Grizzly Bears a Majestic Creature Faces Extinction in Some BC and Alberta Populations
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Vol. 27 No. 6 Summer 2008 Published by the Wilderness Committee FREE REPORTGrizzly Bears A majestic creature faces extinction in some BC and Alberta populations Grizzly bears left: photo Wayne Lynch. Photo top: Michael Wheatly. Grizzly bears bottom: John Marriot. on both sides of Grizzlies need protection the border rizzly bears hold a certain place in our The plight of grizzlies in southern BC and southern hearts – a revered yet feared beast of Alberta was not grave until the time of the gold rush. Types of mortality of grizzly Gup to 375 kg which can stand 6 feet tall From 1850 to 1860 thousands of grizzlies were bears in Alberta, 1990-2007 and conjures up images of rugged and unspoiled slaughtered and the population never recovered. wilderness. A subspecies of brown bear, grizzlies Any hope of recovery without human assistance was Licensed hunting* 39% historically ranged from Alaska down to Mexico dashed in the past 50 years by habitat destruction Illegal hunting 25% and as far east as Manitoba. Unfortunately, human caused primarily by road building, logging, oil and Self-defense 17% fear of the grizzly and encroachment of their habitat gas extraction, and development in the back-country. Aboriginal 6% has left the grizzly virtually non-existent in Canada’s Perhaps more than any other animal, grizzlies Other 5% southern provinces outside of British Columbia (BC) need abundant wilderness to survive. Although Problem Wildfire 4% and Alberta. The few remaining populations of tolerant of a certain degree of development, Vehicle/Train 3% grizzly that straddle the Canada-US border in BC grizzlies are intolerant of any kind of sustained Natural 1% and Alberta are in trouble, and need our actions to mechanized human activity, especially roads and help them recover. trails used by motorized vehicles1 and higher *Licensed hunting suspended in 2006. elevation old-growth logging2. Source: Alberta Grizzly Recovery Plan 2008-2013 (2008) In the past 20 years, intensive use of back- grizzlies exist in Alberta5. Less than 500 bears country roads and trails by motorized vehicles, remain in the five Canadian populations featured wilderness off-roading, and fire supression has in this report. further imperilled grizzlies. Senseless trophy Grizzly populations still exist in every rugged hunting also has negatively impacted many grizzly north-south mountain range that crosses the US populations, although some BC populations and border. These five populations in the southern all Alberta grizzlies are now legally protected from sections of the Canadian Rocky, Purcell, Selkirk, hunting. Illegal hunting is an unknown factor, but Granby and Cascade mountains are only the best scientific estimates3 suggest that up to fragments of what they once were. All these 25% of human-caused grizzly kills are from illegal populations, except the Southern Rockies, number hunting (see graph on the right). Logging is still a less than 100 bears and some, like the North problem for grizzlies but a manageable one given Cascades population near Hope, BC, number in the bear’s tolerance for some logging, society’s the teens. These populations need immediate help increasing distaste for old-growth logging and the if they are going to survive. increasing expense of logging in remote areas. Thus the biggest current threat to grizzlies is from increasing motorized human access, and associated developments like ski resorts in the back-country and highways that impede grizzly movement. Accurate grizzly population estimates do not exist. Map and more info However, most scientists agree that about 12,000- about bears inside! Photos Michael Wheatley 17,000 grizzlies exist in BC4 and about 500-700 Grizzlies in Southeastern BC W A Castle and a Crown for Alberta E A Last Stand n many ways, Alberta has done more for slopes. Other measures needed include more be followed by the immediate decommissioning outh-eastern British Columbia represents of threats from proposed coal mining, coal- between these bears and the larger populations to grizzlies than BC. The Alberta government public outreach to residents that live, work or play of logging roads. Active oil and gas access roads the last stand for ‘trans-boundary’ grizzly bed methane extraction, intensive forestry the north of Nelson9. The recent purchase of the recently completed, and promised to fully in grizzly country, and limitations on motorized are particularly damaging to grizzlies. Since 89% I 14 populations whose range encompasses both activities, and increasing motorized recreation 550 square kilometer “Darkwoods” property by The implement, a grizzly recovery plan for 2008- vehicle access to the back-country . of Alberta grizzly fatalities occurred within 200 S 11 15 sides of the Canada/US border. Somewhat larger activities. Wildsight, CPAWS and a host of other Nature Conservancy will help these grizzlies, but 2013 . Although few actions have been taken to Immediately north and south of Highway 3, metres of roads and motorized vehicle trails , the (greater than 100 