About the Program
As few as 1800 mountain caribou remain on the planet - all in southeastern British Columbia. This presentation will look at the life history, current status, and what you can do to help this endangered animal.

In-class: Students will experience a hands-on program with a complete naxni, mountain caribou hide, antlers, and samples of some of the critical caribou foods. A short slideshow will help students understand caribou, their habitat, and the challenges they face as extinction looms. Other deer family and caribou predator samples allow students to make links between species, and learn some of the real Ktunaxa names for these animals we share the land with. Other potential activities include a scientific drawing project, a short mountain caribou video, and a short game designed to help students understand the concept of habitat fragmentation.

1/2 Day: same content as the in-class, but with additional experiential games that help students understand the habitat needs of caribou, the concepts of habitat fragmentation, and the unique and priceless attributes of old-growth forests. This usually entails a field trip into an old forest close to the school for an immersive experience. This program is customizable to focus on any wildlife species or issue that your class might be studying.

Full Day: same content as the in-class, but with additional experiential games that help students understand the habitat needs of caribou, the concepts of habitat fragmentation, and the unique and priceless attributes of old-growth forests. This usually entails a field trip into an old forest, potentially into the higher elevation mountain caribou habitat for an immersion student experience. This program is customizable to focus on any wildlife species or issue that your class might be studying.

About the Community Educator
Dave Quinn is a wildlife biologist, a BC-certified teacher and a certified wilderness guide who has lead expeditions in the Kootenays, the Canadian Arctic and West Coast, as well as overseas. Dave's work as a photographer and writer has been published in several adventure tourism magazines and scientific publications. As a wildlife technician, Dave has worked on the Purcell Mountain Caribou Study, the Rocky Mountain Lynx Project, the Columbia Valley Badger Project, the Swift Fox Census, and the East Kootenay Fisher Project.