As part of an ongoing informational tour, Wildsight will be making a stop in Kimberley’s Centre 64 to show a documentary and informational session about wolverines.
The presentation, named Chasing a Trace, is scheduled to take place at 7:00 P.M. on Friday, November 22nd.
“Recent research has shown that wolverine populations have been in serious decline,” said John Bergenske, Conservation Director for Wildsight. “We want people to be aware of is the fact that to keep this extremely interesting species out there in the landscape, we have to make sure that we’re not fragmenting their habitat, and that we’re not trapping them in situations where populations are already at a reduced level.”
Today, the wolverine’s habitat is facing a number of dangers.
One of their biggest threats, because they like deep snow habitats, is the ongoing threat of climate change,” said Bergenske. “They’re also threatened by uncontrolled recreation in their key habitats. Forest fragmentation is a problem, as it is for many species.”
With the threats to the animal’s habitat, a possible solution is to leave them alone.
“Wolverines don’t do well at all of they’re around a lot of disturbance,” said Bergenske. “We have to make sure that their denning areas are protected and some areas are protected against uncontrolled recreation use.”
According to Wildsight, a wildlife management plan for wolverines and many other animals has not been updated since 1989.
“This is unfortunately true for many other species, the government is way behind in terms of planning,” explained Bergenske. “Nobody has any numbers or real understanding of it. It’s pretty well the hearsay of the trackers but they’re certainly well aware that the numbers are down.”
Bergenske offered a solution to the problem, however.
“We don’t have good data on most of these species. That’s why it’s so important that these studies are being done, so when we make decisions that we can make sure we are managing them in such a way to maintain all these different species.”
Bergenske added that the presentations around the Kootenays are a good way for the public to learn about wolverines and the conservation efforts being made.
Access the event and schedule for upcoming presentations can be found here, tickets may also be purchased at the door.