Fernie wildlife encounters are part of life in a recreation town where people bike, hike, run, walk dogs, and explore the trail network that surrounds the community.
Those trails are part of Fernie’s identity, part of its economy, and part of everyday life for many residents. They are also wildlife habitat.
That is the important message from new research led by Dr. Clayton Lamb, who studied how large mammals respond to non-motorized recreation in the Southern Canadian Rockies near Fernie. The research does not suggest that people should stop using the trails. It offers something more useful: a practical, local, science-based way to reduce wildlife disturbance and lower the risk of encounters.
The key message is simple. Wildlife is already adjusting its behaviour to make room for people. Trail users now need to do their part to make room for wildlife.
The study found that different species respond to recreation in different ways. Elk showed strong avoidance of recreation areas. Grizzly bears showed moderate avoidance of the broader trail network, but when they did move through it, they often used recreation trails as travel corridors. Moose, mule deer, black bears, red foxes, and white-tailed deer showed more tolerance or adapted their timing to avoid peak human use.
That means Fernie’s trail system is not empty when people are not on it. It is active. It is shared. And much of that sharing happens through timing.
For mountain bikers, the message is especially important. Bikes move quickly and quietly, which can increase the chance of surprising wildlife. Riders should make noise often, slow down in thick vegetation and blind corners, avoid riding alone at dawn or dusk, and carry bear spray where it can be reached quickly. Speed is part of the sport, but awareness has to be part of the culture.
For hikers and runners, the same principle applies. Quiet travel through forested trails can lead to surprise encounters, especially in low-light periods when wildlife is more active. Talking, calling out, travelling in groups when possible, and staying alert around creeks, berry patches, dense brush, and limited sightlines are simple steps that reduce risk.
For dog walkers, the responsibility is even greater. Dogs can chase, provoke, or draw wildlife back toward people. Keeping dogs leashed or under close control is not just a courtesy to other trail users; it is a wildlife safety measure. A dog running ahead on a trail can turn a distant animal into a close encounter.
For trail builders, clubs, land managers, and event organizers, the research also points to a broader planning lesson. Concentrating high-use recreation near existing developed areas can reduce the total footprint of disturbance, while quieter zones elsewhere remain important for more sensitive species. Fernie does not need recreation everywhere. It needs well-managed recreation in the right places, with enough room left for wildlife to move, feed, and avoid people.
The timing message may be the easiest one for everyone to understand. The study supports concentrating summer trail use during daylight hours, especially between about 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Dawn, dusk, and night are the times when wildlife is more likely to be active and when surprise encounters become more likely.
That does not mean every early morning walk or evening ride is reckless. It means those times require more caution, more noise, more awareness, and more respect for the fact that wildlife is using the same landscape.
Fernie has done a good job building a trail culture around access, stewardship, maintenance, and volunteerism. The next step is building wildlife awareness into that same culture. A good trail user is not only someone who yields, avoids muddy trails, and supports the local trail groups. A good trail user also understands that these trails pass through the home range of bears, elk, moose, deer, cougars, and other wildlife. The message is not fear. It is respect.
Make noise. Avoid dawn and dusk when possible. Carry bear spray. Control dogs. Stay alert. Give wildlife space. Report serious wildlife concerns when needed. Support trail planning that keeps recreation concentrated and predictable.
Fernie’s trails are one of the community’s greatest recreation assets. Keeping them that way means recognizing that recreation and wildlife are not separate stories. They are part of the same landscape.
Wildlife is already making room for us. It is time for trail users to return the favour.
Source: Journal of Mammalogy, 2026, 00, 1–16
https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyag029
Research Article: Wildlife responses to nonmotorized recreation in the Southern
Canadian Rockies: a multiscale analysis near Fernie, BC Clayton T. Lamb and Emily Chow
