Wood Bison Vehicle Collisions

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Why are Bison using road corridors in the first place?

What is the extent of the problem?

Who is responsible for managing the highways and the wildlife that are on the highways?

Factors Involved In Wood Bison Collisions

Traffic Factors
Wildlife Factors
Seasonal and Diurnal Factors

What can highway managers do to reduce collisions with Wood Bison?

What can drivers do to reduce their risk of Bison vehicle collisions?

Wood Bison Vehicle Collisions in Northwestern Canada

Northwest Territories

Yukon Territory

Alberta

British Columbia

One consequence of the reintroduction of Wood Bison to the Canadian northwestern boreal forest is that several reintroduced herds have suffered significant mortality caused by vehicle collisions.

In March 1996, less than one year after reintroduction, the Etthithun Lake herd suffered 20% mortality, when 3 out of 15 animals were killed by collisions with vehicles.
In the Nordquist Herd, vehicle collisions are the primary cause of Wood Bison mortality.
Highway 3, the Yellowknife Highway, is the only road to Yellowknife, and it runs right through the middle of the core range for the Mackenzie Herd. In 2007, 30 Wood Bison were killed by vehicle collisions.

Why are Wood Bison using road corridors in the first place?

Wood Bison are attracted to the roads and roadside areas for a variety of reasons.
Disturbed sites on highway rights of way provide good establishment of palatable vegetation and planted range mixes
Vegetation on the side of road is a very accessible food source at all times of the year and Wood Bison have become habituated to this source of forage
Right of way forage is well maintained (cut/mowed often), so it is very palatable with lots of vegetative growth
Highways and rights of way are often windy, so animals can get relief from biting insects
Herd animals benefit from wide open highways and rights of way which provide good visibility and long sightlines assisting bison to avoid predators
Highways and rights of way can provide easier routes of travel than forested locations, especially during times of deep snow

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What is the extent of the problem?

Bison can be encountered on the following roads in northwestern Canada:

Alaska Highway in BC and the Yukon
Highway 97 in British Columbia, near Pink Mountain
Highway 3, the Yellowknife Highway in NWT
Highway 5, the Fort Smith Highway in NWT
Highway 7, the Liard highway in NWT
Zama Road in Alberta

Who is responsible for managing the highways and the wildlife that are on the highways?

One of the difficulties in reducing wildlife vehicle collisions is that different agencies are responsible for the components of the issue, and they often have conflicting mandates.

One agency may have responsibilities for wildlife, another agency will have responsibility for highway safety and road conditions, another agency may incur the insurance costs (property damage, and human injury and death claims), resulting from a wildlife collision, and yet another agency assumes the health care costs caused by human injuries.

Jurisdiction	Wildlife	Highways
Northwest Territories	Department of Environment and Natural Resources	Department of Transportation
Yukon Territory	Department of Environment	Department of Highways and Public Works
Alberta	Ministry of Sustainable Resource Development	Ministry of Transportation
British Columbia	Ministry of Environment	Public Works and Government Services Canada

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Factors Involved in Wood Bison Vehicle Collisions

Traffic Factors

Traffic volume

There are 1200 to 1300 vehicles per day on Alaska Highway and more than ever before, many vehicles are industrial

Traffic speed

Long straight stretches allow drivers to drive at speeds well over the posted limits

The Wildlife Factor

Factors that influence Wood Bison behaviour and movement near roads are extremely important in understanding why bison vehicle collisions occur.

Wood Bison density

Wood Bison are social animals and are generally found in a herd
For example, in the Nordquist herd, at times, all 100 individuals have been observed on the Alaska highway at the same time

Wood Bison herd on the highway

Photo courtesy of John Nishi

Wood Bison behaviour

Accessible forage allows for feeding along the road at all times of year
Head position and eye reflectivity - Wood Bison generally stand with their head lowered. This means that although Wood Bison eyes can reflect light back at approaching vehicles, it seldom happens. Drivers should not expect to see glowing eyes in the dark.

