The fall and rise of the Forty Mile Caribou Herd.

The Forty Mile Herd once numbered over 600,000 animals with a range spanning much of Alaska and Yukon. By 1970 the count was down to 6000. This drastic reduction was likely due to a combination of human impacts and a changing environment.

Collaborative talks and agreements were made between Yukon and Alaska governments, as well as First Nations, to find a solution. First Nations governments agreed to voluntarily suspend their traditional subsistence harvest. State and Territorial governments prohibited licensed hunting of the herd. Predator control measures to reduce natural predation also evolved to include non-lethal methods, such as relocation of wolf packs and sterilization of breeding alpha pairs. These efforts combined to start a population rebound.

The herd now numbers over 80,000 (as of 2019) and migrated as far east as the Dempster Highway during winter 2013/2014. This was the first time in many years they've wintered in the north eastern most reaches of their historical range.

This is a great example of positive ecological and environmental change that people can initiate by taking facts seriously and acting together to make a difference.