110913

I am applying for a "Park Use Permit – Research" to collect, possess and dispose of Stone’s sheep biological samples for scientific purposes. Activities will include the collection of deposited pellets and/or urine samples (from the ground/snow). All access into the Parks will be via helicopter. Wildlife will not be handled in the collection of samples. Collected samples will be sent to UNBC and associated laboratories for analysis of hormones, parasites, and other physiological indicators of wildlife health. In addition, I am applying for a permit to conduct annual Stone’s sheep population composition surveys to measure yearly lamb recruitment. Population surveys will be conducted both inside and outside of Parks to measure lamb recruitment in populations where habitats have been treated with fire (pre- and post-treatment) and habitats not treated with fire (control, untreated populations). Population surveys conducted within the Northern Rockies Provincial Park, Denetiah Park and Protected Area, Muncho Lake Park, Stone Mountain Park, Prophet Hotsprings Park, and a portion of the Dune Za Keyih Park (Frog-Gataga) will serve as control populations, as burns are not currently proposed to occur within the Parks. Surveys conducted in the control populations will allow us to compare Stone’s sheep health and population metrics between populations located in areas with habitats treated with fire (outside of Parks) and habitats not treated with fire. Recruitment surveys will be conducted annually over the next 3-5 years to determine short- and mid-term response of populations and sheep health to habitats treated with prescribed fire. The recruitment surveys are a component of a larger monitoring program to measure vegetation response and wildlife use to treatment (separate PUP applications). A Wildlife Use Permit (Fish & Wildlife Application 100356971) has been applied for concurrent with this Park Use Permit.