Land Restoration Update
A Season of Surprises
The 2024 field season started off a little slow but soon brought an unexpected twist. On June 20, 2024, the expansion of Klinse-Za/Twin Sisters Provincial Park was officially announced—much earlier than any of us had expected. While the expansion had been in motion for over 4 years (West Moberly First Nations, Saulteau First Nations, and the provincial and federal governments agreed to the Intergovernmental Partnership Agreement for the Conservation of the Central Group of the Southern Mountain Caribou in 2020), the timing of the formal designation came as a surprise.
In fewer than 10 days, oversight of much of the Klinse-Za caribou herd area transitioned from the Ministry of Forests to BC Parks. This shift required quick adaptation, as planned treatment areas under the Ministry proceeded as expected, while others now under BC Parks’ jurisdiction required fast coordination to stay on track. Despite the surprise, BC Parks staff—true to their long-standing commitment—proved exceptionally supportive and agile in facilitating our restoration plans, which were set to begin in the coming months.
Making Progress on the Ground
With this unexpected speed bump behind us, we moved forward, completing functional restoration work on over 15 kilometres of roads. This included tree felling over 2 kilometres and a mix of recontouring, mounding, and scattering treatments across 13 kilometres.
Where appropriate machinery could access and site conditions allowed, road recontouring was especially fitting given the area’s new park status.This technique seeks to mimic natural slopes, covering them with topsoil and woody debris to blend seamlessly with the surrounding landscape. While ideal recontouring isn’t always possible depending on how and when a road was built, the results in some areas were remarkable and we’re very excited with some of the results. Once planted and given time, we believe even a keen observer would struggle to see where roads once existed. This was some of our most natural looking restoration to date.
This season’s work has set the stage for a new era of restoration in Klinse-Za/Twin Sisters Provincial Park. As we continue forward, we remain committed to ensuring the caribou habitat recovers and thrives in its newly protected status.
Our Restoration Techniques
Three main techniques we employed in 2024:
- Road recontouring with top soil and coarse woody debris spreading (partial and full)
- Mounding of the road running width and scatter of woody debris
- Tree falling
Science Program Update
Calf Survival Analysis
Calves are a key part of increasing caribou populations. The Klinse-Za maternity pen is designed to increase calf survival, and it’s the job of the science program to measure by how much the pen is increasing calf survival, and put these amounts into context.
Each year between 2014 and 2023, calves were collared inside the pen, while between 2019 and 2023, calves outside the pen were also collared. Early results from this data reveal important insights into the effectiveness of the pens. Calves released from the pen exhibit high survival rates from birth (May to June) until they are considered “recruited” into the population at 10 months old (March).
On average, penned calves have an approximately 88% chance of survival during this period, compared to calves born outside the pen, which have an approximately 64% chance of survival. In terms of mortality reduction, the benefits of the pen for caribou calves are comparable in magnitude to the safety benefits provided by seat belts for motorists in a crash.
Most of the mortality documented for calves outside the pen occurred during the first 6 weeks of life. Therefore, the 6-8 week penning period appears to prevent this period of high mortality that these calves would otherwise face without the pen. The primary causes of death for calves outside the pen were bears (5 cases), wolverines (3 cases), and avalanche (2 cases). We are currently analyzing these results along with information on adult female pregnancy rates. We will prepare reports and peer-reviewed manuscripts over the coming year.