Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative Fall 2017/Winter 2018 Connections Newsletter Connecting and protecting habitat from Yellowstone to Yukon Elk graze near homes in Canmore’s Three Sisters neighbourhood. Photo: Living with Wildlife/Leanne Allison so people and nature can thrive. In this issue CO-EXISTENCE FEATURE: P2 — Canmore community rallies for wildlife Working to share space with wildlife together P4 — Co-existence projects across Y2Y his summer, one particular grizzly bear captivated P5 — You are making highways safer Tresidents and visitors of Alberta’s Bow Valley, including many of you, our Y2Y supporters. She came to represent P6 — Foundation key to headwaters protection much of what Y2Y works to protect: ensuring wildlife can The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative is a trans- safely move between habitat patches. border, non-profit organization that connects and protects A six-and-a-half year-old female grizzly known as bear 148 some 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) of landscape, to spent most of the spring and summer going about her bruin support the health of people and wildlife. It’s no simple task, business, ambling and eating in and between Banff National Photo: Stephen Legault Stephen Photo: but together with our supporters and more than Park and the Town of Canmore. As a result of her natural, wide- 120 partners we’re making it happen. ranging behavior in this heavily developed and populated corridor, she also had some interactions with humans. Five ways to live with wildlife Following several days in a row where she made contact with No matter where you live or visit in the Yellowstone to people daily, Alberta Fish and Wildlife relocated her to Kakwa Yukon region, you can practice co-existence. Here are Wildland Provincial Park, north of Jasper National Park. some ways to get involved and ensure animals stay safe: Unfortunately her story ended when she was shot legally by a hunter in September after crossing the border into British Remove fruit trees and berry bushes, or Columbia (B.C.). pick fruit promptly, on your property. But, from her death comes hope. Bear 148’s struggle highlighted Dispose of trash properly so bears can’t the challenging circumstances grizzly bears and other wide- access it easily. ranging species in the mountain ecosystem continue to face. The towns of Canmore and Banff have developed ways for residents to live alongside and respect wildlife. But this story Carry bear spray when recreating. suggests efforts to co-exist are a constantly evolving process as communities grow and change. Leash dogs so all furry friends stay safe. Maintaining safe passage for wildlife while balancing human needs is something Y2Y has been working on since our early days. Your support allows us to find ways for communities to Host a showing of the free Living with live in harmony with nature while considering conservation Wildlife film at home, work or at a school. on a larger scale. Your ongoing support also has, and will (See page 3 for more information.) continue to, make it possible to balance the needs of humans with wildlife successfully. Thank you. “I felt an obligation to do whatever I could to help ensure the corridor is functional for all species of wildlife.” — Kay Anderson, For the Love of Canmore member Maintaining the Bow Valley for wide-ranging mammals such as grizzlies is one of Y2Y’s focuses. Photo: Stephen Legault Canmore community rallies for wildlife You are helping connect key wildlife populations his spring, right in Yellowstone to Yukon’s home range, a to its own, and strives to Tcommunity movement was born. do what is right for our wildlife,” she explains. Faced with multiple development proposals that threatened to further pinch the already busy Bow Valley corridor in “I was also dismayed and Alberta, an initiative called For the Love of Canmore was even angry that there were launched, eager to ensure a healthy balance for all living in the some developers who try area. to build everywhere instead of managing the jewel of For Canmorite Kay Anderson, that meant starting Facebook this natural landscape and groups, attending meetings, donating when possible and focusing on making it an educating others. Kay was spurred into action when she epicentre of worldwide saw the challenges faced by wildlife in the area and her own wildlife conservation.” neighborhood. Empowered by scientific Kay Anderson, co-organizer of the “I felt an obligation to do whatever I could to help ensure the For the Love of Canmore initiative evidence provided by Y2Y, the corridor is functional for all species of wildlife. I was proud to volunteer-driven community-based group worked to make live in a community that values wildlife and its needs equal Canmore a better place for both wildlife and people. Electric fence construction: Defenders of Wildlife construction: Electric fence Allison Leanne sign: Fruit – 2 – So many concerned citizens attended the forum about wildlife corridors and development in