An Evaluation of the Influences to the Surrounding Grizzly Bear

Influences of Summer Use at LLMR on Grizzly Bears 1 INFLUENCES OF THE SUMMER USE PROGRAM AT LAKE LOUISE MOUNTAIN RESORT ON THE SURROUNDING GRIZZLY BEAR POPULATION By TREVOR CUTHBERT B.Sc., University of Calgary, 1994 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE in ENVIRONMENT AND MANAGEMENT We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard .......................................................... Dr. Charles Krusekopf, MEM Academic Lead School of Environment and Sustainability .......................................................... Dr. Vivienne Wilson, Senior Project Manager, Oil Sands Division (Calgary) Golder Associates Ltd. .......................................................... Mr. Dave Poulton, Executive Director Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS), Calgary/Banff Chapter .......................................................... Mr. Martin Jalkotzy, Senior Wildlife Ecologist Golder Associates Ltd. .......................................................... Dr. Tony Boydell, Director School of Environment and Sustainability ROYAL ROADS UNIVERSITY August 2006 © Trevor Cuthbert, 2006 1 Influences of Summer Use at LLMR on Grizzly Bears 2 ABSTRACT The Lake Louise area is a centre of tourism activities, including Lake Louise Mountain Resort (LLMR), within Banff National Park (BNP), Alberta. A significant population of grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) also inhabits this area due to the prevalence of high quality habitat, particularly around LLMR. Because of the limited overall habitat value in BNP and the sensitivity of grizzly bears to human presence, human activities in this high quality habitat area including the summer use operations at LLMR, could potentially reduce the viability of the grizzly bear population. This paper uses current knowledge of grizzly bear movement and behaviour patterns in the BNP/Lake Louise area to assess how the summer use program at LLMR may influence the local grizzly bear population and whether the bear management initiatives are effective. Potential additional management initiatives and areas of further study are suggested. 2 Influences of Summer Use at LLMR on Grizzly Bears 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am indebted to a number of people without whose cooperation and input I could not have completed this project. Dave Poulton from CPAWS provided the original impetus and support for the project as well as much appreciated encouragement and positive feedback throughout the process. I’ve learned a great deal from Martin Jalkotzy – thank you for sharing your experience and expertise, and for your honest and constructive feedback. I owe heartfelt thanks to Dr. Vivienne Wilson for the guidance, patience, encouragement, and good humour she has shown me throughout the thesis process and the entire MEM program. Diane Van der Gucht at RRU unfailingly provided administrative support and answered all of my questions and concerns, always with a smile. Ron Allen and Tracey Gage from RCR/Lake Louise Mountain Resort, thank you for your cooperation and for providing valuable perspective and honest feedback. All of the Parks Canada staff, and Will Devlin in particular, were extremely helpful in supplying me with any information I requested, or pointing me to where I would find it. Steve Donelon, Dr. Stephen Herrero, Dr. David Walker, Colleen Campbell and Cedar Mueller were a pleasure to talk to - they all provided valuable insights and expertise to deepen my understanding of the issue. I am sincerely grateful to Dr. Mike Gibeau, who made invaluable contributions to my study design and was a constant source of information and guidance. Thanks also to Jay Honeyman for his friendship throughout the MEM program and for his interest in and input to my thesis. My family and friends have been wonderfully supportive and understanding over the past two years. And finally, to my wife and best friend Joanne, thank you for encouraging me to go through with the MEM program, for your love, patience, and compassion, and for sharing in this rewarding experience with me. 3 Influences of Summer Use at LLMR on Grizzly Bears 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE PAGE ………………………………………………………………………....... 1 ABSTRACT ……………………………………………………………………………. 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ………………………………………………………….… 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS ……………………………………………………………... 4 LIST OF FIGURES & TABLES ……………………………………………………... 6 1.0 INTRODUCTION …………………………………………………………………. 7 1.01 Background ……………………………………………………………………… 7 1.02 Historical Development of LLMR ………………………………………………10 1.03 Grizzly Bears in the Lake Louise Area ………………………………………. 11 1.04 Recreational Use vs. Ecological Conservation ……………………………... 13 1.1 Research Problems ……………………………………………………………. 15 1.2 Research Objectives ………………………………………………………….. 