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September 9 2022 - by Emily Matthew, Wildlife Projects Assistant My name is Emily Matthew, and I am a Summer Cougar Technician for the Southern BC Cougar Project. I am currently attending the University of British Columbia at the Okanagan Campus completing my Bachelor of Science. I will be going into my fourth year, and I am interested in pursuing a career in research, specifically behaviour ecology. I am incredibly fortunate to be working on the project this summer as it has provided so many amazing experiences and I have learned so much. During my summer as a field technician, I was mainly responsible for investigating cougar kill sites to collect data on the type of prey cougars target and the habitat they prefer. There are three study areas we are examining including the West Okanagan, Boundary, and the Kootenays. Cougars move a lot, and so it can take some time to drive to certain sites from the university in Kelowna. To maximize our time in the field this summer, we have been camping overnight in the backcountry. It is always exciting to see a camping trip on the schedule because most of the time they are to places I have never been, and it is very interesting seeing the different types of habitats around the province that the cougars call home. We usually camp for two nights so we have three full days in the field. The day or night before a camping trip all the field techs going out will meet at the university to get all our supplies together. We make sure we have our tent, cooking supplies, food, and field equipment all loaded into the work truck, so it is all ready to go in the morning. We make sure to bring enough food for two dinners and two lunches as well as some snacks and of course marshmallows for roasting by the fire. To confirm we have everything we share a plan for our camp trips on google drive which includes rec sites we can stay at and a list of supplies to bring. We have been lucky to get a camp site right by a river or small lake each time with amazing views. Most of the time there are four of us going out camping so we split into groups of two to maximize the number of sites we can get to. We then agree on a rec site and time to meet there. Once we are all back, we send a Spot or inReach to our check-in person, so they know where we are staying, and we give an update on how the day went. On Day 1, we leave around 6/7am and try to get to as many sites as we can. Once we are finished for the day, we head back to our chosen rec site to set up our tent. We then sort out our sleeping arrangements (always remember to sleep with your head uphill!) and finally get changed into our comfy camp clothes. Next comes dinner, we use the gas stove to either cook up some burgers or boil water for pasta. The last camp trip my field partner Reese and I split up as one of us made dinner the other started the fire. We then got to enjoy our dinner by the fire and after were all done, we cracked open the snacks and of course marshmallows for roasting! We usually play a game of cards or heads-up (my personal favourite!) as we wait for the fire to die down and the day comes to an end. After a goodnight’s rest, we usually wake up early so we can get all our things packed up and to have breakfast. This day is the most beneficial as we minimize our drive time. Most of the time the rec site we try to stay at is closest to our first cluster points, so we can start the day much quicker. On the last camp trip Reese and I went on we were able to get to our first site in 20 minutes. Luckily most of our cluster points that day were right off the roads and quick to find allowing us the time to get to a site we couldn’t get to the day before as the hike was a bit longer and the sites the day before were tough to get to. After a successful day 2 we make our way back to either the same rec site as the night before or a new one. We set up camp, make some dinner, and enjoy another night under the stars with a great fire and company. Up for another round of heads-up? On our third and last day we pack up camp again and head out into the field. We make our way back to Kelowna but stop at cluster points along the way. Most of our camp trips have gone smoothly but there are times where things go unexpectedly. I have learned some valuable lessons on our camping trips and the best one I can share is to always pick a safe (and consistent) spot to put your important items for example your keys and phone! On one of my camping trips with Reese in the Boundary I learned that lesson the hard way. We had just finished up at our second last site of the day and making great time when halfway down our ~600m hike I realized my fanny pack had become unzipped and my phone had fallen out. After a few moments of panic, I asked my field partner Reese if it would be okay to go searching for it and she kindly agreed to help me. We retraced our steps back up the mountain with no luck and unfortunately, I had put my phone on airplane mode (never again!) to preserve battery life, so the great invention called “Find my iPhone” was no help. We found my ChapStick and retraced our steps by following the already flattened grass (which we assumed was the pathways we made) and about 30-50m away we found my phone!! I had never been so relieved, and I was so thankful for Reese’s help and patience. We took a quick celebratory selfie!
Although the camping trips may not always go according to plan, they are some of my most memorable trips and have been a highlight during my time on the Southern BC Cougar Project. I couldn’t be more grateful to be given this opportunity as I have developed multiple problem-solving techniques that help me remain calm to work through the unexpected.
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Authors
The authors are Southern BC Cougar Project team members & volunteers. Past Blog Entries
September 2023
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