We live in one of Canada’s fastest growing provinces. On average, Alberta’s population increases almost 3% per year, approaching 30% in a ten year period. This growth rate is expected to continue for some time, at least that is what many of the presenters said at the land use conference, titled "The Land Supports Us All" held in Edmonton last February.

I attended this very timely and informative conference along with many of our ACTWS members—in fact, some of our members made excellent presentations there. The talks were broad-ranging and covered all sectors and addressed many of the major land use related issues facing Alberta. The list included: urban development, conventional oil and gas and heavy oil development/forecasts, agriculture industry development, forest industry development, tourism and recreation. The conference presenters forecasted that as our population grows and the demand for land increases, the number of land use conflicts between various industry sectors, the public and private individuals will escalate! Closer to home, the list of land use and resource issues challenging Alberta’s wildlife professionals will also continue to increase. Current and future issues are: managing wildlife and habitat in an rapid growth province, controlling wildlife diseases, managing water and riparian resources, species at risk, biodiversity and degradation of natural systems, managing public lands and protected areas and access management, and understanding climate change. The list goes on!

Most industry, government, nongovernment organizations, and many members of the public are aware of the land use crunch and have a reasonably good understanding of the issues. Unfortunately, in Alberta it appears that the importance of first recognizing and than addressing the land use issue hasn’t gotten through at the political level yet! Perhaps this part of "the Alberta Advantage Strategy"?

Many of the presenters at the land use conference talked of Alberta’s growth and development forecasts and stressed the importance of "getting out in front" of development by establishing an effective planning process that would include a collaborative stakeholder process. Whether government initiates and leads land use planning in Alberta remains to be seen. However, when the land use planning process begins, wildlife professionals must be active participants providing science based information and advice that will lead to wise land use planning and resource management.

Over the years, Wildlifers have become pretty good at representing wildlife interests in a collaborative stakeholder process. We should carefully examine our most successful programs and use them as templates for future land use exercises in the province. One of the best examples is our "Cows and Fish Program". If you examine our track record, the most successful land use programs that recognize and benefit wildlife have been developed under a collaborative stakeholder process.

There is little doubt the province’s land use issues and conflicts will continue to become larger and more frequent. Whether we participate as a professional group or as individuals in our day to day activities, let’s ensure that we continue to be major players at the decision making table.

Good luck!

ALBERTA CHAPTER OF THE WILDLIFE SOCIETY
February 28 - March 1, 2003; Red Deer Lodge, Red Deer, Alberta
Co-hosted by:

The Alberta Chapter of The Wildlife Society,
University of Alberta Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society,
and Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, Fish and Wildlife Division

INTEGRATED RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, IMPLICATIONS FOR WILDLIFE is the focus of the plenary session, which will open the conference (starting early morning on February 28). Dr. Brad Stelfox, a well-known wildlife ecologist and author of program ALCES, is a confirmed plenary speaker. Other high-profile speakers are invited, including Ian Dyson (confirmed) and Al Sanderson. The eventful two days will be filled with contributed papers on a wide range of topics in wildlife research and management. Guiding principles for planning the conference are to provide attendees with the highest quality and most current information possible, at an affordable price. So, please join us in Red Deer for an exceptional event and two days of camaraderie!

Location and Transportation

The Red Deer Lodge (4311 49 Avenue Red Deer, Alberta) is centrally located in the city of Red Deer. The hotel is on the south edge of town center, and just a short walking distance to shopping, restaurants, pubs, and other points of interest. For more information on Red Deer Lodge go to: http://www.greatcanadianhotels.com/reddeer.html.

Red Deer is located in central Alberta, about 150 km south of Edmonton, on Highway 2. Calgary International Airport is only a ninety minute drive from the town of Red Deer. All major car rental companies are available at the Calgary International Airport, and regular bus service operates directly from the airport to Red Deer as well. For more information on Red Deer go to: http://www.city.red-deer.ab.ca/default.htm.

