Parks Canada has closed off a large area near Lake Louise to protect a denning female grizzly bear.
The 219-hectare closure applies to an area that includes Pipestone Bowl, Semi-Circular, Dog Leg, Vortex and Skinny backcountry ski areas on the north side of Mount Whitehorn in the Lake Louise area.
Parks Canada officials say grizzly bear 138 denned in that area on Nov. 1. The area is being closed to give her space and security as well as protect people who love to backcountry ski in that region.
“Grizzly bears are threatened in Alberta and population recovery depends primarily on reproduction and adult survival rates of females,” said Jesse Whittington, a biologist with Parks Canada. “Bear 138 is a young female that we hope will have offspring next year, so we’re closing the area to protect her den site.”
Parks Canada has denning information on four other grizzly bears that are fitted with GPS collars as part of a joint Parks Canada-Canadian Pacific Railway action plan to reduce bear deaths on the railway line.
Several other grizzly bears fitted with the tracking devices, including female bear 64 and a 700-pound male bruin called 122, are no longer being closely monitored because their collars malfunctioned for various reasons.
Generally, female bears in this area den mid to late October, whereas males den from November through early December, but with daily GPS-satellite technology, researchers can more accurately input when bruins den.
Bear 72, a prominent female bear that manages to carve out a living in the Lake Louise area, went into the den Oct. 1 in the Panorama Ridge area, compared to Oct. 19 last year.
The 18-year-old bear sent her two three-year-old offspring off on their own for the summer and was seen mating with a large male.
“She was seen with males so we’re hopeful she’ll have new cubs next spring,” said Whittington.
Female bear 130, a middle-aged bear whose two youngsters were killed on the train tracks last year, denned along the Sawback range between Banff and Lake Louise on Oct. 31
A young male known has 126 also made it safely into the den about Nov. 5 in the Baker Creek region.
Bear 128, a three-year-old grizzly who, along with his sibling, was orphaned two years ago when his mother was killed on the railway tracks near Lake Louise, is still roaming around looking for food, including spilled grain.
“He’s still very active,” said Whittington. “He’s cruising the railway tracks from Castle Mountain through Yoho. It will be interesting to see if he dens during this cold snap.”
The young orphaned bear may stay out as long as he’s getting enough to eat.
“It’s a balance of energy in, energy out,” said Whittington. “If they can still find enough food, and it’s worth their while staying out, then they’ll stay out.”
Research in Alberta suggests grizzly bears select den sites because of their close proximity to high quality spring habitat.
Grizzly bears in the Rockies typically like to den at higher elevations, often adjacent to avalanche slopes. They prefer areas with deeper snow, which provide excellent thermal regulation through winter, and also keeps them relatively free of harassment from wolves and people.
“I remember years ago tracking wolves in Kootenay National Park, and early in the winter they harassed a little black bear,” said Whittington. “The bear had to move three times before it finally scooted up high and was safe.”
The slopes bears choose are usually between 30 and 40 degrees, where they will often dig a big hole and use a large tree.
“The tree provides structural support and the dens are actually quite large. You can imagine in some cases, it has to be big enough to fit a females and sometimes three two-year-olds,” said Whittington.
“They usually pull in branches and grasses, and though it wouldn’t be comfortable for people, for a bear it’s really comfortable.”
Whittington said bears will typically dig a new den site every year and will not always den in the same area. For example, last year male bear 126 denned near Boom Lake and this year he’s in the Baker Creek drainage.
“I think it’s highly variable,” said Whittington. “Sometimes they return to the same area and sometimes they go to much different places.”
