As the lead Canadian researcher with the Trans-border Grizzly Bear Project, DR. MICHAEL PROCTOR has identified key linkage areas for grizzlies all along Highway 3—a major barrier for wildlife movement across southern B.C. and Alberta—giving conservation organizations an all-important scientific foundation for deciding where and what to conserve.
His independent research on grizzly bears underpins much science-based work in the region, such as where to secure conservation land on private property based on grizzly bear movement corridors.
Michael works with the South Selkirk grizzly bear population, a small and threatened group of bears that roam the mountains around Nelson and Creston. Knowing where the bears go — and where they don’t go — is critical to guiding efforts to protect habitat for these magnificent and ecologically important creatures, and Michael has been catching bears to outfit them with radio collars since 2006.
Michael has also been a strong advocate of land trusts in B.C. and the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC)’s Frog-Bear conservation area near Creston is an example of how his science-based research and land conservation can go hand-in-hand to help restore grizzly bear populations in southeastern British Columbia.
Michael also sits on the Science Advisory Committee to the B.C. Board of NCC, is a scientific advisor for the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Bear Specialist Group, and works around the world on bear issues.
Recently, Michael has helped spearhead the Kootenay Connect project, where his science has led to the prioritization of where riparian corridors and grizzly bear movements overlap — work to help restore and conserve these are underway.
His science, enthusiasm, and drive have moved conservation forward in the Kootenay region over the past 25 years.