Deer monitoring
Thousand Islands National Park
Parks Canada is collaborating with Trent University to become part of their ongoing scientific study into hyper-abundant deer populations with the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry. This study will allow Parks Canada to gain valuable information on deer movement and the connectivity the park islands offer for wildlife movement across the St. Lawrence River.
Deer populations throughout the Thousand Islands region are very high, but patterns in deer movement across the region are not well understood. Through this study, the partners will develop further understanding of how deer move through this densely populated landscape including Parks Canada administered lands. In February 2022, researchers began will be tagging around a dozen deer with ear tags and GPS tracking collars. This project will also be expanded to Grenadier Island and select mainland sites during the winter of 2024. The aim of the research at Thousand Islands National Park is to learn more about hyper-abundant deer populations, movement patterns, geographic range, and about the extent to which deer may be moving north and south between the United States and Canada.
The Thousand Islands are stepping stones that create a corridor for migration between the Adirondacks and Algonquin Park. Learning more about deer movements may also point to how other mammals are moving across this continentally significant ecological corridor.
Parks Canada would like to encourage any member of the public who sees a deer with a tag or collar to report their sighting with us:
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