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STOP INVASIVE SPECIES IN THEIR TRACKS WITH PLAYCLEANGO®!

PlayCleanGo® is a campaign developed to stop the detrimental impact of invasive species to North American landscapes and waters. The campaign aims to raise awareness of how and why invasive species spread along with providing helpful information regarding the actions you can take to limit the spread of invasive species while enjoying your favourite activities.

PlayCleanGo® in Waterton Lakes National Park

Waterton Lakes National Park has a well-established and innovative invasive species management program to support Alberta’s vulnerable native grasslands and combat invasive vegetation within its boundaries and ultimately beyond. Please visit Waterton Lakes National Park’s website to learn more about how Parks Canada is protecting natural ecosystems from invasive plant species.

Please keep SWIM top of mind and reach out for information, resources, and upcoming initiatives in southwest Alberta.

Explore the map below to learn about more about the SWIM members who act in your area and additional resources regarding effective invasive plant management.

STAY IN THE LOOP WITH SWIM AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS

The Carnivores and Communities Program (CACP) builds on previous community initiatives. The program began in 2009 with a landowner survey addressing large carnivore issues (Carnivores and Communities Survey – Miistakis 2011) and provided financial support in 2009 and 2010 to the Drywood Yarrow Conservation Partnership, Chief Mountain Land Owners Information Network, and Nature Conservancy of Canada for deadstock pickup and attractant management projects in the MD of Pincher Creek and Cardston County.

In the fall of 2011, the Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association (WBRA) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Government of Alberta to coordinate and manage a three year grant to support community-based, landowner-driven project initiatives to reduce human-carnivore conflict issues in southwestern Alberta, with a specific focus on grizzly bears, black bears, and wolves. With the signing of the 2011-2014 MOU, the CACP expanded to include the MD of Ranchland and the western portion of the MD of Willow Creek. The CACP now works directly with landowners and other partners in all four municipalities to reduce conflicts between people and large carnivores, a benefit to both human and large carnivore populations. The program is multi-faceted and works to mitigate human-carnivore conflicts, thereby reducing the economic impact on landowners and improving human safety.

The Alberta Government has continued to provide funding to the CACP with annual grants. This provincial funding has also been used to leverage support from a variety of other organizations.

Waterton Biosphere Reserve’s Carnivore Working Group

One of the requirements of the 2011-2014 MOU was that a community-based, landowner-driven working group be established. Hence, Waterton Biosphere Region’s Carnivore Working Group (CWG) was established in the fall of 2011 as a committee of the Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association (WBRA). While originally established to meet the requirements of the 2011-2014 MOU, the CWG has since been maintained as a valuable community-based committee providing direction and guidance to the Carnivores and Communities Program. The CWG is composed primarily of livestock producers who represent the communities in the municipal districts of Ranchland, Willow Creek, and Pincher Creek and Cardston County, and also includes representatives from municipal government, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), Government of Alberta, and Alberta Fish and Wildlife Officers. The terms of reference for the CWG can be found here. The work of the CWG is coordinated by Jeff Bectell, a local rancher and the Coordinator of the Carnivores and Communities Program for the WBRA.

Carnivores and Communities Program Vision

The following vision was recommended by the CWG on December 13, 2011 and approved by the Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association on January 3, 2012. It guides both the Carnivore Working Group, and the broader Carnivores and Communities Program.

The purpose of this vision is not to lay out the specifics of how issues with large carnivores are to be solved, but to provide a guiding statement that reminds people what the desired outcome is. The ideal outcome may not ever be fully achieved, but the vision statement provides something against which to measure our plans and results; it can keep us from drifting away from the mandate of the Carnivore Working Group (CWG) and the Carnivores and Communities Program (CACP).  Ideally, we would like to see the following outcomes:

• People and large carnivores can both have a place on the landscape in southwestern Alberta.
• Economic losses to the ranchers and farmers of the area are prevented through cooperative projects.
• When economic losses occur due to large carnivores, the individuals are fairly compensated.
• Projects improve public safety and prevent bears and wolves from becoming problem animals.
• Accurate bear and wolf population numbers are determined, and these numbers are instrumental in managing the populations at levels that are appropriate and sustainable, both biologically, and within the context of keeping human-carnivore conflicts to a minimum.

Carnivores and Communities Program Goals

• GOAL#1: To maintain an effective community-based carnivore working group with strong collaborative partnerships.
• GOAL#2: To support the completion of landowner-driven projects and other agricultural practice change efforts that reduce human carnivore conflicts.
• GOAL#3: To develop a common knowledge base and effective communication strategies related to large carnivore issues.
• GOAL#4: To encourage development of a long-term strategy for balancing coexistence of large carnivores and people in southwestern Alberta that recognizes the need for conflict reduction, predation compensation, and wildlife management.
• GOAL#5: To ensure effective project management and evaluation.

