Woodland caribou populations are considered threatened in Alberta and have declined in the Canadian Rocky Mountain National Parks of Banff and Jasper despite protection from factors causing caribou populations to decline outside of parks. Recent research emphasizes the importance of the numeric response of wolves to moose in moose-caribou-wolf systems to caribou persistence. Moose are rare in the Canadian Rockies, where the dominant ungulate prey for wolves is elk. Few studies have explored wolf-elk dynamics and none have examined implications for caribou. We used data collected in Banff to estimate the numeric response of wolves to elk from 1985 to 2005. Because no caribou kill-rate data exist for the Rockies, we explore the consequences of a range of hypothetical kill-rates based on kill-rates of alternate prey collected from 1985 to 2000 in Banff. We then multiplied the numeric response of wolves by the estimated caribou kill-rates to estimate the wolf predation response on caribou as a function of elk density. Caribou predation rates were inversely density dependent because wolf numbers depend on prey species besides caribou in multiple prey species systems. We then combined this simple wolf-elk-caribou model with observed demographic and population estimates for Banff and Jasper caribou from 2003-2004 and solved for the critical kill-rate thresholds above which caribou populations would decline. Using these critical kill-rate thresholds, Jasper caribou are likely to persist when wolf densities are below 2.1 -4.3 wolves/1000km 2 and/or when elk densities are below 0.015-0.033 elk/km 2 . Thresholds for Banff caribou persistence are much lower because of inverse density dependence. Future research is needed on some of the necessary assumptions underlying our modeling including multi-prey wolf numeric responses, wolf kill-rates of caribou, caribou mortality by other predators, and spatial aspects of wolf-elk-caribou dynamics.

Mitigation measures to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) on highways are becoming an established practice in many jurisdictions. Most highway mitigation projects occur while roads are being upgraded, enlarged or repaired. Many smaller highways may not be subject to these types of upgrades in the near future but are nonetheless problematic for causing WVCs. Thus, it is important to find cost effective ways to locate and prioritize stretches of highway for mitigation. We present several criteria that can be used to assist in prioritizing the location of wildlife-proof fencing along a 94-km stretch of road in one of Canada's National Parks. We considered temporal consistency of WVC occurrences, conservation value (i.e. reduction in WVC rates), economic benefits (i.e. cost of mitigation vs benefits in WVC reduction), and a combined approach to prioritize management actions. We compared the efficacy of four different lengths of fencing (i.e. phase lengths) at meeting these criteria: 2 km, 5 km, 10 km and 25 km. We used 1,244 WVC records from a long-tem monitoring program (1981-2005) as data to assess mitigation effectiveness. We found that longer fences best address conservation concerns, but all fencing sections, irrespective of length, rarely captured. 50% of WVC locations by species. We found that shorter fences were more economically efficient, but also more variable in performance, than longer fences. Lastly, we found that longer fence lengths tend to produce the best results for the combined metric criteria. Clearly defined management goals will determine the extent to which a phased approach to highway mitigation is viable.

A male Canada Lynx (Lynx canadensis) killed two Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in the southern Canadian Rocky Mountains in January 1999 and made use of the kills for 28 days. Canada Lynx predation on ungulates has been reported but is rare, and accounts have been brief. We detail the lynx behaviour associated with the kills and their consumption. An infrared monitor and attached camera were used to register daily activity at the kill site. We speculate on the factors that may have influenced this opportunistic predation event.

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