The Arrow Lakes Caribou Society is looking forward to another year of operating the Central Selkirk Caribou Maternity Pen near Nakusp.
The Arrow Lakes Caribou Society (ALCS) was formed following two well attended public forums, hosting a total of 300 community attendees, discussing caribou recovery efforts around Nakusp, B.C. ALCS is a non-profit organization headquartered in Nakusp, designed to provide a local voice in land use decision making regarding recovery efforts of the Central Selkirk caribou subpopulation.
The maternity pen is one of the recovery efforts aimed at the Central Selkirk herd of Southern Mountain Woodland Caribou. The population of this subspecies of caribou has drastically declined over the last 20 years by 87% due to various factors. In 2021, the herd census counted 28 animals in the wild, down from 92 animals in 2010, and 222 animals in 1997.
Because of this severe population decline, recovery of the population would be next to impossible without actions such as maternity penning, habitat restoration, predator management programs, and adaptive recreation management plans with local recreation groups like the Arrow Lakes Ridge Riders.
The Central Selkirk Caribou Maternity Pen is 10km northeast of Nakusp. Preparing for caribou to be housed in the pen has involved site clean up, snow plowing, fence maintenance, and road use planning.
The pen is located on the Kuskanax Forest Service Road. The Kuskanax FSR will be closed to the public from March 23rd – April 10th while the caribou are adjusting to the pen. ALCS appreciates the public’s cooperation while we proceed with caribou capture and the animals adjust to the maternity pen. You can find more information about caribou maternity penning, as well as the Kuskanax Forest Service Road shared use access plan on the maternity pen webpage: https://arrowlakescaribousociety.com/maternity-pen-project/
Arrow Lakes Caribou Society 