October 19, 2023 – This has been a significant year for the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq Caribou Management Board. With the signing of an historic new Barren Ground Caribou Management Agreement earlier this year, and a 10-year Caribou Management Plan in the works, the BQCMB decided it was also timely to update its logo.
The new logo’s image of a cow and her calf being held in a human hand signifies the strong connection between people and caribou. It also represents the great responsibility we collectively have to conserve the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq barren-ground caribou herds for future generations.
There is also a very personal connection between the BQCMB and its newly designed logo. The image was inspired by a pencil drawing by Jan Adamczewski, the BQCMB’s Vice-Chair, Operations and board member representing the Government of Northwest Territories.
Jan explains the intent behind the drawing: “It was completed in 2010, which was a year when the most rapid decline of the Bathurst herd led to some very difficult decisions about management,” he says.
“In terms of what my intent was with this drawing, well, to some extent it is meant to be in the eye of the beholder. Art can cut across languages and cultures and at its best needs no translation. My hope was that anyone looking at this drawing would see the caribou cow asking a question: what are your intentions toward me and my little calf? The very large human hand is by design, because our influence now on the landscape, on caribou and many other things, is very powerful. Our hands can destroy this cow and her calf and the habitat they need. But – our hands can also be supportive, helpful, and protective.”
We are grateful to Jan for allowing us to interpret his drawing in logo form so this message can be shared widely.
