The latest government census found that at most, 973 bears remain in the area. The study on the bear population began as the GrizzTracker app was developed and tested. Two of the study’s four authors are from Mount Royal University, while Hughes and another author are from the provincial government.
Developed by Alberta Environment, GrizzTracker was created as a public education tool to streamline data collection, map bear movements, and identify potential hot spots for human-bear encounters. The app was released to the public in 2017 and allows users to report bear sightings, catalogue them with photos, GPS data, and observations on bear behavior.
“We really needed to identify a standardized and automated way to make collecting these bear observations more efficient and rigorous,” Hughes said. “But it was also to show that Albertans can participate in the collection of scientific data.”
Bear Management Area 1 served as the testing ground for the program. The zone covers a vast area, stretching west from Peace River to the B.C. boundary and north, beyond the bounds of Notikewin Provincial Park.