I now know more about the declining population of caribou in northern and central B.C. than I ever thought possible. And I owe it all to Luke Gleeson, a member of the Tsay Keh Dene Nation.
Gleeson co-wrote, produced, directed, and appears in a 55-minute documentary Wədzįh Nəne’ (Caribou Country), which will premiere on Thursday (December 4) at the Whistler Film Festival. Wədzįh Nəne’ (Caribou Country) opens with a wide shot of mountainous terrain blanketed with snow.
From the sky, cinematographer and cowriter Tim Cote then pans to a few caribou hanging around at a high altitude. It’s serene and somewhat surreal seeing these majestic ungulates traipsing in such a barren, cold landscape.
Only later do I learn why they’re commonly found in locales like this. Nowadays, these caribou’s habitat of pine forests are no longer connected because of logging, a mountain pine beetle infestation, and wildfires.
In the words of B.C. outfitter and wildlife biologist Fraser MacDonald, these remaining stands of pine are mere “islands of habitat in a sea of cut blocks”. According to MacDonald, this helps explain why these creatures spend more time on mountainsides.
MacDonald is one of five people in the documentary, including Gleeson, who share their wisdom about the plight of the caribou. Another compelling figure is Gleeson’s grandfather, Seymour Isaac. He speaks of the caribou’s appetite for lichen, which grow on trees that are now being cut down at an astonishing rate.
This information surprises Gleeson when he hears it. Like Issac, Gleeson is a member the Tsay Keh Dene Nation.
“He told me that when he was young, there used to be caribou everywhere,” Gleeson says in the film. “Just like the Tsay Keh Dene people, caribou need a lot of land. A lot of country. There is a lot of movement and there is a lot of travel. And our people do the same.”
Complex reasons behind caribou’s decline
However, the land is facing levels of industrial disturbance unlike anything that’s occurred in the past. And that’s proving to be highly disruptive to the caribou, not to mention the Tsay Keh Dene people..
Another character in the film, Clements Brace, is a wildlife guardian with the Tahltan Central Government. He highlights the impact of predatory wolves and grizzly bears on caribou populations. In some of the documentary’s most compelling visual scenes, Brace places monitoring collars around wolves’ necks so he can document the extent to which they roam.
A third cowriter, Yves Grundler, edited the film, including this memorable footage of the wolves.
Meanwhile, conservation researcher Morgan Anderson, points out that licensing the harvest of caribou is an “easy lever for governments to pull” when they want to demonstrate that they are taking action. However, she adds that this might not have the biggest impact on preserving caribou.
“In my short time here, no one has done anything really meaningful,” Anderson insists. “We have monitored them basically to extirpation.”
All of this should be highly worrisome, whether you live in northern B.C. or in populated urban centres in the south. Anyone who watches Wədzįh Nəne’ (Caribou Country) could easily conclude that extinction could easily befall B.C. caribou herds if the provincial government doesn’t get its act together. To paraphrase the immortal words of Joni Mitchell, we truly don’t know what we’ve got ‘til it’s gone.
Luke Gleeson spoke about his film with APTN.
Festival details
The Whistler Film Festival will present Wədzįh Nəne’ (Caribou Country) with One But Many at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday (December 4) at the Rainbow Theatre. Director, producer, and cowriter Luke Gleeson and cowriter and cinematographer Tim Cote will be in attendance. For tickets and more information, visit the Whistler Film Festival website. Learn more about the communities that make up Canada on the Toronto Spark website. The Toronto Spark is on Bluesky @torontospark.bsky.social.
