000 years returning to the same camps year after year The Kammern-Grubgraben site also contains a wealth of organic remains Those remains belong almost entirely to one species: Rangifer tarandus The people of Kammern-Grubgraben hunted caribou almost exclusively during the winter Researchers knew the hunts had taken place in winter because the skulls still had their antlers and reindeer shed their antlers after winter Tooth wear also indicated winter or late autumn deaths Why were they only hunting caribou during the winter and autumn Researchers believe that it was for their hides teeth and jaws recovered from Kammern-Grubgraben In the same chronological layer as the caribou bones Eyed needle technology allowed them to sew tight making clothing much warmer and sturdier than simple draped pelts the Last Glacial Maximum caused temperatures to plummet In nearby sites that dated from before this Ice Age archaeologists found a much broader range of animal remains the most commonly hunted animal was the mammoth suggesting that hunters prioritized calories over clothing the Stone Age people adopted new lifestyles and techniques to suit their new This superior winter clothing allowed them to survive an increasingly harsh and unstable climate Lou Bodenhemier holds an MA in History from the University of Limerick and a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona He’s interested in maritime and disaster history as well as criminal history and his dissertation focused on the werewolf trials of early modern Europe At the present moment he can most likely be found perusing records of shipboard crime and punishment during the Age of Sail Sign up to receive ExplorersWeb content direct to your inbox once a week Maine — A 2024 change in state cannabis law that could affect a local medical marijuana dispensary drew extensive comment during Monday’s Caribou City Council meeting Richardson Remedies, which operates in Caribou and Presque Isle, is a registered medical cannabis caregiver. But under a new definition in Maine’s Medical Use of Cannabis Act the business is now classified as a retail store But Caribou has never given local approval to retail cannabis so the store can only operate as a medical dispensary for caregivers not sell to patients and the general public Speakers urged councilors to adopt a retail marijuana rule to allow the shop to continue doing business I need you guys’ permission to continue to run,” said Derrell Richardson who has operated the Caribou site for more than 10 years Many people with cancer and other medical conditions rely on his services Several community members also urged the council to allow the dispensary to continue operating “Fentanyl is a lot bigger problem than marijuana in Aroostook County,” said Lisa Groff of Caribou “As a cancer survivor with a medical card at the house I really believe that having a dispensary that is a family-based dispensary giving honest alternatives for prescription cannabis available in town is important for people who suffer from terminal illness.” Maine’s Office of Cannabis Policy now requires municipalities to approve medical marijuana dispensaries as retail stores and a small change to Caribou’s ordinance could bring Richardson Remedies into compliance Jennifer Belcher of the Maine Cannabis Union said.  “It’s not that everything is going to change and that everything’s going to blow up like Bangor is and have all these shops on every corner,” she said everything that was proposed here strictly keeps everything as is which is really important for us as a union shop and as caregivers and business owners.” The discussion occurred during the council’s public forum Belcher sent a suggested ordinance revision to City Manager Penny Thompson City attorney Richard Solman said councilors would need to change Caribou’s licensing The Office of Cannabis Policy decides whether a registered caregiver office has crossed over into a retail store City Manager Penny Thompson said Tuesday.   they said that the caregiver office at Richardson Remedies is a ‘caregiver retail store’ based on their site visit and the Richardson Remedies website,” she said “Richardson Remedies has open hours like a store and not by appointment like a caregiver office.” The city might have needed to amend several sections of its ordinance to allow the business to operate as a caregiver retail store the Maine Municipal Association issued a legal update on April 29 The document states there is an exception for dispensaries that were approved by their municipalities before Dec even if their town or city hasn’t approved retail cannabis Richardson Remedies was operating before that date.  councilors recognized three youth groups for outstanding performance Mayor Courtney Boma presented each student with a certificate of recognition Four cadets of the Aroostook Composite Squadron Civil Air Patrol received the Brigadier General Billy Mitchell award to commemorate their completion of Phase II of the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program Ian Lister and Reece Lister received the awards last week during a ceremony at the Caribou VFW.  Councilors also honored the Caribou Community School Show Choir and Caribou High School Jazz Choir for earning gold status at a recent state competition Both groups are led by director Amy Hunter and assistant Amy Stedman The show choir also won the choreography award Individual musicianship awards went to show choir members Bailey Cochran Bella Belyea and Benson Belanger and jazz choir members Aydin St councilors voted to award several public works bids $81 per ton; Trombley Industries of Limestone The group also voted to reject unsolicited bids for several tax-acquired properties that were far below the property values Thompson reported the public safety building project has officially gone out to bid with assistance from Jan Murchison Earlier public comments included one from Bruce Hagelstein who said when city departments were asked to cut their budgets by 10 percent those cuts ranged from 2 percent to 9 percent.  but they were directed for a 10 percent cut You need to hold their feet to the fire,” he said Michelle Blackstone said Caribou needs to improve emergency management communication was not kept informed of conditions during an intense weekend when flooding and ice overflow from the river closed the road she said He does not use a computer or social media so had no way of knowing the weather conditions Thompson said she personally spoke with affected residents throughout the course of the flooding that weekend.  The RSU 39 budget validation election will be held June 10.  The next council meeting will take place at 6 p.m Correction: The story has been amended to include an update on the retail store law According to NOAA’s 2024 Arctic Report Card the number of caribou that roam the Arctic tundra grazing on lichen and other cold-hardy plants has declined by 65 percent over the past few decades Natural “boom and bust” cycles may initially have played a role in these declines but the herds’ failure to recover is likely driven by human influences This map shows the status of 13 herds of caribou that scientists reported on in the 2024 Arctic Report Card. (The last update was in the 2018 Arctic Report Card.) Only the 2 herds shown in red located on the north coast of Alaska and Canada are at or near their largest numbers and increasing The other herds remain small compared to their peak numbers of the 1990s: 3 are increasing slowly (peach) but 4 remain stuck at low numbers (light peach) and an additional 4 are continuing to decline (brown) The graph shows each herd’s population as of the 2024 Arctic Report Card update (dark gray) compared to their historic high numbers (light gray) The population of two herds—George River and Bathurst—have crashed so far compared to their peak population size that their current bars are barely visible Only the Teshekpuk Lake and Porcupine herds have nearly equal bars showing their numbers remain healthy compared to their historic size “While the generally smaller coastal herds of the western Arctic have seen some recovery over roughly the last decade previously large inland herds are continuing a long-term decline or remain at the lowest populations noted by Indigenous elders.” Most concerning is that at least one herd—the Bathurst herd in north-central Canada—has not recovered despite strong conservation measures Beyond global efforts to stop adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, the authors of the Arctic Report Card’s caribou essay say those who care about protecting caribou will need to combine modern scientific data and tools with the traditional knowledge held by Inuit and other Indigenous tribes whose people have been living with and depending on caribou for thousands of years If we can predict how continued warming will affect caribou habitat—vegetation heat extremes—and how caribou are likely to respond to these changes we should be able to identify the highest-priority conservation actions which will give caribou their best chance of survival in a warmer Arctic Gunn, A., Russell, D., Joly, K., Manzo, L., Pellissey, J., Tulagak, J., and Whiting, A.V. (2024). Migratory tundra caribou in a warmer climate Complete your personal information for a more tailored experience for the best life sciences journalism in the industry By Adam Feuerstein Adam Feuerstein Adam Feuerstein is a senior writer and biotech columnist, reporting on the crossroads of drug development, business, Wall Street, and biotechnology. He is also a co-host of the weekly biotech podcast The Readout Loud and author of the newsletter Adam’s Biotech Scorecard. You can reach Adam on Signal at stataf.54 Caribou Biosciences is delaying the readout of clinical trials involving its CRISPR T-cell therapies for blood cancer — hoping that longer follow-up will deliver enough positive data to keep the programs and the struggling biotech company alive amounts to an all-or-nothing bet on the viability of two off-the-shelf CAR-T therapies that have failed to meet the high expectations set when Caribou emerged from the lab of CRISPR scientist and Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna Caribou today is worth $78 million — less than its cash on hand — with a stock that trades under $1 Already have an account? Log in Already have an account? Log in Senior writer Adam Feuerstein's unfiltered uncompromising analysis on the biotech world By Megan Molteni By Mario Aguilar By Daniel Payne By Helen Branswell Reporting from the frontiers of health and medicine The CRISPR company is laying off about a third of its employees and stopping work on an experimental lupus treatment in a bid to focus resources on a pair of cancer cell therapies Caribou Biosciences is laying off about a third of its staff and stopping work on an experimental lupus treatment in a gamble on the potential of a pair of cell therapies for cancer The company on Thursday said it’s cutting 32% of its workforce, which totaled 147 employees as of March 1, according to a regulatory filing It also announced it’s delaying planned study readouts on those two cell therapies until the second half of this year Results had been expected from a pair of Phase 1 studies in lymphoma and multiple myeloma this quarter but will now come later so Caribou can accrue what it hopes will be a more convincing dataset Caribou had about $213 million in cash as of the end of March enough to keep the company operating through the second half of next year The restructuring will extend its financial runway through the back half of 2027 “We recognize the challenges in the current market environment and believe the best approach is to present the most robust datasets for both programs,” CEO Rachel Haurwitz said in a statement Caribou was one of the first biotech companies formed to turn CRISPR gene editing into medicines for humans. Co-founded in 2011 by Nobel Prize winning scientist Jennifer Doudna, the company raised $304 million in an initial public offering in 2021 and has since largely focused on using CRISPR tools to make “off-the-shelf” cell therapies for cancer Through the restructuring announced Thursday Caribou is abandoning the lupus program before dosing a patient in that planned trial It’s also halting preclinical research and a Phase 1 study in leukemia The company is now pinning its hopes on CB-010 Caribou is enrolling patients in a Phase 1 trial in second-line large B cell lymphoma the majority of