Next Deadline: August 15th
 
The Climate Change Preparedness in the North (CCPN) Program and the Climate Change Health Adaptation Program (CCHAP) provide funding for community-based projects. The Yukon Climate Change Committee on Adaptation (Y3CA) will be reviewing proposals on a rolling-basis over the next three years. The next application deadline is August 15th. For more information on both programs contact CYFN’s Climate Change Liaison at 393-9200 or Merran.Smith@cyfn.net.

​​On Sunday, July 8th, thirteen students from the University of California Santa Cruz will be presenting a live debate on climate change at the Beringia Center. Drawing from their backgrounds in ecology and environmental change and from their experiences during a three-week tour of Yukon and Northwest Territories, the students will present formal arguments about whether the bad aspects of global warming outweigh the potential benefits, with particular emphasis on how the Yukon is projected to change. Come to be entertained, to hear the latest science, and to be the judge of which side wins!
​

In preparation for their northern tour, the six students below prepared the following podcasts (click to link to podcast).

​Bones, Bottles and Birch Bark Baskets
 
Join Long Ago Yukon and a team of professionals from the Yukon Heritage Resources on Saturday, April 14th from 1 to 3 p.m.  for an artefact identification event at the Whitehorse Public Library!
We will have expert archaeologists and palaeontologists on hand to help you uncover what that unusual family heirloom you have really is, or the significance of the neat object you found on a summer outing.
 
A representative array of ancient specimens and historical artefacts will also be on display. Come drop by, show your treasures or just to see and talk with local experts about our rich archaeological and paleontological heritage here in the Yukon.

Discover Yukon's rich past with us at this free, community event!
 
Location: Whitehorse Public Library Meeting Room
Time:  Saturday, April 14 - 1:00pm - 3:00pm
 
Long Ago Yukon is an independent, voluntary association, which organizes educational events celebrating our archaeological and paleontological heritage here in the Yukon. We all have a role to play protecting and preserving our heritage resources.
 
Check out Long Ago Yukon on Facebook.
 
 Or for more information contact Michael Dougherty at 633-6579 or pazypan@yukon.net
 

​Dr. Robert Losey, of the University of Calgary will be our fifth Long Ago Yukon SKYPE lecturer for our 2017-2018 series. He will speak via SKYPE at 1p.m. at the Beringia Centre on Saturday, February 17th. Dr. Losey’s  topic will be “Early People and Dogs in the North: from Siberia to North America".
 
Background
Dr. Robert Losey, Professor in the Anthropology Department at University of Calgary, has extensive archaeological field and laboratory experience in Eastern Siberia focussing on human-animal relations particularly on the domestication of dogs.

He was the recipient of a $241,299, 2014 - 2017  Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Insight Grant for the study of  The Long Term History of Humans and Their Dogs in the North.

Dr. Losey has also been exploring prehistoric hunter-gatherer lifeways in Northeast Asia as part of the Baikal-Hokkaido Archeology Project (BHAP), which consists of an international and multi-disciplinary team of scholars with expertise in archaeology, physical anthropology, ethnography, molecular biology, geophysics, geochemistry and environmental reconstructions. This compliments his work on the location of dog domestication in Ust’-Polui and Ivolgin, Siberia as well as in Alaska to determine whether archaeological finds are dog or wolf fossils. This remains a contentious issue.

Long Ago Yukon is a voluntary group that endeavours to engage Yukoners through a variety of activities in education and action supporting the protection and preservation of the archaeological and paleontological heritage of our territory.
 
For more information feel free to contact Michael Dougherty at 633-6579 or pazypan@yukon.net
 

2018-2019 Call for Proposals:
The 2018-2019 Call for Proposals is now open for the Habitat Stewardship Program (Species at Risk Stream only)  and the Aboriginal Funds for Species At Risk Program (both Prevention Stream and Species at Risk Stream).
 
Important Notes:

• A new tiered approach for regional priorities has been implemented for terrestrial projects (see Table 1 below). The majority of funds will target projects addressing Tier 1 and Tier 2 priorities, with any remaining funds allocated to projects addressing Tier 3 priorities. Projects that do not address Tier 1, Tier 2 or Tier 3 priorities may not be considered for funding. Proposals must also address at least one of the national priorities (outlined in the National call letters).
• Species at Risk (SAR) stream proposals must address SARA-listed species (www.sararegistry.gc.ca). Applicants are encouraged to review recovery documents for information on threats and recovery actions, and proposals should show a direct link to addressing threats and recommended actions.
• There will be no Call for Proposals for the HSP Prevention Stream due to re-allocation of funds to other conservation priorities.
• Due to the delay in launching the Call for Proposals, funding decisions for terrestrial projects are expected by September 2018. Therefore, HSP/AFSAR funds should only be requested for activities which will occur after September 1, 2018.

