Bear No. 72 and her cubs foraging for grain on the tracks in Banff - 17 May 2005 Parks Canada.

24 February 2012

Parks Canada and Canadian Pacific Announce 2012 Research Grant Recipients to Further Efforts to Protect Grizzly Bears in Banff and Yoho National Parks

Banff Alberta - The Honourable Peter Kent, Canada's Environment Minister and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, along with Mr. Fred Green, Canadian Pacific (CP) President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), today announced that successful teams were awarded research grants to further mitigate rail-related grizzly bear mortality in Banff and Yoho national parks. Projects will be supported by robust monitoring to determine effectiveness and begin in spring 2012 pending approval of animal care protocols.
 
"Grizzly bears have long served as a Canadian icon, both within our boundaries and around the world," said Minister Kent. "The University of Alberta and the Western Transportation Institute are proven experienced academic powerhouses respected for their research. We believe their teams will help us continue to protect and better understand this sensitive species."
 
Project teams are from the University of Alberta and the Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University, led by Dr. Colleen Cassady St. Clair, in collaboration with Dr. Scott Nielsen, and Dr. Tony Clevenger. Over the next four years, research initiatives championed by these teams, and supported by experts from Parks Canada and Canadian Pacific, will test the effectiveness of grain aversion, determine potential off-site habitat improvement, and better identify the root-causes of grizzly bear mortality along the rail corridor.
 
"Reaching this stage of the initiative is a major milestone," said Fred Green. "These innovative projects will incorporate the best science available to address railway-related bear mortality through shared responsibility. Together, we aim to make a difference."
 
Parks Canada's short-term actions benefiting from research grants under the Joint Action Plan include a bear GPS collaring and monitoring program, as well as sight-line and sound-line improvements through vegetation management. In addition, the initiative will establish an off-site test area to evaluate fence and closure alternatives to assess what infrastructure is needed to stop bears from accessing the railway corridor.
 
All of these initiatives are part of the five-year Joint Action Plan announced by Parks Canada and Canadian Pacific in October 2010.