Deadstock Removal Program

Land disposal of livestock carcasses (i.e., disposal of the dead animal in a manner that allows for scavenging) has increased since the discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in Alberta cattle in 2003. Prior to the discovery of BSE, rendering companies removed deadstock from farms and ranches free of charge because the carcasses held commercial value to the rendering company. Post-BSE changes to regulations now require separate disposal of specified risk material (SRM), tissues that are capable of transmitting BSE. This has decreased the profitability for carcass rendering companies and livestock producers are now charged for carcass removal. These charges are often prohibitive to producers, which has resulted in an increase in land disposal of deadstock. Although the use of on-farm carcass dumps or boneyards is a legal disposal option under the Alberta Animal Health Act, deadstock can be an attractant to bears, cougars, and wolves – particularly during the spring calving season.

To eliminate this attractant, the WBR’s Deadstock Removal Program was designed to completely remove livestock carcasses from the landscape. Building on the efforts of local landowner groups, the program has grown to include free deadstock pickup for producers on over 600,000 hectares (1.5 million acres) in the municipalities of Cardston, Pincher Creek, Ranchland, and Willow Creek.

The deadstock program operates in each of the four municipalities with funds from CACP supporters ensuring that there is no cost to producers for carcass pickup within the deadstock pickup zone. The municipalities help with bin management and program administration. In the municipalities of Pincher Creek and Cardston, there are 11 bear-proof bins, where producers can drop off their deadstock where practical. On-farm pickup is also available if the carcass is not easily transported to a bin. In Ranchland and Willow Creek municipalities, bins are not available and all deadstock are picked up on-farm.

Photo credit: The Good Planet Project

Photo credit: The Good Planet Project

Deadstock bins are fabricated of 14-gauge steel sheeting with a hinged lid for easy carcass disposal, and a drop end for bin unloading. The bins are placed on private property or road allowances and maintained on a regular basis by volunteer landowners and/or the municipality.

Registered landowners place deadstock in the bins (in accordance with Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) procedures) and the bins are emptied by a rendering company as required. The rendering company also does on-farm pickup of large animals.

For more information on the current program please refer to the WBR Carnivores and Communities Technical Guide on the Deadstock Removal Program.

CACP published a paper in 2021 focusing on the deadstock removal program, community perspectives, costs, and ecological and management considerations of the program. You can read Dealing with Deadstock: A Case Study of Carnivore Conflict Mitigation from Southwestern Alberta (Morehouse et al., 2021) in Frontiers in Conservation Science, here.

On-Farm Composting

An alternative disposal method for dealing with livestock mortalities beyond the scope of the WBRA’s Deadstock Removal Program, is on-farm composting. One advantage of on-farm composting is that the process can be started immediately rather than having to wait for removal by a rendering company. Currently, the rendering company only services southwestern Alberta once per week. As such, it is possible that a producer might have to wait up to 6 days for the rendering company to arrive. During that time, the carcass is an attractant to predators.

HOW IT WORKS

On-farm composting can be an effective tool for the disposal of dead livestock carcasses and is a legal disposal option under Alberta’s Disposal of Dead Animals Regulation. According to the regulations, a dead animal may be disposed of by composting if the outdoor farm compost pile is at least 100 m from any water source, at least 25 m from the edge of any coulee or embankment, and at least 100 m from any residence. There are two general approaches to composting dead livestock: windrow systems and bin systems. There are two phases to composting livestock mortalities. During the primary stage (i.e., filling a bin or piling a windrow), the material will heat up quickly and then begin to cool. The pile is not turned during this stage, which lasts about three months. During the second stage, the pile needs to be regularly turned to introduce air and maintain the temperature, which is required to kill common viruses and bacteria. The second stage also lasts about three months. The Alberta Government has produced a guide to large animal mortality composting, which contains details about the specific conditions required for successful composting.

BENEFITS & IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS

Composting is safe and has low environmental and biosecurity risks. Composting is inexpensive and uses materials that are often already available on a farm or ranch. It is a disposal option that can be used year-round and has good disease control. Further, the residual material can be used for fertilizer, and the finished compost can be spread on the producer’s land (however, compost from cattle mortalities cannot be used on rented or neighbours’ land).

