The Alberta Wildlifer
	Spring 2002, Vol. 13, No. 1
	Editors: Sue Cotterill and Matt Besko

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Inside this Issue

• PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
• CHAPTER NEWS
• STUDENT CHAPTER NEWS
• CONSERVATION INFORMATION AND REQUESTS
• UPCOMING EVENTS

President’s Message

This will be my last message as President. I can honestly say that the year has sped by. On looking back, the job as President is very different from the job as President-elect. The main role in the latter job is organizing the annual conference. Yet, I can also appreciate how organizing that conference is wonderful preparation for doing the President’s job, which is to oversee the affairs of the chapter in a broader sense. Each role has been interesting and fulfilling. It truly has been a pleasure to serve. Earlier in my life, my volunteer involvement was typically outside of my career interests. The more recent experience of volunteer roles in the wildlife profession has actually brought me a much richer sense and appreciation of what the wildlife management profession is truly about. So, if you’ve always thought you might like to get involved in the Alberta Chapter of The Wildlife Society, but haven’t yet done it, why not start today? I predict that you will never regret it. Just let your interest in serving be known (and perhaps how, or in what ways) and get ready for additional fulfillment!

As I draft this message, the sun is getting low in the western sky on Winter Solstice (Dec. 21st). After today, days will be lengthening as the northern hemisphere again moves towards Spring. The next several months will be busy. My current position is in the Species at Risk area, which has busy seasons year round. I also look forward to the Chapter’s Annual Conference (Coast Edmonton Plaza, March 7-9, 2002). The chapter conference has truly become a highlight of my professional year. I will also make it a priority to travel to the Annual Conference of the Northwest Section of The Wildlife Society (Spokane, Washington—April 17-19, 2002); as a chapter president, I am on the executive board of the Northwest Section as well. Perhaps I will see some of you in Spokane. In any event, I will see many of you in Edmonton, at the Chapter conference.

Till then, take care!

Chapter News

Membership Drive in Action

In 2002 we will focus on recruiting additional members to the Alberta Chapter of The Wildlife Society. We will start by contacting past members and encouraging them to rejoin the Chapter. At the 2002 Annual Meeting of ACTWS, we will announce guidelines for an upcoming contest for active members to recruit the most new members into the Chapter by the 2003 Annual Meeting and win big rewards. Please plan to join us in this membership drive! If you already know of individuals

or groups who share common interests with the Chapter and may want to join, let Evie Merrill know and she can send them materials on the chapter.

Evie Merrill, Memberships Committee Chair

Emerrill@ualberta.ca; (780) 492-2842

Annual General Meeting Update

Interested in meeting wildlife colleagues from around the province? Wondering what the preliminary program is for the AGM and the business meeting? Keen on participating in the Photo Contest? Eager to help raise funds for ACTWS student scholarships by donating to or bidding on items in the AGM auction? If you said yes to any of these questions, or are looking for more information, see pages 8-16 at the end of this newsletter.

Click here for the 2002 AGM Preliminary Program and AGM Agenda

Auction Items Needed

The Alberta Chapter of the Wildlife Society will hold a silent/live auction at the upcoming Annual General Meeting to raise funds for our student scholarship. Members attending the conference are asked to bring along a "Wildlife-Related" item to be auctioned. This can be done several ways:

• Stop by your local "Wildlife-Related" stores and ask if they would be interested in donating an auction item to our student scholarship fund. Also mention that we publicize the names of companies that donate to the ACTWS and that we are a non-profit organization.

• Create a one and only masterpiece.

• Auction items don’t need to be new, look around the house for an item you no longer use or want and let’s see who really wants it.

• Maybe you have a special skill you would like to share with someone, for example a day birding at Elk Island Park or maybe you know of some neat wildlife sightings.

Let’s start thinking what we can bring to the auction - it will be fun!

Those intending to bring an auction item are asked to contact Len Peleshok as soon as possible.

Please contact Len Peleshok for ACTWS pamphlets or more information.

len@arc.ab.ca (780) 632-8312 work (780) 662-2628 home

Photo Contest

Click here to view 2002 Photo Contest details

Student Chapter News

University of Alberta Student Chapter

January and February Seminars

On January 22, Dr. Lee Foote gave a seminar entitled "Hunting, Ethics and Conservation Biology," on the subject of sustainable hunting. On February 26, Gordon Court will be giving a seminar on his Antarctica research. Both seminars will be given at 5:00 pm in room 3-27 of the Earth Sciences Building.

