Aerial surveys are the primary method to assess ungulate population size, demographics, and trends in Alberta. These estimates are used to set hunting license allocations and determine priority areas for recovery actions. However, it can be difficult to obtain accurate population estimates and demographics for some ungulates using aerial survey methods in forested habitat do to poor sightability.

Camera trapping is a noninvasive and relatively inexpensive method of monitoring wildlife, and recent advances in analysis methods have eliminated many of the issues facing early attempts at estimating population densities. However, camera survey methods need refinement to be an informative and cost-effective alternative to aerial surveys, particularly regarding the number of cameras required for accurate population estimates.

Objectives

We will install camera traps to evaluate a range of spatial scales and camera numbers to determine an appropriate number of cameras. This approach will allow us to determine:

• whether camera trapping is a feasible method of estimating ungulate densities in forested habitat in west-central Alberta
• a sampling design and statistical approach that is both cost-effective and accurate for estimating ungulate densities

This project will develop an innovative method for future ungulate inventories. Results from this project will also be used to estimate densities of moose, deer, and elk, in west-central Alberta – valuable information for landscape management that will inform conservation efforts for caribou.

Methods

In the summer of 2023, we will install camera traps in a grid format in west-central Alberta. Cameras will remain in place for one year but will be checked approximately 6 months after deployment. Cameras will be configured so as to be capable of multiple approaches to estimate densities from unmarked individuals.

The Cape Churchill caribou herd, part of the Eastern Migratory caribou population, resides along the western coast of Hudson Bay and has been largely unstudied. However, they are locally important to hunters and visiting tourists, as well as an ecological keystone species as a grazer and prey source. As a product of the 2020 Beyond Borders Caribou Workshop, we developed a collaborative team of academic researchers, Parks Canada staff, and Manitoba Métis Federation staff. Our on-going efforts have focused on developing and fortifying relationships and identifying common goals centered around caribou conservation and the greater ecosystem. The summer range of the Cape Churchill herd is almost completely protected by Wapusk National Park, however the winter range is largely unprotected, existing outside of the park boundaries. The development of a proposed Indigenous Protected Conservation Area (IPCA), led by the Manitoba Métis Federation is a priority goal of our group, with caribou being its focal species. Our objectives are to: (1) monitor the Cape Churchill herd annually to estimate population composition and long-term trends, (2) develop and monitor a grid of n=97 trail cameras on summer range to characterize caribou occurrences, group size, arrival and departure dates to and from seasonal ranges, (3) continue our 23 years of intensive habitat monitoring, (4) monitor the impacts of fire on the winter range using remote sensing, (5) study wolf occurrences in relation to caribou on summer range, (6) incorporate local and traditional knowledge, and (7) engage local and Indigenous youth and elders.

This project considered the role of traditional knowledge in wildlife health monitoring through a 12-year period of research with elders and harvesters.