Land Restoration Update
With the fire danger risk reduced, our restoration crews were able to begin mechanical site preparation at both the Rochfort and Bickford Pen sites.
Our restoration approach includes decompacting and re-sloping old roads and trails, spreading coarse woody debris and topsoil to restore natural drainage, and occasionally transplanting nearby trees and shrubs. These steps support natural soil and vegetation recovery, setting the stage for seedling planting.
Rochfort Site
With a network of former forestry roads from past logging, the Rochfort site is now being re-shaped into thriving caribou habitat. Since the project began, Canfor has been a steady partner, continuing to lend support even as their operations in the region have scaled back. Restoration crews are currently treating more than 20 kilometres of roads, setting the stage for tree planting in 2026.
Bickford Pen Site
Used for our caribou maternity pen in the mid-2010s and again from 2022–2024, the Bickford Pen site is now being restored to quality habitat.
This summer, caribou guardians removed the pen fencing, treated 2.2 kilometres of trail, and redistributed debris to help the site return to natural habitat ahead of tree planting in 2026.
A special moment from this site happened during the 2024 penning season when a pregnant caribou who wasn’t part of that year’s program, returned on her own to the pen to calve. Guardians carefully guided her inside, where she safely gave birth a few days later. Though rare, this touching event demonstrates the strong imprint the site has left on the herd and reinforces our commitment to restoring this area to its natural state.
Science Program Update
Camera Grid
This year, crews successfully deployed 304 wildlife cameras across the Klinse-Za landscape, an incredible achievement in a rugged and remote area. Saulteau Guardians played a key role in supporting the field teams and ensuring the work went smoothly.
These cameras will help track how wildlife communities respond to restoration efforts, offering valuable insights into predator-prey dynamics over time. The goal is to check the cameras next summer to begin analyzing the data.
We’ve already captured some incredible moments from the field!
Our Caribou Research Goes to Victoria
This summer, Dr. Clayton Lamb presented our research on caribou health at the Wildlife Disease Association Conference in Victoria, BC. His talk shared findings from “Assessing the health-fitness dynamics of endangered mountain caribou and the influence of maternal penning”, a study examining nutrition, stress, and disease indicators in both penned and wild caribou. The results show that Klinse-Za caribou are generally healthy and that penning supports recovery efforts without adding stress. These findings provide valuable insights that help guide ongoing Indigenous-led caribou conservation.
His presentation is not available to watch, but you can read the report.
Gathering Lichen for the Caribou
Lichen is a vital food for caribou. This summer, Saulteau First Nations’ Land Guardian Program added lichen harvesting to their field season. Drawing on the Guardians’ deep knowledge of lichen meadow locations and sustainable harvesting practices, the team reached the season’s quota by early September.
With help from community members, local residents, and West Moberly First Nations Guardians, the team collected 400 bags, which is enough to help nourish the caribou in next year’s maternity pen.
Using drones and custom data tools, the Guardians also mapped new harvesting sites and improved how they track and manage their work. These innovations are helping us strengthen both our monitoring and long-term management goals.
As always, the Guardians are proud to contribute to the ongoing care and preparation that support a healthy, successful transition for the caribou in the maternity pen next year.
Interactive Story Map
Nîkanêse Wah tzee is featured in the BC Conservation Fund’s new interactive Storymap! We’re honoured that our work is included as a resource for teachers and students exploring the critical role of conservation in protecting caribou and their habitat.
Helping young people connect with this story is an important step in building future generations of environmental stewards.
Read our news post.
Explore the interactive storymap.
Thank you BC Parks Foundation for your support and partnership!
Pen Guardian Corbin Brown
When it comes to caring for caribou mothers and their newborn calves, few have instincts as sharp as Corbin Brown’s. A Caribou Guardian from West Moberly First Nations, Corbin brings years of experience and deep respect for the animals he helps protect. During calving season, he often seems to know intuitively where a mother and her calf will be. His calm presence, sharp observation skills, and expert use of telemetry make him an essential part of the team—and a trusted guardian of the next generation of caribou.
This summer, Corbin also helped care for an orphaned calf after her mother passed shortly after birth. Thanks to the team’s careful rearing, the orphan is thriving and now traveling close to other collared caribou from the pen. Most of the released caribou have remained near the pen site, and we’re optimistic she’ll continue to grow strong within the herd.
Special funder thank you
The Nîkanêse Wah tzee Stewardship Society could not do its work without the support of many dedicated funders, all of whom are listed on the Partners Page of our website. For this newsletter, we are spotlighting Braiding Knowledges Canada.
Braiding Knowledges Canada is a not-for-profit corporation focused on drivers and outcomes of environmental and societal change in support of conservation, restoration, adaptation, and well-being.
Their goal: to enhance the well-being of All Our Relations—the land and everything in and on it, including humans and their plant, animal, living, and non-living relations.
Braiding Knowledges Canada is committed to cultivating trusting, authentic, reciprocal relationships and inclusive, decolonizing practices with their partners and researchers through place-based, community-driven research, training, and knowledge exchanges.
They are supporting the Seasonal Round camera trap program detailed above. Helping us answer questions: (1) how moose and caribou can coexist and support people, (2) what a fully restored caribou landscape could look like, and (3) how to restore a Seasonal Round, including the wildlife, habitats, and cultural practices that once enabled people to move through and live from the land across the seasons.
If your company or organization would like to support our work, please contact us via [email protected].