Hope is the Thing with Feathers

The cautionary tale of the trumpeter swan’s brush with extinction is a demonstration that species at risk declines can be arrested and reversed. We would like to celebrate the role local trumpeter swan supporters have played in the species recovery over the past half century with this interactive multimedia project.

Explore maps, videos, and audio clips that highlight stories from Waterton Biosphere Region.

We can help to conserve trumpeter swans and swan habitat in Waterton Biosphere Region by maintaining or restoring healthy ponds and lakes. If you are interested in stewarding wetlands on your land to help support swans, please reach out to Elizabeth at 403-563-0058 swans@watertonbiosphere.com.

To learn more about our Stewarding Trumpeter Swans Through the Seasons project, visit the webpage here.

Click here to explore the interactive content on Hope is the Thing with Feathers.

Thank you to Alberta NAWMP Partnership and Environment and Climate Change Canada for funding this project and providing the opportunity to share this story of hope.

Stories from the Waterton Biosphere

digital-stories_4_1762167589The Waterton Biosphere Region (WBR) is proud to present the following stories created by WBR residents in a digital storytelling workshop. The workshop participants used their own voices combined with photos and music to create personal stories that reflect their diverse experience and unique relationship with the land in southwestern Alberta. The stories come from a range of people and perspectives, but all speak to a strong connection with nature, a profound respect for the land, a love of the lifestyle they enjoy in the WBR, and an overwhelming desire to nurture stewardship of this land throughout multiple generations.

This project was facilitated by the Digital Storytelling Program (University of Calgary) and funded in part through the Watershed Stewardship Grant, a program of Land Stewardship Centre.

This Special Garden

With stunning images focused within the Waterton Biosphere Region core, Edwin Knox shares his special connection with Waterton Lakes National Park and how his career in caring for it extends well beyond its boundaries. Edwin knows this as a sacred place where locals and visitors alike find fulfillment and inspiration.

Grandpa… We Pulled the Weeds

Overwhelming infestations of spotted knapweed send most folks running but it is a passion of Rick West’s to rid it from the beautiful Belly River valley where he resides and raises cattle. His efforts are having a significant, observable impact on the problem of knapweed encroachment. No wonder his boots are stained the teal colour of his herbicide dye – watch out or he’ll spray yours, too, if you’re standing next to an unlucky knapweed plant!

The Beginning

Larry Frith was a modest, but passionate and committed steward of his certified organic ranch and the greater Waterton Biosphere Region. His digital story takes us back to his early days in the area and tells us of the beginnings of the deep roots he and his family grew.

Dear Grandpa

Kelly Cooley updates his grandfather on lessons learned during his stewardship of the family farm. Planting a permanent crop to limit soil erosion, cleaning up a wetland, and respecting biodiversity are some of the ways in which Kelly and his family exemplify beneficial stewardship practices.

The Optimist

With the future of many family ranch operations unclear, Kathy Flundra ponders how upcoming generations will continue to thrive on their love of the land. Kathy and her family are all accomplished in rodeo and they proudly ranch in coexistence with an abundance of wildlife in the heart of the Waterton Biosphere Region.

Shadows

Fran Salt presents a touching story of where her family’s deep connection with the land has brought her and how she’s passing it on to her own little ‘shadows’. Fran’s love of her family ranch and exploring the mountains on foot or by skis epitomizes the essence of the Waterton Biosphere Region, where humans and nature coexist.

The Canoe My Father Gave Me

When political boundaries are as indistinguishable as a barbed wire fence or a cutline through a forest, wild creatures move freely and our imaginations are unimpeded. Such is the case in the Waterton Biosphere Region, where Bill Dolan has spent much of his storied career nurturing partnerships which facilitate such cooperation and compatibility.