This can be measured, thus marking breeding birds with a kind of chemical fingerprint. Researchers may someday be able to link specific breeding grounds to individual birds found at points along their migration path or on their wintering grounds using this method. Role of Volunteers Though initiated and guided by Parks Canada and the Canadian Wildlife Service, this work is carried out principally by volunteers, all members of the Friends of Mt. Revelstoke and Glacier. They set up mist nets to capture and band the birds in the area, noting the species, age, sex, breeding status and general condition of the birds captured. Work begins at 4 am.
Great care is taken when handling the captured birds.
Though the crew is made up of volunteers, they are now expert in the handling of birds and have completed the certification required to handle birds covered by international agreements. Their success has lead to the establishment of a second monitoring station near Revelstoke, British Columbia, to monitor migrating birds that use the Columbia River valley as a travel corridor. To better accomplish this, more stations are needed in the breeding areas of Canada and Alaska and in the wintering grounds of Central and South America. In mountain regions, valley bottoms are the most productive habitats and contain the greatest diversity of plant and animal species. In much of British Columbia, these areas make up a small part of the landscape and are poorly represented among the region's protected areas.