The Alberta Wildlifer
Winter 1998, Vol. 9, No. 4
Editors: Laurie Hunt and Daniel Farr
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The Alberta Wildlifer |
Winter 1998, Vol. 9, No. 4 |
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Editors: Laurie Hunt and Daniel Farr |
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| Previous Newsletters |  |
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Beth MacCallum
It's November and snow is finally beginning to accumulate. If El Nino is followed by little sister La Nina we can expect a more normal winter. This should be better news for next year’s fire season. Living in the East Slope, the spectrum of the 1988 Yellowstone fires is a reality. Our normally cool wet summers induce long fire return intervals and when the summers are abnormally dry, conditions may converge to allow the forest to burn, usually a lot of it. The east slope enjoyed a lovely summer in 1998 but didn’t burn like parts of the boreal forest did. A winter of snow would be welcome.
This issue of the Wildlifer includes a member’s phone list and some interesting articles by member’s. I’m encouraging everyone to take advantage of the newsletter by submitting articles, summaries, or even notes of current initiatives. Alberta is a big province and the newsletter is one way to communicate. Speaking of communication, in the next few months the executive will take on the tasks of updating the Chapter brochure, website and display. The display is bulky but relatively easy to pull around (its on wheels) and set up, even for those who have never done it before. Its meant to travel and be used by members.
I attended the lecture by Dr. Wayne Lynch in Calgary October 15. I had never heard him speak before and enjoyed his very easy approach to presenting a wealth of information on the penguins (did you know there was such a thing as a spaghetti penguin). Needless to say the photographs were stunning and the venue at the Calgary Zoo excellent. The evening was a success for those who attended but we would have liked to see more Chapter members turn out. We were definitely outnumbered by ASPB although a number of people attending belonged to both groups.
Enjoy a good Christmas and winter season.
Nominations for President-Elect, Secretary-Treasurer and two Directors will again be required for the coming year. If you are willing to allow your name to stand as a nominee for any of these executive positions, please contact Arlen Todd before November 27, 1998. Arlen can be reached at 778-7112 (work) or 778-4066 (home), or atodd@env.gov.ab.ca. Please remember that members of the executive must also be paid-up members of the parent society (The Wildlife Society), as well as the Alberta Chapter.
DO renew your membership today!
DON’T
delay or you’ll miss important news!Membership dues for 1999 are due in January. Beat the rush and send your renewal
to
Jack Nolan, Alberta Environmental Centre,
Bag 4000, Vegreville, AB, T9C 1T4.
Membership fees continue to be $10.00 for a regular membership and $5.00 for students (must be accompanied by verification of student status).
Your Chapter is busy preparing for next year’s
Annual Meeting, March 12-13, 1999 in Nisku Alberta, across from the Edmonton
International Airport. Look in this issue for meeting information, Call for papers, and
the Student Paper and Poster Awards.
Mark your calendar today!
Have you got news from the Alberta wildlife front? Organizational changes, project status, current wildlife issues? Anything that you think would be of interest to your fellow members is welcome.
Contact: Laurie Hunt or Daniel Farr, Newsletter Editors
Box 6275, Hinton, Alberta, T7V 1X6
Phone 865-8376(w), 865-6162(h), Fax 865-8371
laurie@telusplanet.net or dfarr@telusplanet.net
Dave McKinnon, of the Alberta Research Council in Vegreville, has been quietly duplicating and mailing your Alberta Wildlifer for years now. Dave’s favorite line: "You want it out yesterday? No problem!" Dave also knows who’s been naughty and nice with their membership dues, and maintains our membership directory. If you have a minute, drop him a line and let him know how much you appreciate his hard work. He’s at dave@arc.ab.ca.
