1960s – Woodland caribou in JNP numbered around 450

– JNP Wardens’ Service expressed concern about possibly declining numbers

1971 – 1974 – Stelfox & Bindernagel studies on Caribou Behaviour in Relation to Human – Elk – Wolf Influences in JNP and with recommendations regarding human use in caribou habitat: also Range Ecology of Mountain Caribou by the same authors

1984 – Woodland Caribou classified as a "threatened" species in Alberta

1988 – JNP woodland caribou estimated to be 175-200

1989 – Greater Jasper Ecosystem Caribou Research Project (Brown and Kansas) began

1992 – Final report by Brown and Kansas citing adverse effects of Maligne Road on caribou

1992 – Jasper Environmental Association calls for establishment of two Woodland Caribou Conservation Areas – one centred on the Tonquin Valley and one on the Maligne

1993 – 2000 – Caribou numbers fairly stable at 100 – 120 animals

1996 – JNP Caribou Habitat Study (Thomas and Armbruster) completed with 39 recommendations - six of them regarding human use and caribou disturbance

1997 – Maligne Valley Collaborative Process recommendation confirmed by Parks Canada "The Woodland Caribou are the paramount consideration in determining acceptable types and levels of activity in the Maligne Valley. When managing visitor use impacts on Woodland Caribou in the Maligne Valley Parks Canada will adopt the precautionary principle"

2002 – Population Viability Analysis (Flanagan and Rasheed) predicts that JNP caribou will go extinct in about 40 years "if conditions do not change"

2002 – Species at Risk Act (SARA) becomes law

2002 – Jasper Park management proposes experimental closure of the Maligne Road in winter to see if wolves would avoid use of an unplowed road – vetoed by Ottawa

2003 – South Jasper Woodland Caribou Project underway (Mercer and Whittington) collaring 11 caribou and five wolves

2004 – February, first meeting of the Jasper Caribou Recovery Planning Team

2004 – June. Woodland Caribou Workshop with John Stelfox, Kent Brown, DonThomas, Kirby Smith and Paul Paquet. Some biologists accuse Parks Canada of ignoring past recommendations

2004 – Population now estimated at 100 but no more than 47 found during rutting flight

2005 – February, final recommended Recovery Actions of Phase I of the Recovery Plan

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Sept 28th 2005 - Just finished population count, and the south Jasper herd appears to have held it's own over the last 5 years (counted 97 caribou, estimate that there are 147 in the herd).   Parks Canada

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