Composting does require management. In particular, piles must be turned and temperatures monitored. Space might also be a consideration for intensive operations. Adequate cover (e.g., wood chips, manure, straw, etc.) is important because it leads to more composting, less smell, and less scavenging. Although composting should produce very little odour if done correctly, in areas frequented by large carnivores, the compost area should be surrounded by an electric fence to prevent access by carnivores (see our guide to electric fencing here). Cost-share opportunities are available through the Carnivores and Communities Program for electric fencing projects.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Beef Cattle Research Council – Disposal of Cattle Mortalities: This page outlines some of the pros and cons of disposal options for cattle mortalities. It also includes a link to a video of Dr. Kim Stanford with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry in which she discusses on-farm composting.

Large Animal Mortality Composting: This Alberta Government document outlines key information related to successful livestock composting and includes information on planning considerations, management, and troubleshooting.

Large Animal Disposal – On-farm Composting Option South Coastal Region of BC: This document explains the composting process, equipment and materials required, and summarizes the composting process.

Deadstock Composting Facility

Composting of livestock carcasses on a community-wide scale can be an efficient and cost-effective way to dispose of deadstock. Since 2003, the Blackfoot Challenge has been collecting livestock carcasses for composting in a facility managed by Montana Department of Transportation. The documentary Living with Carnivores: Boneyards, Bears and Wolves shares their story. In 2012, Cardston County partnered with Alberta Environment and Parks and Canadian Agricultural Partnership (formerly Growing Forward) to build a carcass composting facility; the first municipal deadstock composting facility in Canada.

From late January 2013 to April 30, 2014, a county employee picked up 851 livestock carcasses from deadstock bins and farms in Cardston County for composting at the facility. The livestock included animals like sheep and goats that were not accepted at the time by rendering companies. Operational costs for pickup and composting were paid through the WBR’s Deadstock Removal Program.

As a pilot project, the municipal composting program had to overcome several administrative and regulatory issues. In April 2014, Cardston County felt it was best to suspend the program until these issues were resolved. While the issues which led to suspension of the program were resolved, the county council made the decision not to re-open it. In the absence of a rendering company, the WBRA continues to see deadstock composting as a safe, efficient and cost effective means of handling livestock mortalities to prevent conflict with large carnivores.

Livestock Guardian Dogs

Livestock guardian dogs (LGD) are used around the world as a conflict mitigation tool, particularly in Europe and Asia where LGDs originated. Unlike herding dogs, LGDs watch for predators and confront them with barking/other vocal intimidation, and aggressive behaviour. LGDs have been used to protect sheep, goats, cattle and a variety of other species. Interest in them as a tool to help prevent depredation of livestock has increased in North America as predator populations in some regions have also increased.

HOW IT WORKS

Breed: Sarplaniac/pyrenees cross. Sarplaniac’s are a Yugoslavian shepherd dog historically bred to protect sheep and the pyrenees is a livestock guardian breed from France widely used to protect flocks from wolves and bears. Photo by Julia Palmer

Preventing livestock depredation can be particularly challenging when livestock are free ranging over large areas. In these scenarios, where electric fencing may not be a realistic option, LGDs can be an effective alternative. LGDs are not pets, but rather a working dog that provides protection to livestock; they live with the animals they guard to reduce predation. Socializing and bonding pups with the livestock they are intended to protect is a critical part of their training, and the primary period to establish this bond is between 8 and 16 weeks. It is particularly helpful if they can learn from an experienced LGD, and ideally pups are purchased from working parents that are used with the same species the pup is intended to protect. Bonding pens work well as a tool to get pups started; livestock are gradually introduced to the pups under supervision. It is important to teach the pup what is expected of it, including staying with the livestock and within its territory. Exposing the pup to the variety of scenarios it will encounter in its life is important to do from an early age. For example, take the pup for rides in the truck, have it wear a collar and walk on leash, walk the pup into buildings and stock trailers, and introduce the pup to other farm animals.

There are several different breeds of LGDs (at least 40 throughout the world), and the best fit depends on the circumstances of each individual situation. For example, if livestock are grazed in areas with high human presence, a breed of LGD that is not aggressive to people might be the best fit. Similarly, aggression levels towards predators can vary between breeds so it is important to consider the carnivore species present in the area. Common breeds in North America include Great Pyrenees, Akbash, Anatolian Shepherd, Maremma, and Kangal. Purebred or LGD crosses are both effective. It is important to get a dog that is the right fit for the job; talking with other livestock producers that have used LGDs as well as breeders can help you to evaluate your situation and determine which breed might work best for you. A thorough understanding of how LGDs work will help ensure success.

BENEFITS & IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS

LGDs adding another layer of protection for a herd of goats. Two dogs tend to stick with the goats while the third works to push predators further away from the fence line. Photo credit: Kirby family

LGDs have been used across the world as a tool to prevent livestock depredation by carnivores and there are a number of benefits associated with their use. With the right selection and training, pups can be used to guard a wide variety of animals making them a flexible conflict mitigation option. They can work in rugged terrain and over large areas. Predators can become habituated to some mitigation tools like lights or sirens, but typically don’t become habituated to LGDs. They can also help reduce producer labour, and they can alert producers to disturbances in the livestock herd or on the farm/ranch.

