Tracking Nature, Frame by Frame: Uchucklesaht Game Camera Network

Environmental monitoring is essential to understanding and stewarding our ḥaḥuułi. Game cameras are a useful tool for monitoring that allows us to observe wildlife behavior and movement while having minimal impact on the wildlife we capture.

As part of the Terrestrial Stewardship and Monitoring program, the Lands and Resources team deployed over 30 remote game cameras throughout the territory. These cameras are part of a multi-year project that will monitor wildlife movement and abundance throughout the ḥaḥuułi.

The focal species for this project is ł̓uunim (Roosevelt elk). In 2019, 12 ł̓uunim were translocated into the Hucuktlis Watershed. Since the translocation, UTG has co-managed the herd with the province, working to improve population growth and work towards sustainable harvest for the Tribe. Through the camera project, we will better understand how the ł̓uunim are utilizing the territory and what management decisions can be made to help contribute to the growth of the herd. From this project, we will also see a variety of wildlife species, including c̓ims (black bears), k̓ayuumin (cougars), and muwač (deer).

To deploy the cameras, the Lands and Resources team had the opportunity to hike throughout the territory, placing the cameras in a wide array of habitats, such as old-growth forests, cut blocks, wetlands, and riparian areas.

Every six months, staff retrieve batteries and SD cards, then analyze thousands of photos by species, number of individuals, and sex or age classifications.

For citizens, these images offer a glimpse into the life moving through the ḥaḥuułi, even when no one is there to see it in person.

Story contributed by Rachel Andolfatto, Lands & Resources Technician at UTG