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16TuesdayMarch252014TheresponsibilityorNWTlandandresourcesdevolvestotheGovernmentotheNorthwestTerritoriesefectiveApril12014.DEVOLUTIONPARTOFOURPAST.KEYTOOURFUTURE.devolution.gov.nt.caEDUCATION1969SOCIALSERVICES1969HOUSING1974ALLNWTAIRPORTS1995ELECTIONS1997HUMANRIGHTS2004PUBLICLANDANDRESOURCES2014FORESTRY1987HIGHWAYS1984HEALTH1988POWER1988ByMARYWALDENNewnumbersforthemi-gratoryPorcupinecaribouherdshowitisstillontheupswingandnearingthe200000mark.Thelatestpopula-tionestimatebasedona2013post-calvingaerialphotocensuspegstheherdat197000.Thatsupfrom169000in2010and123000in2001.PorcupineCaribouMan-agementBoardchairJoeTetlichisaidhescom-fortablysurprisedbytheincreaseespeciallygiventheprecariouspositionofotherbarrengroundherdsintheNorth.WitharangestretchingfromtheMackenzieRiverDeltaacrossthenorthernYukonandintoAlaskain-cludingtheArcticNationalWildlifeRefugetheiconicPorcupinecaribouherdvar-iesitsmigrationpatternfromyeartoyearwhichisonereasonforthegoodnewsTetlichisaid.TheherdwasmostlyontheAlaskansideforthelastveyearsandtherearenotmanycariboutakenwhenitsinAlaskahesaid.About65percentoftheestimated2500caribouhar-vestedeachyeararetakenbyNWThuntersfromFortMcPhersonAklavikandInuvikTetlichisaid.TheDempsterHighwayoftenprovideseasyaccesstotheherdsowhenitstayswestofthatcorridoronlyresidentsoftheYukonsre-motecommunityofOldCrowandacoupleofAlaskanvil-lageshuntit.AnotherreasonfortheriseistherecentpushtopersuadeGwichinandIn-uvialuithunterstotakethebullsandleavethecowsaloneTetlichisaid.Wewerelookingforabull-dominatedharvesthesaidreferringtothenewharvestplanagreedtoseveralyearsagobythecommunitiesthatrelyontheherd.EvenbeforewestartedtheharvestmanagementplanthepeopleontheNWTsidewerealreadytellingtheirhunterstonottakecowshesaid.Strongadultcowsur-vivalratesareparamounttoaherdshealthsaidAlaskagovernmentbiologistJasonCaikoski.Thatsreallythemaindriveronwhethertheseherdsaregrowingstableordecliningisthatadultcowmortality-obviouslythereproductivecomponentoftheherdhesaidinatele-phoneinterview.AlthoughthePorcupinescowsurvivalratehasdef-initelyimprovedduringthelastdecadeCaikoskisaidtheyrenotexactlysurewhy.Itcouldberangecon-ditionitcouldbeadiffer-enceinpredationitcouldbepossiblysomeclimateeffectshesaid.TheherdhasalsoshifteditscalvinggroundseastintoCanadaduringthelastthreeorfouryearsforreasonsun-knownhesaid.Formostofthe80sand90sandintotheearly2000sitwasonthecoastalplainofAlaskaanditskindofbeenshiftingtotheeastandcalvingisprimarilyoccurringnowbetweentheBabbageRiverandtheYukon-Alaskaborderhesaid.Idontknowwhythatwouldchangeannualcowsurvivalmuchbecausemostofthemortalitythatoccursincowsisinlatewinterbutitpossiblycould.AlthoughthePorcupineherdsrangeoverlapsinplaceswithAlaskasCentralArcticherdbothhavebeeninagrowthmodenixinganytheorythetwomayhavemixedhesaid.TheCentralArcticherdwasalsocountedin2013.TheresultshaventyetbeenreleasedbutCaikoskiex-pectstheestimatetocomeinaround70000asitdidin2010.Alaskasothertwolargemigratoryherdsarentfaringsowell.TheWesternArcticandTeshekpukLakeherdswhichwerealsocountedlastsummerhavebeenonthedeclinehesaid.Thestatetriestocountallfourherdseverytwotothreeyears.ThenextPorcu-pinecountisslatedfor2015or2016hesaid.Theherdsarephoto-graphedafterthecalvesareborninJuneorJulywhenthecariboubunchupintightgroupstofendoffsevereinsectshesaid.ThePorcupinecaribouherdwasfirstcountedin1972.Atthetimeithad102000caribou.By1989ithadgrownto178000butthenbeganadeclinethatdidntturnarounduntilafter2001.TheNWTsothertwowesternArcticmigratoryherds-BluenoseWestandCapeBathurst-arelistedinstableconditionafterexpe-riencingdramaticdeclines.PorcupinecaribouherdhitsnewpopulationhighEnvironmentWildlifePhotoMaryWaldenCaribouracksareafamiliarsiteinGwichincommunitiesacrosstheNorthincludingthiscollectioninOldCrowYukon.