study participants will have completed at least six months of follow-up which would provide more insight into the medicine’s durability It will also reveal data in up to 10 patients who have relapsed following other treatments that said its existing data have suggested the therapy can “drive outcomes that are on par” with approved Later this year the company will also present initial data on at least 25 multiple myeloma patients who’ve received CB-011 in an ongoing trial and have at least three months of follow-up Caribou shares currently trade at less than $1 apiece. The stock price debut at $16 when the company went public in July 2021 Get the free daily newsletter read by industry experts hope research on ion channels will bring them new drugs and big business — much like it has done for Vertex Despite data pointing to a slowdown in company creation at least four biotech startups have raised seeds or Series A rounds since the start of April Subscribe to the BioPharma Dive free daily newsletter The free newsletter covering the top industry headlines iStock, Anton Vierietin Caribou Biosciences’ latest pivot to immunology is not going to plan. The cell and gene therapy company is laying off nearly one-third of its workforce and ending work on its lupus pipeline, according to an SEC filing Thursday That leaves the biotech with just two remaining assets or “off-the-shelf,” CAR T products for a variety of different cancers Caribou had announced plans to make a move into the autoimmune space late last year, after getting Fast Track designation for its CAR T treatment CB-010 for systemic lupus erythematosus it announced a Phase I trial testing CB-010 for lupus nephritis and extrarenal lupus but never dosed a patient the company is pivoting back to its roots in cancer CB-010 is being tested for B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma while CB-011 is being trialed in multiple myeloma Caribou is also stopping a Phase I trial for CB-012 for relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia because “additional data would be needed to advance this program taking time and resources that can be dedicated to CB-010 and CB-011,” as the company put it in its statement The workforce reduction will cost Caribou between $1.8 and $2 million and winding down the lupus trials another $0.7–$1.5 million Caribou estimates the changes will be finalized by June and that with cash cash equivalents and marketable securities it has a $212.5 million runway to last into the second half of 2027 Following the cost savings and workforce reductions Caribou is now planning Phase I readouts for both drugs in the second half of 2025 A Caribou home is a total loss following a Sunday fire The two-story structure was a single-family home Caribou Fire and Ambulance Captain Scott Michaud said Monday Two men lived in the home and escaped without injury The names of the occupants and owner of the home are unknown Caribou Fire and Ambulance personnel responded to 357 Belanger Road at about 6:40 a.m and fire was visible on the first floor and in the basement which complicated firefighters’ efforts to battle the blaze Crews were on scene for about five hours and received mutual aid from the Presque Isle Fire Department and Presque Isle Professional Firefighters Local 5459 Fort Fairfield Fire Rescue and Caribou Police Department The Maine state fire marshal’s office is investigating the cause of the fire The American Red Cross is assisting the people who were displaced How you like your cup of coffee is a very personal There is a specific way we all take our coffee It is a part of morning rituals and afternoon pick-me-ups And once you know and have perfected your perfect cup it can be very difficult to pull you away from it and convince you to try something different Caribou Coffee is a favorite among many; it boasts an impressive number of brick-and-mortar locations across 19 Western states. However, its at-home coffee is available at retailers nationwide. Although I, like many others, have my own definition of a perfect cup of coffee I was more than happy to try Caribou's products and give them a shot French press (which I believe brings out the best flavor profiles in coffee) I prepared each one of Caribou's at-home ground coffee selections The Caribou blend is labeled as a medium roast and touted to be "the crowd pleaser," thanks to its milky body and caramel sweetness this coffee was not at all what I expected I was immediately surprised by how dark it was I saw that the foam was also intensely dark and clung to the sides of the glass Although I was skeptical about this coffee after I had watched it brewed my palate was still shocked by the punch of the roast I would compare it to being served a regular soda when I had ordered a diet It was completely different than what I expected so much so that I had to set the cup aside and reread the bag to confirm I didn't miss anything The Caribou blend medium roast indeed had the flavor of a very dark roast It was overly earthy to the point of tasting dirty The black pepper notes were pungent and strong If the bag was honest about the coffee inside While I wouldn't drink this strong of a coffee every day I will have a small cup on occasion when the mood is right and my palate is prepared But it will catch an unsuspecting sipper off guard I will attest right off the bat that I am not a big fan of flavored coffee that the vanilla hazelnut coffee had a strong aroma It brewed up nicely and gave off a strong vanilla smell I found the vanilla did come through as well as the hazelnut; it was not too strong The flavor evolves into a bittersweetness that lingered longer that I would have liked That peppery scent I had initially noticed also came through sharply I couldn't quite put my finger on the exact taste but it was unnecessary and unpleasingly disruptive it might have been a pleasant vanilla hazelnut coffee The Daybreak blend is described as having a red wine acidity and a malty sweetness. While it brewed up darker than I expected for a light roast the body was indeed very light and almost tea-like And while the roast was smooth and flavorful in that regard And while the coffee does give off a nice rich aroma the taste is extremely flimsy on the palate It doesn't hold any flavor for very long and came across much weaker than what I prefer The taste profile actually toes the line of being tea-like in flavor It's much lighter than the light roasts I've had in the past I generally expect something stronger than what the Daybreak was available to give The Mahogany blend is one of Caribou's most popular coffees.And I can understand why this could be a favorite among dark roast coffee fans And the brew is the definition of a smooth-bodied dark roast and the body is delicate with a slight acidity It is just that one strange taste that put this coffee further down on the list I could see this coffee ranking much higher A tart cocoa aroma erupted immediately from the bag of s'mores coffee when I opened it which gave the impression that the flavor would be too strong I found it developed a lovely foam and released a marshmallow fragrance Despite the strong bouquet released into the air the flavor is actually very smooth and somewhat light on the palate The coffee carries a rich creamy marshmallow forefront and caramel become present and intermingle on the tongue and the graham cracker does come through on the back end I was surprised by how balanced and structured the blend of flavors here were I could not see myself drinking this every day It may be something nice to keep on hand for a brunch or a pick-me-up on a cold winter's afternoon I'm generally not looking for a special occasion brew The Lakeshore blend is on the lighter side of a medium roast The immediate aroma of the coffee carries a rich earthy scent that is pleasant and not overpowering round body that is smoky with notes of spice the label notes that it should have notes of caramelized sugar Instead of the caramelized sugar, I found a more pronounced savory flavor with a hint of soy. It was surprising on the tongue, but pleasant. The lingering flavor is like a blunt cocoa, though it subsides rather quickly. To me, this is more of what I would expect from a definitive light roast For those who prefer a lighter roast for their everyday coffee I prefer a coffee that was stronger than this one which is why it didn't crack the top three Caribou's caramel coffee has an explosive buttery aroma The first sip had those rich buttery notes; they remained first and foremost in the profile This coffee is as silky and smooth as described It is delicate on the tongue and clean on the palate that overly punctuated sugar that was in the air is not something I found overpowering in the coffee I was surprised that there were some savory notes in this coffee It's a match that I haven't found before in flavored coffees Though I'm still not a flavored coffee fan this is one that I could drink more than a cup's worth of I can see this being an everyday roast for fans of flavored coffee I have to again put this in the category of a special occasion coffee and not one I would want every day While it's extremely pleasing as a flavored brew I prefer to add my own flavorings and customize my cup But this one does gets top marks for being as advertised in terms of its strength French roast coffee is not one that I keep around. I only drink it when I'm in the mood for a dark roast. However, Caribou has changed my mind on dark coffees. As you would expect, this roast has a full, dark body. What I didn't expect was how smooth, to the point of velvety, this French roast was The coffee is strong and complex; its flavor builds slowly though it didn't deliver the strong punch that I had prepared myself for This roast is extremely well-balanced and structured with nutty notes that add an additional layer of flavor It lingers softly on the palate — only long enough for the next sip It is definitely stronger than I prefer my everyday coffee to be So while it is very close to being the top contender I think it would only hit the spot for folks who prefer to have a darker and more hard-hitting start to their mornings I will say that if I were to purchase a French roast coffee in the future this would be the one I would pluck from the shelf Opening the bag of the Fireside blend coffee called to mind old Folgers commercials I reflexively closed my eyes and took in a long deep breath of the abundantly rich aroma that filled my kitchen There was a jolt of energy as if I had already had my first cup aptly called "the cozy one," enveloped my senses Tasting the brew was just as satisfying was smelling it It has a full body and hints of dark chocolate and burnt sugar The flavor is slightly smoky and a little toasty in the most pleasingly balanced way and lingered on the palate with a warm and inviting comfort The Fireside blend could easily win over anyone who drinks it would be happy to have it greet me every morning would be simple to make stronger with just an extra scoop to make it a deliciously tasting and enticingly-scented cup of coffee This was definitely the little black dress of brews I had been waiting to discover Coffee can have such a wide range of flavor profiles. So, to give the Caribou coffees a fair tasting, I chose prepare them in my trusty French press and drink them black and all the cute nicknames before opening the bags to see if I could identify those same elements in the finished cups The acidity level in the Caribou coffees were all very similar and they did not make any of the brews taste unpleasant coffees that did not taste as advertised tasted lower some of my lower-ranking choices also had flavors that were unexpected or unwanted Those that ranked higher were brews that were more true to what was listed on the packaging Buying a bag of coffee is not just a one-off It is something that you will keep in your pantry and will use for days to bring something home that you immediately are dissatisfied with is not only annoying those that ranked at the top of the list are truly coffees I would spend money on and enjoy on special occasions — if not every day The story of Arctic greening has overlooked some main characters At center stage are climate change and warming temperatures also play a key role in the timing and abundance of Arctic plants according to a study from the University of California The study, published today in the journal PNAS Nexus highlights the importance of large herbivores to the Arctic ecosystem linking grazing with plant phenology and abundance in the Arctic tundra Phenology is the study of the timing and cyclical patterns in nature Understanding such patterns is critically important in the Arctic which is warming faster than anywhere on Earth “Caribou and muskoxen play a key role in how soon plants emerge and this translates to how abundant they become,” said lead author Eric Post a professor and arctic ecologist in the UC Davis Department of Wildlife factor we need to consider as we seek to more fully understand climate change impacts on tundra vegetation in the Arctic.” The research was conducted at a long-term study site near Kangerlussuaq where Post has been studying plant and animal interactions for 22 years To understand how herbivores affect the timing of plant growth and abundance the scientists excluded caribou and muskoxen from some study areas they compared the timing of spring green-up of nine plant species with and without the grazing animals.  