The Wildlife Society (TWS) held its 18th Annual Conference in Waikoloa, Hawaii, November 5-11. Gordon Stenhouse, FRI’s Grizzly Bear Program (GBP) lead and Bogdon Cristescu, graduate student, attended the conference to learn about new and evolving trends and innovations in wildlife research, management and conservation.
Stenhouse presented on “Changes in grizzly bear habitat due to human disturbance in the rocky mountain foothills of AB from 1985-2005”, Greg McDermid, Andrea Ram, Julia Linke, Scott Nielsen, Gord Stenhouse.
Bogdan Cristescu, presented on “Grizzly Bears as consumers of ungulates in forested and open environments”, Bogdan Cristescu , Gordon Stenhouse, Mark Boyce.
A poster on mapping and habitat change was also presented during the special poster sessions which provided an opportunity for one-on-one dialogue between presenters and attendees.
The trade show component gave manufactures from around the world opportunity to showcase new products. This was a highlight of the conference for Gord and Bogdan who are interested in learning about developments in satellite collars, which the GBP just started using, and coming up with new ideas for next years field season. “The trade show at TWS conference is really the best way to keep up with advances in technology related to wildlife research not readily available in the literature”, says Stennhouse.
Satellite collars allow researchers to gather data on grizzly bear movement and behavior. The technology allows for two way communication between grizzly bears and researchers. For example, researchers will be able to change how often data is collected, be able to shut down the collar during hibernation and re-activate when the bear emerges, and the collar can even send a signal back when the battery is getting low!
Learn more about The Wildlife Society (TWS) and conference proceedings.