Hello, I support of the…

Hello,

I support most of the changes being proposed for the conservation of Boreal Caribou in Ontario. As a steward of the land I am task daily to make balanced decisions that protect and support forestry and the forest resources of Ontario.

These proposed changes are an intelligent step towards creating a balanced and adaptive system which will ensure that caribou receive the level of protection they require, while balancing the socio-economic needs of communities and do so in a way that honestly addresses larger issues like shifting climate conditions.

The changes to improve research funding is a major step forward. These funds are a crucial piece of the puzzle that's been missing and is necessary so that decisions are made based on science and not emotions or politics.

It's also time to review the ranges and understand that artificial lines are not respected by caribou and managing ranges at such a small scale is counter productive. Caribou herds utilize vast ranges and this system is set up to fail because it doesn't consider how much movement occurs genetically. It's also time Ontario shook its head and woke up on how far south the ranges extend. As a forest manager with first hand knowledge I can tell policy makers that existing permanent anthropomorphic (i.e. towns, highways, etc.) and climate change make that southern extent an impossibility that does nothing but increase economic and social costs. It's time that the southern boundary shift further north to reflect a honest location of where Ontario can realistically implement a caribou conservation program and see actual positive results.

Lastly, no to protected areas. Ontario has enough, as a matter of fact how many parks did they recently close down because not enough people use them? This province has enough protected areas. In particular in northern Ontario. The Boreal Forest is a fire driven ecosystem that needs regular disturbance over its lifetime to stay healthy. This holds true for conversing caribou habitat because of the rather specific landscape needs of the species (i.e. old but not over mature conifer). Allow forest managers who understand the complex nature of ecosystems to manage caribou areas in a way that provides the best possible balance to socio-economics while ensuring that habitat is renewed regularly and effectively.

Thank you for this opportunity to share my thoughts on this important part of Ontario.