Human-Wildlife Conflict Update Newsletter Bow-Crow Wildlife District

This Newsletter will provide updates on Human large urban centres like Calgary, many smaller towns Wildlife Conflict (HWC) trends in the Bow-Crow and hamlets and numerous sparsely populated District including occurrence type, mitigation, agricultural areas. Recreation, industry and predator compensation and mortality numbers. agriculture are also prevalent. This human activity coupled with the presence of large carnivores often results in interactions between the two. This can Background create public safety and property damage concerns The Bow-Crow District extends along the eastern as well as potentially impacting wildlife populations. slopes of the Rocky Mountains, from US border in the southwest, north to the Red Deer River/Hwy 27 boundary, and east to Hwy 2. The District consists Large Carnivore Mitigation of alpine, and montane environments, transitioning A number of proactive mitigation programs exist to the Foothills, before giving way to the agricultural within the District with the aim of reducing negative communities of the prairies. interactions between large carnivores, particularly grizzly bears, and people. These programs are Generally speaking, a wide diversity of wildlife exists r delivered by AEP and various community groups d Dee throughout the District, includinge both black and R RED DEER including the Waterton Biosphere Reserves R iv grizzly bears, cougars and wolves. An abundancee r Innisfail Carnivores and Communities Program, Crowsnest of prey species, including moose, deer0 8.5 and17 25.5 34elk42.5 5are1 59.5 68 Bowden Pass BearSmart, Bow Valley WildSmart and also present. The District is highly populatedTrochu with Sundre Olds Mountainview BearSmart. There have been over

Didsbury Three Hills 100 mitigation projects implemented between 2014

Carstairs and 2018 in the area. The primary focus of these Drumheller

Crossfield projects has been on grizzly bears. Projects include Irricana AIRDRIE erecting electric fence to protect livestock, grain BOW / CROW R Bow ed and beeyards, fortifying grain bins by installing Cochrane Banff CALGARY Canmore STONEY CHESTERMERE Strathmore bear proof grain bin doors, sea canisters or metal Crawling TSUU T'INA Valley Res. hopper bottoms, providing deadstock bins to secure MEDICIN E HAT Riv er Bassano deadstock until it can be picked up for proper

SIKSIKA B Okotoks o Black Diamond w disposal and using bear proof bins for garbage and Turner Valley livestock feed. The projects are delivered through High River 19 18 17 16 B 24 23 22 21 20 R 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 29 28 27 26 25 i R ve I r T EDEN McGregor I a variety of means including short term loans, cost S VALLEY Vulcan Lake H

Nanton C L i sharing between landowners and community groups tt O le L U M ow or direct purchase by landowner with advice and/ B Stavely B I

A I

M or financial or in-kind support from the groups E R. R Claresholm

A N mentioned above. This is an excellent example of Picture O Butte ldm SOUTH SASKATCHEWAN REGION Granum an r LAND USE REFERRAL (BOW/CROW) e iv the necessity and benefit of having local groups WILDLIFE CONTACTS R Coalhurst Coaldale kilometres Fort assisting in the delivery of effective proactive large n Macleod LETHBRIDGE BLAIRMORE & Oldman River a m COCHRANE Res. ld (BOW / CROW) MUNICIPALITY OF O carnivore mitigation. Primary Contact - Blairmore CROWSNEST PASS Maria Didkowsky Blairmore Pincher PIIKANI [email protected] Creek LETHBRIDGE Primary Contact - Cochrane Magrath Raymond Grant Chapman BLOOD [email protected]

Alternate Contact - Brett Boukall [email protected]

Cardston

Base Data provided by the Government of Alberta under the Alberta Open Government Licence - Alberta. WATERTON Produced by Alberta Environment and Parks, South Saskatchewan Region, Regional Informatics Unit, Lethbridge, April 2020. LAKES

Information as depicted is subject to change; therefore the the N. P. Government of Albertaassumes no respondsibility for discrepancies at time of use.

Louis Bull No. 138B Ermineskin Between 2015 and 2018 there were 349 approved No. 138 Buck Lake I.R. I.R. No. 133C Rosalind I.R. Edberg O'Chiese Samson Ferintosh No. 203 No. 137 I.R. I.R. processed claims for livestock killed or injured by Montana No. 139 Heisler I.R.

