The following pre-workshop seminars will be held on Monday, October 25.  Please indicate your interest in attending a session when completing the conference registration form.

Seminar 1 | Monday, October 25, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Aboriginal perspectives on caribou conservation

Walter Bayha (Délįnę First Nation), Facilitator

Sponsored by the Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources

A special forum of Aboriginal people from across North America to share experiences and ideas about caribou research and stewardship. Stories will be shared in a Talking Circle format, and may touch on local or regional understandings of Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge about caribou, and how Aboriginal harvesting and stewardship practices relate to science-based research and management regimes. The forum will identify a series of topics for more in-depth discussion at the Aboriginal Talking Circle series during the main conference. By permission of participants, the forum will be recorded and transcribed, and key messages will be developed as one or more papers to be submitted for publication.   (Held at Fairmont Hotel)

Seminar 2 | Monday, October 25, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Generalized estimating equations and generalized linear mixed-effects models for modelling resource selection

Nicola Koper, University of Manitoba

Resource selection function analysis with a particular focus on new methods to address the issue of non-independence in the data such as Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) and Generalized linear mixed-effect models (GLMM) (as per Koper and Manseau, 2009. Journal of Animal Ecology). This is a hands-on session; people will be given data to conduct GEE and GLMM analyses during the workshop. (Held at Fairmont Hotel)

Seminar 3 | Monday, October 25, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

The role of protected areas in the management of Boreal caribou

Ron Thiessen and Aran O’Carroll, CPAWS and Chair, Boreal Leadership Council Caribou Working Group

The goal of the seminar is to demonstrate the appropriate role for protected areas in the management of Boreal woodland caribou critical habitat and reflect upon progress toward the establishment of new protected areas in the areas of occurrence of Boreal woodland caribou.  Under the federal Species at Risk Act and parallel provincial and territorial legislation and policy, the habitat needed for the survival and recovery of Boreal woodland caribou, referred to as “critical habitat” in the federal parlance, will need to be effectively protected. Effective protection of Boreal woodland caribou critical habitat will require a suite of measures, including new protected areas.  The seminar will present the views of a variety of interested parties, including industrial forestry managers, holders of Aboriginal treaty and/or traditional rights, and conservationists.  The seminar will be of interest to Aboriginal interests, academics, government, industry, and conservation organizations working to conserve caribou habitat. (Held at Fairmont Hotel)