Biodiversity Pathways

A special thanks to Nature Trust British Columbia and the Nature Conservancy of Canada for their collaboration on private conservation lands.

Together, we are restoring a landscape where wildlife can thrive for generations to come.

Major funders include Columbia Basin Trust, Elk Valley Resources, Government of BC, Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi ’it First Nation, Canfor, TC Energy, and the Wild Sheep Society of British Columbia alongside many other supporters.

This work is made possible by a network of partners and supporters, with work led by the Fernie Rod and Gun Club, the Government of British Columbia, Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi ’it First Nation, East Kootenay Invasive Species Council, Rocky Mountain Trench Natural Resources Society, and Biodiversity Pathways.

We set up 37 wildlife cameras and collared 11 animals to monitor how culturally important wildlife are using the treated areas. Data from before and after treatments will show whether animals change their behaviour following treatments and help identify priority areas to target for future treatment.

The steady increase of invasive species in the area has reduced available forage for sheep and deer and hindered the reintroduction of prescribed burns to the area.

The East Kootenay Invasive Species Council oversaw the spraying of 82 ha in priority areas such as road access points.

Wigwam Flats had historic fires every 10-15 years. With nearby urban areas and the spread of invasive plants, the area hasn’t burned since the 1980s.

85 ha were thinned, pruned, and slashed to combat forest encroachment and:
✔️maintain ecosystem health
✔️increase ungulate forage and sightlines

That’s a wrap on the first year of the Wigwam Flats Ecosystem Enhancement Project!

This five-year project is focused on restoring hundreds of hectares in the Wigwam Flats area in BC to support bighorn sheep, mule deer, and overall biodiversity and ecosystem health.

Read on for highlights:

The latest from Wildland Foundations A multi-year project focusing on the impacts of extreme wildfire and efforts to return prescribed burns to the landscape

The Wildland Foundations project is focused on the impacts of extreme #wildfire on Indigenous use of land, and on efforts to prevent extreme wildfire by restoring #prescribedburns to the landscape.

Read all about the first year of the project:

biodiversitypathways.ca/the-latest-f...

The Boreal Avian Modelling Centre is hiring a postdoctoral fellow to develop high-resolution, Canada-wide models of waterbird density.

The models will be used as indicators of local wetland health and large-scale environmental change.

Open until filled!

borealbirds.ca/postdoctoral...

Had a great day in Kamloops workshopping #connectivity with community leaders, managers, and scientists. @biodivpathways.bsky.social

Learn about indicators linked to drivers of caribou declines, like predator access to caribou via linear features and the abundance of leafy food increasing the numbers of moose and deer (and their predators) in an area.

Read the full resource online 🔼

#CCLMPortal #CaribouRecovery #SciComm

Habitat recovery is a key aspect of caribou conservation – but how do we know when a disturbed area has recovered?

The latest briefing note from the CCLM Knowledge Network summarizes an approach using ecological indicators of recovery from DeMars et al. (2025):

www.cclmportal.ca/resource/whe...

We are looking for a PhD student with a desire to interweave different ways of knowing to understand boreal birds in the far north of Ontario! See the posting below for details. #bioacoustics

It's the last week to apply to be our Manager of Operations!

If you have a track record of successfully building multi-stakeholder biodiversity research and monitoring programs, consider joining our team!

Full details, including compensation: biodiversitypathways.ca/contact-us/

#hiring #jobs

We're #hiring a Manager of Operations! Respect and collaboration are integral to our work: if you have a track record of successfully building multi-stakeholder biodiversity research and monitoring programs, consider joining our team!

Full details, including compensation, are available below 🔽

Hundreds of animals killed by trains on B.C. railroads, documents reveal. So, what’s being done to stop it? | CBC News Documents obtained through freedom of information requests by The Narwhal and shared with CBC News show hundreds of animals have been killed in collisions with trains on B.C. tracks owned by Canada's ...

good coverage from @ainsliecruickshank.bsky.social on an overlooked issue: rail-wildlife collisions. Featuring @biodivpathways.bsky.social scientist @claytontlamb.bsky.social

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

We're #hiring a Manager of Operations! Respect and collaboration are integral to our work: if you have a track record of successfully building multi-stakeholder biodiversity research and monitoring programs, consider joining our team!