Wood Bison stance with head lowered

Alaska Highway

Photo courtesy of Colin Leake

Seasonality - Wood Bison may react differently to vehicles at different times of the year:
- spring (May/June) - young calves are present
- fall - animals may have unpredictable behaviour during the rutting season (July-August)
- winter - food is scarce and hunger and the search for food may dominate over any other perceived threats
Wood Bison reactions to dangerous stimuli on the highways is influenced by adaptation, genetics, conditioning and previous experiences.
- Predator prey relationships – herd animals need good sightlines to avoid predators and highways and wide rights of way provide this. Wood Bison become conditioned to the wide open highway environment
- Fight or flight response - Wood Bison have adapted to avoid predators that approach low to the ground and from the rear or side. They have few adaptations or hereditary experience to deal with a "predator" that approaches at an extremely fast, constant speed from one direction. Their fight or flight "zones" - the areas within which they are comfortable or agitated, become unpredictable
- Social hierarchy - In herd animals, age, gender, and dominance rank provide strong motivations for behavioural responses to stimuli
- Herd vs individuals - the individual animal may react differently if it is alone or within its herd group. Fight/flight zones and social distance (the area within which other bison are tolerated), may vary if the animal is alone or within a herd

Relationships Among Personal, Social and Flight Distances for Bison

Adapted from Fowler, 1995

The diagram below, from the work of Dr. T. Grandin, Colorado State University, uses an example of a cow being approached by a handler to illustrate the complex nature of the animal's reaction to stimuli. Wood Bison reaction to approaching predators or vehicles may involve some of the same factors.

Flight Zone and Point of Balance for Cattle

http://www.grandin.com/behaviour/principles/flight.zone.html

This diagram illustrates the general flight zone of an animal.

The point of balance is at the animal's shoulder
Generally, all species of livestock will move forward if the handler stands behind the point of balance
They will back up if the handler stands in front of the point of balance
An animal's flight zone will vary depending on how calm it is
The flight zone gets bigger when an animal becomes excited
The flight zone is also bigger when you approach "head on"

Seasonal and Diurnal Factors

Seasonal Patterns

Information available on the highest risk times of day and highest risk months for Wood Bison collisions comes from two sources, the Northwest Territories,

The Northwest Territories seasonal and diurnal data is shown in greater detail below, but in summary, for NWT highways, the highest risk months are August to November, and generally, the highest risk times of day are at night, sunset and sunrise.

ICBC data indicated that for the BC portion of the Alaska Highway, the highest numbers of collisions occur in January and November, and the peak frequency of collisions occurs between 12:00 - 2:00 am and 4:00 - 6:00 pm. However, this is based on only a small sample size of 17 collisions between 1996 and 2005, and the actual number of collisions is likely much higher.

Recent seasonal and diurnal studies in northern BC on collision data involving moose, deer, elk and bear, indicate that high risk months and high risk times of day can vary significantly by geographic location. More detailed site specific research for each Wood Bison herd, similar to NWT analyses shown below, needs to be carried out.

Diurnal Patterns

Low and changing light levels at dawn, dusk, and during the night increase the risk of Wood Bison collisions for a number of reasons:

Wood Bison may be more active during times of low light
There is poor visibility for drivers
Wood Bison are very dark coloured – they have no white patches (like moose, deer or elk) to catch or reflect light
During snow fall, the snow accumulates on the backs of the Wood Bison, so there is no contrast between the animal and the ground

Poster Used Along the Alaska Highway to Emphasize

the Difficulty of Seeing Wood Bison at Night

Poster courtesy of Public Works and Government Services Canada and
the Wildlife Collision Prevention Program

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What Can Highway Managers do to Reduce Collisions with Wood Bison?

There are a variety of mitigative techniques that can be employed to reduce the risk of encountering wildlife on the road. Go to the What Can Highway Managers Do? page for a general discussion of wildlife collision mitigation. This section will discuss mitigative options that are Wood Bison specific.