| Name | Position | Work | Home | Fax | |
| Beth MacCallum | President | 865-3390 | 865-4906 | 865-4906 | bighorn@ycs.ab.ca |
| Ian Ross | Past President | 217-8215 | iross@canuck.com | ||
| Mike Dorrance | President-Elect | 467-4396 | 467-4396 | 436-9540 | mathdorr@telusplanet.net |
| Jon Jorgenson | Secretary-Treasurer | 678-2373 | 949-4311 | 678-5505 | jjorgens@env.gov.ab.ca |
| Dave Hobson | Director, Newsletter | 723-8518 | 865-3246 | 723-8502 | karendav@telusplanet.net |
| Arlen Todd | Director, Nominations | 778-7115 | 778-4066 | 778-7234 | atodd@env.gov.ab.ca |
| Steve Brechtel | Director, Membership | 422-9535 | 438-7259 | 422-9685 | sbrechte@env.gov.ab.ca |
| Doug Collister | Director, Conservation | 246-2697 | 240-1635 | 246-2697 | collis@telusplanet.net |
Phone 403-955-7744
Fax 403-955-7743
Toll Free 1-800-661-6966
Rooms $79.00 + tax (single or double)
To receive the Conference Rate, be sure to make reference to "The Wildlife Society".
The Nisku Inn has just remodelled and expanded its conference and banquet facilities. The hotel is located south of Edmonton on Highway 2, just east of the Edmonton International Airport interchange.
Did you always want to contribute to ACTWS activities but find your schedule keeps you too busy? Here’s your chance!
Stop by a local camera, book, outdoor equipment or any other type of store that may be interested with an ACTWS pamphlet. Describe our worthwhile student scholarship fund in order to obtain a donation for our annual auction.
We publicize the names of companies that donate to our scholarship fund and the donation is a tax write-off for the organization.
Get the creative juices flowing and build a masterpiece for us to marvel over and inevitably bid against one another in order to own.
Perhaps you possess a special skill that other ‘wildlife folks’ would be interested in learning and participating in.
Remember a little time and effort goes a long way.
Each auction item contributes to our student scholarship fund and makes for a more amusing evening.
***Please contact Dee Ryerson (415-1335) or Ken Crutchfield (427-7763) for ACTWS pamphlets or more information.
To prepare the scientific program, titles and abstracts of papers are now requested and should be received by the Program Coordinator before January 8, 1999. We will print a draft program complete with titles in the January newsletter so PLEASE SUBMIT ABSTRACTS ON TIME!
Submit abstract by electronic mail, or by hard copy and electronic copy. The following checklist is provided to help you prepare your submission:
1. Hard copies of abstracts must be typed single-spaced within a 10 X 16 cm space.
2. Electronic copies should be submitted on 3.5 disks in MS Word for Windows 2.0 or later, MS Word for the Macintosh 6.0, or WordPerfect 4.2 or later.
3. Include names and complete addresses for all authors on the abstract, and underline the name of the presenter.
4. Do not outline the abstract.
5. Talks will be limited to a maximum of 15 minutes, plus 5 minutes for discussion.
6. Please advise the program coordinator if the paper or poster is to be judged for the student presentation awards (see announcement elsewhere in this issue).
A Kodak slide projector, overhead projector, and screen will be provided. Anyone with
special AV or display needs (e.g., TV, VCR, movie projector, backboard) should notify the
program coordinator
prior to the meeting!!
Sample Abstract
Foruew, E. Z. and U. R. Krasey. A NEW WAY TO CONDUCT WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT IN THE BOREAL FORESTS OF ALBERTA. Wildlife Science Group, Alberta Fish and Wildlife Division, #625 Ivory Towers, Edmonton, AB T6J 1E9 and Department of Regional Perspectives, Athabasca University, Athabasca, AB T4T 7K3.
Begin text here. This is where you tell us what you are going to tell us........................
Send Abstracts to:
Mike Dorrance
R.R. 4, Sherwood Park, Alberta, T8A 3K4
email: mathdorr@telusplanet.net
$100 to the best student ORAL and
$100 to the best student POSTER
presentation at the Chapter Annual Meeting.
Presentations will be judged for merit in organization, oration, professionalism, and relevance to Chapter objectives.
Posters will be judged for merit in overall layout, figures/graphs/drawings/photographs, content, and relevance to Chapter objectives
This competition is open to any person currently registered in a program with a primary focus on natural resources at any recognized education facility.
Send your abstracts to the program coordinator and indicate that you wish to be considered in the student competition.
