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Sharing trails with Grizzlies in the Rocky Mountain National Parks – We Can All Just Get Along!
Sarah Elmeligi – Canmore resident and PhD Candidate
Central Queensland University
Rocky Mountain National Parks We Can All Just Get Along! Sarah - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Rocky Mountain National Parks We Can All Just Get Along! Sarah - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Sharing trails with Grizzlies in the Rocky Mountain National Parks We Can All Just Get Along! Sarah Elmeligi Canmore resident and PhD Candidate Central Queensland University Grizzly bear management is usually just as much people
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Outline
Who am I? What am I doing?
- Interdisciplinary research objectives
Where am I doing it?
- Study area
How am I doing it?
- Mixed methods approach
What have I found so far?
- Visitor survey results
- Remote camera results
What’s the big deal?
- Management implications
Next steps
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Half of people (51.7%) took preparatory steps for their recreation experience in bear country; 37.4% of people had bear spray. General ranking of management options overall:
What have I found? – Visitor Survey
No management action required Relocate Aversive Conditioning Encourage more people to hike trail Book in Advance Maximum 50 people per day Groups less than 8 Open Times Groups More than 4 Reroute Trail No Dogs Trail Closed Warning Sign
- 0.4
- 0.3
- 0.2
- 0.1
0.1 0.2 0.3
Man anag agement Opti ption Gam amma Valu Value Significant differences in support for management options when a lone grizzly bear is in the area (as opposed to a female with cubs)
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What have I found? – GPS
Fall Habitat Quality ↑ ; ↑ use by grizzly bears Distance to Road ↑ ; ↓use by grizzly bears Distance to Trail ↑ ; ↓use by grizzly bears Summer Habitat Quality ↑ ; ↑ use by grizzly bears Spring Habitat Quality ↑ ; ↑ use by grizzly bears Distance to Road ↑ ; ↑ use by grizzly bears Distance to Trail ↑ ; ↑ use by grizzly bears
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What have I found - GPS
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Images of people entered for analysis:
- Low Human Use: 2,624
- Med Human Use: 55,848
- High Human Use: 88,927
Total: 147,399
Images of grizzly bears entered for analysis:
- Low Human Use: 22
- Med Human Use: 19
- High Human Use: 12
Total: 53
What have I found? – Remote Cameras
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Time of Day: Dawn/Dusk Night Day
What have I found? – Remote Camera
Activity Type: Hiker Runner Horse Rider Vehicle Biker
Habitat Quality ↑ ; ↑ chance of catching a bear Human Use ↑ ; ↓ chance of catching a bear Time of Day ↑ ; ↓ chance of catching a bear Activity Type ↑ ; ↓ chance of catching a bear Distance to Road ↑ ; ↓ chance of catching a bear
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Two streams of management approaches
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Thank you
Thank you’s: My 100+ volunteers; my volunteer interns; my supervisory committee of geniuses Gordon Stenhouse and the Foothills Research Institute; Parks Canada Lafarge; Banff Community Foundation CPAWS Southern Alberta, Wildsmart Central Queensland University; University of Cumbria
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What does it mean to coexist? What we do as individuals or as a community to better coexist with bears?
Coexistence – it’s up to you…
More Info and Volunteer opportunities for you! My research blog: www.grizzlyresearchrockies.wordpress.com Parks Canada volunteer program: http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn- np/ab/banff/edu/benevole-volunteer.aspx Kananaskis Country volunteer program: http://www.albertaparks.ca/kananaskis- country/volunteering Wildsmart: www.wildsmart.ca