By Marcia Love
Although his time as an interpreter at Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park has come to an end, Carl Morrison’s cougar research will continue in the winter.

The University of Alberta biological sciences student is heading the park’s cougar study in the centre and east blocks as part of his masters.
He is returning to the university in the fall, but will remain in contact with park staff as they monitor the movement of the two female cougars that were collared with GPS units in the park last winter.
The next phase of the project will see more cougars collared in the park when the snow begins to fall and tracking the animals becomes possible.
In preparation for this, Morrison hopes the park can gain support from the community for the project. Because the cougar collars cost about $5,000 each, he is seeking assistance from community groups for the purchase of three more collars.
“It’s a way for these local businesses to support local research and stay engaged as the project develops,” Morrison explained.
He would like to capture between eight and ten cougars in total throughout the two-year study.
Data on the locations of the two collared cats is received by GPS every three hours. Cameras have also been set up within the park to assist with the monitoring.
“One of the cats that was collared in the centre block was found to be moving back and forth between the centre and the east block,” Morrison noted. “The other one has kind of stuck to the centre block, spending a lot of her time at the west end.”
The study will bring to light more information about the cougar habitat in the park, such as the animal’s travelling patterns and food sources.
Morrison also hopes to gain some insight into the cougars’ interactions with people.
“Over a quarter million people use the Cypress Hills’ centre block over the course of a year, so we’re looking at how the cougars... respond to the influx of people in that finite space,” he said.
Visitor traffic in the park is being surveyed as part of the cougar study.
Despite the high number of visitors the park receives each year, cougar sightings are extremely rare.
In connection with the study, park staff are providing the public with cougar awareness information.
Morrison will be returning to the park on occasion throughout the fall to continue monitoring the collared cats.

Cougar research student Carl Morrison uses GPS equipment to monitor the location of the collared cougars in Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park. He will be returning to the park in the winter to track and collar more of the animals.
Photo by Marcia Love