Vegetation Management and Habitat Alteration Away from the Highway

or Right of Way

Lure Wood Bison away from the roadside area by:

Enhancement of forage or habitat through fertilization or seeding.
- Early to mid 1990's - In an attempt to keep the Aishihik herd off the Alaska Highway, the Yukon Government cleared and seeded an old burn area and set up drift fences across the mouth of the Aishihik Valley. There was no irrigation and subsequently, little growth of the new forage. The seeding never provided much of a crop, but the fence did stop less motivated animals from coming out onto the highway. However, eventually, they came down other valleys or found their way around the ends of the fence. Then, wildlife officials had to do some baiting to lure the herd back to the correct side of the fence.
  
  An unintended consequence of the baiting was that a Wood Bison vehicle collision occurred during the project. A hand full of hay (literally) was dropped on the highway from the tailgate of a truck and was not noticed by wildlife officials. The motorist claimed that the hay caused the animal to be on the road and therefore was the primary contributing cause of the collision. The matter was settled out of court.
  
  Other jurisdictions carrying out diversionary feeding or baiting projects need to be mindful of actual or perceived government liability. If the actions of government employees have directly caused the animals to be present on the road, and if a wildlife collision occurs, there may be grounds for the government to be found liable.
Range burning to enhance browse quality and quantity
Salt block placement - tried with the Hay Zama herd with minimal results
Intercept feeding
- Jurisdictions carrying out diversionary feeding, supplemental feeding, intercept feeding or baiting projects need to be mindful of actual or perceived government liability. If the actions of government employees have directly caused the animals to be present on the road, and if a wildlife collision occurs, there may be grounds for the government to be found liable.

Vegetation Management/Habitat Alteration in the Right of Way

Implement vegetation management practices to make forage in the roadside area unappealing by:

Planting or seeding of unpalatable forage species
Using bittering agents such as Ropel on the forage to make it unpalatable for grazing – tried with the Aishihik herd and found ineffective
Mowing practices
- During the summer of 2008, Public Works and Government Services Canada is trying out a new methods of mowing in select stretches of the BC portion of the Alaska Highway. In areas where the forage is growing vigourously, a swath of 1 to 3 mower widths (12 to 36 feet) parallel to the tree line will not be mowed, therefore leaving more forage available for the winter. The unmowed areas will then be snowplowed in the winter, to provide trails parallel to the treeline that have more forage then the rest of the right of way that is closer to the highway. In the winter of 2007, the cat trails parallel to the treeline appeared to have some success in keeping the Wood Bison off the highway and in the right of way (see section on winter maintenance below).

Unmowed strip adjacent to the

treeline on BC portion of the

Alaska Highway

June 2008

Photos courtesy of Colin Leake

Exclusion Fencing

Due to the large size of Wood Bison and the extent of their range, wildlife fencing is not an option. Several Wood Bison herds have escaped from strongly built paddocks which were intended to contain them for several years.

Bison Warning Signs

The effectiveness of wildlife warning signs is difficult to assess. Studies suggest that wildlife warning signage does not reduce wildlife collision rates. However, jurisdictions do have a responsibility to notify drivers of hazards that they might encounter while driving. Drivers need to know that wildlife warning sign locations are in areas of high wildlife usage and not randomly scattered across the landscape.

In order to make signs as effective as possible the following should be considered:

Wood Bison collision hazard is higher in the fall and winter. Signage should emphasize the seasonal risks. Either signs should be removed during lower risk times, or enhanced during higher risk times.
Studies show that larger signs do have more impact
Signs with a non traditional format or signs that change slightly in colour, format or content along the length of the highway may be more noticeable
Signs that are portable and can be moved as bison herds move are more effective
Signs that personalize the animal may be more effective. For example, signs used in the Parks Canada Watch out for Wildlife campaign use almost life size photographs of the animal’s face, where the eyes of the animal appear to be looking directly at the motorists
Signs that emphasize the danger that the animal poses to the driver, and not simply the presence of the animal on the road, may be more effective
Signs that are enhanced by flashing lights or flags during high risk times of year may be more effective

One consequence of non traditional signage is that unusual signs attract thieves - build extra into your budget or produce souvenir size signs for sale.

Examples of bison warning signs are shown on the Wood Bison Resources page.

