I have chosen a much larger area for my research project; The Bow Valley Area in Alberta, Canada. The area of focus will be, Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. The area of study will encompass 304 square kilometres; totaling all three provincial parks . As covid has encouraged more people to get outside and utilize our wild areas, this has caused an influx in human activity in and around our provincial parks.
I first visited the sites to gain initial observations on August 20th, 2020 at 08:30hrs. The weather was favorable, 10° with winds averaging 8km /hr to the sw with no precipitation.
The park is home to an abundance of terrestrial wildlife and rich in native flora and hosts an abundance of Buffaloberry (Sheperdia canadensis) which is a major food source for the Alberta grizzly bear (Ursus arctos ) population as they enter a state of hyperphagia. The geography of the study area consist of rolling hills and mountains, with (2) rivers flowing though it, Kananaskis and the Bow River. There are recreational day use areas that surround large water bodies; numerous lakes are found in the park boundary. (Figure 1). (Figure 1.) Peter Lougheed Provincial Park
Listed as a threatened species under Alberta Wildlife Act, this time of year is crucial for foraging for food consumption for the bears.
Of all sites visited within the study area, it was observed that buffaloberry is abundant as a natural attractant alongside active hiking trails and roads withing the study area. August is a prime time for foraging as the berries are ripe and in abundance.
The general observations in all the park was :
- An abundance of buffaloberry bushes (Figure 2)
- At least (1) bear was observed foraging within 5km of a Day Use Area (Figure 3)
- Most Day Use Areas and trails were packed with people who recreated ,in particular groups of 3 or more people
The questions I asked and sought answers to are:
- During foraging season, does the increase of human activity in the park have a direct correlation with how the bears feed?
- Does this increase negative human/ bear interactions?
- Does this deter sows with cubs from accessing abundant food sources near road ways and popular Day Use Areas and trails?
(Figure 1) Buffaloberry , 2020
(Figure 3) Grizzly Bear 159 feeding on buffaloberry in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, 2020
Evidently, should the data show negative responses to the questions above it can be assumed that this will play a role in the success of hibernation for the bears as well, they can develop a high tolerance to human presence. This may impact, negatively the success of the population if the female does not attain sufficient body fat or weight during the summer and fall as the embryos will not attach to the uterine wall. Ultimately I will focus on the negative human/bear encounters to determine if the more people that access the park causes an increase in these types of encounters during foraging season.