This winter semester, Jennifer Lloyd (4th year Environmental Science student) will be starting an independent research project on urban deer in Edmonton under the supervision of Dr. Mark Boyce and leadership of the Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society. Jennifer will be monitoring habitat use and movements within the Valley. Following Jennifer’s initial study, the Chapter expects to continue the project with future students and volunteers.

Lethbridge Community College Student Chapter

The LCC-TWS has had a busy fall. We have built up a membership of over 100 students involved in the environmental field. Members have had the opportunity to travel to Radium Hot Springs to count bighorn sheep as part of the ‘Bighorn in Our Backyard’ project, as well as participate in Trout Unlimited’s fish rescue around Waterton Reservoir. Other activities involved aiding in a prairie rattlesnake hibernacula project and participating in a pike removal project.

We held our annual potluck supper/mixer on November 30 with guest speaker Richard Quinlan (Non-game Endangered Species Biologist – Prairie Region).

Approximately 120 people attended including several biologists from the surrounding area.

Future plans include another mixer on February 8th (tentative) and possible projects with the City of Lethbridge, Oldman River Dam, and the Helen Schuler Coulee Centre.

If you would like more information on the chapter or need some assistance with projects please feel free to contact one of the executive.

LCC Executive

Conservation & Management Projects

The History of Alberta’s Fish and Wildlife Resource – Book Project Update

Well, as many of you have heard by now, an ambitious project to document the history of the management and conservation of Alberta’s fish and wildlife resource was initiated in 2001. Thanks to the hard work of a number of volunteers and to a number of sponsors, the project has had a very successful first year. Early in 2001, a volunteer management committee was struck and has subsequently applied for society status as the Fish and Wildlife Historical Society to formalize project management.

Applications to the Alberta Conservation Association (ACA) and Alberta Sport, Recreation, Parks and Wildlife Foundation (ASRPW) were successful for funds of $10,240. These grants allowed the project to hire a researcher (Coral Grove) for a portion of the year. Also, the donation of office space from Alberta Sustainable Resource Development has provided a working area as well as a suitable repository for research materials. Under the direction of the committee, the researcher spent the summer wading through government annual reports and other materials from various individuals, libraries and archives. Approximately 20 volunteers have been contacted and have agreed to direct the development of chapters pertaining to their areas of expertise. Work on a manuscript has been initiated and will continue to be expanded throughout the year. And finally, interviews of several wildlife managers and some photo collection has been initiated.

The executive board of the Alberta Chapter of the Wildlife Society has made a commitment to donate $5,000 and provide technical support ($5,000) to the project in 2002. Researching, soliciting written and photographic material, conducting interviews, writing and raising funds and awareness of the project will be some of the many tasks to be carried out in 2002. If you are interested in volunteering your time to a particular aspect of this project, or have information or materials that you feel would be relevant, please contact Petra Rowell at (780) 458-5560 or prowell@telusplanet.net for more information.

The History of Fish and Wildlife Management – Quiz Corner!

In the last issue, we asked the question "Between 1906 and the present, how many provincial departments have held the responsibility for the fish and wildlife resource…?" The following table outlines all of the departmental changes located to date (if you know something we don’t, please let us know) indicating 12 moves into 10 different departments. Looking over the century then, the responsibility for Fish and Game was moved on average, every 8 years. However, variance was high with the longest stint a remarkable 30 years between 1906 and 1936 in the Department of Agriculture Administration - for the most part, under the leadership of the province’s first Game Commissioner, Benjamin Lawton. The most turbulent period appears to begin in 1937, when Fish and Game Commissioner W.H. Wallace took over the Fish and Game Branch in the Department of Lands and Mines only to see it moved to Agriculture Administration in 1938, to Agriculture in 1939 and back to Lands and Mines in 1941.

