In conjunction with the Sahtu Renewable Resources Board (Ɂehdzo Got’ı̨nę Gots’ę́ Nákedı) we successfully completed the fourth consecutive year of winter fecal sampling of Northern Mountain Caribou (Shúhta goɂepę́) in the Mackenzie Mountains. This ongoing research is part of the Nı́o Nę P’ęnę́ – Trails of the Mountain Caribou: Renewing Indigenous Relationships in Conservation project. This year we flew nearly 3000km over 6 days and non-invasively collected 592 fecal samples. Every year our crew consists not only of ECCC and SRRB staff but also includes Dene elders, knowledge holders, and indigenous guardians. After collecting the samples, the crew changed from field boots to lab coats to set up a temporary lab space in the community of Norman Wells where we extracted the genetic material from the fecal pellets and prepared the samples for transport to Trent University.