Lodging

The conference and meetings will be held at the Red Deer Lodge. The lodge has reserved a block of 60 rooms at special conference rates. To receive the special rate, be sure to make reservations by January 2, 2003 at 1-800-661-1657 (mention that you are attending The Wildlife Society meeting, Alberta Chapter). The rate is $95 Canadian/room/night, for single or double occupancy, plus 12% tax. The rates mentioned above are extended to delegates of the conference both three days before and three days after the conference. When making reservations, you will require a valid credit card number or cheque or money order deposit. When requested, deposits will be returned if the Red Deer Lodge receives notice of cancellation at least 48 hours prior to the expected time of arrival.

A variety of other hotels and motels are located near the Red Deer Lodge. However, we have not arranged discounted rates at any of the others, so please book a room early at the Red Deer Lodge.

Registration

Please take advantage of early registration discounts by completing and returning the registration form with full payment (in Canadian funds only) by February 7, 2003. On-site registration will be available at the conference. Partial registrations will not be accepted.

Reception and Wildlife Auction Fundraiser

The welcoming reception and social (including no-host cash bar) is on Thursday evening, February 27. The fundraiser auction of wildlife-related items will occur on Friday evening, starting at 7:30 pm. Proceeds go entirely to the Alberta Chapter’s student scholarship fund.

Contributed Papers Sessions

Concurrent sessions for contributed papers (click here for Call for Papers) will run Friday afternoon (February 28) and all day on Saturday (March 1).

Call for Poster Papers

A poster session  (click here for Call for Papers) will run during February 28-March 1. Posters on wildlife management, research, monitoring, new techniques, and work just getting underway are always of interest. Persons who are beginning their projects are encouraged to submit posters, rather than papers for oral presentation. If you are interested in participating, please contact Mark S. Boyce, Department of Biological Sciences, Room Z 907, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB Canada T6G 2E9 (Phone 780-489-0081; fax 780-492-9234; e-mail boyce@ualberta.ca).

Wildlife Photo Contest

Conference registrants are invited to submit their favorite original photos for a contest at the conference. Contact Troy Sorensen, if you are interested (phone 780-778-7116; e-mail Troy.Sorensen@telus.net). Further details will be posted on the Alberta Chapter’s website, as the conference approaches.

Lunches and Alberta Chapter Awards

Friday and Saturday lunches are included in the registration fee. The annual awards of the Alberta Chapter, TWS, will be presented during the Saturday lunch.

Corporate Donations to Support the Conference

Corporate donations have contributed significantly to the quality and viability of TWS meetings organized in Alberta in the past. Thank you for your support and generosity! If you or your employer can make a financial donation to support the conference, please consider doing so. Donations both large and small will be gratefully appreciated. Please make cheques payable (preferably in Canadian funds) to Alberta Chapter, The Wildlife Society and mail to ACTWS, Box 4990, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6E 5G8. Donations received before February 15, 2003 would be most appreciated! Donors will be recognized in the printed conference materials, and at the lunch on Saturday, March 1.

The Alberta Chapter annually presents academic student awards to promote interest and reward excellence in the field of wildlife conservation. This year there are three $1000 awards being offered to successful candidates enrolled in: a) technical programs; b) university undergraduate programs; and c) university graduate programs.

Student submissions for each award category are reviewed by ACTWS member committees and awards will be presented to successful candidates at the ACTWS annual conference in March 2003.

Applicants must have a demonstrated interest in wildlife management. Details of each award, including submission requirements, are outlined below.

For further information please contact Ron Bennett, Awards Committee Chair at 780- 951-8673 or Ron.Bennett@ec.gc.ca

This award is open to students that are presently enrolled in a technical program in the Province of Alberta, focusing on wildlife biology or management. Program examples include, but are not limited to: Renewable Resource Option (NAIT), Fish and Wildlife Major (Lakeland), Renewable Resource Management Diploma or Fish and Wildlife Technology Certificate (LCC). Please note that programs in conservation enforcement are not eligible for this award.

Applications must be received by January 15, 2003. Send applications to the Alberta Chapter of The Wildlife Society, Box 4990 Edmonton, AB T6E 5G8, Attn: Scholarship Committee.

This award is open to students planning a career in wildlife management and preparing to enter the final year of a 4-year Alberta university program in Biological Sciences, Forest Science, Animal Sciences, Zoology, or related field of study, in September 2003. The award funds will be disbursed upon confirmation of registration for the next year of full-time enrollment.