List of Departmental Authorities for Fish and Wildlife between 1906 and 2005:

• 1906 – 1936 Department of Agriculture Administration, Game Branch
• 1936 – 1938 Department of Lands and Mines, Fish and Game Branch
• 1938 – 1939 Department of Agriculture Administration, Fish and Game Branch
• 1939 – 1941 Department of Agriculture, Fish and Game Division
• 1941 – 1958 Department of Lands and Mines, Fish and Game Division
• 1958 – 1975 Department of Lands and Forests, Fish and Wildlife Division
• 1975 – 1979 Department of Recreation, Parks and Wildlife, Fish and Wildlife Division
• 1979 – 1985 Department of Energy and Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife Division
• 1985 – 1992 Department of Forestry, Lands and Wildlife, Fish and Wildlife Division
• 1993 – 1999 Department of Environmental Protection, (1993-4 Fish and Wildlife Services; 1994-7 Fisheries Management and Wildlife Management; 1997-9 Fisheries and Wildlife Management Division)
• 1999 – 2001 Department of the Environment, Fisheries and Wildlife Management Division
• 2001 – Department of Sustainable Resource Development, Fish and Wildlife Division

Of course, the province wasn’t the only jurisdiction with an interest in fish and wildlife in the last century. The following questions reflect a number of areas in which nongovernmental organizations were involved.

Q. What was the first year pheasants were released in Alberta and what organization was responsible?

Q. In what year was fur-farming initiated in Alberta and what species was the first to be farmed?

Q. Trappers have a long history of providing furbearer population information to wildlife managers. In what year was the Alberta Trappers Association formed?

Q. Many of us are familiar with William Rowan’s reputation for collecting. Where does the majority of Rowan’s vigorous collecting effort now reside? (Hint: the answer is not the University of Alberta nor the Provincial Museum of Alberta.)

Once again, if you can answer these, or the questions from the previous issue, or have some questions of your own, or you are interested in volunteering for the History of Fish and Wildlife Book Project, please contact Petra Rowell at (780) 458-5560 or prowell@telusplanet.net. We are still anxiously awaiting replies from all of the closet historians we know are out there!

Western and Eared Grebes of Central Alberta: A Review of their Status, Surveying Techniques and Management Concerns

Hanus, S., H. Wollis, and L. Wilkinson. 2002. Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, Fish and Wildlife Division, Stony Plain Area. 52322 Golf Course Road, Stony Plain, AB T7Z 2K9.

Western grebes (Aechmophorus occidentalis) and eared grebes (Podiceps nigricollis) are colonial nesting waterbirds that build precarious floating nests of aquatic vegetation either secured to emergent vegetation or free-floating. These grebe species have a wide distribution across western and central North America, yet indications are that they may be declining and could become threatened over the long-term. Nevertheless, relatively little research and monitoring attention has been directed toward these species. As a result, we conducted surveys designed to locate grebe colonies, estimate population sizes, and assess their reproductive success, making this the first project of its kind in the province. We also developed, tested, and evaluated various survey methods, thereby providing a framework for future surveys.

A population of approximately 2570 adult western grebes was estimated within the study area (52 lakes), most of which inhabited only three lakes. Mean clutch sizes ranged from 1.8 to 2.8 eggs/nest (n=433 nests, three colonies), and 34% of nests were active (n=1271 nests, three colonies), suggesting high rates of nest abandonment. Our results suggest that western grebes are being negatively impacted locally and regionally by cumulative effects, namely: habitat loss, human disturbance, and water level declines. This is particularly apparent at the Wabamun Lake colony, where nest predation by corvids appears significant. The Wabamun Lake and Lac Ste. Anne colonies are considered nationally important to western grebes.

Approximately 7627 eared grebes were observed on 15 lakes, with nesting confirmed on 10 lakes. Mean clutch sizes ranged from 2.2 to 2.8 eggs/nest (n=446 nests, three colonies), which is comparable to other studies, and 88% of nests were active (n=512 nests, three colonies). While eared grebes appear to be abundant and widely distributed within the study area, caution is necessary because they seem to be vulnerable to the same disturbances that affect western grebes. This is revealed by their preference of colonising lakes with relatively little human presence. The George Lake population is considered nationally important to eared grebes, whereas Oldman Lake, Lac Ste. Anne, and Isle Lake are regionally important.

Several survey methods were tested, including aerial surveys, boat surveys (systematic and meandering shoreline surveys), shoreline telescope surveys and ground nest surveys. Overall, we found that the most effective means of locating western and eared grebes was a combination of aerial and ground surveys. Ground nest surveys were best for achieving relative abundance estimates, measuring reproductive success, and characterising nesting habitat.

We recommend monitoring grebe populations for the next five years, with emphasis on western grebes and their reproductive measures. It is imperative to gather population trend information to determine if the populations are declining. It is also important to expand surveys to other parts of the province and determine the status of these species. In addition, mitigative measures are required, including boating restrictions around colonies during nesting, protective notations, signage, and public education.

