Wolf School Episode 3 with biologist Dr. Heather Bryan

After our fantastic second episode with the Wolf Conservation Center’s Regan Downey last week, our next wolf school session will feature another inspiring scientist and educator, Dr. Heather Bryan. Now an Assistant Professor in Ecosystem Science and Management at the University of Northern BC, Heather has played a critical role in Raincoast’s work on coastal wolves and bears for many years.

Her scientific research focuses on the responses of wildlife to  environmental change by examining patterns in wildlife health across landscapes. Her work was a key part of Raincoast’s early application of non-invasive techniques to explore the genetic structure of coastal wolves. She has studied issues surrounding infectious disease, including the role that predators have in regulating disease. 

Heather was part of the research team that published an influential paper about the unique role of the human super predator and her research has demonstrated that heavily hunted wolves have higher stress and reproductive steroids than wolves with lower hunting pressure.

In addition to her extensive research, Heather has won awards for her efforts on youth education. You’ll see why next week! Feel free to sneak a preview of her work and be sure to invite your friends to learn more from Heather this coming Wednesday for episode three of Wolf School.

You can help

Raincoast’s in-house scientists, collaborating graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and professors make us unique among conservation groups. We work with First Nations, academic institutions, government, and other NGOs to build support and inform decisions that protect aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and the wildlife that depend on them. We conduct ethically applied, process-oriented, and hypothesis-driven research that has immediate and relevant utility for conservation deliberations and the collective body of scientific knowledge.

We investigate to understand coastal species and processes. We inform by bringing science to decision-makers and communities. We inspire action to protect wildlife and wildlife habitats.