plants where caribou or muskoxen were present experienced earlier green-up and greater abundance later in the growing season About two-thirds of plants greened up earlier and three-quarters were more abundant later in the season compared to plots without grazing These include arctic draba and gray willow emerged later with grazers present.  Dwarf birch was the only species studied that did not increase in abundance under grazing the presence or absence of large grazing wildlife influenced how the plants responded Post said it is not yet clear why the plants respond in this way but it is important to understand that there is a connection.  “We’re used to thinking of the timing of plant availability as impacting the productivity of grazing animals “The absence or presence of herbivores can also impact the timing of plant growth and their productivity.” This is especially important considering that many caribou populations in the Arctic are in decline Migratory tundra caribou (Rangifer tarandus) are listed as vulnerable by the IUCN Red List and have lost more than half of their total abundance since the 1990s A separate study coauthored by Post and published Nov noted that supporting sustainable populations of herbivores in the Arctic could be a more effective nature-based solution to climate change in the region than planting trees there Co-authors for the PNAS Nexus study include UC Davis alum Conor Higgins of the Yolo County Resource Conservation District, Pernille Bøving of UC Davis Mason Post of the University of Washington and Jeffrey Kerby of the Scott Polar Research Institute at Cambridge University The authors give special thanks to the late Mads Forchhammer for his critical input and inspiring the study.  European Union’s Horizon 2020 research program Subscribe to the Science & Climate newsletter Press kit of images. Download permitted with credit.  University of California, Davis Copyright © The Regents of the University of California This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Download the NPS app to navigate the parks on the go To some who starts their day with a java boost even the worst coffee is better than nothing a good cup of coffee can set the tone for an entire day A good cup of coffee can provide the caffeine boost needed to get things done A good cup of coffee can lift spirits and brighten moods If you're looking for all those things in a humble cup of coffee you won't find them in Caribou Coffee's Caribou blend We tried and ranked nine different at-home Caribou coffees tasting each of the coffees black and prepared in a French press to see how close they came to what was promised on the packaging The Caribou blend is a medium blend and meant to be a crowd-pleaser Things started well enough as the smell of the pre-ground coffee was pleasant we were shocked by how strong it tasted — very earthy so much so that we had to reread the bag to make sure we weren't being misled which we noted would likely throw an unsuspecting coffee drinker for a loop Caribou Coffee offers plenty of refreshing and satisfying drinks, but we feel the Caribou home blend is best enjoyed in small doses. It may be the chain's signature blend — one that Caribou claims is so good that "we put our name on it" — but we don't think it has the mass appeal of other at-home blends noting that they helped give the coffee a chewy quality we'd prefer to sip on Caribou's Fireside blend or French Roast — which we ranked first and second in our rankings Caribou's medium roast signature blend may have left a surprising taste on our tongues, but we know coffee drinkers love all kinds of blends. While we likely won't be filling our cups with it anytime soon, it may be a good choice for making coffee ice cream The java-charged sweet treat is the perfect vessel for homemade ice cream because it's a happy medium between light and dark roasts allowing for some of its flavor notes to come out Caribou Coffee's Chief Financial Officer and a veteran retail industry executive has been named as Interim Chief Executive Officer Kennedy will leverage his leadership experience and deep understanding of Caribou Coffee's operations to lead the Company while continuing to serve in his role as Chief Financial Officer who will be stepping down from his role as President and Chief Executive Officer Butcher will remain in an advisory role through the end of May to help ensure a seamless transition during which the Board of Directors will conduct a search for a permanent CEO considering both internal and external candidates Kennedy joined Caribou Coffee as Chief Financial Officer in 2019 he spent 14 years in executive positions at Target Corporation Kennedy received his Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from the University of Canberra "I want to thank John for his leadership over the last nearly eight years as his commitment to providing a best-in-class customer experience and building a strong team-oriented culture at Caribou positioned the company well for the future," said Konrad Meyer "The Board looks forward to working with John and Scott during this transition as we set our sights on accelerating growth across North America and internationally." or download the Caribou Coffee app to join Caribou Perks and start earning rewards featuring a delightful mix of fan favorites and exciting new .. a premium coffeehouse known for industry-leading innovation and signature handcrafted beverages Retail Beverages Personnel Announcements Do not sell or share my personal information: An official website of the United States government Learn about updates on NSF priorities and the agency's implementation of recent executive orders U.S. National Science Foundation-supported research shows that caribou will optimize their migration path based on their collective memories Caribou are the most abundant large mammal species on land in the Arctic They are not only an important part of the ecology but are also a primary source of food for hundreds of communities The antlered deer migrate more miles than any other land-based animal but don't always take the same path each year To figure out how and why caribou migrate during the winter a professor at the State University of New York and fellow researchers teamed up with the National Park Service which had put trackable collars on over 300 female caribou in the Western Arctic Caribou Herd The team tracked the herd's movements and deaths as it traveled across a region spanning over 360,000 square kilometers in northwest Alaska for 11 years The researchers discovered that when the animals wintered south of the Kobuk River When they wintered north of the same river they were more likely to survive when there was more snow and less wind The caribou decided whether to cross the river each year as an adaptive measure to maximize their chances of survival "A dead animal doesn't remember anything (or move again) by definition," Gurarie said "But the general conditions that led to poor survival are certainly remembered by the other caribou." The long-term study revealed that caribou can not only understand risk but also use their knowledge to collectively make decisions that minimize risks for the herd "This is a pretty clear and dramatic example of the concrete importance of social memory in predicting animal movements," Gurarie said This adaptive behavior could be especially important for the species as the Arctic undergoes some of the most rapid warming on Earth Sign up for email updates Move Health's acquisition of Caribou is a strategic step forward designed to elevate its collective healthcare planning capabilities 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- In a strategic move that will reshape the healthcare planning industry Move Health proudly announces the acquisition of Caribou This union of industry leaders will provide financial planning professionals with the first end-to-end unbiased healthcare planning solution that combines award-winning technology with a white-glove service for clients regardless of their healthcare coverage type Combining Move Health and Caribou's greatest strengths into one healthcare planning solution will increase the capabilities of advisors' financial planning offerings to attract and retain clients in an increasingly competitive market "This isn't just about two organizations coming together," said Move Health Co-Founder and Head of Growth "It's about the opportunities we will create to better serve financial advisors We believe this partnership will be transformative for everyone involved." our goals are to redefine the financial planning industry and continue to set new standards that will positively impact financial advisors and their clients," said Caribou founder and CEO Christine Simone Healthcare planning is an emerging core component of comprehensive financial planning offerings as evidenced by its growing popularity among financial planning professionals and its place as a category in major industry surveys and publications—a direct result of Caribou's championing as a pioneer in the healthcare planning space Caribou was named a T3 Technology Tools for Today Software All-Star in the annual T3/Inside Information Survey and received the award for Best Technology Providers: Specialized Planning Applications from WealthManagement.com's 2024 Industry Awards "Caribou's award-winning HealthPlanner technology and Move Health's enrollment process will create a frictionless experience for clients and advisors," said Caribou founder and CEO our goals are to redefine the financial planning industry and continue to set new standards that will positively impact financial advisors and their clients." Simone will be joining the leadership team at Move Health The two companies are working quickly to integrate their two products the most beneficial additions are the capability to enroll clients in their chosen plan with Move Health's best-in-class guidance from licensed and federally certified agents and providing access to plan options beyond Medicare and the Marketplace For current customers of Move Health and Caribou this acquisition will ensure clients are taken across the healthcare planning finish line while still accessing clear objective health plan recommendations through an analysis the best features of the HealthPlanner platform and Move Health's software will come together to ensure a seamless experience from planning through to enrollment "The partnership of Move Health and Caribou ensures our clients will experience the best of both worlds—the personalized attention of Move Health's white-glove service now complemented by Caribou's health plan optimization software," said Move Health Co-Founder and Head of Strategy & Finance "This acquisition expands the scope of our services and software ultimately making Move Health the sole solution in the market that can address Medicare including vision and dental," said Move Health Co-Founder and Head of Development Financial advisors can rest assured that the exceptional service and personalized healthcare cost projections they have come to expect with Caribou's HealthPlanner software will not only continue but also strengthen "Caribou was created to provide clarity for clients as they navigate complex decisions about their health insurance and I've never felt more confident in our ability to deliver on that promise than in partnership with Move Health," said Simone Move Health's acquisition of Caribou is a strategic step forward designed to elevate its collective capabilities empower clients to navigate the complexities of healthcare with greater confidence and clarity and provide advisors with an end-to-end healthcare planning solution This marks the beginning of a new era in both the healthcare planning and financial planning landscapes For media, please contact Move Health at (812) 200-6505 or [email protected] For media, please contact Caribou at (415) 251-6655 or [email protected] Cole Craven, Move Health, 1 (812) 200-6505, [email protected], https://advisors.movehealth.io/ Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker PORTLAND, Maine - The quest for the program’s third state championship will have to wait another season for the York High School boys basketball team.  