 
Table 1. HSP/AFSAR Regional Priorities applicable to Yukon (Terrestrial)
SAR Stream (HSP and AFSAR)
* must address SARA-listed species
Prevention Stream (AFSAR only)
* target species cannot be SARA-listed but may be COSEWIC-assessed

Tier 1 – Focal Landscapes
None
None

Tier 2 – Overarching Priorities
Species:

• Boreal Caribou
• Bats (Little Brown Myotis, Northern Myotis)
• Wood Bison

Sectors:

• Forestry
• Agriculture
• Urban Development

Threat:

• Invasive species

Sectors:

• Forestry
• Agriculture
• Urban Development

Threat:

• Invasive species

Tier 3 – Other Regional Priorities
Species:

• Northern Mountain Caribou

Areas:

• Unglaciated areas of central and northern Yukon, as well as adjacent areas in southwest Yukon with unique lowland habitats (grassland, riparian, old forest, dune, or saline flats habitats under 1000m) that now harbour Beringian endemic or disjunct species

Threats:

• Projects working to reduce or prevent habitat fragmentation, degradation, or loss

• Actions identified in Bird Conservation Region Strategies for Yukon (Regions 3-6) http://www.nabci.net/Canada/English/bird_conservation_regions.html

 

 About the AFSAR and HSP Programs:
For information about HSP and AFSAR, please visit the HSP and AFSAR webpages. Additional information about the Call for Proposals is linked below:
 
HSP

• HSP National Call Letter (PDF)
• HSP Application Guidelines ( PDF)
• HSP Expression of Interest form (PDF)

 
AFSAR

• AFSAR National Call Letter ( PDF)
• AFSAR Species at Risk Stream Application Guidelines (PDF)
• AFSAR Prevention Stream Application Guidelines (PDF)
• AFSAR Expression of Interest form (PDF)

 
To Apply:
It is important to contact the regional coordinator early during the Call for Proposals window (open now until March 19th 2018) in order to complete an Expression of Interest, particularly to discuss the new tiered priorities. Regional coordinators also provide access to the online tracking system, which is required to submit your proposal. Please note the online tracking system is currently being updated with the 2018-2019 application forms and is anticipated to be ready by mid-February.
 
Saleem Dar, HSP and AFSAR coordinator, Yukon (terrestrial projects)
Saleem.Dar@canada.ca; 867-393-7976
 
Vivian Chow, HSP and AFSAR coordinator, Pacific Region (aquatic projects)
Vivian.Chow@dfo-mpo.gc.ca; 604-666-4565

2018-2019 Call for Proposals:
The 2018-2019 Call for Proposals is now open for the Habitat Stewardship Program (Species at Risk Stream)  and the Aboriginal Funds for Species At Risk Program (both Prevention Stream and Species at Risk Stream).
 
There will be no Call for Proposals for new projects for the 2018-2019 fiscal year for the National Wetland Conservation Fund, or the Prevention Stream of the Habitat Stewardship Program. Due to re-allocation of funds to other conservation priorities, these programs are fully allocated for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. Please note that all existing multi-year agreements under these programs are unaffected. For more information, please see the NWCF and HSP websites.
  
About the AFSAR and HSP Programs:
For information about HSP and AFSAR, please visit the HSP and AFSAR webpages. Additional information about the 2018-2019 Call for Proposals for HSP (Species at Risk Stream) and AFSAR (Prevention Stream and Species at Risk Stream) programs are linked below or attached to this email.
 
Documents and Forms:
HSP

• HSP National Call Letter (PDF)
• HSP Regional Call Letter 
• HSP Application Guidelines ( PDF)
• HSP Expression of Interest form (PDF)

 
AFSAR

• AFSAR National Call Letter ( PDF)
• AFSAR Regional Call Letter 
• AFSAR Species at Risk Stream Application Guidelines (PDF)
• AFSAR Prevention Stream Application Guidelines (PDF)
• AFSAR Expression of Interest form (PDF)

  
To Apply:
It is important to contact the appropriate regional coordinator early during the Call for Proposals window (open now until March 19th 2018) in order to complete an Expression of Interest, particularly for terrestrial projects to discuss the new tiered priorities. Regional coordinators also provide access to the online tracking system, which is required to submit your proposal. Please note the online tracking system is currently being updated with the 2018-2019 application forms and is anticipated to be ready by mid-February.
  