Program Coordinator:
Mike Dorrance
R.R. 4, Sherwood Park, Alberta, T8A 3K4
mathdorr@telusplanet.net
The William Rowan Distinguished Service Award is presented to an Alberta wildlife biologist who has made outstanding contributions to the management and conservation of wildlife and their habitats. These contributions might involve excellence in research, teaching, public allocation (hunting, non- consumptive use), habitat protection and development, land use planning, impact assessment, endangered species management, work in professional associations or any other area of the wildlife management profession. The awards committee is asking for nominations from the membership for this prestigious award. A nomination involves a letter of support from a Chapter member along with the candidate’s curriculum vitae/resume. The letter should explain the value of the nominee’s contributions in the areas outlined above.
The Alberta Chapter of The Wildlife Society Dedicated Service Award is granted to an ACTWS member in recognition of exceptional individual dedication to the Chapter and Chapter activities. The awards committee is asking for nominations for this award.
Please submit your nominations for both these awards to:
Eldon Bruns
Natural Resources Service, Wildlife Management Division
Provincial Bldg., 4919 – 51 Street, Rocky Mountain House
Alberta, T0M 1T0, Fax: (403) 844-4216, ebruns@env.gov.ab.ca
Eligibility
Candidates will be students entering their last year (may be 2nd or 3rd) of study in a technical program focusing on wildlife. Program examples include, but are not limited to: Renewable Resources Option (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology), Fish and Wildlife Major (Lakeland College), and Renewable Resource Management Diploma or Fish and Wildlife Technology Certificate (Lethbridge Community College). Candidates should have a demonstrable interest in wildlife management.
Requirements
Application Deadline
February 15, 1999
Send Application to
Alberta Chapter, The Wildlife Society
Box 4990, Edmonton, Alberta, T6E 5G8
Attn: Scholarship Committee
The successful candidate will be notified by the end of March 1999 and will receive the award upon confirmation of registration at their educational institution in the following fall.
On Friday, October 23, 1998, a new one-window, resource centre and referral service was launched on Internet to help Albertans care for their land’s natural resources. The site address is: http://www.LandStewardship.org
Called the Land Stewardship Resource Centre, the service contains a wealth of references on best available resources, websites, conservation programs, contacts, and practical tips concerning water quality, biodiversity, grazing management, homes and gardens, private woodlots, conservation tillage and more. It also includes a virtual general store featuring a selection of Alberta-made, environmentally-sustainable products, a network of volunteer land stewards and an online "Kitchen Table" forum.
The Resource Centre initiative was developed by a unique partnership of conservation organizations, government agencies and the private sector. The Land Stewardship Centre of Canada (LSCC), a non-profit charitable organization based in Alberta, is co-ordinating the service.
"True to info clearinghouses developed in other service sectors and provinces, the Resource Centre recognizes that it can be a very frustrating experience for citizens to sort through all the information and agencies out there regarding land stewardship," explains Ken Gurr of the LSCC. "No one agency has all the answers.
"Yet everyone agrees with the ultimate bottom-line: healthy landscapes for present and future generations. The challenge and need is to promote and make all that information easily accessible and practical for the general public. From farmers and ranchers to acreage owners and backyard gardeners, people want to know what’s available, what can they do right now on their land, and what are the benefits. The Resource Centre was developed to help answer these questions and inspire people to take practical, positive actions to look after their land in an environmentally friendly way."
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The Resource Centre is a free public service available on the Internet, initially. "The immediate goal is to secure additional funding support to ensure all Albertans can easily access the service," says Gurr. "In addition to the website, we can help people who call us at 1-403-458-5700. But we plan to create and promote a 1-800 phone-in service, as well as have portable Resource Centre kiosks ‘for hire’ for organizations to borrow and use at tradeshows, community events, agricultural workshops, and other events and facilities throughout the province." |
The Land Stewardship Resource Centre was developed with funding and in-kind support from over a dozen organizations including: Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development’s - AESA (Alberta Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture program), Environment Canada-Eco Action 2000, Ducks Unlimited Canada/NAWMP, Alberta Environmental Protection, Wildlife Habitat Canada, Alberta Ecotrust Foundation, Alberta Sport, Recreation, Parks and Wildlife Foundation, Alberta Cattle Commission, Alberta Pacific Forest Industries, Earthkeeping and Alberta Environment Network to name a few.
For more information call Ken Gurr at (403) 458-5700 or e-mail at Lscgurr@compusmart.ab.ca.
