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Grizzlies on Olympic doorstep

Councillor, AWARE president, concerned about legacies in Callaghan
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Ring Lake, in upper Calllaghan valley, is habitat for at least four grizzly bears. Photo courtesy www.coastphoto.com

By Alison Taylor

A government study has conclusively proved that four grizzly bears are living roughly five kilometres away from Whistler’s Olympic Nordic venue.

The evidence of grizzly bears, and possibly their cubs, in the area has raised concern among some community members about what is proposed in the Callaghan Valley as an Olympic legacy. Part of the proposal includes a network of roughly 25 kilometres of recreational trails in grizzly bear country.

Councillor Eckhard Zeidler, who raised the issue during VANOC’s presentation of its sustainability plan to council Monday afternoon, is “deeply concerned” about the impact of future development in the area.

“Now that we have that information (on the grizzlies) we have to take that into account and we have to make a decision collectively as to whether we want to make further incursions into this wild area having that knowledge, because we can’t ignore it,” said Zeidler.

Development could push the grizzlies out of the area and it could also increase the risk of a conflict with humans.

“The first and foremost concern is displacement from preferred habitat,” said provincial bear biologist Tony Hamilton, speaking in general terms. “So if a facility of any kind, a campground or a trail network, is located in backcountry occupied grizzly bear habitat in British Columbia anywhere, we’re concerned about displacement from preferred habitat and its converse, human safety.”

There are ways, he added, to mitigate the impacts to grizzlies, such as seasonal trail closures and educating the public who are recreating there.

“There are plenty of examples of exactly that kind of thing elsewhere in British Columbia,” said Hamilton.

The provincial ministry of the environment raised the issue of grizzlies in the Callaghan in December 2004.

At that time the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Games was in the process of an Environmental Assessment for the Whistler Nordic Centre, approval of which was necessary before beginning construction on the venue.

The approval came in April 2005 but it only allowed for the construction of the venue on 260 hectares in the lower part of the Callaghan. There has been no evidence of grizzly bears living in this area.

The future legacy uses for the Callaghan were to be considered under a separate application.

In the first EA report VANOC recognized there were grizzlies in the Callaghan and committed to work on a bear management plan within the competition area as well as ensure that public education, such as literature, was provided at the trailheads.

VANOC could not confirm before Pique’s deadline Wednesday if those were in place.

Meanwhile a three-year study that examines grizzlies in southwest British Columbia from the Fraser to the coast and from Carpenter Lake south to Vancouver is almost complete.

Definitive DNA proof from 2004 hair samples of the grizzlies came in spring 2005.

In 2005 bear hair was again captured in the Callaghan, leading Hamilton to the conclusion that these bears were residents.

“This isn’t some kind of transient thing that we picked up in 2004 in the spring,” said Hamilton. “These are resident animals.”

Though the lab results for 2006 won’t be available until the spring of next year, all signs point to more grizzly bear evidence.

“I think it’s clear we’ve established residency of grizzly bears in the valley,” added Hamilton.

He cautioned, however, that the information is still preliminary.

The DNA samples point to two males and two female grizzlies living in the Callaghan Valley. Though the testing can prove the sex of the bears, it cannot determine age. Hamilton said there have been confirmed sightings of cubs with their mothers.

“We’re pretty certain that there’s some mother/cub relationships going on in there,” he said.

He could not say definitely this week where the bear traps to collect the hair were located in the Callaghan but estimated one location was roughly five kilometres from the Nordic Centre.

Hamilton is not worried about grizzlies coming into that area. It’s lower in the valley and not in ideal grizzly habitat.

“I’ve spent enough time up there to tell you quite clearly that the suitability of the Lower Callaghan is not very good for grizzly bears,” said Hamilton. “They’re just not naturally attracted there.”

But there are plans underway to develop legacy trails in the upper reaches of the Callaghan, closer to grizzly bear country.

Like Councillor Zeidler, Brad Kasselman, president of the Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment (AWARE) is concerned about the impact the legacy trails could have on the grizzlies.

“What we feel has been done to date obviously can’t be reversed but what might be done in the future in the form of legacy trails, which have not been finalized, need to really be looked at hard and fast through the lens of mitigating the impacts on grizzly bear habitat and therefore, looking through that lens, it may be conceivable that those legacy trails either need to be pared down significantly or just not exist at all,” said Kasselman.

Whistler, he said, has no shortage of cross-country trails that aren’t oversubscribed.

“It’s a great legacy in theory but not if it interferes with something as important as grizzly bear habitat,” he added.

Zeidler said he would like to see the business case for the legacy trails before they are created. He said building the trails will push the grizzlies further north. What is the higher value he asked.

“Potentially getting more trails that may or may not contribute to the sustainability of this built environment…?” he said.

“If we just go ahead and do it, we will without question contribute to a fragmentation of grizzly habitat.”

In his most recent report on the cost of the 2010 Olympic Games Auditor General Arn van Iersel wrote that VANOC is developing plans to assess the future operating costs and revenues of the legacy venues. In it he said: “The post-Games business plan for the Whistler Nordic Centre recommended add-on options such as additional trail development, a sizable day lodge, and food and beverage concessions so that post-Games revenues could be maximized.”

Archie Riddell, a project assessment director at the Environmental Assessment Office, said he is expecting VANOC’s project description for the legacy portion of the Callaghan Valley soon.

He said it’s been “scoped down” from the original proposal.

At the time of the first EA, VANOC recognized it must take steps to address the grizzly population as it works on the legacy plan.

In that report it states: “For the legacy recreational trails and facilities, VANOC committed to a displacement and human safety hazard assessment, with appropriate mitigation measures, and will work with WLAP (Water, Land and Air Protection) and other Valley tenure holders and stakeholders in grizzly bear monitoring programs if the Valley is confirmed as an important grizzly bear area.”

Hamilton said he is not aware of the terminology “important grizzly bear area.” However, of the two classifications of grizzly bear populations — viable or threatened — the Callaghan Valley, and the surrounding areas are “threatened.” That means the population estimate is less than 50 per cent of the current habitat carrying capacity, said Hamilton.

VANOC could not confirm before press time on Wednesday whether it has completed the displacement and human safety hazard assessments.

Grizzlies once roamed as far south as Mexico, but they have been steadily pushed further and further north.

“When you look at the state trooper emblem (of California state police) their emblem is a grizzly,” said Zeidler. “There haven’t been any grizzlies there since 1929. And it’s a similar story in Oregon and now there’s a remnant population in Washington State in the Cascades, and that line of grizzly extirpation keeps moving north and now it’s right in our backyard and the decisions that we make will affect whether that line keeps moving north or not. Personally I’d like to see it stopped right here.”

Kasselman is encouraging people to get informed.

“It certainly makes a lot of sense to me that the community be concerned and express their concern about doing everything possible from this point forward to keep that line from being pushed any further to the north,” he said. “It should be a real point of pride for the people around here.”