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Rewilding aims to reintroduce keystone species to fill ecological niches vacated by their loss. One of the key assumptions of this restoration approach, however, is that reintroduced or recovered species are re-occupying a vacant niche. In 2017, Parks Canada reintroduced plains bison to the remote backcountry of Banff National Park. Bison now share this landscape with several other large herbivores, including culturally and ecologically important elk and bighorn sheep. We evaluate bison, elk, and bighorn sheep diet using DNA metabarcoding of scat and quantify their habitat at multiple scales using GPS collar data. Finally, we explore how climate and land use changes have reshaped the foraging landscape of the Canadian Rocky Mountains from 2001 to present day. This research is possible through collaboration with Parks Canada, Brown University, and the Ya Ha Tinda Elk research project at the Universities of Alberta and Montana. 

Jonathan Farr is a PhD student studying reintroduced bison in Banff National Park. Jonathan completed his undergraduate in ecology at the University of Alberta where he studied chickadees, coyotes, and sea cucumbers and landed a dream summer job in Banff in 2020. The complex landscapes of the Canadian Rockies have captivated Jonathan’s scientific interest and inspired innumerable questions about how wildlife, plants, and people coexist. When he isn’t being scholarly, he is an avid Nordic skier, backpacker, rock climber, and piano player. To follow his scientific adventures on Instagram, check out @jj.plots!