Maternity Pen Update
Successful Calving Season at the Linfitt Maternity Pen
Our 2026 calving season has been a success, with all pregnant females giving birth without complications. Twenty calves were born between May 13 and June 6, including 11 males and nine females.
Throughout the calving season, the team carefully monitored every cow and calf, allowing for prompt health checks, ear tagging, and reunions with their mothers. One calf was found injured shortly after birth, so the team chose not to ear tag to avoid interfering with its healing, and the sex was determined later on via photographs. The calf has since recovered and continues to do well.
Another calf was abandoned by its mother shortly after birth and received dedicated care as an orphan. Unfortunately, it later sustained a traumatic injury. Despite veterinary treatment, the injury proved too severe, and the difficult decision was made to euthanize the calf.
With snow melted and pen operations running smoothly, we are awaiting the release of the herd back into the wild.
By the Numbers
- 20 calves born
- 11 male calves born alive and 10 males to be released
- 9 female calves to be released
- All pregnant females gave birth successfully
Effectiveness Monitoring Update
On July 2, our team conducted a calf survey across the Klinse-Za herd range, locating collared adult females to determine whether they were accompanied by a calf. During the survey, 98 caribou were observed, including 45 adult females (27 of which were collared) and 18 wild-born calves.
The survey also highlighted the continued success of the maternity pen. In early July, the cow-to-calf ratio was 0.95 for maternity pen females (20 females to 19 calves), compared with 0.40 for wild females (45 females to 18 calves).
Science Program Update
Science Supporting Conservation Decisions
Science continues to play an important role in guiding caribou recovery efforts, supporting everything from maternity pen operations and habitat restoration to long-term monitoring and strategic planning.
Recent work has included refining restoration monitoring, reviewing effectiveness monitoring permits, advancing camera-based research, and continuing analyses of predator movement and population trends. The team has also worked closely with research partners, reviewed graduate research proposals, and shared updates through scientific meetings and presentations.
We have a new paper undergoing peer review right now focused on Klinse-Za caribou calf survival that we are excited to share with you soon. Also, this month crews have been busy checking the 302 cameras across Klinse-Za and near Moberly Lake as part of the multi-species, ecosystem-wide camera grid. Photos to come soon!
Work will continue over the coming months with camera grid fieldwork, data analysis, restoration science, and ongoing collaboration with partners as research and monitoring activities progress.
Land Restoration Update
Laying the Groundwork for Future Restoration
Planning is underway for the next phase of habitat restoration across the Klinse-Za and Scott East landscapes. Recent efforts have focused on coordinating with partners and laying the groundwork for projects in the year ahead.
Work has included reviewing camera trap locations to support ongoing monitoring and collaborating with partners to identify and plan future restoration opportunities. Coordination with BC Parks, West Fraser, Saulteau First Nations, and West Moberly First Nations, along with participation in regional restoration workshops, has helped inform the next stages of restoration planning.
We were delighted to welcome representatives from Biigtigong Nishnaabeg and Tŝilhqot’in National Government who toured a couple of our restoration sites in the spirit of knowledge sharing.
Planning, permitting, and partner engagement will continue over the coming months, helping ensure future restoration projects are well coordinated and ready to move forward as opportunities arise.
Provincial Leaders Visit the Klinse-Za Maternity Pen
On National Indigenous Peoples Day, June 21, Nîkanêse Wah tzee Stewardship Society was pleased to welcome BC’s Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, Randene Neill, Deputy Minister Lori Halls, Chief of Staff Kamran Hasham, and Seaulteau First Nations’ Chief Rudy Paquette to the Klinse-Za maternity pen.
The visit provided an opportunity to see the maternity pen in operation, meet with Guardians and staff, and learn more about the Indigenous-led work supporting mountain caribou recovery. Following the visit, the Minister’s office recognized the program as a success story for caribou recovery and highlighted the expertise of the Saulteau and West Moberly First Nations Guardians, who continue to play a leading role in the recovery of the Klinse-Za herd.
Read Minister Randene Neill’s reflections on the visit on LinkedIn.
Sharing Knowledge Across North America
Nîkanêse Wah tzee Stewardship Society was pleased to participate in the North American Caribou Workshop, where researchers, Indigenous governments, wildlife managers, and conservation practitioners from across North America came together to share knowledge and advance caribou recovery.
Clayton Lamb presented new research examining the effectiveness of the Klinse-Za maternity pen. The study found that the pen’s greatest conservation benefit comes from protecting calves from predators during their first weeks of life, rather than improving reproductive success through supplemental feeding. The paper will be made available on our website once published.
Carmen Richter and Naomi Owens-Beek joined the “Campfire Panel” discussion, sharing lessons learned from more than a decade of operating the Klinse-Za maternity pen and contributing practical insights to support caribou recovery efforts across the continent.