Grizzly bear 'highway' uncovered in B.C. rainforest

New research from the Heiltsuk First Nation points to a sort of bear highwaythrough the Great Bear Rainforeston B.C.'s Central Coast.

WilliamHousty,a director with theQqsSociety, says the grizzly bears that were studied aretravellinghundreds ofkilometreseach year along preferred routes and one trail in particularalongthe salmon-producingKoeye River.

You can follow these trails and really walk the same highway the bears walk.- WilliamHousty,a director with theQqsSociety

"The bears walk in the same steps every time. Their feet are imprinted in the trail," he told CBC News. "You can follow these trails and really walk the same highway the bears walk."

Researchers from the Heiltsuk First Nation, combining traditional knowledge with scientific principles and techniques, have not only determinedthe grizzlies'territory is likely much larger than they expected, but they've also found there are more of the salmon-feeding bears than they thought.

For three years, Housty and other beartrackershave lived alongside the bears.

"We were interacting with these bears, we were bumping into them on trails, and really came to the conclusion that we knew nothing," he said.

Part of the study involved setting wirehair-snares scented to attract the bears to rub up against them.The researchersthen collected the fur left behind, and sent the fur samples forDNA analysis to do genetic comparisons.

Housty says everyone was surprised to discover there were up to 65 grizzlies living in theKoeyeRiver system alone.

"You know, it was staggering to know there was that many bears. We'd had figured that maybe we were dealing with 10 or 12bears, based on the ones that we've seen. So it tells us a lot about the health of the system. It tells us that the salmon is fairly healthy," he said.

Housty said the research has given theHeiltsuka clearer understanding of the size and shape of the bear sanctuary.

They nowplan to expand their grizzly bear survey to other salmon streams in the area to help inform a management plan for the region.

Google Maps: Koeye Dam and Fishway