The Wildcats went scoreless during a crucial 4-minute stretch near the start of the second half turning a 1-point deficit into a season-high hole of 13 and York couldn't recover in Saturday’s 65-44 loss to North champion Caribou at Cross Insurance Arena there are no other words to describe it," said York junior Reece MacDonald but it's motivation for next year for the guys who are coming back outscored York by 17 points in the final 16 minutes and led by as many as 25 points in the second half The Wildcats finished the season with a record of 21-1 Caribou also finished the season with a record of 21-1 "I thought we struggled getting open looks," York first-year head coach Matt Regan said Caribou played great; they had a great season It was Caribou's fourth state championship and its first since winning back-to-back Class B titles in 2019 and 2020 which last played in a state championship in 2020 while Lukas Bouchard had nine points and Ryan Cummins added eight Landen Belander led Caribou with 16 points while Kaymen Sargent and Owen Corrigan both had 13 There are a lot of teams who wished they were playing today from the top of the key tied the game at 22-22 with 1:45 left in the half Caribou scored the final four points of half and took a 26-22 lead into intermission Lucas Ketchum's baseline 3-pointer cut the Caribou lead to 26-25 with 7:30 left in the third and took a commanding 45-29 into the fourth The only points for York in that stretch was a Cummins' layup and a MacDonald free throw ""We didn't back defensively in transition and a lot of our shots weren't falling," MacDonald We were very stagnant on offense (during that stretch) but back-to-back 3-pointers by Belander quickly increased that to 17 "We always say how those first 4 minutes of the third quarter can quickly impact a game "We kept saying we weren't going to get all back at once It felt like anytime we got a bucket or hit a big shot It was York's eighth time playing in a state championship game and the first since losing to Hamden Academy York is now 2-6 all-time in state championship games The Wildcats are now 0-5 in Class B championship games John Bapst (54-49) in 1993 and Camden-Rockport (64-43) in 1999 50-40 last Friday in the Class B South championship game Caribou had a first-round bye in the North regional Open Search  Mobile Menu including harvests from other caribou hunts in Alaska since July 1 Hunters participating in the federal hunt must obtain a RC867 joint State/federal registration permit issued by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game State of Alaska regulations limit the caribou harvest to one bull must obtain a second registration permit prior to taking the second bull Evidence of sex must remain attached.   To manage the risk of exceeding the quota when caribou are near road systems, the State is accepting applications for the AC999 hunt through October 31 When the State of Alaska portion of RC867 or AC999 is open permitted hunters may hunt on federal and non-federal land.  To qualify for the RC867 caribou hunt under federal subsistence regulations permanent place of residence in one of the following rural communities or game management units and you must have lived in Alaska for the previous 12 months For hunting in Units 20E and 25C—residents of Units 20D For hunting in Unit 20F east of the Dalton Highway and south of the Yukon River—residents of Units 20F For more information on seasons, harvest limits, methods, and customary and traditional use determinations for the subsistence taking of wildlife, please reference the 2024-2026 Federal Subsistence Management Regulations for the Harvest of Wildlife on Federal Public Lands in Alaska.  For maps with information about BLM recreation sites and motor vehicle access see the “Digital Public Information Map Series.”    Information and updates on the RC867 caribou hunt are available on the Fortymile Hotline at (907) 267-2310. For additional information about the subsistence hunt, contact Jim Herriges at (907) 474-2373 or jherrige@blm.gov The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations An official website of the Department of the Interior Our outpatient 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you use is important • Veteran Service Officers (VSOs) can also help with submitting claims and assisting with self[1]advocacy More information on the PACT Act can be found here: VA Maine PACT Act Resources Beneficiary Travel (BT) provides access to care through travel reimbursement to eligible Veterans and payment for some transportation services on behalf of certain eligible Veterans Travel reimbursement staff are located at Togus but Veterans can submit their paper claim at Togus or the CBOCs Many of the Whole Health Programs are online (virtual) you’ll need to contact your primary care provider Whole Health is VA's approach to patient-centered It combines conventional clinical care with complementary and integrative approaches and skill building for self-care to help people take charge of their health and live life to the fullest Evidence shows that Whole Health improves health outcomes and clinician satisfaction Whole Health At VA Maine | VA Maine Health Care | Veterans Affairs We offer women’s health services to meet your specific needs such as disease screenings maternity care and female-specific medical equipment VA Maine Healthcare System supports the health and dignity of female Veterans and their families by ensuring equal access to timely Our local facility offers a variety of services Contact VA Maine’s Women Veterans Program Manager at   ext 4017 for more information regarding available services or information regarding your healthcare benefits Learn more and connect with a care coordinator Climate change and the parks National Parks in Crisis Behind an electrified fence along a seasonal road in Jasper National Park a trailblazing Caribou Conservation Breeding Centre is nearing completion despite setbacks from a massive summer wildfire The plan is to capture mostly female woodland caribou — 25 to 35 over multiple years — and start producing enough annual calves to bring Jasper's dwindling herds to sustainable levels within a decade adding gawk screens to the perimeter fence and waiting for deliveries of slat fences and game mesh I’m about to get a preview of the site once Darrell Lumley supervisor for the general contractor Landmark Solutions From left: Parks Canada's Scott Taylor and Karly Savoy photographer Luuk Wijk and Landmark Solutions supervisor Darrell Lumley/Jennifer Bain Scott Taylor — the new site manager — stands ready to show off the project With 30 years of experience managing wild and wildlife for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry he was about five years from retirement when this unexpected Parks Canada gig brought him to Alberta It wasn’t the caribou that enticed him — he’s worked with them before along with moose black bears and polar bears — it was the lure of “a brand new “I like all Canadian and North American species of wildlife and I’ve had pretty interesting experiences in my career I thought I was going to retire in the MNRF but now I’m here.” An aerial view of the Caribou Conservation Breeding Centre compound in Jasper National Park/Parks Canada We’ve driven about half an hour south of the Jasper townsite first down the busy Icefields Parkway and then along the unpaved Geraldine Road that goes to a backcountry trailhead Caribou Recovery Program communications officer Karly Savoy and photographer Luuk Wijk have joined us the whole site has this perimeter fence and then you’ve got a series of pens that can be used for different combinations of animals,” explains Savoy and some will be the yearlings by themselves when they’re weaned off and ready to go.” It makes sense when you see the hub-and-pen site plan “This will be a first in North America,” Savoy promises “All aspects have been done elsewhere — like capturing domesticated reindeer — but they have not been put all together in this way at this scale in North America.” It's rare to see Jasper National Park's two dwindling caribou herds/Lalenia Neufeld I’ve summered alongside Fogo Island’s wee caribou herd in Newfoundland and Labrador, met free-ranging reindeer in a Scottish national park and taken a guided forest walk at a reindeer ranch in Alaska not far from where Taylor recently spent time at the Large Animal Research Station Caribou and reindeer are actually the same species and share the same scientific name, Rangifer tarandus. As the National Parks Service explains this deer family member is typically called caribou in North America and reindeer in Eurasia I’m not sure where caribou born in captivity will fit in Parks Canada is building this $27-million breeding center because it believes Jasper’s threatened caribou herds are too small to recover on their own A summer wildfire set back construction of Jasper's Caribou Conservation Breeding Centre/Jennifer Bain These southern mountain caribou are part of a subgroup of woodland caribou herds Four populations have traditionally called this park home moving between high-alpine areas in summer and subalpine forests in winter to avoid predators But the Maligne herd hasn’t been seen since 2018 and the 150-strong À La Pêche herd is mainly managed and monitored by the provincial government That leaves Parks Canada to monitor the Brazeau herd (which has fallen below 10 animals) and the Tonquin herd (with about 50 animals) Staff do annual counts by helicopter when there’s snow and it’s easy to see tracks and collect scat They also use remote cameras to gather data With an estimated nine to 11 breeding Tonquin females and less than three breeding Brazeau females there simply aren’t enough calves each year to grow these herds small herds are especially vulnerable to predators A caribou from the Brazeau herd is captured on a remote camera in the summer of 2024/Parks Canada and reducing human influences on the wolf and elk populations that impact caribou have helped but now it’s time to try conservation breeding The breeding center is outside of an area that has been closed to the public between Nov The closures help caribou stay protected from predators at high elevations where snow is too deep for wolves to walk without sinking snowboard and snowshoe trails can inadvertently help wolves access these caribou I read 2023’s Caribou Comeback: Recovering an iconic species at risk in Jasper National Park to learn more about the master plan Park staff will capture what’s left of the Brazeau herd Caribou born here will be released into the wild Tonquin population when they’re about 10 months old for males and 15 months old for females until the herd reaches about 200 animals Parks Canada will consider releasing animals back into the Brazeau and Maligne ranges Scott Taylor shows off the lab in the administration building of the Caribou Conservation Breeding Centre/Jennifer Bain My tour starts in the steel-clad administration building lab and necropsy room share space with a kitchen and four bedrooms that can be used during calving or by First Nations partners is where the breeding stock will be treated to lichen rewards as they get used to being handled A small patch of rubberized floor will be easy on the hooves of any young orphans Holding pens made from pressure-treated lumber will help protect antlers there’s a heated workshop and storage for tractors and UTVs A look at the equipment in the caribou handling barn/Jennifer Bain There are a staggering 272 gates on site plus a powerful five-strand electrified fence that will keep predators and diseases out Gawk screens will prevent people and predators from peeking through the fence Boulders piled along Geraldine