Site of Wabamum Lake grebe colony (photo by L. Wilkinson).

For more information contact Lisa Wilkinson: lisa.wilkinson@gov.ab.ca

Upcoming Events

Symposium on Small Stream Channels and their Riparian Zones: Their Form, Function and Ecological Importance in a Watershed Context
February 18-20, 2002; Vancouver, British Columbia
For more info: http://www.fcsn.bc.ca/conferences/riparian.html

The Chemical Immobilization of Wildlife Course
February 25-27, 2002; Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
For more info contact the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre: (306) 966-5099; http://wildlife.usask.ca

Capturing & Handling of Wildlife – Approaches to Reducing Stress Course
February 27-March 1, 2002; Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
For more info contact the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre: (306) 966-5099; http://wildlife.usask.ca

4th International Workshop on Disturbance Dynamics in Boreal Forests
August 9 - 14, 2002; Prince George, British Columbia
For more info: http://www.res.unbc.ca/borealdisturbance/

Grizzly Bears: A Workshop on Enhancing and Managing Small Populations
Sandpoint, Idaho, 16-17 December, 2002 (tentative)

Call for Papers

A 2 day workshop on enhancing small populations of grizzly bears in the US-Canada transborder area and creating and managing new populations in linkage zones will be held in conjunction with the winter meeting of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee tentatively scheduled for Sandpoint Idaho on 16-17 December, 2002.

This workshop will be coordinated by the International Association for Bear Research and Management, local, state, provincial, and federal governmental agencies interested in grizzly bears, and the National Wildlife Federation. Invited papers will be presented by Mark Boyce, Lisette Waits, Chris Servheen, Matt Austin, Rick Mace, Dave Mattson, Greg Schildwachter, Wayne Kasworm, John Boulanger, Wayne Wakkinen, Mike Proctor, and others. A panel discussion is planned with local political leaders and citizens. Pertinent papers on this topic from Europe and Asia are encouraged. Proceedings will be peer reviewed and published. Suggestions for topics and presenters as well as abstracts for volunteered papers should be submitted by March 31, 2002 to Sterling Miller, 240 North Higgins, Suite 2, Missoula, MT 59847 ((406) 721-6705, FAX (406) 721-6714, millerS@nwf.org).

TWS Bismarck 2002
9th Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society
Bismarck, North Dakota

Preliminary Program

Plenary

• Feeding the World: A Food Policy for All Species

Symposia

• Management of North American Blackbirds
• North American Grasslands: Building a Conservation Strategy
• Restoration of Wildlife and their Habitats
• Prairie Grouse: Managing Imperiled Species and Habitats
• Public Wildlife – Private Land Programs: Conservation or Commercialization of Wildlife?
• Influence of Invasive Species on Biological Diversity
• Sampling Rare and/or Elusive Species: Challenges and Choices
• Science and Large-Scale Conservation Planning for Northern Prairie Birds
• Conservation in Ricelands: Current Knowledge and Future Research and Education
• Role of Certification to the Wildlife Profession in the 21st Century
• Diversity: Not Just for Wildlife Anymore
• Diseases of Wild Birds: Ecology, Management and Effects on Populations
• Toxicological Effects on Wildlife Related to Agriculture
• Modern Regression Methods: New Tools for Wildlifers

Workshops

• Performance Measures for Ecosystem Management and Ecological Sustainability
• Media Self Defense: Skills and Strategies for Wildlife Professionals
• Wildlife Study Design: An Introduction to Basic Design Principles for Field Studies
• GIS in the Management of Natural Resources
• Learning Theory, Motivation, and Today's Wildlife Students
• Resource Selection Functions: Statistical Design and Analysis for Field Studies
• Wildlife Investigator Series: Instructional Packages for K-12 Presentations

Special Poster Session

• Wildlife Toxicology: Contaminant Issues in the Northern Great Plains

Contributed Papers and Posters

• Ecology and Conservation of Birds
• Ecology and Conservation of Mammals & Other Wildlife
• Conservation of Communities, Ecosystems, & Landscapes
• Wildlife-Habitat Relationships
• Wildlife Population Dynamics, Estimation & Modeling
• Human Dimensions, Conservation Education & Conservation Policy
• Wildlife Damage Management
• Environmental Contaminants & Wildlife Diseases

Recent Publications

Please send any references of recently published articles to sue.cotterill@gov.ab.ca. Articles of interest include those authored by ACTWS members on Alberta wildlife.