Over this past year, Exposed Wildlife Conservancy has been making immense progress in the goal of making positive and impactful changes for how apex predators are viewed and managed in Canada. From the expansion of our Cougar Coexistence Project to the development of a free educational library on apex predators to the growth of the Exposed team, there are several updates and highlights from this past year that we are excited to share with you.
The Cougar Coexistence Project provides realistic and effective wildlife management strategies for both communities living with and those recreating in close proximity to cougars in Alberta.
This community-centric project was originally piloted in the Village of Waiparous last year but has expanded into the MD of Bighorn and the Back 40 throughout 2023. With the help of community members, work is well underway to develop cougar coexistence strategies that will help reduce cougar conflicts and increase tolerance for this important apex predator.
Learn more about the Cougar Coexistence Project:
At the start of this year, we were onsite at the Village of Waiparous to install our first new batch of trail cameras as part of our Cougar Coexistence Project, which is Alberta's first community-focused cougar management project! Then, in March, we received the news that the MD of Bighorn also approved this project. This meant that we could now expand our project into communities into the MD of Bighorn Hamlets, Benchlands, and more. The MD of Bighorn also worked with us to receive the Government of Alberta’s approval to install trail cameras in the Back 40. In August, the team once again went into the field to expand our trail camera network into the Back 40. Below is a video of the highlights from our trail camera network over this past year.
Watch an interview between Jessica, our Director of Operations, and CTV news to discuss in detail how we are supporting cougars and those coexisting with them.
Provincial trapping regulations in Canada have not been meaningfully updated in nearly one hundred years. These archaic trapping regulations are resulting in tens of thousands of wolves and other fur-bearing animals being trapped, killed and skinned each year across the country every year in inhumane and inefficient neck snares.
Our Trapped In the Past Campaign is working toward a complete ban on the use of snares for commercial and recreational trapping, as well as modern, ethical, science and traditional knowledge-based updates to all trapping regulations for fur-bearing mammals.
Included in our Trapped in the Past Campaign is the much anticipated investigative and hard-hitting documentary Trapped in the Past. We are releasing the first of this 3-part series through a virtual public event in January 2024 with the next two series following in the weeks afterward. Stay tuned for further details and your invite coming in the new year! In the meantime, we encourage you to become familiar with the Trapped In the Past campaign by clicking the button below.
Despite their undeniable role in maintaining healthy and balanced ecosystems, the wolf is a highly stigmatized and polarizing species in the eyes of humans.
The Wolf Project is working toward a complete revamping of how wolves are viewed, valued, managed, and regulated within Canada. This project touches on an array of issues including unlimited trapping quotas, trophy hunting with extended seasons (including during denning), trapping, wolf culls, wolf poisoning, and more.
We look to help others understand the intrinsic and economic value of keeping wolves alive and functioning apex predators in our ecosystems. In essence, this project focuses on education and science to advocate for immediate government action to devise better wolf management plans in Western Canada. Another major part of this project is providing educational programs that discuss the true nature of wolves, wolf ecology, coexistence strategies, and their important role in maintaining a healthy and balanced ecosystem.
More information on the Wolf Project, including ways you help wolves, will be provided in 2024. However, to give wolves a voice now, you can become a one-time or monthly donor in support of this project today.
The team went into the field this fall to learn as much as they could about Alberta and British Columbia's resident wolf packs so that we could share up-to-date information on the animals that call our wild places home.
Despite not seeing any wolves, we were able to gather the information we needed to provide a history of Alberta’s Banff Town wolf pack. In 2024, we will begin to share their stories with the goal of giving wolves a voice and creating more opportunities for meaningful connections between us and them. These stories will also celebrate Canada’s wolves all the while promoting safe and proactive wolf-coexistence measures and raising awareness of archaic and inhumane trapping practices across the country.
If you are looking to be a part of this story and a part of the solution to proactive and ethical wolf conservation, you can donate, volunteer, or help raise awareness in support of Canada's wolves today.
Our Cougar Series aims to answer every question, from the most basic to the most complex, you may have about these mysterious felines.
Here you can learn all about cougar ecology, biology and behaviours, how to coexist with them on trails or at home, and much more. Want to learn more about cougars and find out how you can help these wonderful animals? Check out the Cougar Series today!
