A new project aims to find out more about the life and lifestyle of the ghost of the deep forests of British Columbia, the wolverine.

The Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation along with the Forest Enhancement Society of BC will undertake a project to study the range, movements, and habitat of wolverines in the south coast region, including Squamish.

Brian Springinotic of the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation said it is important to study these creatures because human activity and climate change may be having a significant impact on them. It is also important to understand what and how far ranging those impacts are, he said.

“Wolverines are this iconic, elusive species in British Columbia. Wolverines capture people’s attention. There’s a lot of myth and stories about wolverines,” Mr. Springinotic said in an interview. “But we don’t know enough about the science around wolverines on the south coast.”

The three-year project aims to find out the number of wolverines in the area, their habitat needs, pressures on the landscape and how to accommodate human growth while respecting the territory of the animals. The study will include setting up of camera traps and bait stations to find out the habits and movements of the furry, ferocious predators.

Wolverines are found in various regions around the province, according to the provincial environment ministry’s website. The only areas of B.C. where they do not regularly occur are the Lower Mainland, the dry sections of the Fraser and Okanagan valleys in the southern Interior and the Queen Charlotte Islands.