Road will discourage people from parking along the fence line and getting too close “We’re going to have to figure out how to bring the story out to the people knowing people can’t come here,” admits Savoy Jasper, Canada’s largest Rocky Mountain park, draws about 2.4 million visitors a year. It just survived the Jasper Wildfire Complex that began July 22 forced about 5,000 residents and 20,000 tourists to flee The Jasper Wildfire Complex destroyed more than 1,000 fence posts at the Caribou Conservation Breeding Centre/Parks Canada but Parks Canada is monitoring how habitat changes caused by the wildfire might affect them and the predator-prey dynamics they have with wolves and deer The fire did destroy a quarter of the park’s deer-monitoring cameras including all the images taken over winter 2023–24 The breeding center buildings were spared as the parking lot acted as a fuel break Slat fencing and more than 1,000 posts were destroyed but a 100-foot fire break barrier outside the perimeter fence helped reduce damage So did clearing pine trees that had been impacted by mountain pine beetles almost all forested areas intended as habitat for future caribou were burned Topsoil and hydroseed will be placed on disturbed areas Vegetation restoration and planting will continue in the spring and involve native species like Labrador tea so it’s for the caribou to feel comfortable and be able to hide.” Caribou feeding stations will be on skis so they can be moved around the pens/Jennifer Bain Talk turns to the lichen that caribou love so much The Kelly Lake Cree Nation has already delivered 26 bags full and the Aseniwuche Winewak Nation and Mountain Cree have pledged more they’ll get lichen as a reward for being in the handling system and as they prepare for release I get to see how aircraft cable will help protect perimeter fences from falling trees I hear how there will be portable shade structures in the pens and get to see frost-free water stations and moveable feeding shelters that will keep the ground around them from getting too damaged and muddy The Kelly Lake Cree Nation has been collecting lichen for Jasper's caribou program/Luuk Wijk I remember reading that the breeding center has been designed to be decommissioned at the end of the conservation breeding program’s lifecycle but it’s not intended to be an ongoing forever project,” says Savoy “We’re not sure how long things will take or how they’ll go.” Taylor is raring to go and so is veterinary technician Louise Dykslag A maintenance person has been hired and several animal care positions will be filled All that’s needed now is for construction to wrap up so the caribou can move in At the Caribou Conservation Breeding Centre plants and shrubs are ready to be planted in the spring/Jennifer Bain Support Essential Coverage of Essential Places A copy of National Parks Traveler's financial statements may be obtained by sending a stamped self-addressed envelope to: National Parks Traveler National Parks Traveler was formed in the state of Utah for the purpose of informing and educating about national parks and protected areas Residents of the following states may obtain a copy of our financial and additional information as stated below: National Parks Traveler is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit Here’s the definitive guide to National Park System campgrounds where RVers can park their rigs Our app is packed with RVing- specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 national parks.You’ll also find stories about RVing in the parks tips helpful if you’ve just recently become an RVer National Parks Traveler is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit media organization Behavior patterns can point to which groups of caribou are at risk Researchers used individual movements of caribou to help them identify distinct population units. In a study published in Biological Conservation the team used data collected from GPS collars placed on caribou (Rangifer tarandus) across western Canada they identified six distinct behavioral groups and could determine whether they were migrating how large of an area they were spending time in and if they were moving to different elevations Past approaches used genetic analysis to identify caribou populations at risk “We took the approach of using behavior to try to see if there are differences between individuals and groups that can be clustered into similarities,” said Margaret Hughes a PhD candidate with the Department of Biological Sciences in the Faculty of Science and lead author of the study “You can infer when and where they’re going and try to infer why they are doing that based on what’s actually out across the landscape.” The researchers said each group requires different conservation actions “It allows conservation managers to recognize ecologically meaningful variation within species helping to maintain biodiversity and improve management strategies,” Hughes said Read the study in Biological Conservation. Lesser goldfinches are showing up more in Washington Venomous reptiles are hardy when it comes to drought A new research method accounting for uncertainty leads scientists to suggest the IUCN change the species’ status to endangered Sign up to stay up-to-date on wildlife science Eos herds of caribou make their move from the boreal forests of northern Canada to calving grounds hundreds of kilometers away in the barren Arctic tundra Much remains unknown about their annual trek including how the caribou—a keystone species experiencing precipitous population declines—know when to migrate Recent research suggests snowmelt may be their cue Scientists compared 10 years of data on the spring migration timing of 117 female caribou with satellite data tracking when snow started to melt in the animals’ habitat This relationship adds “a piece of the puzzle” that helps us understand how environmental changes The study revealed a strong relationship between snowmelt onset and the beginning of the caribou migration, said Joan Ramage a study coauthor and environmental scientist at Lehigh University are affecting caribou herds and the ecosystem they support Get the most fascinating science news stories of the week in your inbox every Friday Ramage presented the research on 10 December at AGU’s Annual Meeting 2024 To determine when snow began to melt in the caribou’s boreal wintering grounds, Ramage and her colleagues used satellite observations of microwave radiation emitted from Earth’s surface so satellites can detect when water begins to appear within the compressed winter snowpack The researchers compared these satellite data to data from 2006 to 2017 on the migratory movement of the female caribou, part of the Bathurst herd that were tracked using GPS collars as they traveled hundreds of kilometers to the tundra to give birth to calves The GPS data are collected by the Government of Northwest Territories’ Department of Environment and Climate Change which monitors the herd as part of a plan to recover the region’s declining caribou population the team found that the Bathurst caribou began their migration just 2.6 days after the onset of the main snowpack melting event The findings from this work, published in Remote Sensing are contributing new understanding “that comes from this really interesting technological ability to see factors about the snow that more traditional kinds of imaging can’t,” Ramage said The caribou’s decline is especially concerning because of the species’ important role in its ecosystem “Caribou are the lifeblood of the tundra…they circulate all across the ecosystem “Caribou are the lifeblood of the tundra,” said Kyle Joly National Park Service who was not involved in the recent study In addition to serving as the primary prey for Arctic predators such as wolves caribou also modify their habitat by trampling the landscape “If you removed [caribou] from the ecosystem, the ecosystem would change dramatically,” said Steeve Côté an ecologist at Université Laval in Quebec who was not involved in the study environmental changes—like shifting snow cover and snow quality—affect them Lichens that grow under the snow layer make up 70%–90% of caribou’s diets in the winter it becomes harder for caribou to dig through to reach their food supply when snow is less dense—either because of especially dry or especially warm conditions—it is easier for caribou to sink into it The extra energy caribou expend when they wade through deep snow makes an already taxing migration even harder “It’s like you’re at mile 25 of a marathon and suddenly they add 8 or 9 miles,” Côté said A caribou can walk more than 44,000 kilometers in its lifetime thanks to its long migrations Focusing on how changing snow conditions affect the migration because of the species’ important symbiotic relationship with its ecosystem Ramage and her colleagues are now analyzing GPS data from other caribou herds and comparing them to satellite observations to establish whether the relationship they found between snowmelt and migration timing among the Bathurst herd is typical of other caribou is one of many for future interdisciplinary research to address that may “be really valuable for understanding this species and what’s going on in their world.” —K. R. Callaway (@KR_Callaway) A North Augusta drive-thru burger restaurant could be renovated into a national coffeeshop chain's first location in South Carolina and just the second for the Augusta area Plans held by DLP Construction of Alpharetta call for the closed Checkers restaurant at 1029 Edgefield Rd just off North Augusta's Interstate 20 Exit 5 The project marks the second Augusta-area Checkers that father-and-son Checkers franchisees Andy and Drew Pye are transforming into a Caribou Coffee with that? Is Augusta losing this Walton Way restaurant to make way for a popular coffeeshop? The Augusta Chronicle first reported in October 2024 about construction plans for the Checkers at 1720 Walton Way in Augusta it would put four coffeeshops on a less-than-one-mile stretch of Walton Way between 15th and Eve streets Dunkin Donuts and the local Trellis Coffee Bar drive-thru-only North Augusta Caribou would join other fast-food offerings around the Market Plaza shopping center anchored by a Food Lion supermarket Caribou has about 750 locations across the country By Emma McIntosh, The Narwhal Emma and photographer Christopher Katsarov Luna spent four days in northwestern Ontario It’s hard not to feel haunted by the caribou They used to be everywhere along the coast of Lake Superior Even as their numbers have dropped over the last century they’ve remained regular characters in living memory People tell tales of running into one along a forested trail a hungry horde gulping down a picnic’s worth of food breaking into an unattended cooler and scarfing an entire box of chocolate chip cookies Some remember watching caribou flock to salt licks in their yards the way others might watch birds at a feeder The waters of Lake Superior — or Gitchigumi in Anishinaabemowin — are unsettled with whitecaps in the distance as we set out looking for caribou It’s late July and feels more like fall than midsummer a town tucked inside a harbour 300 kilometres east of Thunder Bay waves crash against the hull and the fog is so dense we can’t see the cluster of conifers we’re aiming for until it’s right in front of us We spend the better part of the day puttering around the rocky islands one of the few strongholds where Lake Superior caribou still live But it’s starting to feel like we’re chasing a phantom Caribou on Lake Superior are uniquely isolated retreating to offshore islands to get more distance from predators and people (Photo Credit: Christopher Katsarov Luna/The Narwhal) Paths they’ve worn onto the forest floor look well trodden drapes from the trees in such abundance it’s easy to imagine a bull with velvety antlers stepping out of the bush to steal a nibble we haven’t seen hide nor hair of a single one The few caribou still surviving here tend to make themselves scarce our guide for the day Doug Bourgeault tells us He leads photographer Christopher Katsarov Luna and me onto a small rickety dock on one of the islands and past a ramshackle research cabin into the bush It’s a last-ditch attempt to spot a caribou on land since finding one from the water hasn’t panned out which sits on one of the few pieces of land within Slate Islands Provincial Park set aside for human access — leaving the caribou everything else We