Steven Foster Wilson 

HeliCat Canada members operating in mountain caribou range have been collecting and reporting wildlife sightings data since 2010, resulting in more than 3,750 spatially referenced sightings of animals and tracks by the end of the 2022 operating season. Mountain caribou, mountain goats, and wolverine have been the most commonly recorded species, with caribou observations generally declining over time, mountain goat sightings showing no trend, and observations of wolverines and their tracks increasing. No reaction and Unconcerned are the most common responses of caribou and mountain goats to encounters with helicopters or skiers. Behavioural responses are generally stronger at shorter encounter distances, but responses remain variable, with some animals still showing No reaction or an Unconcerned response to close encounters. Recorded responses to skiers tend to be stronger than to helicopters, particularly among caribou. The number and proportion of Alarmed or Very alarmed responses to encounters was higher in early years of monitoring but has been stable since about 2014. Evidence suggesting that HeliCat activities are causing population declines of mountain caribou or mountain goats is lacking. Opportunities to further reduce risk include: improved habitat mapping, expanded monitoring and reporting, telemetry data sharing, and passive detection of wildlife. However, the benefits of all of these approaches are also currently associated with a variety of limitations.