Applications must be received by January 15, 2003. Send applications to the Alberta Chapter of The Wildlife Society, Box 4990 Edmonton, AB T6E 5G8, Attn: Scholarship Committee.

This award is open to students planning a career in wildlife management and accepted into a full-time post-graduate degree program at an Alberta university in Biological Sciences, Forest Science, Animal Sciences, Zoology, or related field of study.

Applications must be received by January 15, 2003. Send applications to the Alberta Chapter of The Wildlife Society, Box 4990 Edmonton, AB T6E 5G8, Attn: Scholarship Committee.

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, by January 3, 2003, to:

Volunteers are needed to help out on the Nominating Committee to organize and run the 2002-2003 elections of the Alberta Chapter’s executive board. This important committee is responsible for contacting and selecting members who want to run for positions on the Chapter’s executive board. The Executive positions are: President, President-Elect, Secretary-Treasurer, and four directors of which two are elected each year for a two year term.

If you are interested in assisting with our election process, or running for a position, please contact:

I’m learning that planning a very large conference is truly a moving target! I had a telephone chat with Sandra Staples-Bortner quite recently. Sandra is the Program Director with TWS, and has very significant involvement in, and responsibilities for, organizing the Annual Conferences of TWS. Sandra (and others) are currently involved in preparing for the 2002 Conference in Bismarck, North Dakota and the 2003 Conference in Vermont, as well as the 2004 Conference in Calgary. Sandra mentioned that a conference planner was being hired to work with her on contractual and other details for the Vermont Conference, at the request of the Arrangements Committee in Vermont, and that the same approach would likely be followed for the 2004 Conference (in Alberta). Sandra envisions that hiring the conference planner to work with her will result in elimination of several of the subcommittees that I outlined to you in the last newsletter, and reduction in the roles of several other subcommittees of the Arrangements Committee, as well. The subcommittees that are most likely to be affected are Associated Meetings, Audio Visuals and Computers, Meals and Entertainment, Merchandise, and Signs. Sandra also mentioned that it may be preferable, with the changing roles, to have two co-chairs for the Arrangements Committee, rather than a chair and a vice-chair.

I trust that you join with me in wanting the conference planning to be done as efficiently and effectively as possible, and that you will welcome the addition of a salaried conference planner to the initiative. From my point of view, that will result in a reduced workload for the Arrangements Committee, but there will still be lots to do! It's just that the subcommittees that I described to you earlier, and asked you to volunteer for may not exist in some cases, or may exist with reduced responsibilities in some other cases. That said, I think it's probably wise to let organizing the 2003 Conference in Vermont go a bit further, and allow things to stabilize a bit (in terms of structure, roles, and responsibilities), before proceeding much further with talking about roles on the Arrangements Committee for the 2004 Conference. The other reason that seems sensible is that hiring of the Conference Planner to work with Sandra Staples-Bortner will shorten the timelines that are required for the Arrangements Committee. I had begun to work towards having the committee in place about two years ahead of the conference, at Sandra's earlier recommendation. It now appears that a shorter timeline will suffice.

With respect to other progress in conference planning, a number of dedicated and skilled individuals have stepped forward to volunteer for roles on the Arrangements Committee and subcommittees. I sincerely thank each of those volunteers. It is a bit early to finalize a slate of volunteers and their roles (because of uncertainty about committee structure, and subcommittee sizes), though.

One of the first tasks for the Arrangements Committee will be to develop a conference logo. It will be needed by June 1, 2003. TWS advises to start early on that, and to keep it simple! Creating the logo is the responsibility of the Merchandise Subcommittee. That is one of the reasons that I would really like people to come forward soon to lead and to serve on the Merchandise Subcommittee. Options for the logo are to have it created by either an artistic member of TWS or one skilled in graphic design, a graphic design artist from a wildlife agency in the hosting province, or a merchandise vendor. The existing "Annual Conference Handbook" for TWS lists the following factors for consideration in logo design: simplicity (include "The Wildlife Society" or "TWS", the conference year, and the conference city); sharp graphics; two colors only; appropriateness to the conference locale; and, artistic quality. If you have ideas for either an artist to create the logo, the logo itself, or think you would like to lead or serve on the Merchandise Subcommittee to help oversee the process, please contact me.