slowly pick our way back to Bourgeault’s boat stepping over downed trees and beds of tiny ferns while mosquitoes whine in our ears With one last look at the still forest behind us “No worries at all,” I tell Bourgeault as he starts the engine doing my best to keep the disappointment out of my voice Bourgeault warned us from the get-go: our chances of spotting a caribou on the Slates these days were pretty much zero Despite making regular visits to the islands he hasn’t seen a caribou here in at least four years These unseen ungulates on Lake Superior are woodland caribou members of a threatened subspecies whose range covers most of northern Ontario — most of Canada Their numbers have been trending down for a century The looming threat of woodland caribou’s extinction has inspired multimillion-dollar efforts across the country to save them their habitat tends to overlap with areas where logging and mining are big economic drivers and governments have been reluctant to impose conservation-related restrictions on major industries The question of what to do about them has been at the centre of squabbles between the federal government and several provinces in recent years The Lake Superior caribou are a special case one of the more fragile groups among an already-vulnerable subspecies the balance in their range is already heavily tipped towards development with so much human activity for so long that it’s almost impossible to imagine caribou returning to most of it They’ve largely retreated to offshore islands There’s no margin of error in case anything else goes wrong — like climate change or wolves two big factors in the recent decline of the Slate Islands caribou though — enough that Katsarov Luna and I travelled 800 kilometres by plane car and boat to attempt to see them — is because they show how fragile fates become for threatened species and how monumental a task it is to bring them back once they reach this point and some sporadic interventions from the Ontario government Lake Superior caribou are only a little better off than they were a decade ago And the laws that allowed them to reach this point are still pretty much the same which doesn’t bode well for the future of other herds Perhaps there’s a lesson here in knowing when we’ve reached a tipping point — and more importantly how to recognize it before the end sits in plain sight Doug Bourgeault runs the only charter service that takes visitors to the Slate Islands He also comes here regularly on his own time he hadn’t seen a caribou on the archipelago for at least four years Caribou are as iconic as they are imperilled Cultures in the upper half of the northern hemisphere are closely tied to the gentle ungulates They’re stamped on the back of the Canadian quarter a pillar of spirituality and survival for many Indigenous communities and best known internationally for pulling Santa’s sleigh There are two types of woodland caribou in Ontario: migratory ones that travel in herds spanning vast distances from the boreal forest to the tundra near Hudson Bay and forest-dwellers that tend to stick to one area and hang out in smaller groups once abundant across most of northern Ontario From the last ice age until about 150 years ago they lived as far south as what is now Algonquin Provincial Park Caribou are no longer a common sight around Sudbury about 200 kilometres northwest of Algonquin as the crow flies their decline has been continuous for decades their slow march towards local extinction began more than a century ago As European settlers moved into the region dispossessing Indigenous nations of their territories highways and electricity transmission lines too running through places that would later become national and provincial parks on the north shore of Lake Superior Each piece of new development fed the economic prosperity of industries in northern Ontario the same wealth that drew my ancestors to settle here in the last century Human development on the Lake Superior shoreline started to displace caribou about 150 years ago power lines and mines are regular features along the Trans-Canada Highway on the lake’s eastern side whose numbers were also diminished by overhunting are more sensitive to human disturbance than deer and moose And while moose thrive in the young forests that sprout up after an area has been logged it can take caribou up to 60 years to return to areas humans have cleared Their main defence mechanism is their stealth which helps them avoid predators like wolves But they are far more vulnerable if the deep woods they rely on have been pared down to disconnected patches the changing landscape and a few years of heavy snow attracted more moose to the places traditionally occupied by caribou The abundance of moose attracted more wolves which are also a natural part of the ecosystem the balance between predator and prey had tipped heavily towards the predators with wolves using human-made clearings like roads and hydro corridors to hunt caribou with more ease than ever before The caribou retreated to a few strongholds on the northeast side of Lake Superior A gap of 100 kilometres opened up between the shoreline caribou and the next closest herd One small population hung on for a time in Pukaskwa National Park whose traditional territory encompasses the national park His last encounter with a caribou on the land happened along a trail in the park more than two decades ago and I wanted to see what that was,” Michano recalls Biigtigong Nishnaabeg Chief Duncan Michano used to see caribou once in a while when he worked at Pukaskwa National Park But the herd there has been gone for over a decade He climbed up some deadfall to get a better look “He was nosy.” They stared at each other for a while before the caribou turned around and strolled away “They’re beautiful little animals,” he says Michano tells me the story from a bench at the mouth of Biigtig Ziibii A massive expanse of sand dunes stretch out to the west Pukaskwa sits just across the river to the east a rocky shoreline giving way to dense forest As pristine and peaceful as the place seems, the Pukaskwa herd couldn’t hang on. Their numbers suffered a hasty decline in 1988, leaving just five survivors by 2009. A paper published in 2015 concluded the group is effectively gone where about 100 to 200 resided in the early 2010s a lighthouse keeper noticed the tracks of a caribou bull on an ice bridge frozen over the lake to Michipicoten The Ontario government moved seven females and one more male over to join him in hopes the population would take off Even though caribou had been erased from most of their historic range around the Great Lakes they were still abundant on Michipicoten Island Bourgeault remembers camping trips on Lake Superior in the 2000s where he’d spend mealtimes shoving a caribou’s muzzle away from his plate Signs of caribou are everywhere on the Slate Islands but the ungulates themselves remain hidden abandoned caribou research pens still sit on the shoreline caribou scat can be spotted on the forest floor Sometime around the winter of 2013 to 2014 an especially frigid cold spell allowed parts of Lake Superior to freeze over An ice bridge formed from the mainland to Michipicoten Island and wolves crossed over This isn’t abnormal — it used to happen much more often, allowing a freer flow of animals between the islands and the shore. Wolves could pursue the caribou, and some caribou could evade them and escape. Or, if caribou numbers started to decline, wolves could leave and seek other, more plentiful food sources on the mainland. But climate change is warming Lake Superior faster than any of the Great Lakes and it doesn’t freeze over as early or often as it used to and wolves and caribou were trapped together The wolves dined on the threatened ungulates The islands that gave them sanctuary also dealt them what appeared to be a death blow and the Ontario government studied the situation but didn’t do anything about it Michipicoten First Nation and other locals called on them to act two bulls were the only caribou left on the Slate Islands About 15 more caribou remained on Michipicoten Island “Governments move slow as heck,” Michano told me in 2022, for a previous story about Lake Superior caribou “They sat around on their hands until almost all of the caribou were gone.” the Ontario government worked with First Nations and scientists to airlift Lake Superior caribou away from the wolves on Michipicoten Island Nine went to the Slate Islands and six to Caribou Island the Ontario government stepped in and worked with Michipicoten First Nation to airlift the 15 animals to safety by helicopter six caribou from Michipicoten were dropped off at a wolf-free hideout so far out in the lake an ice bridge seems nearly impossible as luck would have it — a privately-owned dot on the map named after a herd briefly introduced there a century ago The remaining nine caribou were transplanted to the Slates in 2018 to join the lonely bulls the wolves had left to find more abundant prey allowing caribou numbers to slowly rebound but the reasons for the demise of woodland caribou are more complex: successive generations and governments have allowed Lake Superior caribou herds to wither away to the point where it only took a tip on the scales of predator and prey to nearly wipe them out completely Many of us think of it as a wildlife management problem but it’s really a people management problem Lake Superior caribou are a special case compared to their relatives Their behaviour is different: they’ve been spotted eating campfire ashes something even caribou relatives 100 kilometres north don’t do “The wolves were always there,” Michano says There wasn’t a whole shitload of fucking transmission lines there.” to Marathon on a winding stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway those human changes to the landscape are easily visible The Slate Islands are only about 12 kilometres from the shore a stark contrast to the stomach-churning swells on the open lake The smell of the spruces on shore envelope you before your feet even touch land The thin whistles of sparrows ring out from the treetops The only other people we see are a small group resting on the rocky shore “See any caribou?” Katsarov Luna calls to them as we draw closer a decent hideout for a group of shy caribou Even though there’s some evidence of human presence here like a mine shaft that predates the provincial park and a lighthouse that no longer has a keeper There is a little bit of human activity on the Slates — a lighthouse that no longer has a keeper a shallow mine shaft that predates the provincial park Kayakers and researchers travel through here too sometimes camping at sites around the islands meaning there aren’t facilities or staff on site There’s plenty of undisturbed forest where a shy caribou can hide The caribou gene pool in both places is also pretty shallow They’d have a better shot at avoiding the health problems that can come with inbreeding if they had some different Y chromosomes in the mix caribou can’t stay put on the islands forever “When is the [ministry] going to get off their arse?” Michano asks The Slate Islands were created by a meteor that struck Earth leaving an archipelago with quiet channels running between them They’re now a haven for other flora and fauna as well as caribou Birdsong rings out from the treetops in summer while Lake Superior’s cold climate allows some Arctic and alpine plants to grow Right after the 2018 caribou translocations the Ontario government seemed interested in finding a long-term solution for the island caribou The Environment Ministry consulted the public about a long-term strategy for Lake Superior caribou protection and recovery that same year But it was never finalized; a public posting about the plan hasn’t been updated since 2019 Biigtigong Nishnaabeg and caribou advocates continued to push it seemed the province’s motivation had fizzled The Lake Superior caribou fell off the radar for a while until Ottawa waded into the debate over caribou protection in Ontario It was part of a greater push by federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault to crack down on the provinces’ management of species at risk The federal government is usually only automatically responsible for flora and fauna on federal lands while provinces and territories cover the rest of the areas within their borders But the federal government can step in if it thinks provinces and territories aren’t