From: Emily J. Stirr [estirr@uwyo.edu]
Sent: December 9, 2008 12:40 PM
To: lpayette@nirb.ca
Cc: Strahl.C@parl.gc.ca; Prentice.J@parl.gc.ca; DShewchuk@gov.nu.ca
Subject: Uravan Garry Lake Project, NIRB File 08EN037

Dear Friends, 

I am writing to you from Laramie, Wyoming to add my voice to those against the development of the Uravan Mine within the calving grounds of the Beverly herd.  I have grown up traveling in the northern lands of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories and consider myself incredibly lucky to have experienced the amazing land and wildlife that are so necessary to our existence as humans for both physical and cultural reasons.

Just this past summer I woke up to a herd of caribou passing right by my tent on the Dismal Lakes--it was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had.  And even though I have had the opportunity to witness the barrenlands and the wildlife they are home to, reasons for preserving the Beverly herd's calving grounds stretch way beyond myself.  I am sure you are aware of the multitude of people in the north that depend on the caribou for cultural and physical sustenance.  And the caribou herds themselves are integral pieces of the northern ecosystems through connections we may not even have realized yet.  

Please take my voice into account as you consider the Uravan Garry Lake Project and help protect the Beverly herd, and future herds as well as the other communities, both human and natural that depend on them.

Sincerely, 

Emily Stirr