Sincerely;
 
Agathe LeBeau, National Wetland Conservation Fund Coordinator, Pacific Region
Agathe.Lebeau@canada.ca; 604-350-1923
 
Ivy Whitehorne, Habitat Stewardship Program Coordinator, Pacific Region (terrestrial projects)
Ivy.Whitehorne@canada.ca; 604-350-1939
 
Kate Shapiro, Aboriginal Funds for Species at Risk Coordinator, Pacific Region (terrestrial projects)
Kate.Shapiro@canada.ca; 604-350-1952 (Tues and Weds), 604-664-9044 (Mon and Thurs)
 
Vivian Chow, HSP and AFSAR coordinator, Pacific Region (aquatic projects)
Vivian.Chow@dfo-mpo.gc.ca; 604-666-4565
 

This is your opportunity to provide the federal Minister of the Environment and Climate Change with comments on proposed amendments to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk (“Schedule 1”) under Canada’s Species at Risk Act (SARA). At present, the Government of Canada is considering the scientific assessments by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) of 21 terrestrial species that are eligible either to be added to Schedule 1 or to have their current status changed. Note that Yukon government, Yukon First Nations, Renewable Resources Councils, the Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board, the Wildlife Management Advisory Council-North Slope, and the Porcupine Caribou Management Board are also being consulted at this time.
 
Three Yukon species are included in the proposed amendments to Schedule 1:
 
Barren-ground Caribou (including the Porcupine herd) is proposed as Threatened due to dramatic declines in most herds across Canada, although two herds (including the Porcupine herd) are increasing. In Canada, 14-15 Barren-ground herds range from northeastern Alaska to western Hudson Bay and Baffin Island. The current population across all Canadian herds is estimated at about 800,000, down from over 2 million in the early 1990s. In Yukon, the Porcupine Caribou herd is found from north of Dawson City to the Arctic coast. If listed as a Threatened species, SARA’s prohibitions will apply in Yukon’s National Parks and National Wildlife Areas, although harvest rights and wildlife management processes set out in land claims will still take precedence. In addition, a national Recovery Strategy will be required, which will identify critical habitat to the extent possible. More information, including COSEWIC’s assessment and status report, is available on the SARA Public Registry at http://sararegistry.gc.ca/species/speciesDetails_e.cfm?sid=1341
 
Evening Grosbeak is proposed as a species of Special Concern, due to significant long-term declines over most of its range since 1970. This large finch is widely distributed across Canada’s forests, and it is found in all Canadian provinces and territories except Nunavut. In Yukon, it is only known from mature boreal forests in the extreme southeast, and occasionally as far west as Watson Lake and Upper Liard. Threats to the species include reduced availability of mature and old-growth mixed wood and conifer forests, collisions with windows, and mortality associated with feeding on grit and salt along roads in winter. If listed as a species of Special Concern, a national Management Plan will be required. More information, including COSEWIC’s assessment and status report, is available on the SARA Public Registry at http://sararegistry.gc.ca/species/speciesDetails_e.cfm?sid=1327
 
Transverse Lady Beetle is proposed as a species of Special Concern. It was once common throughout most of Canada, although declines began in the 1970s and it is now absent in southern Ontario and the Maritimes. In some parts of western and northern Canada, the species is still commonly recorded, and it is known throughout Yukon. The spread of non-native lady beetles is considered one of the possible threats to this species. If listed as a species of Special Concern, a national Management Plan will be required. More information, including COSEWIC’s assessment and status report, is available on the SARA Public Registry at http://sararegistry.gc.ca/species/speciesDetails_e.cfm?sid=1326
 
The “Consultation on Amending the List of Species under the Species at Risk Act: Terrestrial Species – January 2018,” which explains the process can be found at http://registrelep-sararegistry.gc.ca/document/default_e.cfm?documentID=3200. Species profiles for the three Yukon species are appended at the end of this document. The consultation document also includes a questionnaire (see page 4) with guidance on the types of information and comments we are seeking.
 
You are invited to submit comments regarding the potential impacts of these proposed amendments to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk. Your comments will be considered and will inform the Minister’s recommendation to Cabinet. Please provide comments by May 22, 2018 for Evening Grosbeak and Transverse Lady Beetle, and by October 22, 2018 for Barren-ground Caribou. There will also be an opportunity to provide comments during the 30-day public consultation period associated with pre-publication in Canada Gazette Part I. If you require additional time, please inform us prior to the requested deadline.
 
Please contact Saleem Dar directly at the contact below if you would like to provide comments, if you have questions about the SARA process or the species under review, or if you would like to request an in-person presentation of this material:
 
Saleem Dar
Canadian Wildlife Service
91780 Alaska Highway
Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 5X7
Phone: 867-393-7976
Fax: 867-393-7970
Saleem.Dar@canada.ca
 
Comments  can also be sent by email to ec.registrelep-sararegistry.ec@canada.ca or by regular mail to:
 
Director General
Canadian Wildlife Service
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Ottawa ON
K1A 0H3