doing enough and Guilbeault warned in 2022 that a crackdown was coming if provinces didn’t take steps to safeguard wildlife at risk of extinction on provincial lands Caribou were one of the animals Guilbeault set his sights on the federal government and Ontario penned an agreement in spring 2022 to protect them Each government pledged to put $5 million that year towards work to conserve the ungulates The plan also included a standalone section about the Lake Superior caribou mandating that Ontario finalize its management approach by 2024 and implement it the following year with conservation groups and First Nations saying it fails to address the cumulative effects of industrial logging it’s unlikely to help the Lake Superior caribou — or prevent other herds from having their habitat whittled away until they’re in similarly dire straits The caribou conservation agreement Ontario signed with the federal government included timelines for finalizing plans to manage Lake Superior caribou But it didn’t include measures to address the cumulative effects of industry and human development which means it’s unlikely to help the Lake Superior caribou or any other herds “That conservation agreement is a lot of words that really say nothing,” Chief Patricia Tangie of Michipicoten First Nation told The Narwhal in 2022 (Tangie wasn’t available to be interviewed for this story.) In the months after the federal agreement was inked, the Ontario government revisited its long-stalled plan for the Lake Superior caribou, putting out a request for bids from consultants to help with the work The move drew ire from Biigtigong Nishnaabeg and Michipicoten First Nation who had long had caribou restoration plans and said the province should be putting them in action instead of hiring contractors It’s not clear whether the ministry ever hired someone The ministry didn’t answer questions from The Narwhal about whether it will meet the deadlines in the federal-provincial agreement — or anything else about how it manages caribou Guilbeault briefly threatened Ontario with federal intervention in 2023 warning caribou in the province were still “not effectively protected.” But the two governments buried the hatchet and once again agreed to collaborate in May 2024 with each putting up another $29 million for caribou conservation work until 2027 Ontario also committed to expanding two protected areas, conserving an additional 44,000 hectares of land that include caribou habitat, as early as 2025, but hasn’t released details yet of where those areas will be. In July, the province posted a list of provincial parks and conservation reserves it hopes to expand but only one site’s description mentions caribou: about 152 hectares of proposed conservation reserve land on the Lake Superior shoreline south of Wawa The government didn’t answer questions about whether any of the sites are a part of its caribou conservation promises Environment and Climate Change Canada spokesperson Amelie Desmarais didn’t directly answer when asked if the federal government is satisfied with how Ontario is following through on its caribou conservation commitments Desmarais said Ontario has made progress on all of the measures in the federal-provincial agreement The first two years of the agreement were focused on “necessary planning and program development,” she said which Ontario must now put into action to maintain “existing undisturbed habitat and provide new habitat in ranges where disturbance levels are high.” an associate professor at Lakehead University who has studied the Slate Islands caribou tells me it will take some time and monitoring to see if any initiatives underway will translate into better outcomes for caribou Their slow reproductive rate means it’ll be a while before experts can tell whether conservation measures are working which he argues is all the more reason to keep funding them “I think that the expectation that we’re going to have a lot of recovery everywhere in Ontario in three years is not really grounded in reality,” McLaren adds On the whole, the province has emphasized the need for “balance” between protecting and recovering caribou and the “social and economic realities of Ontarians and industries in the north.” But the two don’t have to be in conflict One paper published in the journal Wildlife Society Bulletin in 2018 said although some people blame caribou conservation for economic hardship in northern Ontario the amount of wood available for harvest hasn’t played a role in mill closures and job losses In Ontario forests overlapping with caribou ranges there’s already more wood legally available for harvest year after year than companies are actually taking “The discussion of real economic tradeoffs may be more germane to areas outside Ontario,” the paper noted pointing to Alberta’s imperilled caribou herds (One of the paper’s co-authors is a member of The Narwhal’s board of directors The Narwhal’s editorial decisions are made independently of our board.) David Wells is one of those people who feels torn over the cost of conservation a company based in Wawa that runs a lodge and offers guided paddling trips on Lake Superior some of his guides lead tours to the Slate Islands the iconic animals could be a huge draw for visitors I’d be driving a Porsche,” he jokes from a sitting room at the lodge waves crash over the greenstone that Wawa is known for a type of volcanic rock that often also hosts deposits of valuable minerals like gold Michipicoten Island is visible on the horizon — some days fog and the angles of light can make it look like it’s floating above the water There’s something ethical about the idea of restoring caribou here Wells worries the Lake Superior caribou are beyond saving and that government money might be better spent elsewhere Wells was a forester before he started the adventure company and he’s concerned about what could happen to the local economy if too much land is protected from industrial activity “It disturbs me when I see money being wasted on things that aren’t going to work,” he says “The politics of these things are disturbing as well then there’s going to be a lot of hungry people That’s not right … So how do you balance those things?” Michano tells me he doesn’t think we’ll ever again see an abundance of caribou along these shores but he thinks most of this land already had little to no chance of ever being caribou habitat again — what’s done is done “All the infrastructure and all the factors that contributed to the decline are still there,” he says adding a little mine here and there is not going to create that much of an impact That started with the railroad in the late 1800s My take on it basically is that we’ve got to preserve what we have and then see if we can’t expand the population.” To start, Michipicoten is spearheading a plan to airlift some caribou back to Michipicoten Island, which could happen as soon as this winter. If it goes well, Michano would like to try reintroducing them at Pukaskwa National Park as well. Biigtigong Nishnaabeg and their neighbours to the east, Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg, are also working on an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area around several rivers which could eventually provide nature corridors to connect the Lake Superior caribou to the northern herds It’s not without complications. Not everyone feels great about airlifting caribou from place to place. The Ontario government’s discussion paper also mentions a need for some sort of predator control — which might mean culling and especially Biigtigong Nishnaabeg and Michipicoten First Nation it’s better than allowing caribou to disappear “They’re our relatives,” Michipicoten Chief Tangie said of the caribou back in 2022 “I think that’s one of the most important things to remember Just like we would not harm our aunties and uncles or our brothers and sisters supports the idea of trying to reconnect the Lake Superior caribou to northern herds through nature corridors He also thinks it’ll require something governments are often reluctant to offer: willingness to try when there’s no guarantee it will work “The fact that more people are talking about it suggests that we may have something happen,” he says scientists on the ground have been able to get some idea of caribou movements in the region with aerial surveys in the winter when there’s less foliage blocking their view and the fresh snow makes hoofprints easy to spot Other studies have used fecal DNA, sometimes with surprising results. A 2023 study found a little bit of genetic flow between caribou in the Lake Superior range and the ones 100 kilometres to the north individual ungulates cross the expanse of development separating them and reconnect with their relatives The study was done by a group of researchers at Trent University along with one scientist from Environment and Climate Change Canada with some funding from Ontario’s caribou conservation program Researchers have also used the Ontario government’s trail cameras on the Slate Islands to get a sense of caribou movements on the archipelago Visitors to the Slates who see them in person seem to find them more by chance than anything else steers us down one last channel before we’ll head back to the mainland I’m beginning to accept that luck just isn’t on our side I crack open my notebook while Katsarov Luna and there he is: a magnificent bull with an enormous rack of antlers paddling across the channel a few hundred metres ahead of us Katsarov Luna readies his camera while I fumble for a pair of binoculars and the three of us peer at the swimmer through the windshield he reaches the shore and heaves himself onto the beach in a flash of hooves His fur blends perfectly with the rocky shoreline and the tree trunks behind it save a bright white patch beneath his tail With a few more steps he melts completely into the forest A tiny, endangered fish lies on the path of Highway 413. Canada has a plan, but no new power to protect it ‘These are not your lands to give away’: 6 First Nations take Ontario to court over mining law Featured image: Caribou used to be everywhere on the shoreline of Lake Superior but their habitat was gradually whittled away until a pack of wolves was all it took to nearly wipe them out What can they teach us about bringing a threatened species back from the brink and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" GPS tracking data reveals how the northern ungulates adapt to changing weather patterns every year Caribou that migrate across northern Ontario adjust the way they move in a given winter based on the amount of snowfall This new discovery—the result of years of GPS tracking collar analysis—shows that the northern ungulates may be somewhat resilient to some of the effects of climate change “It’s possibly a positive to show that they have this flexibility,” said Alexis Pereira a wildlife research analyst with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Ontario has two ecotypes of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) The forest-tundra group typically moves from the peatlands around the coast of Hudson Bay These animals typically make their seasonal treks together in large herds ecotype is found farther south around James Bay The females typically remain more isolated from other individuals in the summer when they calve rather than sticking to large communal calving grounds who was a master’s student at the University of Guelph at the time of this research and her colleagues wanted to see how weather conditions and other factors affected caribou migrations each year They gathered tracking data from GPS collars placed on 109 caribou from both ecotypes between 2011 and 2018 with some years missing in the middle of that period In a study published recently in the Journal of Wildlife Management the team found that individual caribou in both the northern tundra-forest ecotype and the more southerly forest-dwelling ecotype were flexible in their yearly migrations The average snowfall during the winter seemed to be the main factor dictating their migratory behavior caribou migrated longer distances when there was heavier snowfall the forest-dwelling caribou in the south either migrated less or didn’t migrate at all while the forest-tundra caribou moved shorter distances A few animals in the more nomadic group—the tundra-forest ecotype—in the north didn’t migrate some years sticking around the coast of Hudson Bay in the winter This