About the Land Stewardship Centre of Canada
Incorporated in October 1996, the Land Stewardship Centre of Canada (LSCC) is an independent, not-for-profit, charitable organization based in Alberta.
The LSCC was founded on an ecological principle that generally states, the greater the number of interactions in a system, the less waste and more efficient use of energy, translating into greater stability in the system. Applying this principle, the LSCC brings together diverse stakeholders to work on common priorities for achieving sustainability on the landscape.
The LSCC Mission: To be an action-oriented centre for developing partnerships - with agriculture, industry, government, institutions and community-based organizations - for conservation programs, projects and exchanging knowledge that will best serve the public in achieving the vision of environmentally-sustainable land management.
The three core business areas of the LSCC are: 1) Land Stewardship Education, 2) Community Conservation Planning and Implementation, and 3) Biodiversity and Natural Communities’ Research.
Elk article p 1
Elk reintroduction program, CFB Suffield
Riparian areas have ecological significance that far outweighs their abundance in Alberta’s forests. In the most general sense, riparian areas are places close to water, which may be either flowing or standing. The first question often asked of a forest or wildlife manager is: "how close"? In other words, what parts of the forest are under the ecological influence of surface water, thereby requiring management considerations that are distinct from upland forests? As with most questions of ecological systems, the answer is "that depends". While a distance of 30 or 100 meters from the water’s edge may make a simple management guideline, experienced resource managers know that riparian areas vary considerably in size, shape, and, most importantly, structure.
| Riparian areas are profoundly influenced by the energy of moving water, which erodes and deposits gravel, sand, silt, and organic material. In fact, periodic disturbance by moving water is the main reason that riparian areas tend to be more ecologically diverse than upland areas. In lotic (flowing) systems, the active channel is the most dynamic zone, within which the location of the wetted channel may wander in response to seasonal changes in water flow and periodic flood events. Constant shifting of the streambed makes it difficult for perennial vegetation to become established on temporarily exposed surface materials in the active channel. |  |
The floodplain, adjacent to the active channel, periodically receives deposits of silt and other fine material during flooding. It is this periodic influx of nutrients that make floodplain forests among the most biologically productive places anywhere in Alberta. Floodplains are also made more diverse by the remnants of formerly active channels. Remnant channels and terraces often reveal a long history of channel movement, occasionally dating back to catastrophic floods that occurred as the glaciers melted several thousand years ago.
Flood return intervals vary considerably both among and within riparian areas. When considered over an ecologically meaningful period of 100 years or more, many apparently stable riparian areas are highly dynamic, and their ecological conditions are strongly influenced by a long history of periodic disturbance by moving water. Logically, flood return interval increases with distance from the active channel: for example, areas close to the active channel may flood an average of once every 5 years, while those further away and slightly higher in elevation may flood only once every 100 years or more. The area beyond the reach of floodwater rising from the channel below is frequently termed the hillslope.
Along watercourse reaches with steep gradients, flowing water is generally confined to relatively narrow channels. Floodplains are relatively narrow in these constrained reaches. Where gradients are low, channels have greater potential to wander. Floodplains tend to be wider in these unconstrained reaches. Differences in floodplain width caused by variability in gradients as water flows down from the source is one reason that a single buffer width rarely coincides with real riparian area boundaries in the field.
Low-gradient watercourses, common over much of central and eastern Alberta, lack the energy associated with fast-moving water, and erosion plays a smaller role in structuring riparian areas there. Seasonal flooding, however, is often common in such areas. Where topographic relief is slight, boundaries between riparian areas and adjacent upland sites are blurred, and depth to groundwater becomes a critical factor influencing local ecological conditions. Many riparian areas in Alberta are complex mosaics of submerged and exposed land, in which groundwater is at or very near the surface. Peatlands are an abundant expression of such conditions.
Examining aerial photographs and field reconnaissance can assist identification of riparian areas and their component zones. The three-dimensional perspective offered by stereo photo-pairs can reveal elevational transitions between the active channel, floodplain, hillslope, and upland areas that may be difficult to detect on the ground. During field reconnaissance, look for the mounds and depressions caused by past flood events, and the greater vegetation diversity usually found on floodplains. A soil pit dug through surface layers in the floodplain can reveal bands of silt, sand, gravel, and other materials that help explain the area’s flooding history, while gleying in upper soil horizons is evidence of prolonged water saturation.