16 2.0 STUDY AREA …………………………………………………………………… 16 3.0 RESEARCH APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY …………………………. 19 3.01 Part 1: Literature review ……………………………………………………… 20 3.02 Part 2: Qualitative evaluation of summer use management plan ………… 20 3.03 Part 3: Assess results and develop recommendations for management ..………………………………………………………………... 21 4.0 CURRENT LEVEL OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE ………………………... 22 4.1 Biological and Behavioural Characteristics of Grizzly Bears in the CRE .................................................................. 22 4.11 Nutrition and Reproduction …………………………………………………… 22 4.12 Grizzly Bear Dominance Hierarchies ………………………………………... 24 4.13 Population Differences ………………………………………………………… 25 4.2 Human Influences on Grizzly Bears ………………………………………... 26 4.21 Limitations of Existing Information …………………………………………… 26 4.22 Habituation ……………………………………………………………………… 27 4 Influences of Summer Use at LLMR on Grizzly Bears 5 4.23 Human-Caused Mortality ……………………………………………………… 28 4.24 Human Influences on Grizzly Bear Movement Trends …………………….. 31 4.25 Habitat Security and Effectiveness …………………………………………... 32 4.26 Controlling Human Use and Access …………………………………………. 35 4.3 Lake Louise Area ………………………………………………………………. 36 4.31 Potential Habitat Quality ………………………………………………………. 36 4.32 Human Influences in the Lake Louise Area ………………………………… 39 4.33 Individual Bears Used in Previous Studies at LLMR ………………………. 41 4.34 Grizzly Bear Movements on the LLMR Leasehold …………………………. 43 5.0 DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS - SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF LLMR SUMMER USE PROGRAM ………………………………………………... 45 5.1 Hours and Dates of Operation ………………………………………………. 47 5.2 Access Roads ………………………………………………………………….. 48 5.21 Whitehorn Road ……………………………………………………………….. 48 5.22 Access Roads on the LLMR Leasehold …………………………………….. 51 5.23 Fish Creek Parking Lot ………………………………………………………... 52 5.3 Lodge Facilities ………………………………………………………………… 52 5.31 LLMR Base Area/Electric Fencing …………………………………………… 52 5.32 Whitehorn Lodge Concession Stand ………………………………………… 54 5.4 Gondola Operations …………………………………………………………… 55 5.41 Restricted Human Access on the Lower South Face of Whitehorn Mountain in LLMR …………………………………………………………… 56 5.42 Controlling Human Access above the Upper Gondola Terminal …………. 57 5.5 Interpretive Education Program …………………………………………….. 59 5.6 Construction & Maintenance Regimes …………………………………….. 61 5.61 Bear Protocol …………………………………………………………………… 61 5.62 Monitoring ………………………………………………………………………. 63 5.7 Additional Grizzly Bear Management Initiatives in the Lake Louise Area …………………………………………………………………………… 63 5.71 Aversive Conditioning …………………………………………………………. 63 5 Influences of Summer Use at LLMR on Grizzly Bears 6 5.72 Creating High Quality Habitat in Other Areas ………………………………. 64 6.0 CONCLUSIONS ………………………………………………………………… 65 6.01 General Principles of Grizzly Bear Management in the CRE ……………... 65 6.02 Barriers ………………………………………………………………………….. 68 6.03 Future Grizzly Bear Management at LLMR …………………………………. 69 REFERENCES ………………………………………………………………………. 71 APPENDIX A ………………………………………………………………………… 80 LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES Figures Figure 1: Cumulative home ranges of a) female and b) male grizzly bears in the Lake Louise area for the 1994-2002 period ……………………….. 13 Figure 2: Lake Louise area of the Bow Valley including enlarged view of lower south face of Whitehorn Mountain in LLMR (inset) ……………….. 18 Figure 3: Human-caused female grizzly bear mortalities in BNP and the surrounding area for the periods a) 1972 – 1989 and b) 1990-2002, showing a concentration of mortalities in the Lake Louise area ………... 30 Figure 4: Distribution of potential and realized grizzly bear habitat in the Skoki LMU in a) May, b) August, and c) October ………………………… 37 Figure 5: Average distance from a) gondola and b) base lodge at LLMR for different grizzly bear age/sex cohorts between the Human Active and Human Inactive periods, 1998 - 2000 ………………………………... 44 Figure 6: Relative locations of wildlife corridors in the Lake Louise area ……… 49 Tables Table 1: Habitat effectiveness status for LMUs surrounding LLMR ……………. 34 Table 2: Percent of home range in secure, high, medium and low quality habitat for female grizzly bears in the Lake Louise area of BNP ……….. 38 6 Influences of Summer Use at LLMR on Grizzly Bears 7 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.01 Background The Lake Louise area is a centre of development and tourism activities in the Bow Valley of Banff National Park (BNP), Alberta. Infrastructure in the Lake Louise area include hotel accommodations at Lake Louise proper on the southwest side of the valley, major transportation routes and the hamlet of Lake Louise in the valley bottom, and Lake Louise Mountain Resort (LLMR) on the northeast side of the valley. BNP itself is within a greater ecological landscape known as the Central Rockies Ecosystem

Load more