Highway and right of way maintenance in the winter

Snow plowing escape routes off the highways in the winter may reduce Wood Bison density on the road – tried in winter 06/07 with the Nordquist herd with limited success
Snow plowing cat trails parallel to the highway but along the tree line may encourage Wood Bison to forage and stay in the right of way as opposed to moving onto the road surface – tried with the Nordquist herd in winter 07/08 and found effective

Harassment/Hazing

Heli-hazing
- tried with Aishihik herd and found ineffective and high costs incurred
- tried with Hay Zama herd. The Wood Bison learned quickly to hide in the nearest bushes, wait for the helicopter to leave, and then return to grazing.
Horse herding – tried with Aishihik herd and found ineffective, and high costs incurred
Rubber Bullets
- tried with the Hay-Zama herd and found ineffective
- tried with Aishihik herd and found ineffective
Harassment with dogs

Wildlife Transfers/Relocations/Culls/Hunting

Cull of Lead Bull - tried with the Hay-Zama herd – herd would leave (led by head cow) and not come back for some time
Hunting
- If hunting is implemented managers need to:
- Manage carefully as this is an endangered species
- Realize implications and public concerns
- Realize hunting may cause Wood Bison behaviour changes as well as reduce population density
- Understand cause and effect of changes in Wood Bison behaviour due to hunting
- determine exactly what the Wood Bison responding to? Bison are quick learners

Enforced Speed Reduction
This would be effective, especially during the night hours, but little or no public support exists.

For any mitigation that is implemented, managers should:

Collect baseline information
Use a combination of techniques in an adaptive management framework
Implement strategy in a way that it can be monitored

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What can drivers do to reduce their risk of Wood Bison collisions?

Watch for the Signs

What do those signs really mean?

A Wildlife Warning Sign warns of a hazard ahead, and advises drivers to be cautious. The sign does not require drivers to slow down to a particular speed, unless there is an adjacent speed limit sign posted as well.

Wildlife warning signs are placed in areas of frequent wildlife use or high collision risk locations.

Drivers must obey wildlife warning signs and any associated speed changes. Drivers must not disregard the signs even if they have been seen many times before. Driver complacency is dangerous.

Reduce Speed

Speed is one of the most common factors in vehicle collisions. Speed:

Reduces the drivers ability to steer away from objects in the roadway

Causes drivers to overdrive their headlights at night

Extends the distance required to stop

Increases the force of impact, in the event of a collision

With good road conditions, drivers tend to increase their speed. Some studies suggest that wildlife vehicle collisions occur more than expected on clear nights, on dry road conditions and on long straight stretches. Drivers may tend to be more cautious on curves or in poor weather

By maintaining the posted speed, drivers can compensate for increased risk.

Poster Used Along the Alaska Highway to Emphasize Speed Danger

Poster courtesy of the Wildlife Collision Prevention Program and Public Works and Government Services Canada

Think "What If...?"

Mental preparation is a useful tool.

Think about and predict what you might do if an animal suddenly appeared in front of you or ran towards your vehicle.

It is better to think about and learn how to avoid an encounter with wildlife, than have to react to a dangerous situation when you are unprepared.

Drive Defensively

Drivers and passengers should actively watch for:

Wildlife - on the road, in the ditch, on the shoulder, and in the right of way

Movement on or alongside the road

Flickering head lights of oncoming cars or tail lights of the vehicles in front of you - which may be an animal crossing the road

Roadside reflectors that disappear/reappear, which might indicate an animal crossing in front of them

Watch out between dusk and dawn. Light levels are low, and animals are active.

Wood Bison collisions often occur at dusk, pre-dawn and during the night. Be prepared.

Use Your Vehicle

Maintain your vehicle - Keep head lights, signal lights, and tail lights clean and in good working order.

Clean your windshield, inside and out, once a week, or more if someone smokes, and check and repair windshield wiper blades.

Keep head lights properly aligned to avoid blinding other drivers and optimize road coverage.

Wear your seatbelt at all times.

Honk your horn or flash your lights to scare animals off the road.

In a 3 lane situation, when it is safe to do so, and when it is not impeding other traffic, drive in the middle lane to provide more distance from the ditch.

