Coyote Occurrence Relative to Human Use in Glenbow Ranch Provinical Park

Coyote Occurrence Relative to Human Use in Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park

An exploration of how coyotes and people co-occur in Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park (GRPP), Alberta.  Listen to Jamie's research findings after one year of remotely triggered cameras and coyote scat identification were used to determine coyote and human presence.

Presenter:      Jamie Lantz, M.Sc. Student

Date:               Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Time:              12:00 noon to 1:00pm

Location:         Nexen “Annex Theater”

                        Nexen +15 level, 801 7^th Avenue SW, Calgary

CCP: This course qualifies ASPB members to earn 1 Professional Development Hour towards their Continuing Competency Requirement

For more information please contact Jennifer Raffan.

This is a Brown Bag Luncheon, free to anyone; you do not need to register.

The presentation will also be available by webinar; to access please click HERE.

Summary
Coyote (Canis latrans) attacks are rare in Canada. Yet human-coyote conflict has resulted in the elimination of tens of thousands of coyotes. However, these culls are ineffective for reducing long-term conflict and are ecologically destructive. Therefore, it is crucial for people to coexist with coyotes as opposed to destroying them. To achieve coexistence it is important to understand how people and coyotes live alongside one another to determine how to manage conflict.

Listen to Jamie’s research findings as she explores how coyotes and people co-occur in Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park (GRPP), Alberta. Over the course of one year, remotely triggered cameras and coyote scat identification were used to determine coyote and human presence. This research is being done through the Canid Conservation Science Lab in the Department of Geography at the University of Calgary.

Preliminary camera data results demonstrate that coyote occurrence on paved/gravel trails increased while human-use decreased. Most scat was present on high human-use trails, and lastly, scat identification detected more coyotes on paved/gravel trails compared to camera data. These initial observations will be statistically explored during the summer of 2015 to determine the significance of relationships. Understanding temporal occurrence patterns between people and coyotes may help park management. Additionally, comparing camera and scat identification methods may increase the effectiveness of future coyote studies

Presenter's Biography 
Jamie is currently pursuing a Masters degree at the University of Calgary in the Department of Geography. Jamie completed her undergraduate degree in Animal Biology at the University of Alberta in 2011. Her passion for the outdoors led her to Indonesia where she learned a variety of field research techniques with the volunteer organization, Operation Wallacea. Jamie has also been fortunate to work with Alberta Parks, the Edmonton Valley Zoo, the John Janzen Nature Centre and the Calgary Zoo where she has had the opportunity to spread her knowledge of animals with campers, families and school groups. She is very excited to be pursuing her Masters degree at the University of Calgary. Once completed, her career goal is to travel to third world countries to help communities coexist with surrounding wildlife.

Notice

The ASPB is not responsible for the content of this presentation; the information and views expressed by the presenter(s) are their own.