Wolf and Elk Winter Counts from Two Areas within Banff National Park, Alberta, CA, 1985/1986-2010/2011

• Main Authors: Mark Hebblewhite, Parks Canada
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity
• Subjects: wolf; Canis lupus; elk; Cervus elaphus; time-series; population; predator-prey; source-sink; elaphus; lupus; Canada
• Online Access: https://search.dataone.org/view/jgoldberg.5.1

Parks Canada monitored wolf and elk winter populations annually in BNP during the study period over 26 years from 1985-1986 (i.e., November 1985 to April 1986) through 2010-2011. The agency began counting the Bow Valley (non-refuge) wolf population upon wolf recolonization in the winter of 1985-1986. Prior to the winter of 1992-1993, the Bow Valley supported two wolf packs (the Castle and Spray packs), which then merged to form a single pack (the Bow Valley pack). We summed the population counts from the Castle and Spray packs to determine the total number of wolves in the Bow Valley during the early years of the study period. Parks Canada conducted late-winter aerial surveys to determine elk populations in the town of Banff (refuge) and the Bow Valley. We applied a sightability adjustment of 13% to correct observer bias in the elk population counts. Parks Canada took aggressive management actions to control growing urban elk populations in the Banff townsite (Banff hereafter) starting in 1998. From 1998 to 2001, Parks Canada relocated elk far outside the system (equivalent to harvest with no return) to mitigate emerging human-elk conflicts. As a part of this management plan, Parks Canada began an aversive conditioning program to further combat the problems of habituated elk. Outside of this three-year period, Banff elk have not been subjected to any human harvest under the management authority of Parks Canada. Similarly, the Bow Valley wolf and elk populations have not experienced any human hunting or culling for the duration of our study, although both were subjected to occasional vehicle caused mortality despite extensive highway mitigation. For further study area description, see Hebblewhite M, Pletscher DH, Paquet PC (2002) Elk population dynamics in areas with and without predation by recolonizing wolves in Banff National Park, Alberta. Canadian Journal of Zoology-Revue Canadienne De Zoologie 80: 789-799 .