Join us on June 28 for Last Stand: The Vanishing Caribou Rainforest
Conservation Northwest / Jun 13, 2017 / Caribou
Fewer than a dozen mountain caribou remain in the Inland Northwest. A new documentary aims to bring attention to their plight.
By Chase Gunnell, Communications Director
Did you know Washington state is home to the world’s southernmost caribou? Few people do, and that’s part of the problem.
Biological surveys in late 2016 found that fewer than a dozen (!!!) mountain caribou remain in the South Selkirks herd that roams northeast Washington, northern Idaho and southern British Columbia.
Farther to the north in central B.C., mountain caribou are also struggling. These iconic animals face a litany of threats, from habitat loss due to development and unchecked forestry, to winter motorized recreation and changes in predator-prey dynamics.
For more than two decades we’ve worked tirelessly to save these Northwest natives. Yet today, mountain caribou are still perhaps the most endangered large mammal in the lower 48 states. Without new, proactive conservation actions in the U.S. and Canada, these “forest ghosts” won’t persist in our region much longer.
But it’s not too late. And a new film that we’re proud to support aims to bring attention to the mountain caribou’s plight, and efforts to save them. Last Stand is a cinematic journey into the tragically threatened world of endangered mountain caribou, their home in the world’s largest remaining inland temperate rainforest, and the critical human choices that will ultimately decide the fate of this stunning ecosystem.
Please join us for the premiere of Last Stand: The Vanishing Caribou Rainforest on June 28 at the Mountaineers Program Center in Seattle! Tickets are only $12 online, doors open at 7:00 pm.
Snacks and beverages will be available, and our International Programs Director Joe Scott will be participating in a panel discussion on mountain caribou conservation after the film. And the filmmakers will be holding an outdoor gear raffle with great prizes! Be sure to bring cash for raffle tickets.
It’s not too late to save our region’s only caribou, but it will take new public attention and plenty of hard work. Please help us build that momentum by attending the screening on Wednesday, June 28. We hope to see you there!