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
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
RSS Feed