Use high beams when it is safe to do so, and scan the road ahead with quick glances.

At night, use the high beams of the vehicle in front of you to extend your effective sight distance.

Investigate an "Electronic Stability Control" system for your vehicle

Electronic Stability Control

Electronic Stability Control ("ESC") helps you maintain control of your vehicle in emergency avoidance manoeuvres such as swerving around wildlife. ESC detects and corrects loss of vehicle control. If you skid, ESC works together with your antilock braking system and automatically applies braking to the correct wheel to help you regain control. ESC reacts instantly, often correcting your direction before you know you are skidding.

Click here for more information on ESC.

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What Should Drivers do if They See Wildlife on the Road?

Slow Down - collision avoidance and driver response time are improved at slower speeds

Anticipate unpredictable behaviour from all wildlife

Determine what the animal is doing and where it is going

Wood Bison are herd animals. Where there is one animal, there is almost always more.

More detailed information on animal behaviour is found on
The Wildlife Factor page. Please have a look there.

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Wood Bison Vehicle Collisions in Northwestern Canada

Northwest Territories

The information below was presented at the Bison and Roads Committee meeting in December 2006, at Fort Nelson, BC, by John Nishi, Northwest Territories, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, with additional information provided by Nic Larter, Dehcho Regional Biologist, Department of Environment & Natural Resources, Ft. Simpson, Northwest Territories.

Other sources of information were:

National Recovery Plan for the Wood Bison (Bison bison athabascae) (2001)
Fact Sheet: Species at Risk: Wood Bison on the Northwest Territories website
Conservation of North American Bison: Status and Recommendations
History and Current Status of the Nahanni Wood Bison Population

Herd

Population

(estimated)

Comments

Mackenzie

2000

(2000 count)

Hwy 3, Yellowknife Hwy, right in the middle of the home range

Collisions commonly occur between Mackenzie River Crossing and Yellowknife

Approx 84% of NWT Wood Bison vehicle collisions involve this herd

Largest herd in Canada

Nahanni

400

(2004 count)

Highway 7, Liard Hwy

Approx 15% of NWT Wood Bison collisions involve this herd (12 mortalities 2000-2005)

Slave River Lowlands

500

(2000 count)

Diseased herd

Highway 5, Fort Smith Hwy

Approx 1% of NWT Wood Bison collisions involve this herd

The Northwest Territories are concerned with encroachment and infection from the diseased Wood Bison National Park population into the NWT herds and with maintaining the disease free status of the Alberta Hay-Zama herd.

Summary of NWT Bison Vehicle Collisions

The Northwest Territories has conducted considerable analysis of Wood Bison vehicle collisions occurring in their jurisdiction.

Wood Bison Mortalities Caused by Vehicle Collisions 1989-2006, NWT

Out of 123 Wood Bison vehicle collisions from 1989 to 2006:

186 total Wood Bison mortalities caused by collisions with vehicles
5 mortalities per year in 1989 increased to 30 mortalities per year in 2007

Distribution of Wood Bison Collisions along Highway 3, NWT

Early collisions on Highway 3 were to the south, then extended north as herd increased in number and distribution

Number of Wood Bison Killed Per Collision, NWT

Collisions generally involve a single animal, although one collision involved 8 individuals
General trend is increased mortalities over time (much variance)

Seasonal / Diurnal Patterns of Wood Bison Collisions, NWT

Highest frequency of collisions (blue line) is from August to September
Highest frequency of collisions is at sunset (red line) and sunrise (green line)
An untested hypothesis may be that this is correlated with:
- decreasing day length - light failing and animals more active during lower light periods, and lowered visibility for drivers
- no snow / poor contrast between animals and ground

Sex and Age of Wood Bison Killed in Vehicle Collisions, NWT

Sex/Age of Bison hit is poorly reported, but adult females

seem to be highest frequency.

