INTRODUCTION

Grizzly bears in the North Slope region of the Yukon Territory are important both to the ecosystem and to the Inuvialuit people who use this area. Grizzly bears are an apex predator and consume a large variety of prey and vegetation. The Inuvialuit people harvest a regulated number of grizzlies every year and they rely on this harvest for their livelihood. As socio-environmental landscapes become more complex, greater importance is being placed on understanding the drivers that influence mammal movement. As grizzly bears inhabit different climates, the drivers influencing movement may vary. Determining indices of grizzly bear movement is critical to preserving their habitat and the ecosystem of the Yukon North Slope. Our goal involves answering two questions about the Yukon North Slope grizzly bear population: (1) What drives grizzly bear movement and (2) How do Northern populations compensate for the shorter growing season due to their high latitude? This will be completed through a combination of visual exploration and statistical analysis methods. The result will contribute to an understanding of northern grizzly bear movement.