animals) grizzly populations to the organizations have been calling for the creation of is inadequate to sustain the population. Human- date, there is reason for cautious optimism that the grizzly population in Canada is increasingly importance of closing vehicle roads and trails in east in the Rocky Mountains dwarf more vulnerable a national park in British Columbia’s portion of the caused mortality is still the number one cause of Alberta will fulfil its promises to the public and fragmented (only 51 bears remain), and suffers core grizzly habitat cannot be over-emphasized. populations (less than 100 animals) in the Purcell Flathead for over a decade. grizzly declines in this region. Human access created uphold its legal obligations under the Federal from neglect and abuse due to Alberta’s ‘multiple Ranchers and farmers are increasingly becoming and Selkirk Mountains to the west. These three The Southern Purcell, or Yaak, population of by coal mining, coal bed methane extraction, Species At Risk Act. The Alberta government should use’ approach to regional planning, in which many accepting of grizzlies on the eastern slopes because great mountain ranges, the Purcells, Selkirks and grizzly is much less robust. Extensive clearcutting forestry, backcountry vehicle use and permanent be commended for effectively banning the trophy simultaneous and sometimes contradictory land- of community outreach efforts, but the Alberta Rockies, represent the last regions of ‘trans-boundary and human activity has resulted in a declining settlement creates more conflict between grizzlies hunting of grizzlies in 2006, something BC is not uses are permitted. government needs to do much more to facilitate connectivity’ for grizzly bears along the 49th parallel. population in this region. According to recent and humans, and leads directly to higher mortality. brave enough to do. To ensure grizzly survival, all non-essential roads this relationship (see back page). Of these, only the Rockies shelters populations robust census work, as few as 24 grizzlies remain south of While grizzly hunt quotas have been curtailed Historically, Alberta was home to at least and all back-country vehicle trails in core grizzly The single most important action the Alberta enough (228 bears exist in the Canadian Rockies Highway 36, and 87 remain north of Highway 37. or stopped in some areas, hunting of grizzlies is 10,000 grizzlies but that number has now habitat in this region must be permanently closed. government could take on behalf of grizzlies in south of highway 3) to ensure long-term sustainability The fact that this grizzly population is still physically still permitted in many of these fringe populations. dropped to between 500 and 70012. Only Wilderness off-roading bans must be implemented southern Alberta is to protect the entire Castle in the face of climate change and other human and genetically connected to the population north Decreasing grizzly mortality is the key to the long- 170 bears exist between Highways 3 and 1613. and strictly enforced. Logging activity in core Wilderness Area (now proposed as the Andy impacts. All these grizzly populations are divided by of Highway 3 gives scientists hope. In the extreme term survival of grizzlies in this part of the world. Clearly much more habitat must be protected, grizzly habitat should focus on creating food for Russell I’tai sah kòp Park), north of Waterton Park. Highways 3 and 3A (see map), which represents a south however, part of the Purcell grizzly population Protecting habitat, managing human access, and in particular along the Rockies’ rugged eastern grizzlies, protecting old-growth forests, and should Article by Castle-Crown movement barrier to grizzlies. Without proper habitat has been completely isolated in the Cabinet curtailing direct human mortality is the key to Wilderness Coalition management within grizzly movement corridors and Mountains south of Troy, Montana, where only protecting these populations and ensuring their ccwc.ab.ca wildlife crossing structures to provide a bridge for about 15 grizzlies remain8. Over 70 partner groups persistence into the future. North Cascades Grizzly grizzlies on either side of the highways, the viability are working together in this landscape as part of Article by Wildsight of these populations will continue to suffer and could the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative’s wildsight.ca Less than 20 left lead to population decreases or extirpations. Cabinet-Purcell Mountain Corridor o species evokes the memory of pioneers Coquihalla Summit (near Highway 5) could be their The famed Flathead Valley in the extreme south- Conservation Project to maintain better than the grizzly. Yet it was those very final death knell. Bear Facts eastern corner of British Columbia is home to a movement corridor for this Npioneers, in particular the gold rush era A viable solution would include relocating female the highest density of inland/interior grizzly bears threatened group of grizzly. The settlers in the 1850s, who reduced the North Cascade bears from healthier populations in northern BC; closing Grizzlies have an average in North America.