Beating the Odds: Increase your Chances of Observing Wildlife
- Look at dusk and dawn!
Animals tend to be more active at those times. Note: Hiking alone or after dark is not recommended in bear country.- Look in a variety of habitats!
- One of Waterton-Glacier's most remarkable features is the diversity of habitats it offers.You will see different birds and animals in the moist cedar-hemlock forest than in the sunny thickets and shrubs alongside aspen forests. Don't overlook rivers and marshes. Water is a magnet for wildlife.
- Stop and walk a trail!
- Spend some time away from the main roads. Both parks offer fine short walks that can be rewarding to wildlife watchers.
- Look in unusual places!
- Have you ever gone fish viewing? Have you spent some time watching the antics of ground squirrels or chipmunks? Have you looked up for gliding eagles or rollicking ravens?
- learn about animal behavior!
- Not only can time of day affect animal behavior, but time of year can as well. Knowing when and where to look is important. In autumn, elk congregate in large groups, which are particularly noticeable on Waterton's prairie and Blakiston Fan and around the St.Mary area of Glacier. Birds are usually more numerous or noticeable during spring and fall migration periods.
- Ask park staff about recent sightings!
- Wardens and rangers throughout the park will be happy to point out locations where particular animals are likely to be found.
Clear, Clean Air?
To the casual observer, a remote park like Waterton-Glacier would seem likely to have excellent air quality. However, there are some areas of concern. Air quality monitoring, begun in the early 1980s, continues to collect basic data on the health and integrity of the regional air shed.
Parks are not islands isolated from the byproducts of an urban, agricultural, and industrial society. Man-made and natural air pollutants are transported long distances, and have been detected at all monitoring sites.
Air pollution is affecting natural and cultural resources throughout much of the park systems, through visibility reduction, biological and human health effects, and degradation of historic structures and artifacts. Places like the Peace Park serve as key areas for research on air pollution and yield valuable baseline data and information on the effects of air pollution.
General conclusions so far include:
- Air quality is generally good compared to many parks.
- Current ozone concentrations and deposition are low enough that resources are probably not affected.
- Visibility impairment exists, but is not as bad as that found in other areas of Canada and the United States.