With an improved understanding of the extent and history of a riparian area, forest and wildlife managers are better able to conserve the ecological and social values associated with these remarkable places.
For more information on the definition and structure of riparian areas, consult Gregory et al. (An ecosystem perspective of riparian zones. BioScience. 1991. 41:540-551) and Tarnocai et al. (The Canadian wetland classification system, pp. 413-427 in Wetlands of Canada. Ecological Land Classification Series No. 24. Sustainable Development Branch, Environment Canada, Ottawa. 1988).
By Daniel Farr
Adapted from:
The Log Jam, Newsletter of the Woodlot Association of Alberta
February 20-22, 1999, Penticton Inn, South Okanagan of British Columbia.
Graduate students from all universities in Western Canada and the United States are strongly encouraged to attend and present their research findings. The registration fee has been set at $90 (CDN). This covers the conference, accomodation for two nights, as well as breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday.
With a focus on the detection of ecosystem change, EMAN has the ability to provide a national perspective on how the health of Canadian ecosystmes is being affected by environmental changes, and an early warning system that identifies new ecosystem changes as they emerge. In addition to meeting these objectives, EMAN is an essential component of reporting to Canadians on the condition of Canada's environment. To do this, EMAN data can be used in developing routinely reported indicators of environmental conditions, and in writing comprehensive issue or area based assessments. The National Meeting continues the vital EMAN building process and features presentations on ecozone-based research, environmental indicators, and science assessments. The overall approach to linking monitoring, indicators, and assessments are described in detail in the opening plenary session. Highlighted this year are multi-disciplinary, ecological research and findings; environmental issues of concern to Canadians; and a special public session.
Contact: Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network Coordinating Office, ph 905-336 4414, email: eman@cciw.ca,
http://cs715.cciw.ca/eman-temp/events/national99/intro.html.
The Soil and Air Quality Connection
Februrary 16-18, 1999, Calgary, Alberta
Contact: Dale Doram, Conor Pacific Environmental Technologies, ph 403-204-9311, email ddoram@conorpac.com
March 3- 4, 1999, Calgary, Alberta
This conference will look at various topics (vegetation control and management, forestry, fish & wildlife, reclamation and project planning) that have impacted the vegetation management industry over the last 21 years and how the industry is preparing for the millennium.
Contact: Kevin Ellis, ph 403-290-7237, kevin.ellis@pipe.nova.ca
March 12 & 13, 1999, Nisku, Alberta
Contact: Mike Dorrance, mathdorr@telusplanet.net
March 15-16, 1999, San Diego, California
(Sponsored by the University of California Berkeley and The Western Section of The Wildlife Society)
Population Viability Analysis (PVA) has become an important tool for assessing risks to endangered species, but has been criticized for the unrealistic ways that models have been applied in management and policy decisions. This conference will focus on issues in the development and application of demographic and genetic PVA models for conserving threatened and endangered species. Themes of conference sessions include conceptual issues in the development of PVA models, integrating theory and practice in the use of PVA, applications of PVA to conservation problems, and the future of PVA.
Contact: William Hull, ph 510-465-4962, whull@cgbd.org,
http://www.cccweb.com/tws-west/pva.
June 22-25, 1999, Wolfville/Greenwich, Nova Scotia
Contact: Kate Moir, Nova Scotia Department of the Environment, ph 902-424-3617, email: moirkm@gov.ns.ca
Wildlife, Land and People: Priorities for the 21st Century
June 28 – July 2, 1999, Gödöllö, Hungary
Themes for the five-day congress are (1) Sustainable Development and Wildlife Conservation; (2) Landscape Linkages: Ecosystem Science and Management; (3) Issues in Wildlife-Human Conflicts; (4) Education, Outreach, and Human Dimensions in Wildlife Conservation; and (5) Techniques for Monitoring Wildlife.
Contact: W. Daniel Edge, daniel.edge@orst.edu
13-16 September 1999, Edirne, Turkey
Contact: Dr. Cengiz Kurtonur, Trakya Universitesi,
ph +90-284-213-5271, cengizk@aix.trakya.edu.tr, http://www.trakya.edu.tr