EDMONTON - Environmentalists are offering a rare pat on the back to the Alberta government after it put a hold on issuing new energy leases in the ranges of two disappearing caribou herds. "It's still a small on-the-ground step for caribou, but it's a big shift for the government," said Carolyn Campbell of the Alberta Wilderness Association. In a letter earlier this week to the association, Energy Minister Ken Hughes said no new leases will be issued in the Little Smoky and A la Peche areas until range plans are developed.