WCS' engagement in Canada dates back to 1905 when William Hornaday (one of the founders of the New York Zoological Society, the original name of WCS) visited the Crowsnest Pass in southeast British Columbia and called for conservation of the area where - 100 years later - WCS Canada still has a major conservation presence. In 1912, WCS was a principal architect of the Alaskan Fur Seal Treaty, and the Migratory Bird Treaty between Canada, USA and Mexico. Between 1949 and 1981, WCS supported various activities in Canada, including arctic expeditions to Bylot Island and research on seals, merlin, whooping cranes, polar bears, and bowhead whales. Beginning in 1997 WCS scientist, John Weaver, performed Canada lynx surveys in Kootenay and Banff National Parks and WCS involvement in Canada has been continuous ever since. WCS Canada was established as an organization in 2004 and has since expanded to numerous field projects in six regions of Canada (Arctic, Northern Appalachians, Northern Ontario, Northern Boreal Mountains, Southern Rocky Mountains, and Nahanni National Park) and maintains involvement in a number of WCS global programs.