As mentioned earlier, I will be having some further discussions with executive and members of the Manitoba Chapter of The Wildlife Society about their involvement in several subcommittees of the Arrangements Committee. Those discussions will take place at the Annual Conference of TWS in Bismarck, North Dakota next month. I also hope to see a number of members of the Alberta Chapter in Bismarck.

You are more than welcome to contact me at any time, if you have any suggestions or questions about arrangements for the 2004 Conference in Calgary. Thank you for your interest and support.

Both Josh and I are very excited to be taking over the torch at LCC with The Wildlife Society. Last year’s membership size was, I believe, the biggest to date at LCC and we are looking forward to carrying that momentum forward. As far as specific projects are concerned, we will try to participate in some ongoing and continuing projects from last year that went well. They include the Big Horn in your Backyard project which took place in Radium and Invermere, B.C. We would also like to continue with the Trout Unlimited Rescue Project which takes place each year in the canals and irrigation channels of Southern Alberta. Also near the end of the last school year a handful of members began participating in a Deer Impact Study in Taber, AB which we hope to continue. As far as new projects, we are hoping to start a regular Lethbridge Coulee nature hike and clean-up to observe some of the flora and fauna of the local Coulees while picking up trash at the same time. As always we will have at least one mixer to raise funds for projects, do membership drives and raise the awareness of the LCC Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society. Of course there are always new projects that come to our attention during the year and we are hoping with such a large group there will be an array of ideas for possible projects. Unfortunately I do not have a list of all the current executives to date, but both Josh (President) and I (Vice President) are looking forward to an exciting new year. If you have any other questions feel free to contact me at the below address.

Sincerely,

• President: Stephen Taerum
• Vice President: Janet Ng
• Treasurer: Tammy MacMillan

We are still looking for undergraduate and graduate students to fill the roles of: Secretary, Membership, and Social Convener.

We will have at least one seminar each month given by a faculty member or other guest speaker. Our first speaker will be Dr. Fiona Schmiegelow on September 17, 2002, in ESB 3-27. We will continue our wetland project in southwestern Edmonton, where we are comparing the waterfowl, invertebrates, vegetation, and abiotic features between artificial and natural wetlands. Also, a student study on urban deer in Edmonton is supported by our group. These two studies provide valuable field experience for volunteers, who are always more than welcome. We will also be having another Improv Night, where a number of faculty members give seminars on slides they have never seen before. This year, our chapter of The Wildlife Society will be selling T-shirts, as well as calendars displaying photos taken by our chapter members.

Rick Baydack (Manitoba) has arranged a reception for Canadian Wildlifers, to be held 7-10 p.m. on Friday September 27 in the Canonball Room. Everyone is encouraged to attend.

Please submit the following information with each abstract:

1) Lead author name, affiliation, mailing address, phone and fax numbers, and e-mail address.

2) Names, affiliations and contact information of additional authors.

3) Session for which the abstract is submitted (MUST be one of the following):

• Adaptive Management
• Building Constituencies, Media, and Communication
• Carnivores
• Ecology and Conservation of Birds
• Ecology and Conservation of Large Mammals*
• Ecology of Large Ungulates
• Ecosystems and Landscapes*
• Effects of Altered Floodplain and Hydrology on Wildlife
• Environmental Contaminants
• Invasive Species
• Population Monitoring and Viability Analysis
• Regional Conservation Planning
• Snags and Downed Wood
• Sound Science and Ethics
• Wildlife Diseases
• Open Session

* Session moderator has been located.

4) ABSTRACT - You must use the following guidelines and example; please note that the abstract you submit will be the FINAL that is printed for the paper sessions.

Submit abstracts by 29 November 2002 to:

Authors will be notified about the selection of their presentation by 20 December, 2002.