Canmore on Mar. 22, it was standing room only. Photo: Kelly Zenkewich The members advocated for wildlife, pressed for an policy-makers, industry partners and anyone invested in the environmental assessment, led education of the community values we all treasure. and more. We thank town residents for speaking up for the voiceless. They also wrote letters to newspapers and government We also thank town officials interested in maintaining the officials, circulated a petition with more than 21,000 signatures special values Canmore and the Bow Valley have for putting from around the world opposing the corridor developments, the decision to proceed with development on hold pending and showed up in large numbers to community meetings and further assessment. public consultations. This group became a voice for wildlife To Kay, that’s welcome news. and the drive behind their community involvement was extraordinary. “If we remain firm in our values and principles, wildlife can thrive. If those in power do not adhere to our core values, One thing’s clear — residents are passionate about protecting they will destroy the jewel that Canmore is now and for future the space and habitat wildlife require. This is a community generations. We cannot afford to make the wrong decisions need that must continue to be addressed and evaluated. for our wildlife,” she says. Using our long-term vision and collaborative approach, we look forward to continuing to work with community members, What’s co-existence? Living with Wildlife Thanks to our supporters, This documentary from Y2Y funds education Canmore filmmaker Leanne programs and tools that Allison, supported in part by assist communities to share Y2Y, highlights the successes space with wildlife, or co- residents and officials in exist. Crossing structures Alberta’s Bow Valley — one combined with fencing of the world’s busiest places to reduce wildlife-vehicle where people and grizzlies collisions, removing wildlife still co-exist — have had living attractants, and proper bear with wildlife. Pick up some spray use, are examples of tips for your community measurable impacts on a when you view the film community’s ability to safely for free at y2y.net/lww. live alongside wildlife. Electric fence construction: Defenders of Wildlife construction: Electric fence Allison Leanne sign: Fruit – 3 – Collaboration helps co-existence Select examples of how Y2Y, our partners and other groups help you live with wildlife LEGEND YUKON Yellowknife 1 Wild Wise Yukon 2 Ecology North 3 Caribou Patrol Program Whitehorse 1 4 ARC Design Wildlife Crossing 2 5 Canmore Community Gardening Society 6 Wind River Bear Institute 7 Canmore Wildlife Attractant Bylaw ALBERTA 8 Bear Smart Society 9 Valhalla Wilderness Society 10 Wildsafe B.C. 11 RoadWatchBC 12 Waterton Biosphere Reserve 13 Yaak Valley Forest Council 14 Blackfoot Challenge 15 Defenders of Wildlife 3 16 People and Carnivores Edmonton 17 National Wildlife Federation 18 Tom Miner Basin Association 19 Greater Yellowstone Coalition 4, 5, 6, 7 20 Idaho Fish and Game Calgary Yellowstone to 8 Yukon Region 9 Vancouver 10 11 12 MONTANA 13 PROJECT TYPE Victoria Seattle 14 15 Increasing awareness Wildlife monitoring 16 17 Aversive conditioning Portland 18 19 Attractant removal/containment Land conservation 20 Infrastructure/crossings Feeding program IDAHO Since our inception, we’ve been working with partners on co-existence projects across the Yellowstone to Yukon region using our collaborative knowledge and tools. In 2017, Y2Y conservation scientist Aerin Jacob and graduate student summer intern Ross Donihue set about communicating our work and that of partners and other groups in an innovative way. The interactive map they created highlights 20 example projects that not only share successes, but information to ensure solutions to similar issues materialize in other communities. Solutions that help wildlife and people thrive. Thanks to the generosity of donors like you, Y2Y is committed to supporting such projects. Explore the interactive version of this map at y2y.net/coexmap. – 4 – You are making highways safer Smartphone app makes reporting wildlife sightings easier itizens just like you are turning into scientists, collecting data to help inform Cdecision-makers about where the particularly treacherous stretches of 366 highways from Yellowstone to Yukon are — for wildlife and drivers. deer Just north of the Canadian-U.S. border, Highway 3 winds through the Rocky Mountains, cutting across southern parts of Alberta and B.C. See map on page four 317 Every day, wildlife moving between Banff National Park and Glacier-Waterton elk International Peace Park encounter this road — and the up to 9,000 vehicles that travel it each day. All too often, a wildlife-vehicle collision is the result. 71 bighorn RoadWatchBC was created to address the connectivity issues and mortality sheep created by this situation, and reduce the costs of wildlife-vehicle collisions from vehicle damage and insurance premiums, as well as human injuries and fatalities.