Environmental Issues in Northern Ontario
Elk Restoration in Ontario
Elk Restoration: An economic driver for
Cambrian College and northern Ontario
- submitted by Debbie Sauve
The Elk Restoration Project strategically positions Cambrian College as
a driver
in the front seat of the growing tourism industry, Ivan Filion, director
of
Research, Technology and Advanced Learning at Cambrian College, said.
The restoration project intends on restoring the elk population in the
Sudbury
area, and as a result of this, building Cambrian’s reputation as an
expert in
nature-based adventure tourism, according to Filion.
Tourism is quickly becoming one of the
three major revenue generators in the
north, Filion said. The other two key resource-based industries are
mining and
forestry.
“As the population is getting older and
more affluent, there is a rise in the
subscriptions to outfitting lodges and to people seeking nature-based
adventure,” Filion said. “Tourism has come of age as one of the top
three
revenue generators and is going to play an increasingly important role
in
determining the wealth of northern Ontario.”
Tourism is becoming an economic driver in
many communities where industries like
mining and forestry are beginning to fade out, he continued. The College
is
positioning itself to meet the rising industry by establishing its
credibility
through projects like Elk Restoration.
In the past, the College has basically
been a Sudbury-based operation dealing
mostly with industries like mining, metallurgy and chemical engineering,
according to Filion.
The Nature-Based Adventure Tourism
program (NBAT) at Cambrian is the first step
the College has taken in the life-science and natural resource direction
to meet
the demands of the growing tourism industry. NBAT was designed to help
prepare
the next generation of lodge owners, guides and outfitting companies.
The tourism industry in northern Ontario relies on wildlife population,
natural
environments and its fisheries.
“Fisheries and wildlife is to tourism
what trees are to forestry companies and
what ore is to the mining industry,” Filion said.
Cambrian has been a major player in the
Elk Restoration Project since its
establishment in 1992 due to the anticipation of the growth of the
tourism
industry.
“If tourism is going to be the
up-and-coming star and tourism relies on
fisheries, wildlife and its environment, then it seems natural that
Cambrian
builds its competency in that area,” Filion said.
Research for the Elk Restoration Project
has been ongoing for about 10 years
through the work of volunteers at the College, including Filion and
Josef Hamr,
NBAT co-ordinator.
“The Restoration Project has taken a lot
of time because it’s done slowly, on
shoe-string budgets and on the good will of those that believe that it
is
something that should be done, because they view this as an area that we
will be
getting into down the road,” Filion said.
The College is working on this project as
they wait for the system to catch up
as to why colleges should be involved in applied research and how that
resource
needs to be supported provincially.
“The College needs to position itself as
a catalyst towards innovation,
creativity and the emergence of new business opportunities for northern
Ontario
that create wealth,” Filion said. “We have to come to the front seat of
driving
economic innovation in our northern communities.”
The reason the College chose to get
involved with the Elk Restoration Project is
because it wanted to do something that would make a difference, get
noticed and
be significant and meaningful, he said.
Prior to the Elk Restoration Project,
there was a remnant population of about 30
to 50 elk in the Sudbury area. This population of elk had been left
unmanaged,
meaning that no one knew their true numbers, their domain or their
population
dynamics.
At the time, Filion and Hamr decided the
management of this large mammal could
have positive effects on the environment, the economy and the College.
“We had noticed that there were other
small town jurisdictions, in the States
particularly, that have a sustainable elk population, and it drives much
of
their local economy,” Filion said., There are a whole series of reasons
why
people are drawn to areas where there are elk, according to Filion. Elks
create
new activity because people like to come in to see them whether it be
cross-country skiing, canoeing or hiking.
The Elk Restoration Project has three
major initiatives: to enhance large mammal
composition, to drive economic benefits for a number of regions in
northern
Ontario, and to establish a relationship with the outfitting industry,
guides
and those that cater to nature-based adventure tourism.
Cambrian is in partnership with
Laurentien University and the Sudbury District
Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) in the project. For the first four
years,
the Elk Restoration Project studied the remnant herds. Their numbers
were
studied, what they ate and if they were declining, holding or
increasing.
From 1997 to 2001, 450 elks were dropped into four different locations.
The
drops were made in Nippissing/French River, Blind River, Sault Narrows
and
Bancroft. The elk came from Elk Island National Park, east of Edmonton,
where
there is an over population of elk.
The project intends on relocating 600–800
elk in total. Currently, the project
is on hold due to chronic wasting disease, which is a lethal disease
similar to
mad-cow that puts holes in the brains of animals.
As a measure to prevent the spread of the
disease, the MNR is stopping the
transfer of any more elk until they have worked through the details. The
MNR
has made it a reportable disease, meaning all infected animals must be
reported
to them.
While the transferring of the elk is on
hold, the Elk Restoration Project is
working on improving the habitat for the animals that have already been
transferred, which is slightly over half of the target.
The College is still working with the MNR
for the continuation of the project
after the chronic wasting disease is under control.
The Elk Restoration Project is only one
of the projects that is geared to
building a reputation for Cambrian in the tourism sector. Other projects
being
worked on are with nuisance bears and wild turkey restoration.
According to Filion, Cambrian’s
involvement in the Elk Restoration Project is
about helping the College. Money that the project generates, which is
about $30
000 to $40 000 annually, is used to cover College expenses. The projects
equipment, like radio collars, is used in the learning environment at
the
College.
“It’s been fun, it’s had a purpose and
its strategically linked to Cambrian’s
corporate future,” Filion said.
