Protecting Grizzly Bears

TransCanada's commitment to the environment – all in a day's work

When a grizzly bear saunters through a pipeline right-of-way (RoW), what does it do? Does it avoid the area? Does it use the area for feeding, or travel or anything else?

Those are the questions that our in-house environmentalist Mike Wilfley has been studying for several years as part of our involvement with a Foothills Research Institute (FRI) study.

The study was conducted in the Kakwa region of west-central Alberta and revealed several interesting conclusions.

Saving bears from poachers

One interesting finding: grizzlies don’t use the RoW to hunt – unless you count ants, that is.

"A bear can spend a long time sitting and eating an ant hill," says Wilfley, adding that this stationary activity can lead to higher rates of poaching and hunting by humans.

While this might seem problematic, this tidbit led to some planning measures we’re taking to keep bears out of the crosshairs of poachers.

"Line of sight is a big issue in terms of poachers. But it turns out that at 150 metres from a crossroad, a bear is no longer visible from the road. So, when planning, if we can leave a screen of vegetation near those crossings, poaching will be reduced, since the bears won’t be seen."

When it comes to wildlife, "We're definitely going above and beyond. We have a social conscience about environmental issues and focus on being responsible corporate citizens." - Mike Wilfley, TransCanada environment team

RoW use decreases over time

The study also concluded that grizzly appearances on RoWs decreased over time, as vegetation grows in. In fact, seven years after a pipeline has been put in place, bears don't behave any differently than they do in the surrounding area.

While these studies help inform TransCanada's planning process, they aren't "All over the front page of every newspaper," says Wilfley.

"This is something we do because we really are committed to doing what's right. And that’s what I like about working at TransCanada." It's another example of how we put our R&D program to work and good use, spending $45 million in 2016 alone.