Nahanni Herd Specifics

Well worn trails often seen beside Highway 7 between Flett crossing and Muskeg River (km 90 and 45)
Most collisions seem to involve local residents, not commercial traffic or visitors
Collisions occurred during dusk to dawn, and associated with rises or dips in the road
Media campaigns carried out in the fall with radio ads, newspaper ads, posters and highway signage

Action Items Needed in NWT

Need to learn more….need $$$
Implementing a strategy in a way that can be monitored
Combination of strategies within an adaptive management framework
Need to collect baseline information
Bison behavioural modification via:
- Removal/translocation
- Hunting
- Traffic changes - possibly speed reduction - preliminary information from Yellowstone National Park and Jasper National Park indicates wildlife collisions are reduced at lower speeds
Physical Modifications
- Habitat

Collision Mitigation Efforts in NWT

Committee initiated in 2003 (Department of Transportation, Department of Resources, Wildlife & Economic Development, Fort Providence Resource Management Board)
Emphasis on communication, public education and baseline monitoring
Developed standard reporting and procedures
“Bison-Vehicle Collision: Report and Procedures Protocol”
Developed and initiated a baseline vegetation study along right of way
Initiated baseline collection of Wood Bison observations
Initiated conservation education (signage/media)
Limited success due to lack of funding
Committee has “fizzled” in the last year…
DOT tried portable signs with flashing lights in critical sites…have to remind locals every year

What has actually been implemented in NWT…

Mostly public education and some signage

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Yukon Territory

The information below was presented at the Bison and Roads Committee meeting in December 2006, at Fort Nelson, BC, by Tom Jung, Senior Biologist, Philip Merchant, and Todd Powell, Yukon Territory, Department of Environment.

Other sources of information were:

National Recovery Plan for the Wood Bison (Bison bison athabascae) (2001)
Yukon Bison Management Plan summary on Yukon Territory website

Aishihik Herd

Now second largest herd in Canada
2006 count is 700 individuals
Herd has grown at about 20% per year - unchecked by predation
1998 - population had doubled and the herd expanded far south of its expected range

Summary of Yukon Wood Bison Vehicle Collisions

1989 - 17 animals moved 80-100 kms south to Alaska Highway
1990 - Collisions started
Haines Junction to Whitehorse has high traffic volumes
10 acres cleared, seeded & fenced…worked for 3 weeks until bison found end of fence
1992/93, 36 bison had to be recaptured and moved to a game farm due to problems along the Alaska Highway.
- 8 bison were killed in collisions with vehicles
- 5 were disposed of as "problem" wildlife.
Bison vehicle collisions set back growth of the herd by about two years due to the removal of these 49 bison.
1999 - Small numbers came down to the highway, but no collisions
- A few animals were harvested
- Hunters were chosen to remove animals
- Public perception: Some debate surrounding using hunters to harvest an endangered species
2006 - Cow/Calf group moved south to the highway
- 12 animals were harvested by permit and First Nations hunters
- Harvest was not well run – slow process
Desire for constant, timely and effective harassment
Decided to make new policy at end of 2006

Yukon Management Plan (1998-2003)

Contains a highway contingency plan
Bulls will likely come down to the highway, travel back north for a few consecutive years, and then will bring the rest of the herd down with them
Implication: Be tougher on the few bulls that first appear where they are not wanted.

Collision Mitigation Efforts in the Yukon

Tried and found unsuccessful.....

Rubber bullets
Helicopter hazing
Horse herding
Ropel (bittering agent) for forage
High costs and not effective

Other Mitigation Options

No local support for speed reduction
Policy and safety issues with using hunting as a tool
Removal…
- 1992/93 - 6 individuals were captured and moved
- The rest of herd moved off the road for awhile
- Remaining 34 individuals were then moved to game farm (quite close to wild bison range)
- For 6 years they did not return to road…in that time population reached 400
- 1997 - limited hunting was permitted and still continues

The Yukon Territory is very concerned with BC Nordquist Herd as it impacts a critical highway that is used and relied on year round.

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Alberta

The information below was presented at the Bison and Roads Committee meeting in December 2006, at Fort Nelson, BC, by Dave Moyles, Area Wildlife Biologist and Jacki Gerwing, Fish & Wildlife Officer, Alberta Ministry of Sustainable Resource Development.

