For whatever reason, caribou are very reluctant to cross them. In light of the fact that wolves are still the major cause of caribou deaths in Alberta, it has been suggested in the past that the province consider wolf control measures as a management tool. But both Smith and Dzus believe that habitat protection is really the only viable option. Wolves and caribou have co-existed for more than 10,000 years. It's human activity that's upset that balance.
Environmentalists complain that a new caribou management plan is long overdue.
But the government's basically sat on it. And since then, we've lost an awful lot of good caribou habitat. Donald Creek sites near Hinton, and the Bear Clairmont, and Kleskun lake sites. Once considered candidates for the province's much maligned Special Places program, they were quietly offered to industry with little public debate earlier this year. Still, Dzus is hopeful that the future of woodland caribou will be decided in the next year or so when industry and government meet to try and hammer a revised caribou management policy for the future.