At a glance…
Kevan Bracewell started the Grizzly Bear Monitoring Program in 2008.
What It Does: Provides much needed data samples on the grizzly bear population in the South Chilcotin Ranges
Purpose: To influence policy with data-based findings and protect grizzlies’ habitat from overuse and degradation.
Goals Achieved: Major victories in land use policies throughout the Bridge River Valley watershed that have created safe habitats for grizzly bears.
The Whole Story…
According to the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, the grizzly bear is a species of special concern. Currently conservation groups, including the Stewardship Foundation (link to our Stewardship Foundation Page),Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society and the World Wildlife Fund, are working to protect these bears. Habitat loss poses the greatest threat to grizzlies; however, conservation groups often lack the requisite scientific proof to petition governmental agencies for environmentally responsible land management plans. And, in the absence of this data and resulting policies, the grizzlies’ habitat is vulnerable to overuse and degradation through unregulated recreational activities. To solve this problem, Kevan Bracewell created the Grizzly Bear Monitoring Program in 2008. Through this program, Kevan Bracewell and the team at Chilcotin Holidays have provided crucial data in the fight to save the grizzlies’ habitat.
Kevan Bracewell operates the Grizzly Bear Monitoring program in the South Chilcotin Ranges. These mountains are home to the largest population of grizzly bears in the Coast to Cascades region of British Columbia, so the protection of this grizzly bear population is crucial to overall species survival. The primary data collection methods for the Grizzly Bear Monitoring Program are wildlife sighting forms and the collection of grizzly bear hair samples from rub trees, which the grizzlies use as territorial markers. According to a scientific study published in the Wildlife Study Bulletin, collection of grizzly bear hair samples provides a highly accurate means for determining population counts and spatially explicit estimates of grizzly bear populations. This unobtrusive method of data collection is more accurate than radio-collar catch and release programs. Since the inception of the Grizzly Bear Monitoring program, Kevan Bracewell and the Chilcotin Holidays team have contributed over 900 grizzly bear hair samples for scientific research.
From these samples, scientists can determine the population density, territorial spacing, and seasonal movements of grizzly bears in the South Chilcotin Ranges. Additionally, scientists are able to extract data on the gene pool, health, and diversity of this specific grizzly bear population. This data provided Kevan Bracewell and conservation groups with the proof they needed to petition government agencies for more responsible land management plans. Without this data, the grizzlies in these mountain ranges would have been vulnerable to the loss and degradation of their habitat through unregulated, destructive activities in the South Chilcotin Ranges.
Next Steps…
While the Grizzly Bear Monitoring Program has already influenced policy, Kevan Bracewell is seeking new ways to leverage this data for greater protection of the grizzlies’ habitat. Currently, Kevan Bracewell is partnering with conservation groups to lobby for more sustainable, responsible land management policies. By combining resources, knowledge, and experience, these partnerships will influence policy at higher levels and ensure that grizzly bears are thriving, and not just surviving, for years to come.
To learn more about the data collection methods of Kevan Bracewell’s Grizzly Bear Monitoring Program, click here.
Resources & References:
- http://cpawsbc.org/campaigns/grizzlybears
- http://www.gov.nu.ca/sites/default/files/the_estimation_of_grizzly_bear_density_through_hair-snagging_techniques_above_the_tree_line.pdf
Learn more about Kevan Bracewell’s work:
Chilcotin Holidays, Wilderness Stewardship Foundation, Stewardship Foundation, Trails to Empowerment, Chilcotin Ark Institute, Wilderness Training Academy, Community Mill