Forestburg Sunchild Donalda No. 202 I.R. predators. The majority of these claims were for

Clive Crimson Aspen 12A 792 cattle (71%) and sheep (21%). Over half (52%) were BenUVtley UV Lacombe BMA 3 Lake Beach Alix PP PP UV601 UV20 UV756 UV852 Jarvis Blackfalds UV815 UV598 UV855 Big Horn No. Bay UV597 UVS12tettler Gadsby Halkirk 144A Rocky Mountain House Eckville PP I.R. UV11A a result of grizzly bears followed by wolves (26%) UV11 Sylvan Lake Red Deer UV808 UV835 UV850 UV595 594 UV752 Delburne UV 761 816 UV593 UV UV781 UV and cougars (11%). UV592 Penhold UV42 UV853 Caroline Big Valley UV54 Dry Island 591 %2 UV590 Elnora 56 UV Innisfail Buffalo UV Jump UV589 Red Lodge PP PP UV587 Bowden The total amount of compensation paid out to UV734 Siffleur UV805 UV585 WA Trochu

UV27 Sundre Olds UV839 producers during this time was over $650,000. This 584 UV UV851 UV760 %2 UV791 TUV5h8r3ee Hills Morrin BMA 4 /" Delia UV582 Didsbury UV21 UV2A UV836 includes medical bills for those animals injured by 8L06inden UV837 Munson UV UV849

Carstairs UV581 Cremona UV838 Midland UV580 Acme UV575 Carbon UV576 PP predators. UV579 UV9 Drumheller ! Don UV574 Crossfield UV10 UV766 ! Getty Beiseker UV573 ! UV72 UV841 ! ! Wildland ! ! Fenn UV570 ! Springbrook Banff National PP ! Butte Ghost 569 Chedderville ! Stauffer UV 848 ! ! River Stoney Irricana UV Pine 853 Park of Canada 592 ! Lousana ! Caprona UV UV Penhold 42 ! Lake No. 142B UV WA Big Hill UV567 752 UV761 ! UV 835 ! Leo I.R. UV Springs UV772 Airdrie Rockyford Ram Caroline Spruce 781 Big Valley Falls ! Raven UV PP ! View UV816 ! Ricinus UV54 UV840 PP ! UV2 564 ! Dickson UV ! Byemoor UV1A Glenbow UV566 UV591 UV590 Elnora ! Kevisville Innisfail Ranch ! Crammond 589 Cochrane ! Milnerton UV PP UV782 UV201 ! Perbeck Standard ! Knee Hill Valley Hartshorn ! Scollard ! Red !Doan ! Banff James Lodge ! Henday Dry Island River Horseshoe ! Huxley PP Buffalo Hussar ! Bridge UV587 ! Lake Jump ! Stonelaw ! Garrington ! Nisbet Highland UV563 UV561 PP Strathmore ! Ranch

! Netook ! Wimborne ! Rumsey UV742 1 ! Eagle Hill ! Tolman UV Siffleur ! Victor UV68 Calgary WA UV734 Mayton UV797 ! Mound ! Canmore 8 UV817 Trochu UV585 UV Curlew UV560 ! Bow Valley Tsuu T'ina ! Torrington ! Equity Fish Creek ! Rowley Wildland Bragg Nation No. 145 UV842 ! Westward Ho UV27 I.R. PP Sundre PP Creek UV584 Olds Ghost 839 ! Harmattan UV PP UV22X UV901 UV805 Pine UV851 %2 ! ! Creek UV760 ! Westerdale %2 Wyndham-Carseland UV791 ! Allingham 583 Spray UV Three Hills Morrin UV66 PP ! Delia Valley ! Shantz Siksika Bassano 550 BMA 4 762 UV ! Sunnyslope UV ! Twining PP UV24 No. 146 ! Neapolis UV582 I.R. ! Elkton UV552 Didsbury ! Michichi Elbow-Sheep Arrowwood 806 836 UV837 ! Westcott UV UV21 UV Munson Wildland %2 ! Gartly 549 UV ! PP ! Garfield Linden Swalwell UV547 ! Stirlingville 9 Okotoks Banff National ! Bargrave 838 UV 849 UV40 UV581 UV UV UV7 Cremona Cosway Park of Canada ! ! Buoyant Kirkpatrick Peter Black Diamond UV799 ! Sheep ! Jackville Carbon !Dunphy 580 ! Grainger 576 Water UV !Sharples Gatine ! Nacmine ! UV Lougheed Turner Valley 575 Hesk!eth River UV783 UV Acme Entice ! UV93 ! Valley Midland PP UV546 Rosedale ! Bircham 10 PP /" UV2A PP UV Bluerock Milo UV579 ! Station 543 542 Dogpound UV UV ! Drumhe!lCleamrbria PP Wildland High River Lake ! Madden ! Wayne PP ! Louise UV574 ! Don Getty ! Bottrel ! Kersey Beiseker Millerfield Longview UV841 ! Lehigh ! Wildland UV72 ! East Coulee PP UV766 ! Beynon ! ! Dalum 570 540 UV ! BMA 5 Eden Valley UV UV804 UV539 Ghost ! Rosebud UV569 No. 216 River Stoney Irricana !Redland WA I.R. No. 142B ! Craigdhu UV541 Big Hill UV567 ! Eldon I.R. 848 Vulcan UV534 Springs Rockyford UV

