NWT Species at Risk

The public is invited to comment on the proposed re-listing of hairy braya and the proposed addition of red-sided garter snake to the NWT List of Species at Risk.

Comments are due by November 1, 2024.

Listing proposals

Hairy braya is identified for re-listing as Threatened on the NWT List of Species at Risk. This plant species was reassessed in April 2024. A status of Threatened means it could become Endangered if nothing is done.

Red-sided garter snake is identified for listing on the NWT List of Species at Risk. This species was assessed for the first time in April 2024 as a species of Special Concern, which means it is at risk of becoming Threatened or Endangered.

• Fact sheets:
  • Hairy braya (English) (French)
  • Red-sided garter snake (English) (French)

Please consider the following questions when providing comments:

Hairy braya

• Should hairy braya continue to be listed as Threatened on the NWT List of Species at Risk? Why or why not?
• Hairy braya was first listed as a Threatened species in the NWT in 2014 and a recovery strategy was completed in 2016. How has the listing affected you or your community? Would the re-listing have positive or negative impacts? What would they be?
• Is there new or missing information that was not considered in the latest status report for this species? If so, can you provide it to us or tell us where to find it?

Red-sided garter snake

• Should red-sided garter snake be added to the NWT List of Species at Risk as a species of Special Concern? Why or why not?
• Would listing this species have positive or negative impacts for you and your community? What would they be?
• Is there new or missing information that was not considered in the status report for this species? If so, can you provide it to us or tell us where to find it?

How can I share my comments?

All NWT residents are invited to submit comments on the assessments and potential listing of hairy braya and red-sided garter snake by November 1, 2024.

• Take our surveys
  • Hairy braya listing (English) (French)
  • Red-sided garter snake listing (English) (French)
• Send an email
• Give us a call

You can also reach the Conference of Management Authorities by contacting:

NWT Species at Risk Secretariat
PO Box 1320
Yellowknife, NT X1A 2L9
Phone (toll-free): 1-855-783-4301
Fax: 1-867-669-0905
Email: SARA@gov.nt.ca

Next steps

The Conference of Management Authorities will meet in December 2024 and February 2025 to consider all comments received. A summary of the information used by each Management Authority to make its decision will be found in the consensus agreement on listing for each species.

Listing decisions for hairy braya and red-sided garter snake are expected by July 2025.

Links

Hairy braya

• About hairy braya
• Fact sheet (English) (French)
• Status Report and Reassessment of Hairy Braya in the NWT (2024)
• Réévaluation du braya poilu aux Territoires du Nord-Ouest (2024)

Red-sided garter snake

• About red-sided garter snake
• Fact sheet (English) (French)
• Status Report and Assessment of Red-sided Garter Snake in the NWT (2024)
• Évaluation de la couleuvre rayée à flancs rouges aux Territoires du Nord-Ouest (2024)

This engagement opportunity is now closed. Thank you for your comments! 

The species status report for red-sided garter snake will be finalized in April 2024.                                   

The NWT Species at Risk Committee (SARC) has released the draft Species Status Report for Red-sided Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) in the NWT for review. The species status report is a comprehensive report that compiles and analyzes the best available Indigenous, community, and scientific information on the biological status of red-sided garter snake in the NWT, as well as existing and potential threats and positive influences. The report was prepared in advance of the scheduled 2024 reassessment of red-sided garter snake in the NWT.

The draft status report can be opened here.

If you are interested in reviewing the report and submitting comments, please use the following questions to guide your review:

Has the report fully investigated the best available sources of information?

Is the information from those sources portrayed accurately?

Comments on the draft report must be submitted to the Species at Risk Secretariat by no later than December 15, 2023.

Comments can be submitted via email (SARA@gov.nt.ca), fax (867-873-0293), or via standard mail at the address below:

Species at Risk Secretariat
SC6, c/o Environment and Climate Change
Government of the Northwest Territories
PO Box 1320
Yellowknife, NT X1A 2L9

Please note that the report is a draft and is not to be cited without permission of the Species at Risk Committee Chairperson. If you have any questions about reviewing draft status reports, or if you require the report in a different format, please contact the Species at Risk Secretariat.

This engagement opportunity is now closed. Thank you for your comments! 

The NWT recovery strategy for Peary caribou will be finalized in July 2024.                        

Overview

The public was invited to comment on a proposed recovery strategy for Peary caribou in the NWT by October 31, 2023.

• Fact sheet on the proposed recovery strategy (English) (French)

Peary caribou are considered a species at risk in the Northwest Territories. They were listed as a Threatened species in 2014 under the Species at Risk (NWT) Act. Under the Act, a recovery strategy must be developed for a Threatened species. The strategy will provide guidance on the long-term conservation and recovery of Peary caribou in the NWT.

Comments on the recovery strategy for Peary caribou can be submitted by completing a survey or by sending your comments to the Species at Risk Secretariat.

• Public engagement survey (English)
• Public engagement survey (French)

Contact

Species at Risk Secretariat 
PO Box 1320 
Yellowknife, NT, X1A 2L9 
Toll-free: 1 (855) 783-4301 
Fax: (867) 873-0293
Email: sara@gov.nt.ca

About the proposed recovery strategy

The proposed NWT recovery strategy builds on the federal Recovery Strategy for the Peary Caribou (Rangifer tarandus pearyi) in Canada, published in 2022—and points to the Species at Risk Committee’s species status report for Peary caribou (2022) for the most recent Indigenous, community and scientific knowledge on Peary caribou in the NWT.

