The federal government, the last chance for species at risk, has told the province to produce and deliver on a plan to ensure caribou don’t go the way of the passenger pigeon. A recently released report, years late, shows little or no progress. Caribou task forces were formed of concerned conservation groups and Indigenous peoples plus the usual foot-draggers of industry. In particular, the timber and energy industries are the ultimate gatekeepers, trying to run out the clock for caribou, as they maximize economic opportunity. They are abetted by timorous provincial politicians, who hide in plain sight, behind the smokescreen of these committees. Caribou are running out of time. This species depends on mature to old growth forests. …Doing nothing is not a course of action. Instead, it is a flight from responsibility and accountability. It may be high time for the federal government to step in.