Other sources of information were:

National Recovery Plan for the Wood Bison (Bison bison athabascae) (2001)
Status of the Wood Bison (Bison bison athabascae) in Alberta on the Alberta Ministry of Sustainable Resource Development website
Conservation of North American Bison: Status and Recommendations

Hay-Zama Herd

2008: 700++ individuals in Hay-Zama herd
Strong concern for herd dispersal and contact with tuberculosis and brucellosis infected bison from Wood Buffalo National Park

Summary of Alberta Wood Bison Vehicle Collisions

Since Sept 2006

9 cases of vehicles hitting Bison
1 case of car hit by Bison
In 1 collision, property damage exceeded $400,000
Biggest mortality factor for the herd is vehicle collisions

This Wood Bison vehicle collision took place on he Zama Road in Alberta in October 2007.

5 Wood Bison from the Hay-Zama herd were killed.

2 vehicles were involved; 1 vehicle was write-off.

The two drivers were unhurt.

It was early morning, dark, and foggy. The gravel road was slick and had no snow cover to highlight the bison.

Photos courtesy of Kyland Pennoyer, Fish and Wildlife Officer, Alberta Ministry of Sustainable Development

Mitigation Efforts

Shooting largest bull – the theory is that the herd would leave (led by head cow) and not come back for some time
Rubber bullets – did not work
In 2007, a radio call-in program was set up in High Level for the Hay Zama herd. Two people who drove the road regularly will conduct an ongoing phone in program where they report on bison locations daily to warn people.
A managed hunt has been suggested to control numbers
2008 - Managed hunt introduced and will begin in the fall

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British Columbia

The information below was presented at the Bison and Roads Committee meeting in December 2006, at Fort Nelson, BC, by Mike Rowe, Biologist and Dean Maclean, Senior Park Ranger, British Columbia Ministry of Environment, with input from Colin Leake, Public Works and Government Services Canada, and Roy Rea, University of Northern British Columbia.

Other sources of information were:

Nordquist Herd Wood Bison Vehicle Collisions

January 2007 - Population estimated at 100 individuals
Almost all individuals were on the Alaska Highway or right of way at the time of the 2007 count

Nordquist herd on the Alaska Highway

January 2007

Photos courtesy of Conrad Thiessen

In a summer study of bison on Alaska Highway in 05/06, animals move North in the summer, and south in the winter, along the Alaska Highway
Increased bison numbers on the Alaska Highway in summer coincides with increased tourist traffic
2005: 30-32 road kills
2006: 17 road kills
Collisions often related to commercial truck traffic

Etthithun Lake Herd Wood Bison Vehicle Collisions

1996 - 18 animals released to the wild
January 1997 - 15 Wood Bison observed
March 1997 - 3 Wood Bison killed in collision with industrial road traffic
Summer 1997 the herd followed a road allowance 100 km south and joined an escaped feral herd of commercial bison.
1999-2001 - In the second reintroduction attempt, 40 bison from Elk Island Provincial Park were released into an 850 ha paddock. The plan was that they would be confined for about 5 years to ensure they were imprinted on the release site so they would not wander south to agriculturally developed areas. The expected release was 2004 or 2005.
However, in 2003, the fence was breached and the herd became free-ranging.
May eventually link up with the Hay-Zama herd from Alberta

Pink Mountain Herd (Plains Bison)

In the early 1970's, 50 imported Plains Bison escaped into the wild, and formed the Pink Mountain herd.

Herd has increased both its range and numbers
Latest population estimate is 1000++ animals
Generally confined to the grass/sedge meadows in the upper Sikanni and Halfway River valleys
Potential exists for competition between the free roaming Plains Bison Pink Mountain herd and Woods Bison if the ranges should overlap.
The presence of free roaming or feral commercial Plains Bison jeopardizes the genetic integrity of the herd at Etthithun Lake and can potentially comprise Wood Bison recovery efforts in Alberta, the Northwest Territories, and the Yukon.
There is a limited entry hunt authorized for the Pink Mountain herd

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