In Old Crow, Yukon, this year’s Big Caribou Days festivities came alongside more sombre discussions of new threats to the Porcupine caribou herd.
Photo: Michael Code / The Narwhal
Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ mandates the sale of oil and gas leases in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, home to Porcupine caribou calving grounds. In Old Crow, Yukon, a community gears up for a renewed fight for the herd’s survival
Across Canada, cross-border political tensions have never been higher, even in a place as off-the-beaten-track as Old Crow, Yukon — a fly-in community of about 200 people, north of the Arctic Circle.
The Vuntut Gwitchin community is well-versed in navigating complex international relationships: for decades, Elders and leaders from Gwich’in communities in Alaska, Yukon and the Northwest Territories have worked together to lobby the U.S. government to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, including the coastal plains they call Iizhik Gwats’an Gwandaii Goodlit, the sacred place where life begins.
Residents of Old Crow gather each spring to mark the return of the Porcupine caribou herd as it makes its way north to that place, the summer calving grounds where the next generation will be born. The herd, one of the last remaining healthy barren-ground caribou populations in North America, is a critical source of food security for the community, and its annual return is cause for celebration.
Old Crow marks Vadzaih Choo Drin, or Big Caribou Days, with games, food and music. This year, the festivities were tinged with fear and anger as U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” stipulates the sale of oil and gas leases in the refuge — a move that will put the herd’s resilience at risk. “Over the next few years, more than ever, we’re going to need to come together,” Harold Frost Jr., deputy chief for the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, told the crowd.
Whitehorse-based journalist Trina Moyles and photographer Michael Code travelled to Old Crow for Vadzaih Choo Drin to speak with Gwich’in Elders, leaders and community members about the importance of caribou to their way of life, and their commitment to continue fighting for the herd’s survival.
While their efforts are nothing new, the scale of the threat is. “We are facing an administration willing to bypass reason, disregarding science and economic logic, to achieve its goal of drilling,” Frost Jr. told The Narwhal. “We must organize. We must amplify our voices. We must protect this sacred place with everything we have.”
Earlier this week, I wrote about how wildfires, extreme heat, blue-green algae and other effects of a warming planet are ruining my once-favourite season. It’s depressing for sure, but as I told CBC’s Front Burner, I’ve decided to be mad instead of sad — at the agents of climate change robbing today’s kids of the chance to experience carefree summer vibes.
It felt isolating to be a summer bummer, but so many people have been in touch to say they felt the same way. It proves what I wrote: we need to talk to each other about the realities of climate change that we’re already experiencing. If we did, we’d realize the majority of people in Canada want to do something about it. Read my column or listen to the episode and let me know what you think.
— Denise Balkissoon, executive editor
Meet our new assistant editors
Every good reporter needs a good editor. And we’re all better off when it’s not just one editor … but a whole team of them. That’s why we’ve brought — not one, but two — new assistant editors on board to help make sure our stories are factually accurate, enjoyable to read and beautiful to look at.
We’re thrilled to introduce you to the newest Narwhals, Paloma Pacheco and Will Pearson, who are already beavering away behind the scenes to keep our storytelling sharp. They’ve also been busy responding to questions and feedback from you, our dear readers — which means, yes, you can reply to this email to say “hello!”
Based in Vancouver, Paloma brings a love of “immersive, sensory details and voice-driven storytelling” in journalism. Keen Narwhal readers may recognize her name: she has previously written several features for us on the state of farming in B.C.
Will comes to The Narwhal from Peterborough Currents, the local news outlet he co-founded to better serve his Ontario community. “The stories I like best are the ones that feel like they’ll be worth reading 100 years from now,” he says. “When we’re all gone, these stories will be a record of our time together and what we thought was worth fighting for.”
Get to know our new pod members by checking out our Q&As with Paloma and Will — their extracurricular talents might surprise you!
This week in The Narwhal
Canadians were promised a national flood insurance program 6 years ago. Will Carney actually deliver? By Shannon Waters
The program, proposed in 2019, could be a big help for Canadians in flood-prone areas. Advocates say it’s long overdue.
The little B.C. gold mine you’ve never heard of By Matt Simmons READ MORE
Salmon habitat is destroyed for development. Is it possible to replace what’s lost? By Ainslie Cruickshank READ MORE
Drought is a big problem in Canada — and it’s getting worse By Steph Kwetásel’wet Wood READ MORE
‘Do not eat’ fish: how PFAS sullied the Pike Infested Swamp By Joseph Minor READ MORE
P.E.I. chef Michael Smith wants Canadians to appreciate what’s in their backyards By Denise Balkissoon READ MORE
Nine out of 10 polar bears agree: The Narwhal has reporting on the natural world you just won’t find anywhere else. Remind your friends to subscribe to our newsletter so they never miss out!
Here at The Narwhal, we do journalism differently. As an independent non-profit, we’re accountable to you, our readers — not advertisers or shareholders. So we measure our success based on real-world impact: evidence that our reporting influenced citizens to hold power to account and pushed policymakers to do better.
Our stories have been raised in legislatures across the country and cited by citizens in petitions and letters to politicians.
Take our reporting on Alberta’s decision to allow cougar hunting in parks, which was cited in an official ethics complaint against the parks minister. And, after we revealed an oil and gas giant was permitted to sidestep the rules for more than 4,300 pipelines, the BC Energy Regulator started posting the exemptions it grants publicly.
This kind of work takes time, money and a lot of grit. And we can’t do it without the support of thousands of readers just like you.
Here at The Narwhal, we do journalism differently. As an independent non-profit, we’re accountable to you, our readers — not advertisers or shareholders. So we measure our success based on real-world impact: evidence that our reporting influenced citizens to hold power to account and pushed policymakers to do better.
Our stories have been raised in legislatures across the country and cited by citizens in petitions and letters to politicians.
Take our reporting on Alberta’s decision to allow cougar hunting in parks, which was cited in an official ethics complaint against the parks minister. And, after we revealed an oil and gas giant was permitted to sidestep the rules for more than 4,300 pipelines, the BC Energy Regulator started posting the exemptions it grants publicly.
This kind of work takes time, money and a lot of grit. And we can’t do it without the support of thousands of readers just like you.
We’re fighting for our right to report — and your right to know. Stay in the loop about our trial against the RCMP and get a weekly dose of The Narwhal’s independent journalism
We’re fighting for our right to report — and your right to know. Stay in the loop about our trial against the RCMP and get a weekly dose of The Narwhal’s independent journalism
