Speaker Series - Bryce Comer
“The Last Mountain Caribou” Film & Q&A
On Wednesday, February 24th, 2021, local filmmaker Bryce Comer shared his film “The Last Mountain Caribou” with the community as part of the Rossland Museum Speaker Series.
His presentation was virtual due to the pandemic, but we had a great time watching Bryce’s film together, and there was a lively discussion afterwards. Thanks to all who joined us! And thanks to the Trail & Disctrict Arts Council and Gabriella’s Restaurant for their support of this event!
About the Filmmaker
Bryce Comer is a carpenter by trade and has a small shop here in Rossland. He loves to ski, bike, fish, and enjoys any time he gets in the outdoors. Bryce started making short nature films 20 years ago as a hobby. He would like to be able to show people through his films the amazing ecosystems in his region, as well as the issues that threaten them.
About the Film
Faced with massive changes to their habitat, can this herd of mountain caribou survive? A look at why these animals are disappearing from the landscape.
This film about the caribou was originally going to be a short 20-minute film for an online film contest, but after months of searching, Bryce never did see the caribou, and so the project never was finished for the competition. Bryce felt it was a story that needed to be told though and decided to push on. This all started back in 2008, and after 9 long years with many setbacks, he finally managed to put things together. The film follows Bryce’s struggles to find and film the caribou at a time when their numbers are plummeting. He employed remote cameras to reduce his disturbance to the caribou and increase his chances of getting the footage he needed to put the film together. In this film, Bryce looks at the issues that have resulted in the situation the caribou face today, along with what can be done in the future to save these majestic animals from disappearing altogether.
Produced, edited & filmed entirely by Bryce Comer
Presented & narrated by Bryce Comer
Bryce says:
As for the state of the caribou in the South Selkirks now, it is a sad story I’m afraid.
The census in late winter 2018 counted just 3 remaining caribou, then late in the winter of 2019, the last known caribou in the South Selkirk mountains was captured and transported to the rearing pen near Revelstoke. There it remained until its release back into the wild in the early summer, along with the other penned caribou (also captured that winter to give birth in the pen, away from predators).
The South Selkirk caribou herd’s habitat is still protected, and as of now, the plan is to someday release caribou back into the landscape there. Whether this will eventuate though, is anyone’s guess.
It wasn’t only the South Selkirk’s that lost its caribou that year. The South Purcell herd was also deemed to be functionally extinct, and the remaining two cow caribou were captured and transported at the same time as the lone animal from the South Selkirk’s. This left just 2 known bull caribou roaming the mountains there. With these two extirpations in both the South Selkirk’s and the South Purcell’s, the next closest herd to us here is now the Nakusp herd. In 2014 the census counted 64 animals, and sadly, by last year’s consensus, their numbers were down to just 26! If you have been up around Trout Lake any time in the last few years, you will have seen all the logging that is still going on, and because of this, the outlook for this herd also looks grim. On the bright side though, there is an effort going on right now to turn things around with a maternal pen in operation this year to help boost numbers.
Ultimately, unless we change policy with regards to industrial activities in caribou habitat, it looks as though we could lose this iconic species forever!
Watch Bryce Comer’s film: “The Last Mountain Caribou”
For More Information
CBC article “And then there were 3: Filmmaker documents caribou herd on the brink of extinction”
Wildsight is an organization that is working on caribou recovery and has a lot of resources and ways to support these projects
Another site with lots of information about the caribou is caribourainforest.org - David Moskowitz is the driving force behind this website, and also made a film