CARMA legend Don Russell has passed

CAFF is deeply saddened to learn that Don Russell has passed.

Don was one of a kind - generous as a friend, collaborative and open-minded, and a preeminent expert on all things caribou (particularly the Porcupine Caribou Herd).

Don’s efforts greatly advanced collective understanding of caribou nutritional ecology. He used that understanding to link forage intake to cow pregnancy and calf survival which, in turn, allowed him to project the potential impacts of industrial development and a warmer climate.

Don’s curiosity about the differences between forage, weather and climate around the Arctic was a stimulus to collaborate and share monitoring data on the circum-arctic herds. Don and colleagues also recognized how people across the circum-arctic caribou and reindeer ranges shared common concerns about a warming climate and industrial development. Establishing CARMA – the CircumArctic Rangifer Monitoring and Assessment Network in 2004 was a natural outcome of the need to address those concerns.

CARMA was, and continues to be, a core component of CAFF and the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program, bringing together Indigenous Knowledge holders, government and academic scientists from across the Arctic to advance our understanding and inform our response to the accelerating pressures especially a warmer climate facing caribou and reindeer.

Don was always willing to offer his time and expertise, friendly by nature and never one to pass up an opportunity for a laugh. His commitment to conservation was obvious – while many would have happily rested on their previous achievements, Don never slowed down, contributing new ideas, advancing our knowledge, and applying his decades of experience to continually advance caribou and reindeer co-management. He was unrelenting in his concerns for how oil and gas exploration and development during a warmer climate could impact the Porcupine herd – the herd that was dear to his heart and where he had started his long and illustrious career. We offer our sincerest condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.