Gord Emery, a biologist with Chu Cho Environmental, is leading a project to assess grizzly bear corridors in British Columbia, Canada. The project aims to identify the corridors that grizzly bears use and to assess the health of the habitats within those areas. This information will then be used to recommend best management practices for forestry and other industries.

To gather data for the project, Emery and his team used computer-based modeling and spoke with elders from the Tsay Keh Dene Nation to identify areas where grizzly bears were likely to be found. The team then validated these areas by looking for animal signs such as trails, rub trees, and other signs of bear activity. Once they had identified the right areas, they set up cameras to capture images of the wildlife.

The cameras captured images of grizzly bears, wolves, elk, moose, deer, and black bears, all using the rub trees. Emery's team is now setting up grizzly bear hair snags on these trees to learn more about the number of bears using the corridors and what they are feeding on. This information will help the team make recommendations to protect the wildlife and their habitats.

The hair snag stations are simple to set up and maintain. The team locates natural rub trees and puts barbed wire around them to collect hair samples. They then burn off the old hairs to avoid DNA contamination. The team will collect the samples at regular intervals and analyze the DNA to learn more about the grizzly bear population and their food sources.

These camera trap projects are fascinating, according to Emery, because they allow the team to see the wildlife in their natural habitats and to gather valuable information that can be used to protect these species and their habitats. The team plans to return to these sites several times over the summer to collect more hair samples and to change the SD cards on the cameras. They will then analyze the data over the winter and expand on their findings next year.