correlation between movement and snow surprised Pereira and her colleagues since there’s a common idea that deep snow makes it harder to move The team isn’t entirely sure why snow affects caribou migratory behavior—they only had yearly snowfall averages for this study rather than specific data from different regions But Pereira speculated that heavy snowfall might affect their access to food forcing them to travel larger distances to sustain themselves those individuals may move to wooded areas that offer more accessible lichen lichen doesn’t only grow on the ground but also grows on tree trunks where it might be less buried by snow and easier for caribou to reach didn’t seem to correlate with migration distance While some research in other parts of the North has found that caribou avoid linear features like roads since wolves (Canis lupus) use these to hunt moose (Alces alces) and occasionally caribou Pereira’s team didn’t find such a relationship in northern Ontario she said that the discovery that woodland caribou migration is flexible is good news—as climate changes this behavior suggests a degree of resilience Pereira is concerned that if these changes in behavior occur for too long they may forget how to go back to the former ways when conditions require it “This relationship of their migratory behavior with their environment is something that exists and should be taken into consideration in general in research,” she said This article features research that was published in a TWS peer-reviewed journal. Individual online access to all TWS journal articles is a benefit of membership. Join TWS now to read the latest in wildlife research Axolotls bred in captivity survive in artificial and restored wetlands Researchers determined how roadkill persistence could affect population estimates Working with industry stakeholders can help protect captive and wild amphibians against infection New items include Cranberry Energy with Coconutmilk Cold Foam and Cranberry Dark Chocolate Espresso Shaker alongside the return of fan-favorites like the Ho Ho Mint Mocha® and Vanilla Oat Nog Latte MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Caribou Coffee® featuring a delightful mix of fan favorites and exciting new additions guests can order from a wide variety of handcrafted beverages The fresh new flavor debuting this holiday season in energy drinks and espresso shakers is cranberry The Cranberry Energy with Coconutmilk Cold Foam offers a refreshing boost with tart cranberry flavors complemented by the creamy texture of non-dairy coconutmilk cold foam the Cranberry Dark Chocolate Espresso Shaker features rich espresso combined with dark chocolate and cranberry offering a unique and indulgent holiday twist Returning fan favorites include the rich Ho Ho Mint Mocha® and Spicy Mocha alongside the crowd-pleasing Vanilla Oat Nog Latte and Vanilla Oat Nog Crafted Press Following their successful launch last year Caribou is excited to bring back the Vanilla Oat Nog Latte and Vanilla Oat Nog Crafted Press for a non-dairy twist on traditional egg nog these beverages provide a delicious alternative for those seeking plant-based options this season "We're thrilled to introduce something new and exciting this holiday season that reflects Caribou Coffee's commitment to industry-leading innovation and quality," said Matt Reiter Senior Vice President of Product and Procurement at Caribou Coffee we've seen great success with seasonal offerings from the Honey Lavender Espresso Shaker in spring to our refreshing Honeycrisp Apple Energy Drink in fall we're excited to add cranberry to our popular energy drink and espresso shaker platforms bringing a quintessential holiday flavor to our menu will make this season even more special for our guests." Guests can customize a drink of their liking from a wide range of preparation options available only at Caribou Caribou Coffee's 2024 holiday menu includes: In addition to the line-up of holiday beverages guests can indulge in new and returning savory and sweet food items *Holiday food and beverages are available for a limited time Coffee fans can look forward to the return of Reindeer Blend® and Bold North® Blend—both 100% Rainforest Alliance Certified offers a balanced blend with berry fruit and sweet notes in a rich Sumatra base flavor Reindeer Blend® is available in ground and whole bean packages and K-Cup® pods at Caribou Coffee locations CaribouCoffee.com and in select retail partners nationwide Water-processed whole bean decaf Reindeer Blend® is also available at Caribou Coffee locations and CaribouCoffee.com features notes of warm caramel and barrel oak It will be available ground in prepackaged bags exclusively at Caribou Coffee locations and CaribouCoffee.com With the addition of seasonal packaged coffees comes the return of new festive merchandise These holiday giftable items include stainless steel tumblers Grab-n-go items are also available for stocking stuffers including Holiday Dark Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans About Caribou Coffee®  Caribou Coffee provides high-quality handcrafted coffee-forward beverages and craveable food options in more than 800 coffeehouses worldwide Known for a commitment to sustainable practices and making a difference Caribou Coffee serves 100% Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee beans and crafts each menu item with the purpose to create day-making experiences This passion for premium is also why Caribou Coffee makes every handcrafted beverage with only high-quality ingredients 141 non-traditional and 356 franchise locations in 11 countries Caribou Coffee is part of a portfolio of complementary brands bound by common values Caribou Coffee® and Einstein Bros.® Bagels Contact:Christina RodriguezFish 919754-888-6311[email protected] Caribou Coffee's Chief Financial Officer and a veteran.. Non-Alcoholic Beverages Food & Beverages Restaurants Reducing moose numbers keeps wolf populations at a sustainable level for caribou conservation To reduce the number of wolves that prey on threatened woodland caribou in British Columbia and Alberta one strategy could be keeping down populations of their primary prey—moose “Wolves can recover [from population control] extremely quickly within a couple of years,” said Michelle McLellan a postdoctoral researcher with the University of British Columbia Okanagan it results in a higher number of wolves killed during control efforts.” Wildlife managers have been trying to stymie the decline of the southern mountain population of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) for some time in British Columbia and Alberta One of their methods includes removing wolves (Canis lupus) from parts of the caribou range in an effort to reduce predation on caribou—a strategy that began in 2014 in British Columbia and a little earlier in Alberta But researchers wondered if keeping numbers of wolves’ primary prey species—moose (Alces alces)—low would have a similar effect moose numbers have increased due to logging which opens up more foraging habitat for them wolves proliferate in response to their ample primary prey source Since wolves occasionally take caribou when the opportunity arises higher numbers of the predators put more pressure on the threatened ungulates In a study published recently in the Journal of Wildlife Management McLellan and her co-authors examined how efforts to keep moose numbers at historical levels—before logging changed the environment—can result in a lower need to control wolf numbers with culling To manage for other factors that might be affecting an already complex ecological situation the team only looked at areas free from cougars (Puma concolor) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)—species that can also have a direct or indirect effect on caribou numbers In central British Columbia and parts of western Alberta the team examined wolf removals that occurred from 2014 to 2022 Managers removed over 1,900 wolves from these areas during this period McLellan and her colleagues found that when moose had been controlled to historical numbers wolf removal was 3.2 times less than in areas where moose numbers had not been controlled A model they ran revealed that in areas where moose were maintained at historical levels only 60 wolves would need to be removed compared to 200 in areas where moose numbers were much higher McLellan said that by only focusing on wolf control to conserve caribou wildlife managers may be making their lives more difficult “You might end up in a scenario where there are so many primary prey that it becomes more difficult to remove wolves,” she said But by controlling moose numbers in southern mountain woodland caribou ranges either by directly culling or by liberalizing hunting quotas wildlife managers might indirectly control the number of wolves elephants and reintroduced black rhinos eat the same plants in the same places bikers and hikers give scientists a new window into wildlife behavior Caribou—a type of deer closely related to reindeer—are intimately connected to their Arctic environment which is experiencing rapid climate change These animals are notoriously hard to study but new video camera collars put the spotlight on how they’re responding By Kyle Joly and Marie Lawrence This article was originally published in the "In Brief" section of Park Science magazine, Volume 39, Number 1, Winter 2024-25 (January 15, 2025) Image credit: Bureau of Land Management and the University of Montana lowering the herd’s fitness and reproductive success Using GPS video camera collars and mathematical modeling, researchers from the University of Montana and several government agencies investigated factors that affect how the Fortymile Herd obtains food during summer. They recently published their results in the Journal of Animal Ecology This new type of collar enabled the researchers to study the animals up close Their findings have implications for the continued health and welfare of this vital species—and its Arctic environment Alaska Department of Fish and Game staff placed GPS video camera collars on 30 adult female caribou the researchers analyzed the information from more than 18,000 of these videos They classified the caribou behaviors they saw into six categories: eating They identified over 7,000 food items from videos where they saw caribou eating which they also grouped into categories like lichens or shrubs The study authors then used statistical models to understand how the caribou made decisions they tracked what the caribou did in different situations They used this information to create behavior and food-choice models that predicted how caribou would act The models considered factors like available plants The researchers also looked at how much space the caribou used over time The study authors removed “collinear” factors (those that were so similar or so related to each other they would mess up the results) Then they picked the models that best predicted caribou choices Lichens are a distinct group of organisms formed by a symbiotic relationship between fungi and algae, which interact and gain benefits from living together. Lichens play a unique role in an ecosystem. They break down rocks into soil, recycle essential elements like nitrogen, feed animals, and can indicate air pollution levels Caribou and lichens are intricately connected Lichens are the caribou’s primary winter food and a preferred food in warmer months said they found that lichen herbivory “was lower where caribou use was high possibly because there is lower biomass of lichens than shrubs in the summer.” The study results showed that the caribou preferred eating shrubs This makes sense because shrubs are more nutritious during the summer leading to poorer nutrition and lower caribou calf survival rates All those camera collar images showed Ehlers and co-authors that caribou are less likely to eat lichens but more likely to eat shrubs in places where the animals gather in large numbers This small-scale density-dependent effect is consistent with those other It shows that overcrowding affects caribou foraging behavior even when observed on a small scale potentially influencing the herd’s reproduction and survival and what subsequent effects that could have on the Arctic environment This research was funded through the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Marie Lawrence is the editor of Park Science magazine Download the NPS app to navigate the parks on the go.