Lomond ! UV772 Airdrie ! Gayford

Castle PP

UV23 UV531 Benchlands

! Junction !

Keoma UV840 !Kathy! rn

* # *

# Nanton Mitford ! 566 UV564 !

! UV ! Tudor !Radnor !Baintree Little ! Massive ! Rocky View * # Nightingale ! ! Hamlet ! Bearspaw Bow ! ! !Ardenode Cochrane ! Delacour ! Dunshalt ! Standard UV56 Champion PP ! 782 Dalroy UV22 ! 1A Morley Glenbow UV ! Banff UV Glenbow UV201 ! Lyalta ! Chancellor UV533 ! Harvie Heights ! Ranch UV532 Chain ! ! Hussar Lakes UV529 UV526 PP ! 1 Inverlake UV 563 ! UV561 PP ! UV !Norfolk Strathmore Carmangay UV522 Exshaw ! ! 527 Stavely ! UV UV742 ! ! Cheadle Willow ! Lac Des Arcs UV68 Calgary ! 797 UV8 UV Creek Canmore Redwood ! Langdon ! Namaka ! Makepeace PP ! Meadows 817 560 ! UV Bow Valley Tsuu T'ina ! UV ! Wildland Nation No. 145 ! ! Bragg Creek ! ! UV843 PP Kananaskis ! I.R. ! ! Stobart Barons ! Village ! UV521 Bragg Fish 842 Claresholm 2 22X 901 ! Strangmuir Bartstow UV UV UV ! UV ! Gleichen Creek Creek !Siksika UV520 ! ! Dalemead South Saskatchewan Region PP ! PP ! Cluny Bob Creek UV845 Priddis ! Carseland Wildland UV25 Spray UV66 Bear Occurrence Mitigation Valley ! PP !De Winton Wyndham-Carseland Siksika Bassano PP 2008 - 2019 PP No. 146 Nobleford Picture Butte PP 552 I.R. 519 UV ! UV Arrowwood Granum Park Lake 24 Anastasia ! Millarville UV ! Shouldice 762 Mossleigh ! PP UV 549 ! UV Okotoks ! Gladys T" Barnwell ! UV547 811 UV3A ! Farrow Bear Bin UV Sheep UV7 River Black Diamond ! 40 UV799 ! Queenstown ! Majorville UV3 Coalhurst Coaldale UV Elbow-Sheep PP Wildland ! Mazeppa Turner Valley UV783 ! Herronton UV512 Peter Naphtha Peigan PP 546 ! Electric Fence Fort Macleod Lougheed UV ! Blackie Milo Timber Limit "B" Lethbridge PP ! Hartell ! Eltham I.R. UV785 Bluerock UV543 UV542 Wildland High River PP UV508 ! Royalties Sea Can ! Brant Longview UV23 ! Pageant 510 511 4 UV UV 509 UV BMA 5 ! UV ! Ensign Cowley Piikani Reserve StirUVl6in1g Eden Valley UV540 UV804 539 ! Armada UV (formerly Peigan ! 846 No. 216 IR No. 147) 810 UV I.R. Hopper Bottom UV ! Pekisko Pincher UV786 I.R. UV541 Vulcan UV534 Creek Blood Raymond ! Lomond No. 148 UV531