Full details, including compensation, are available below 🔽

As of April 1, 2025, BAM has joined Biodiversity Pathways — together, we'll continue the high-quality science and products BAM is known for to support boreal bird management and conservation.

Now online: the 24-25 annual report from the Boreal Avian Modelling Centre (BAM)!

Read about work on:
🐦 boreal bird population models that bring together >1.45 million bird surveys
🌲 bird responses to forestry, mining, and wildfire
📊 open access bird data and tools

borealbirds.ca/bam-2024-25-...

Statistical Ecologist <p>The Human Footprint Analyst plays a pivotal role in one of ABMI&rsquo;s most recognized programs&mdash;the Human Footprint Monitoring Program&mdash;tracking human land use patterns across Alberta&r...

The @abbiodiversity.bsky.social is hiring a statistical ecologist! This is my previous position and is IMO an awesome job. Focus will be on birds 🐦 and acoustics 🔉, holler if you'd like to chat about it!

Learn more & apply by October 30, 2025: abmi.ca/abmi-home/co...

Grateful to get to share the Wildland Foundations project at the WRCC Building Foundational Knowledge Gathering last week!

biodiversitypathways.ca/our-initiati...

A map of various planned and in construction wildlife crossings on Highway 3 through southern Alberta and B.C.

Join us Oct. 15 at noon MT to learn how remote cameras and GPS collars are revealing wildlife movement patterns along Highway 3. Researchers will share insights on animal crossings — and how we can make journeys for all safer through this landscape.

Register:
us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Biodiversity Pathways Annual Report 2024-25 We're pleased to share our annual report from 2024-25.

What goes on Biodiversity Pathways? Read our latest annual report to find out!

Learn about mammal research and monitoring led by the Wildlife Science Centre; environmental sensor research with SENSR; and human footprint mapping by the Geospatial Centre.

biodiversitypathways.ca/annual-repor...

Bat Kits - Alberta Community Bat Program Library Loan Kits We are rolling out library loan kits in select communities across Alberta. Stay tuned to learn more about where to reserve yours.  Participating Libraries The following libraries hos...

Ever wondered if bats are in your neighbourhood? 🦇 Alberta libraries now offer borrowable "Bat Kits"! Each kit has a detector & resources to help you listen for bats. Check your library (and ask about inter-library loans) or learn more: www.albertabats.ca/batkits/

Wildland Foundations Fire Risk Mitigation in Indigenous Communities

The Wildland Foundations project aims to understand the impact of #wildfire on wildlife, habitat, and forest structure; cultural sites; and Indigenous use of traditional lands in four NRCAN-funded demonstration sites.

Take a tour of the project:

biodiversitypathways.ca/our-initiati...

Acoustic and Image Processing Contractors Contract Positions Available: 6 When: September 1, 2025 – March 31, 2026 with extension depending on performance Where: Work may be conducted remotely with a stable, high-speed internet connection  Wo...

We're #hiring!

We’re looking for skilled animal identifiers! Work remotely and process images and recordings from environmental sensors using the WildTrax platform. You will be the essential link between field work and results!

sensr.ca/opportunity/...

#environmentaljobs #wildlife

Acoustic and Image Processing Contractors Contract Positions Available: 6 When: September 1, 2025 – March 31, 2026 with extension depending on performance Where: Work may be conducted remotely with a stable, high-speed internet connection  Wo...

We're #hiring!

We’re looking for skilled animal identifiers! Work remotely and process images and recordings from environmental sensors using the WildTrax platform. You will be the essential link between field work and results!

sensr.ca/opportunity/...

#environmentaljobs #wildlife

New study looks at grizzly bear movements and habitat choices—and the influence of human infrastructure Over twenty years of GPS collar data was used to understand where bears go and why in the southern Rocky Mountains

The southern Rocky Mountains provide a critical but narrow connection between grizzly #bear populations in North America.

In a #newpaper, over twenty years of GPS collar data was used to understand where bears go and why in the southern Rocky Mountains.

tinyurl.com/3kbfsvcu

Not gonna lie, it’s pretty cool! So grateful for everything in my PhD that led me here.

© CBC/Radio-Canada 2025. All rights reserved.

HawkEars, a new AI tool that identifies Canadian birds and amphibians in audio recordings, could improve how ecologists monitor and study wildlife.

Learn about its development and its potential on CBC's Edmonton AM in "AI for the birds": www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...