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The Wildlife Connectivity Project wants to hear from Sea to Sky locals. 

Specifically, the folks behind the project are actively seeking information about the wildlife around Â鶹Éç¹ú²úthrough a survey and mapping tool.

This connectivity initiative was in partnership with the  Howe Sound Biosphere Region Initiative Society. The are to gain an understanding of local threats to biodiversity, identify and maintain wildlife routes, and identify opportunities to protect and enhance habitat connectivity.

The that takes approximately five to 10 minutes to complete. Some of the questions are about important species in the — which focuses on Â鶹Éç¹ú²úplus some of the surrounding region in all directions — whereas others ask about specific areas that have important ecosystem services.

The survey, however, closes relatively soon, on March 8.

Another tool available is , which will be available for the foreseeable future. With this tool, users can highlight specific areas in the focus area and label them as an area of importance or concern or as an area with wildlife observation. There is space for users to write their notes on the area’s significance as well as attach photos if needed.

“We created this because there is a lot of information out there that individuals hold in our communities,” said Karlene Loudon, a principal consultant and biologist with CoastRange Environmental Ltd., which operates as a consultant on the project.

Loudon gave the example of how locals can maintain a lot of wildlife knowledge without the existing opportunity to share said knowledge.

“Say somebody knows that there's deer or coyote … that are using a particular area in town, they can share that information with us that we might not be able to get through these conventional means,” she said.

All of the information the project is collecting will be given to land-use decision-makers in an effort to help inform them about areas that are possibly in need of protection and to better understand wildlife routes in the region.

“Our next phase is the biodiversity conservation strategy and connectivity mapping,” said Loudon. “The phase after that is policy development.”

“The idea of that is to work with local regional governments, First Nations [and] other organizations to help enhance biodiversity conservation or wildlife conservation in our region.”

For more information about the Wildlife Connectivity Project, please visit . More information about the survey and mapping tool can be found at .