Wildlife Tracking Database

Wildlife is an important component of the environment at Teck Resources Limited that is tracked, managed, and protected while operating. A diverse wildlife population indicates fulfillment of reclamation objective of returning previously mined land back into wildlife habitat. In addition to annual helicopter surveys that cover the entire site at one moment in time, rare or unusual wildlife sightings are also tracked throughout the year in the Wildlife Observation Database.

The following types of information are tracked in the Wildlife Tracking Database: (1) rare and unusual wildlife observations; (2) animal fatalities; (3) wildlife habitat features (i.e., bear rub trees, elk wallows, mineral licks, nesting sites, dens, trail camera locations, etc.); (4) seasonal habitat use (i.e., breeding and calving areas). Not included – deer, elk. Key outcomes of this project: (1) proof of the presence of unique and rare wildlife; (2) inform reclamation research and/or practices. Results: (1) centralized database on ArcGIS; (2) database has been up and running since 2009. It is an ongoing project that will continue for many years; (3) there is basically no cost now that the database is set-up. It only requires time to enter a new observation.