Two authors from Mount Royal University and two authors from the provincial government have recently published a study on the bear population in the area. The study was conducted as part of the development and testing of the GrizzTracker app, which was created by Alberta Environment as a public education tool to streamline data collection and map bear movements.
The app allows users to report bear sightings, catalogue them with photos, GPS data, and observations on bear behavior. It was released to the public in 2017 and has been used to collect data in Bear Management Area 1, which covers a vast area stretching west from Peace River to the B.C. boundary and north beyond Notikewin Provincial Park.
One of the authors of the study, Dr. Hughes from Mount Royal University, said that they needed a standardized and automated way to make collecting bear observations more efficient and rigorous. This would also show Albertans that they can participate in scientific data collection efforts. The development of GrizzTracker has allowed for this goal to be achieved while also providing valuable information about bear populations in the area.
