Written by: Rosen Chang, Environmental Program Coordinator with contributions from Executive Director Pegah Pourkarimi
As part of the Protecting Priority Habitats campaign, we held a workshop led by an independent wildlife researcher and citizen scientist, Michael Allen. With over three decades of fieldwork in the Sea to Sky corridor, Michael brought an in-depth, science-based look into the lives of grizzlies, cougars, and other species at risk, and why protecting their habitats is essential to maintaining healthy ecosystems.
Wildlife Highways and Grizzly Behaviours
Michael opened the session by highlighting the importance of floodplains, which act as “wildlife highways” due to their high biodiversity and connected habitats. For the past 11 years, he has been monitoring grizzly populations through a network of more than 50 wildlife cameras stretching from the Cheakamus and Squamish Rivers to the Elaho Valley and Pemberton backcountry. These permanent and seasonal cameras (placed strategically during salmon and berry seasons) help track approximately 50-60 grizzly bears moving through the region.
The workshop offered how to identify grizzlies in the field: their distinctive muscle humps, large size (males can be three times heavier than females), unique head and rostrum shapes, and injuries or ear characteristics that help differentiate individuals. Unlike black bears, grizzlies typically lack neck or chest markings.
Imprints of bear paws on the left and black bear skulls on the right brought by Michael Allen.
Tracking Populations and Understanding Challenges
Michael’s long-term monitoring reveals shifting wildlife patterns, ecological pressures, and areas of concern. Female grizzlies require secure, low-disturbance habitats to thrive, particularly during salmon season, when they may consume 10 to 30 fish a day. Pink salmon remain the most abundant species available to them.
But despite the ecological richness of the Sea to Sky, threats persist. Human presence, especially backcountry camping and recreation, remains the number one challenge for grizzlies in lower Squamish. Illegal shootings have also reduced the number of mature males in the region. One especially striking example was a 10.5 year old healthy female grizzly who still hasn’t had cubs, simply because there aren’t enough males left in the region.
Trail cameras also capture broader ecosystem interactions: mountain goats, wolverines, bears, wolves, and cougars often use the same routes. Deer populations have recently spiked, leading to high cougar kitten survival rates. Meanwhile, the return of healthy moose numbers signals improving habitat security. Seeing young wolves, elk, deer, and moose share the same landscape shows how interconnected these species truly are.
Why Habitat Protection Matters Most
During the workshop, local forest biologist Bob Brett, introduced the wider lens of habitat conservation, noting that while species-specific protection is important, preserving habitats such as wetlands, old-growth yellow-cedar stands, and big-tree forests creates deeper, longer-lasting benefits.
Some species are tightly tied to these ecosystems:
- Beavers shape and maintain rich wetlands.
- Mountain goats and goshawks depend on specific forest structures.
- Tail frogs indicate clean, cold mountain streams.
- Salmon runs reflect watershed health.
Protecting habitats ensures these species can continue their ecological roles. As Bob emphasized, “Everyone needs a habitat” and right now, nature faces its own housing crisis. By preserving priority habitats, we not only protect charismatic species like grizzlies and cougars, but we also safeguard the ecosystems that support biodiversity, water quality, climate resilience, and long-term ecological stability.
Bob Brett highlighting the Priority Habitat Map. The orange zones represent High Priority habitats, while the red zones indicate Very High Priority areas. The inner white line marks the WUDCA (Whistler Urban Development Containment Area) boundary, and the outer white line is the RMOW boundary.
Linking Wildlife Monitoring to Habitat Priorities
Michael Allen’s long-term monitoring closely complements the Priority Habitat Framework now guiding conservation planning in Whistler. His decades of camera data and detailed observations reveal exactly how grizzlies, cougars, and other species move through the valleys, floodplains, and forest corridors that the Framework identifies as High and Very High Priority habitats. By documenting where females require secure feeding areas, which seasonal routes grizzlies use during salmon runs, and how multiple species converge along the same ecological “highways,” Michael provides species-level evidence that supports the landscape patterns shown on the Priority Habitat Map. His findings illustrate why these mapped areas must remain connected and undisturbed: when key habitat patches are compromised, the entire network of wildlife movement begins to unravel.
Learn More
This workshop was in part of our Protecting Priority Habitats campaign. Explore the Priority Habitat Map and Technical Report prepared by Bob Brett, and learn how you can participate in upcoming events.
This work is made possible by the generous support of the Whistler Community Foundation Environmental Legacy Fund and the RMOW.
