About Nîkanêse Wah tzee
We are a team of Indigenous peoples, land stewards, biologists, veterinarians, and foresters that are working together to recover caribou.
Indigenous-led partnership
We are community members, Caribou Guardians, and local scientists who guide and oversee recovery actions
Nîkanêse Wah tzee focuses on recovering mountain caribou, healing the land, and rekindling cultural connections. We are guided by traditional and western knowledge and supported by many committed partners.
Our Partners
West Moberly First Nations
A Dunne-Za nation whose deep cultural and historical ties to the land, as well as their dedicated stewardship efforts, position them as vital contributors to local conservation initiatives.
Visit westmo.org
Saulteau First Nations
A Dunne Za, Nehiyaw, and Anishabe community, recognized for their invaluable traditional ecological knowledge and active participation in environmental preservation and restoration projects.
Visit saulteau.comWhat’s in a name?
Nîkanêse Wah tzee Stewardship Society’s name translates to “caribou futures”. Nîkanêse is “futures” in Cree and Wah tzee is “caribou” in Dunne-Za. The naming of the society centres the cultural significance and necessity of caribou to land and people.
The English phonetic pronunciation of Nîkanêse Wah tzee is NIG-a-neez Wah tzee.
Restoring Traditions
Rekindling caribou abundance & traditions
The goal was to one day rekindle a culturally meaningful caribou hunt, which would be attained by increasing caribou abundance. The effort was collaborative from the outset, with the two First Nations working together with independent scientists, government and industry partners and conservation organizations to identify opportunities and initiate efforts.
Our collective goals
Population recovery
To one day have a “sea of caribou” on the landscape. Just as West Moberly Elders described.
A sustainable future
A landscape that works for caribou and people.
Restored relationships
Rekindling time-honoured relationships between people, land, and caribou.
On-going collaboration
It takes a village to recover caribou and heal landscapes.
Our STory
We had to take action because caribou are too important
The Nîkanêse Wah tzee Stewardship Society is a joint project of the West Moberly First Nations and Saulteau First Nations. Nîkanêse Wah tzee is dedicated to the recovery of the Klinse-Za mountain caribou and the restoration of their habitat.
When the greater Klinse-Za herd dwindled from 198 animals in 1995 to just 36 animals in 2013, intervention was required to avoid herd expansion, predicted at that pace to occur as early as 2015.
Predator management was initiated in 2013 and in 2014 the Society spearheaded the first caribou maternal pen, which celebrated its 12th consecutive year of operation in 2025. While these measures have reversed the downward trajectory of the herd, these actions do not address the original reason for the decline. In the long term, habitat loss and degradation must be addressed, and ecosystems restored, if caribou in Klinse-Za and beyond are to be self-sustaining again, and Indigenous communities are to exercise their treaty rights. We are healing the land to make caribou habitat whole again, supporting people, wildlife, and the time-honoured relationship between them.
