Area of high quality habitat for elk and grizzly bears with low road density.

Columbia Lake Ecological Corridor | Features | Access affects Elk and Grizzly Bear Habitat Quality

For elk and grizzly bears, good habitat is not enough if disturbance is too high. Both species need a combination of high-quality habitat and habitat security, including areas farther from open roads, to support movement, feeding, reproduction, and survival.

From the corridor perspective, higher-quality habitat with lower road densities can improve habitat permeability for elk and grizzly bear seasonal migration and larger dispersal events, including park-to-park movement across the corridor. Access management should be considered where high-value elk or grizzly bear habitat overlaps with high local road density. Options include road deactivation, vehicle closures, and avoiding new road or trail development in intact road-free areas.

Area of low quality habitat for elk and grizzly bears with high road density

For access management, we consider the habitat requirements of grizzly bears and elk. Both species have rigorous peer-reviewed support for the conclusion that a combination of higher quality habitat and habitat security (being further from open roads) provide the necessary conditions for them to thrive. Both have literature that recommend road densities remain below 0.5 to 0.6 km/km2 to benefit reproduction and survival.

Grizzly bear corridors have been shown to be a combination of the best available habitat with the least amount of human disturbance. Similarly, separating roads from foraging areas may maintain elk in areas with higher road densities and contribute to landscape connectivity.

From the standpoint of the CLEC, higher quality habitat with more security (lower road densities) should facilitate increased habitat permeability for both elk and grizzly bear seasonal migration and larger dispersal events, including park-to-park across the entire corridor. Thus, we recommend that areas with high value elk and/or grizzly bear habitats and also high local road density be considered for access management options, such as road deactivation or vehicle closures. Examples of two different conditions in the CLEC are shown in the maps to the right.

Elk migratory behaviour has declined throughout the East Kootenays, with non-migratory elk suffering higher human-caused mortality, and showing signs of nutritional stress. Enhancing high-elevation summer range has been recommended to help restore migratory behaviour

While there are numerous Access Management Areas and Hunting Vehicle Closure Areas throughout the CLEC, enforcement needs to be increased and new areas considered. We also strongly recommend avoiding road and trail development in intact road-free areas.

Implementation of access management BMPs will not only enhance grizzly bear and elk connectivity, but also likely improve habitat security, and therefore landscape connectivity, for other wide-ranging species including wolverine, mountain goat, moose, and lynx.

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