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Understanding Grizzly Bear Habitat Use and Populations - Year 1 (2023-2024) Final Report
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2024
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Grizzly bears are a culturally significant species to the Tsay Keh Dene (TKD) that occur throughout TKD territory. Habitat loss and change across their North American range present a major threat to grizzly bear populations, and they are consequently listed as a species of Special Concern on the Species at Risk Act. Increasing pressures from climate change and resource extraction have raised concerns from the people of TKD Nation regarding grizzly bears and their habitats. In 2021, Chu Cho Environmental initiated a field-based study to identify grizzly bear movement corridors. Following a successful pilot season in 2022, the project was scaled into a five-year program with the objectives of identifying grizzly bear movement corridors by integrating TKD traditional ecological knowledge, landscape connectivity modelling & camera trap surveys, and developing stewardship actions to benefit grizzly bears in the identified areas. This project aligns with Action 1, "identify and prioritize upland habitats for conservation and/or enhancement" and Action 13, "research and monitor culturally important species" of the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program's Peace Region Uplands Action Plan (2020). In this report, we summarize the methods and findings from Year 1 of this study. From May - Oct 2023, we monitored grizzly bear use of 15 paired locations using camera trap stations set up in a paired on-corridor/off-corridor (reference) design. Our key questions for data analysis were: 1) do corridor stations have higher grizzly bear rates of detection than reference stations; and 2) does grizzly bear use vary with time of year? We documented 29 independent detections of grizzly bears at nine corridor stations and 65 independent detections of grizzly bear at eight reference stations. Grizzly bear capture rates (measured as independent detections/100 camera days) did not differ significantly between corridor and reference stations.
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wsi_6356_rpt_2024.pdf
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Understanding Grizzly Bear Habitat Use and Populations - 2022-2024 Final Report - FWCP Grant Number PEA-F25-W-4017
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2025
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The study is based on interweaving indigenous and western ways of knowing to achieve a more holistic
understanding of how grizzly bears interact with the local landscape. The project aims are to: (1) identify
key grizzly bear movement corridors using landscape connectivity modeling, TEK, and camera trap
surveys; (2) analyze population demographics, diet, and health through genetic sampling; and (3) develop
conservation recommendations to protect movement corridors and enhance habitat connectivity. This
project directly aligns with FWCP Actions 1 and 13.
Fieldwork for this project was conducted across three study areas within TKDN Core Territory that span a
diverse range of ecosystems. Since initiating the study in 2022, we have deployed camera trap stations
and hair snag sites to monitor bear movement and habitat use at 50 paired sites totalling 10,620
monitored days. In 2022 and 2023 there were no significant differences in species detection between
corridor and reference sites. In 2024, corridor sites had greater detection rates for both grizzly bears and
other species. We present several potential improvements to field methods for monitoring, future hair
analyses, and development of management recommendations to help protect movement corridors
valuable to grizzly bears and other species. We acknowledge that the involvement of TKDN community
members and collaboration with local and provincial governmental departments have and continue to be
essential to the project's success and will be critical to establish protected corridors and support ongoing
conservation efforts.
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wsi_6356_rpt_2022-2024.pdf
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