Coming in 2024! - The Trapping Series is a free educational library that breaks down the intricate and complex nature of the commercial trapping industry.
From defining what different traps are, exploring humane and ethical considerations, breaking down federal and provincial regulations, and examining the future of the trapping industry, you will be filled with the knowledge and resources you need to give fur-bearing animals a voice and create real change in the treatment of Canada’s wildlife.
Coming in 2024! - The Wolf Series will provide an easy-to-follow deep dive into the world of wolves.
The Wolf Series is where you can learn about wolves including, how they communicate, the purpose of a pack structure, their critical ecological role, laws and regulations concerning wolves, and much more. The challenges wolves face will also be explored in-depth in this series. Such challenges include wolf culling, trophy hunting, trapping, and more.
You can help wolves and change the way they are treated and managed in Canada by making a one-time donation to the Wolf Project today.
Earlier this year, our very own board member and resident bear expert Dr. Sarah Elmeligi was elected as the MLA for the Banff-Kananaski riding. Although this is phenomenal news and a win for wildlife, it meant that Sarah needed to move on from our board. Colleen Gara took up the reins and joined the Exposed team as our newest board member!
Colleen is a lawyer, wildlife advocate, and very talented conservation photographer based in Calgary, Alberta. Focusing on Canadian wildlife, she is passionate about photographing animals in their natural surroundings, from the Rocky Mountains to the prairies. Her hope is to foster a connection between the viewer and the subject and raise awareness to protect both the animals and their natural habitats.
Our Operations Manager, Jessica also joined the team as our full-time Director of Operations! We are excited to have Jessica on the team in this capacity to put her diverse skills, education, and professional background in the business side of the nonprofit sector to work, helping to make a positive, lasting and meaningful impact on Canada’s apex predators.
Jessica has a bachelor's degree in Business Administration, with an emphasis on the non-profit sector. Over the years, she has worked in a variety of conservation, animal welfare, and animal rescue organizations. She brings her extensive background, knowledge, and passion to the Exposed team with the goal of giving wildlife a voice and supporting the fair and ethical treatment of apex predators across North America.
Since of the launch of our Volunteer Program last year, our dedicated volunteers have put in over 800 hours toward giving wildlife a voice! Exposed volunteers are critical in helping us fulfil our mission of creating change in how apex predators are managed and valued across Canada. They are a passionate community working towards bettering the treatment of Canada’s wolves, bears, cougars and more.
We have several opportunities to volunteer based on your unique interests, skill sets, goals, and location. As a volunteer with Exposed Wildlife Conservancy, you will connect with a like-minded community that works together to solve the most pressing wildlife challenges facing us today.
Exposed Ambassadors have a special role in advocating for bears, wolves, and cougars. They harness the power of storytelling through visual mediums to bring awareness to current critical wildlife challenges, solutions, and efforts. Exposed Ambassadors are an accomplished community of ethical storytellers that is composed of conservation-focused photographers and videographers as well as biologists, conservationists and wildlife advocates.
Ambassadors harness the power of storytelling through visual mediums to bring awareness to current critical wildlife challenges, solutions, and efforts. Follow the button below to learn about this program and apply to join our community of Ambassadors alongside John E. Marriott, Colleen Gara, and Tim Osborne.
Exposed Wildlife Conservancy’s Youth for Wildlife program mobilizes and empowers the next generation of wildlife advocates to make long-lasting changes in how wolves, bears, cougars, and other fur-bearing animals are managed and treated in Canada.
This program encourages youth to become stewards of their environment and promotes ethical behaviours and a sense of responsibility toward wildlife. Through this program, youth will spearhead long-term changes in attitudes and behaviours regarding wildlife conservation and, ultimately, how apex predators are managed in Canada.
Over the next year, this program will start to:
We are so excited about the possibilities of next year and cannot wait to take you on the journey with us. If you want to take the next step in being a part of the solution to how apex predators are managed in Canada, we encourage you to consider becoming a volunteer, Ambassador, or Insider.
Every effort makes a difference. YOU make a difference.
We would like to wish you the best the best this holiday season and the happiest New Year.
Thank you for giving wildlife a voice.
Sincerely,
The Exposed Wildlife Conservancy Team
