Grizzly bear trophy hunt engagement

BC Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources Operations and Rural Development

Alan assembled a team to collect and analyze results of public, stakeholder and First Nations engagement on grizzly bear trophy hunt regulations in British Columbia. The BC Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources Operations and Rural Development had announced new regulations to try to bring an end to the grizzly bear trophy hunt and was seeking input on those changes.

Participants on all sides of the issue had lots to say about grizzly bear hunting and comments went well beyond just the proposed regulations. There were more than 4,200 emails submitted, so the analysis was undertaken using online qualitative analysis software tools (Dedoose). The software was used as a way of sorting and summarizing the myriad of different issues raised. An engagement report was prepared to help decision makers understand the different points-of-view.

Following careful review of the report and the results of the engagement process, the Minister announced a complete end to the grizzly bear hunt stating that “through consultations this past fall, we have listened to what British Columbians have to say on this issue and it is abundantly clear that the grizzly hunt is not in line with their values.”