507 I.R. Magrath UV844 UV !

Castle UV5 Kirkcaldy

Grain Bin PP Wildlife Predator Compensation Claims * UV774 # Glenwood UV506 BMA 4, 5, 6 Little ! Travers Champion Bow ! Parkland UV529 Chain PP Grain Bin Door UV505 2015 - 2018 Lakes UV533 6 PP ! BMA 6 UV 532 Castle UV UV526 Woolford Wildland Predator / Prey PP UV62 Willow Stavely Carmangay UV522 PP Creek Cardston UV503 PP Grizzly Bear Management Areas 800 UV820 Wolf / Cattle UV ! Peacock UV22 ! Pulteney Habitat Linkage %2 UV25 Waterton Wolf / Goat UV843 ! Barons Lakes National Claresholm UV520 UV845 UV521 Recovery ! Turin © 2020 Government of Alberta. Base data provided by Bob Creek GoA under the Alberta Open Government Licence of Nov 2014. Park of Canada Iron Information as depicted is subject to change, Blood UV501 Wolf / Sheep Wildland Support therefore the Government of Alberta assumes ! Springs no responsibility for discrepancies at time of use. No. 148A PP ! Woodhouse Prepared by: AEP, South Saskatchewan Region, I.R. ¹ Calgary RIU - 2020 Grizzly Bear / Cattle Nobleford Picture Butte 519 ! Shaughnessy Granum UV 0 5 10 20 30 40 Grizzly Bear / Sheep ! Whitney Note: Points may differ from actual geographic location as symbols were Diamond ! Monarch ! City dispersed to allow for visual representation of overlapping points. ! Pearce Park Lake ! Kilometers 811 UV3A UV PP ! Tempest Kipp Cougar / Cattle ! Moon River ! Coalhurst Project: U:\workspace\FishAndWildlife\GrizzlyBear_ConflictManagement\Mitigation\2020\ProjectFiles\Bear_Mitigation_2019_BMA4,5,6_Apr2020.mxd; Exported: April 28, 2020 9:45:51 AM; Last Updated: April 28, 2020 9:45:37 AM ! Estates ! Orton !CBrooxabuldrnale North Cougar / Goat ! Fairview ! Fork Peigan Fort Macleod Timber Limit "B" Lethbridge ! I.R. UV785 Cougar / Sheep UV3 UV508 ! Wilson ! Coleman ! ! ! UV810 ! 510 UV511 UV4 UV Chokio ! ! 509 Blairmore ! UV Black Bear / Cattle ! Lundbreck Frank ! ! Ardenville Stirling For more info: Bellevue ! ! 5 ! Brocket UV Piikani Reserve Hillcrest Mines Cowley ! (formerly Peigan ! Welling Bear / Cattle 786 IR No. 147) ! ! ! UV I.R. Stand Blood ! WeRllinag yStmation nd ! Off Pincher Creek No. 148 Beauvais Bear / Sheep ! UV507 I.R. 844 Lake UV Castle Beaver UV6 Magrath PP PP Mines UV506 ! Glenwood Hartleyville Spring Electric Fence and Bears UV774 ! Eagle / Cattle ! UV505 Coulee Hill Spring Cochrane Lake Eagle / Sheep ! Raley Castle Twin Butte Wildland ! ! Omaktai !Parkbend Ninastoko Chickens and Bears PP ! Rush Unknown / Cattle Woolford ! Lake BMA 6 Cardston PP !Woolford UV800 ! Leavitt Grizzly Bear Management Areas Mountain UV820 ! View ! 62 Waterton Lakes ! Beazer UV Habitat Linkage ! Owendale Bees and Bears National Park ! Kimball Del Waterton Recovery of Canada ! Bonita ! ! Whiskey Gap ! Park Blood UV501 No. 148A Support ¹ I.R. ! Carway © 2019 Government of Alberta. Base data provided by Note: Points may differ from actual geographic location as GoA under the Alberta Open Government Licence of Nov 2014. Deadstock Composting and Bears Information as depicted is subject to change, symbols were dispersed to allow for visual representation of 0 10 20 40 60 80 therefore the Government of Alberta assumes overlapping points. no responsibility for discrepancies at time of use. Prepared by: AEP, South Saskatchewan Region, Kilometers Calgary RIU - 2019 Fruit Trees and Bears Project: U:\workspace\FishAndWildlife\Wildlife_PredatorCompensationClaims\Project_Files\SSR_WPCC_2015_2018_BMA4,5,6_Nov13.mxd; Exported: November 29, 2019 2:54:55 PM; Last Updated: November 29, 2019 12:15:00 PM

