The best method for monitoring grizzly bear populations is through hair snags. It’s non-invasive, can give us population numbers and health information, and can be scaled to large areas. We’ve been perfecting this method since 2004, and in 2023 we set up 39 hair snag corrals in BMA 3, an area of Alberta bounded on the north by Highway 16, and on the south by Highway 11. We also installed motion-activated cameras at these sites to see how well our methods are working and what other kinds of wildlife visit these sites.
Here is some of our favourite footage.
Grizzly Bears
Since our primary focus with this project is understanding grizzly bear populations, we’re happy to see that our hair snag sites are still popular with grizzlies.
Other Animals
Of course, there are lots of other animals in the Boreal Forest. While not the main focus of this project, this extra data could be useful for future research questions and collaborations.