• Please submit your abstract electronically to Lori Hennings at the electronic address identified above.
• If you do NOT have access to e-mail, then submit your abstract on a floppy disk with a hard copy; clearly label both with pertinent ID information including name of lead author, abstract title, session, and lead author contact phone number and e-mail address.
• The person submitting the abstract should provide a separate, detailed list of information for each author, including: place and full address of employment, e-mail, and phone number; what authors are students; and whether the presenting author is a student, and if so, whether he or she wants the presentation judged. Place an asterisk next to presenting author.
• Use WordPerfect or Microsoft Word
• Single space
• Use a Paragraph Indent for all but the first 2 lines
• No hard returns within a paragraph
• No more than 100 words (excluding abstract title and author information)

A poster session will be held at the Annual Meeting in February. If you have information you would like to share with other biologists, please consider displaying a poster this year. Tables and wall space will be provided for displays. If you are interested in participating, please contact:

At a minimum, please include the title of your poster, your name, affiliation, and complete contact information. You may submit an abstract but this is optional. Deadline for submissions is 29 November, 2002.

Blair Rippin – Conservation Committee Chair

Legislative changes over the past several years have resulted in bison having two official designations. In most of Alberta, bison (this now can include both plains and wood bison, although the latter still have a confusing status involving the ‘endangered’ category) are considered domestic (non-wildlife) animals and as such can be privately owned and farmed for livestock and meat products. In the northwest corner of the province, however, the wood bison is present and any bison occurring there are considered to be "endangered" wildlife. Bison inhabiting national parks remain protected under Parks legislation but animals straying from those parks are considered to have no wildlife status and can be hunted without a license.

There were two bison issues considered.

Bison grazing on crown land

Although Alberta bison are not considered "wildlife" (with the exceptions noted above), the proposal to extend the opportunity to ranchers to graze their bison stock on leased crown land has potential implications to wildlife.

Crown land grazing of domestic bison has occurred for several years in the province but without official sanction. Several complaints and concerns were received over the past few years about bison fencing being barriers to wildlife and the threat of spreading disease to other domestic stock and wildlife. As a result, a public committee was struck to obtain input that would provide the basis for a decision whether or not to continue the practice and if continued, the conditions under which it would be governed.

The multi-agency committee (including ACTWS membership) met during 2001 and early 2002 and provided considerable input. Most members felt that the fencing (prohibiting free wildlife movement) and disease (related largely to TB and brucellosis near Wood Buffalo Park) issues would essentially limit crown land grazing of bison to a very few sites in southern Alberta. To date, however, there has not been a decision on the matter. ACTWS will be notified when a decision has been made.

As described above, the present official status of bison in Alberta is confusing. To add to the confusion, there are tentative plans to protect a few small free ranging herds and perhaps re-establish others. Consequently there is a need to clarify overall bison management in the province.

The action will involve submission of a letter offering the expertise of ACTWS (a science-based NGO).

Over the past two years, a number of controversial water-related issues have been reported in the media. Much of this has resulted from drought-like conditions in the province’s agricultural area and the threat of ‘global warming’.

The Meridian Dam proposal and the possible resurrection of the old "PRIME" project resulted in considerable attention being focused on the future of Alberta’s natural aquatic systems. The Environment Minister has conducted a number of internal and public reviews of the situation, presumably to provide for the basis of decisions about future water management in the province.

Other than a notice urging members to individually respond to a recent (May) Alberta Water Resources questionnaire, there has been no ACTWS action taken to address water-related issues from a wildlife/wildlife habitat perspective.

ACTWS will remain vigilant for opportunities in the near future (likely in the form of committee membership) to provide comment on future water resource issues relative to wildlife conservation.

The Alberta Cooperative Conservation Research Unit (ACCRU) and the Alberta Conservation Association (ACA) are hosting a one-day technical meeting regarding Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). The meeting will take place on Saturday, January 11, 2003 at the Days Inn in Nisku. The goal of the meeting is to provide factual trustworthy information in an Alberta context to a wide range of wildlife, veterinary, and health professionals as well as various wildlife users. This is an advance notice: more details to come later.

[submitted by Margo Pybus, Bill Samuel, Mark Boyce]

March 18-19, 2003
Telus Convention Centre
120 Ninth Ave SE Calgary, AB