For a more detailed summary of predator Predator Compensation compensation in the Region between 2015 The Wildlife Predator Compensation Program and 2018 visit: provides compensation to ranchers whose https://open.alberta.ca/publications/predator- livestock are killed or injured by wildlife predators. compensation-south-saskatchewan-region Compensation is covered for cattle, bison, sheep, For more info on the provincial compensation swine and goats. It does not cover horses, donkeys, program: or exotic animals such as llamas, alpacas or wild https://www.alberta.ca/wildlife-predator- boar. The program covers those animals attacked compensation-program.aspx by wolves, grizzly bears, black bears, cougars and eagles. Coyotes and other wildlife are not included.

https://www.alberta.ca/wildlife-management.aspx ©2020 Government of Alberta | Published April 2020 Grizzly Bear Occurrences In 2018, there were 52 grizzly bear related occurrences in BMA 4, 238 in BMA 5 and 41 in Grizzly bears are currently listed as a Threatened BMA 6. Livestock predation makes up the majority species in Alberta. The provincial draft Recovery of occurrences in BMA 4 and 6, most of those Plan identifies different Zones of Management. The occurring on private lands (Support Zone) on cattle Recovery Zone comprises public lands along the and sheep. In BMA 5, the majority of occurrences foothills and west into the mountains and would were a result of bears frequenting developed areas inform the management of industrial development such as campgrounds (primarily in Kananaskis and human use. Managing attractants as well as Country (Recovery Zone)) and residential areas other sources of human-grizzly bear occurences (Support Zone). The majority of these incidents that often results in public safety concerns, bear involved bears obtaining natural food rewards such mortality or translocations would be a priority within as buffaloberry (Shepherdia Canadensis). this zone. The Support Zone, those lands east of the Recovery Zone, is intended to maintain grizzly bears There are times when grizzly bear occurrences can that have home ranges only partially in the Recovery result in bears being translocated or moved outside Zone. Given that the Support Zone is comprised of their home range to prevent the problem from of largely private lands, it is expected to be a focal reoccurring. They would be moved to areas where area for proactive attractant management strategies the likelihood of a reoccurrence is low. For example, a to reduce Human Bear Occurrences. The Habitat bear that was killing livestock would be moved to an Linkage Zone identifies key wildlife movement area of the province where livestock was not present. corridors that also have significant development In 2018, there were 3 grizzly bears translocated from within including urban areas, major highways BMA 4, 2 from BMA 5 and 2 from BMA 6. and railways. More details pertaining to annual BMA specific Grizzly Bear Occurrence summary reports can be found here:

BMA 4 https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/grizzly-bear- occurrence-summary-bma-4

BMA 5 https://open.alberta.ca/publications/grizzly- bear-occurrence-summary-bma-5

BMA 6 https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/grizzly-bear- occurrence-summary-bma-6

Grizzly bear mortality can occur in all of the BMAs. For instance, between 2009 to 2018, there have been 19 mortalities in BMA 4; 56 mortalities in BMA 5, and 30 mortalities in BMA 4. The cause of death varies from BMA to BMA. A summary of Grizzly Bear mortality can be found here: https://open.alberta.ca/ publications/grizzly-bear-mortality-summary

Cougar Occurrences The prevalence of healthy prey species (deer, moose, elk and bighorn sheep) results in a healthy cougar population, particularly within the western portion of the Region. Where human development exists, particularly in proximity to forested and riparian areas, human cougar interactions tend to exist.

https://www.alberta.ca/wildlife-management.aspx ©2020 Government of Alberta | Published April 2020 There were 477 human cougar occurrences Hunting seasons exist for cougars and legal hunter between 2015 and 2018 in the South Saskatchewan harvest accounts for the majority of cougar mortality Region. These occurrences were classified on a followed by landowner removals and accidental sliding risk scale from relatively Low Risk (cougars trapping. travelling in or near developed areas) to Extreme Risk (cougars injuring or killing people). A high For a more detailed summary of Cougar occurrences proportion of cougar occurrences were High to within SSR visit: Very High risk, a result of cougars preying on https://open.alberta.ca/publications/human-cougar- livestock, pets or wildlife (primarily deer) in or near occurrence-summary-human-cougar-coexistence- developments. Communities along the western edge in-the-south-saskatchewan-region of Calgary, where many residences / communities If you have any questions, please contact one of the lie adjacent to forested cover, were particularly Biologists below: susceptible. These areas have some of the highest [email protected] Sr Wildlife Biologist cougar occurrence rates in the province. Cougar [email protected] Area Biologist occurrences can happen throughout the year and at [email protected] Carnivore Conflict Biologist any time of the day, though most do occur between [email protected] – Area Biologist (On dusk and dawn. maternity Leave)