WEST KITIKMEOT / SLAVE STUDY SOCIETY Re: Spatial Organization and Habitat Selection Patterns of Barren-ground Grizzly Bears (Ursus arctos) in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut

I have reviewed this publication for scientific content and scientific practices and find the report is acceptable given the specific purposes of this project and subject to the field conditions encountered. The Study Board is satisfied that this final report has been reviewed for scientific content and approves it for release to the public. I have reviewed this publication for scientific content and scientific practices and find the report is acceptable given the specific purposes of this project and subject to the field conditions encountered. Study Director Date The above publication is the result of a project conducted under the West Kitikmeot / Slave Study. I have reviewed the report and advise that it has fulfilled the requirements of the approved proposal and can be subjected to independent expert review and be considered for release for public. i SUMMARY The main objective of this research project was to study the spatial organization and habitat selection patterns of barren-ground grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) inhabiting the low Arctic tundra of mainland Nunavut and the range of mining impacts to grizzly bears. To meet the study goals, an extensive satellite telemetry programme was conducted in a study area of approximately 200,000 km 2 , centred 400 km northeast of the city of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. barren-ground grizzly bears. Of the total number of captures, 152 different bears were identified. Of these 152 individuals, 39 were adult females and 36 were adult males. Among subadults (aged three to four years), 12 were females and 10 were males. We marked 30 cubs-of-the year (16 female, 14 male), 16 yearling cubs (eight females, eight males), and nine two-year-old cubs (three females, six males). We placed 89 satellite radio-collars on 81 bears (n = 42 females, n = 39 males). For 23 bears (mostly females), break-away VHF radio-collars were fitted after satellite collars were removed. Three populations of grizzly bears were identified in the study area using multivariate cluster analysis of movement data and home range analysis. We obtained independent clustering solutions that grouped both female ii and male grizzly bears into the North Slave, Bathurst Inlet, and Kugluktuk regions of the study area. Although female population ranges were completely contained within established population unit boundaries, male population ranges demonstrated overlap with boundaries. High exchange among populations for both females and males suggest that identified grizzly bear populations cannot be managed independently from one another. We examined …