Hunters, outfitters, wildlife biologists, and politicians gathered at the Key City Theatre on the weekend to learn about big game wildlife management in the Kootenays and beyond.
The symposium, which was organized by Carmen Purdy and members with the Kootenay Heritage Wildlife Fund, was organized in response to concerns over plummeting numbers of ungulates such as elk and deer.
The symposium featured a panel of experts who gave presentations on topics ranging from game management philosophies and priorities to the importance of proper scientific data in which to ground management decisions.
Speakers for the symposium included:
• Dr. Valerius Geist, a former Professor Emeritus of Environmental Science at the University of Calgary and publisher of 17 books on wildlife biology and wildlife conservation policy.
• Dr. Vince Crichton (known as Doc Moose) who retired after 40 years with Manitoba’s Wildlife and Ecosystem Protection Branch. Crichton has been published in many scientific journals, popular magazines, and authored two chapters in a book Entitled, “The Ecology and Management of the North American Moose.”
• Dr. Charles Kay holds a PH.D in Wildlife Ecology from Utah State University, in addition to an M.S. in Environmental Studies and a B.Sc. in Wildlife Biology both from the University of Montana. Dr. Kay has conducted extensive ecological research in the intermountain West over the last 40 years, including Yellowstone National Park and southern Canadian Rockies.
• Ken Sumanik holds a BSc. in Biology from University of Calgary and an MSc, in Zoology from the University of Edmonton. He was a former head wildlife biologist for Northern B.C. from the Yukon to the West Coast.
• Jim Beers, a retired professional biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service where he was a wildlife refuge manager.
• Ray Demarchi, a former Regional Wildlife Biologist for the Kootenay District. Demarchi was known and respected as a straight shooter in his time in the Kootenays.
• Carmen Purdy Founder and Chair of the Kootenay Wildlife Heritage Fund, a non-profit organization which was formed in 980.
Predator management was a central topic, particularly the introduction of wolves into various regions such as Kootenay National Park in Canada or Yellowstone National Park in the United States, and the resulting effect on elk numbers.
For example, on average, one wolf is responsible for 22 elk kills annually in Yellowstone National Park, according to Dr. Geist.
Many of the panelists lamented the notion that by leaving nature alone, wildlife numbers would balance themselves.
“Hands-off management doesn’t work,” said Dr. Geist.
Dr. Crichton, an expert who has extensively studied moose across North America, noted that numbers in specific areas of Manitoba improved after access roads were blocked and culverts were removed in moose habitat.
A few of the panelists also advocated for wildlife management plans where stakeholders such as hunters, guide outfitters and Indigenous groups are bound by the same harvest regulations.
A central theme to the symposium was getting politicians to make decisions based on science, rather than public opinion.
Beers spoke about how hunting licenses for deer in Virginia was delegated to counties, rather than the state government, allowing local elected officials to control the harvest.
Beers urged proactive strategies and resources, and setting plans with clear goals as a necessary elements for wildlife management.
“Conservation isn’t something to be just talked about, it has to be a way of life,” he said.