The NWT recovery strategy has two parts:

• The federal recovery strategy for Peary caribou, which recommends population and distribution objectives for the conservation and recovery of Peary caribou, and approaches to achieve these objectives; and
• An addition from the Northwest Territories, which describes positive influences and provides updated information on Peary caribou in the NWT.

The NWT addition was developed collaboratively by the Conference of Management Authorities (CMA)—the wildlife co-management boards and governments that share responsibility for Peary caribou in the NWT. All CMA decisions are made by consensus.

Members of the CMA for Peary caribou are: Wildlife Management Advisory Council (NWT) and Government of the Northwest Territories.

Links

• Peary caribou recovery strategy fact sheet
• Proposed Recovery Strategy for Peary Caribou in the NWT
• Peary Caribou Status Report and Reassessment (2022)

This engagement opportunity is now closed. Thank you for your comments! 

Listing decisions for Dolphin and Union caribou and American white pelican are expected by July 2024.

Overview

The public is invited to comment on the proposed up-listing of Dolphin and Union caribou and the proposed addition of American white pelican to the NWT List of Species at Risk.

Comments were due by October 31, 2023.

Listing proposals

Dolphin and Union caribou are proposed for up-listing on the NWT List of Species at Risk. They are currently listed as a species of Special Concern. Dolphin and Union caribou were reassessed as Endangered in April 2023, which means they could disappear within our lifetime.

American white pelican is identified for listing on the NWT List of Species at Risk. This species was assessed for the first time in April 2023 as a species of Special Concern, which means they are at risk of becoming Threatened or Endangered.

• Fact sheets:
  • Dolphin and Union caribou (English) (French)
  • American white pelican (English) (French)

Please consider the following questions when providing comments:

Dolphin and Union caribou

• Should Dolphin and Union caribou be listed as Endangered on the NWT List of Species at Risk (meaning the species could disappear within our lifetimes)? Why or why not?
• Dolphin and Union caribou were listed as a species of Special Concern in the NWT in 2015 and a management plan was completed in 2018. Would up-listing this species have positive or negative impacts for you and your community? What would they be?
• Is there new or missing information that was not considered in the status reports for this species? If so, can you provide it to us or tell us where to find it?

American white pelican

• Should American white pelican be added to the NWT List of Species at Risk as a species of Special Concern? Why or why not?
• Would listing this species have positive or negative impacts for you and your community? What would they be?
• Is there new or missing information that was not considered in the status reports for this species? If so, can you provide it to us or tell us where to find it?

Have your say!

Comments on the assessments and potential listing of Dolphin and Union caribou and American white pelican can be submitted by completing a survey (English and French links below) or by sending your comments to the Species at Risk Secretariat (address below).

• Engagement Survey – Dolphin and Union Caribou (English) (French)
• Engagement Survey – American White Pelican (English) (French)

Species at Risk Secretariat 
PO Box 1320 
Yellowknife, NT, X1A 2L9 
Toll-free: 1 (855) 783-4301 
Fax: (867) 873-0293
Email: sara@gov.nt.ca

Next steps

The Conference of Management Authorities will meet in December 2023 and February 2024 to consider all comments received. A summary of the information used by each Management Authority to make its decision will be found in the consensus agreement on listing for each species.

Listing decisions for Dolphin and Union caribou and American white pelican are expected by July 2024.

Links

DOLPHIN AND UNION CARIBOU

• About Dolphin and Union caribou
• Survey - Dolphin and Union caribou listing (English)
• Survey - Dolphin and Union caribou listing (French)
• Status Report and Reassessment of Dolphin and Union Caribou in the NWT / French Summary (2023)

AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN

• About American white pelican
• Survey - American white pelican listing (English)
• Survey - American white pelican listing (French)
• Status Report and Reassessment of American White Pelican in the NWT / French Summary (2023)

This engagement opportunity is now closed. Thank you for your comments! 

The species status report for hairy braya will be finalized in April 2024.                                

The NWT Species at Risk Committee (SARC) has released the draft Species Status Report for Hairy Braya (Braya pilosa) in the NWT for review. The species status report is a comprehensive report that compiles and analyzes the best available Indigenous, community, and scientific information on the biological status of hairy braya in the NWT, as well as existing and potential threats and positive influences. The report was prepared in advance of the scheduled 2024 reassessment of hairy braya in the NWT.

The draft status report can be opened here.

If you are interested in reviewing the report and submitting comments, please use the following questions to guide your review:

• Has the report fully investigated the best available sources of information?
• Is the information from those sources portrayed accurately?

Comments on the draft report must be submitted to the Species at Risk Secretariat by no later than December 15, 2023.

Comments can be submitted via email (SARA@gov.nt.ca), fax (867-873-0293), or via standard mail at the address below:

Species at Risk Secretariat
SC6, c/o Environment and Climate Change
Government of the Northwest Territories
PO Box 1320
Yellowknife, NT X1A 2L9

Please note that the report is a draft and is not to be cited without permission of the Species at Risk Committee Chairperson. If you have any questions about reviewing draft status reports, or if you require the report in a different format, please contact the Species at Risk Secretariat.