As part of a study on bear population in the region, it was found that at most, 973 bears remain in the area. The study began as the GrizzTracker app was developed and tested. Two of the 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 and identify potential hot spots for human-bear encounters. The app 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,” said Hughes. “But it was also to show that Albertans can participate in the collection of scientific data.”
The Bear Management Area 1 served as the testing ground for the program. Covering a vast area stretching west from Peace River to the B.C. boundary and north beyond Notikewin Provincial Park, this zone provided an ideal location for testing the app’s capabilities.
