Grizzly bears in central B.C. rely primarily on plant-based foods and terrestrial meat sources (e.g., ungulates) to meet their energetic requirements because they lack access to abundant anadromous salmon resources like their coastal counterparts. The abundance of key foods can vary annually because of changes in weather conditions but can also be influenced by larger factors like landscape and climate change. We sought to characterize the importance of kokanee to grizzly bears generally around Vanderhoof and Fort St. James where landscape change and climate effects continue to occur. We assessed the use of kokanee by grizzly bears, estimated visitation trend of grizzly bears at kokanee streams, and developed recommendations for habitat protection and landscape change aimed to maintain kokanee stocks.

Shelley Marshall is a Senior Wildlife Biologist, first in the Omineca Region and now in West Coast Region, in the Province of B.C. She holds a Master’s degree in wildlife behavioural ecology from Simon Fraser University that assessed the effects of bear viewers on grizzly bears feeding along a salmon stream in northern Yukon. Shelley has a strong background in applied biology and wildlife management. She has been working on wildlife management for 19 years and has significant experience designing and implementing wildlife studies that focus on assessing the effects of human activity on wildlife behaviour, survival, and habitat selection. All these projects focus on delivering management recommendations to decision makers.

The Natural Resources & Environmental Studies Institute (NRESi) at UNBC hosts a weekly lecture series at the Prince George campus. Anyone from the university or wider community with interest in the topic area is welcome to attend. Presentations are also made available to remote participants through Zoom Webinar. Go to http://www.unbc.ca/nres-institute/colloquium-webcasts to view the presentation remotely.

Past NRESi colloquium presentations and special lectures can be viewed on our video archive, available here.