The costs associated with LGDs are not insignificant. The cost of a LGD can vary greatly but it is in the range of $360-$1200 CAD. Generally, more than one dog is needed; large operations, operations with complex terrain and/or operations with high predator densities might require several dogs in order for them to be an effective tool. Maintenance costs include food and veterinary care, and while estimates vary, reported maintenance costs range from $720 – $1050 CAD per dog per year. The average working lifespan of a LGD is 7 years. In addition to the capital costs, conditioning a puppy is a significant time investment. For example, some researchers have estimated that supervising, feeding, and training LGDs took 7-50 hours per month for the first year and 10-11 hours per month for subsequent years.

Thus, while LGDs have a number of benefits, adding one to your operation is a significant investment.  Some studies have shown that LGD costs can be easily offset if depredation of livestock is prevented, while others have found that LGDs are only cost-effective in certain operations. Talking with breeders and other producers that are using dogs in similar situations is important to ensure you get the right fit for your circumstances.

SUCCESSFUL EXAMPLES

Have you successfully used livestock guardian dogs at your property? Would you be willing to be an information resource for others in the community? Send us an e-mail at info@watertonbiosphere.com.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

The list below is intended to provide additional resources for individuals interested in learning more about LGDs. The Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association is not necessarily affiliated with or intending to promote the individuals or organizations listed below.

Livestock Guardian Dogs and Cattle Protection:  Opportunities, Challenges, and Methods – This peer-reviewed paper summarizes published information and personal experiences regarding LGD use. It discusses some of the common challenges encountered and provides recommendations for introducing LGD pups.

Brave and Loyal: An Illustrated Celebration of Livestock Guardian Dogs – This book by Cat Urbigkit shares information about LGD behaviour, breeds, and historic use, as well as how to raise successful LGD animals and the benefits and challenges of using LGDs. Cat raises sheep in Wyoming in an area shared with several predator species and has years of experience using LGDs.

Livestock and Wolves: A Guide to Nonlethal Tools and Methods to Reduce Conflicts – This publication by the Defenders of Wildlife includes a section on working with LGDs, including choosing and using LGDs as well as information about raising and training successful pups.

Reducing Conflict with Grizzly Bears, Wolves, and Elk – This document published by the Western Landowners Alliance shares examples from various ranches that have successfully used LGDs as part of their conflict mitigation. It also includes information on the types of situations in which LGDs might be used most effectively.

Livestock Guardian Dogs and Their Care in Winter – This factsheet put together by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs highlights some of the basic information for caring for an LGD, including information on their feeding and shelter requirements as well as basic information about their characteristics and lifespan.

Alberta Sheep: Guardian Animals for Alberta – This document is a quick fact sheet that covers some of the basics of LGDs. In particular, it includes a useful table that summarizes some of the characteristics of common LGD breeds.

People and Carnivores: Livestock Guardian Dogs – This page on the People and Carnivores website includes a short video about how a farm family in Saskatchewan uses LGDs to help protect their sheep from coyote and wolf depredations.

EweTube: Livestock Guardian Dogs – A video interview with Steve Skelton of Blackleaf Guardians about his flock of sheep, different LGD breeds, their individual roles and how they work together, how they mitigate conflict with predators, bonding to what they are protecting, and much more.

For individuals on Facebook, the following pages contain LGD information and stories:

Blackleaf Guardians – https://www.facebook.com/blackleaflivestockcompany/
Cat Urbigkit – https://www.facebook.com/cat.urbigkit
Candll Lamb & Cattle Co. – https://www.facebook.com/CandllLambCattleCo/

Range Riding

Using herders to protect livestock is a tool used by livestock producers for centuries. In current times, it is not unusual for livestock to be grazed over large areas with little supervision. These free-ranging livestock can be exposed to a variety of predators and are at potential risk of depredation. Some ranchers use ‘range riders’ as a way to increase human presence, provide an additional layer of protection for their livestock, and aid in the timely detection of predation.

HOW IT WORKS

Photo credit: Julia Palmer

Range riding is a method of herd supervision, typically done by horseback. Research has found that predators often avoid areas of high human use. Thus, the idea behind range riding is that by increasing human presence in an area where livestock are grazed, conflicts between livestock and predators can be decreased. Range riding can also involve different herding strategies. For example, range riders can help cattle better mimic strategies used by wild prey. Predators often single out individual animals that are separated from the herd. Range riders can actively herd livestock into a large group, which makes it more difficult for predators to attack. Carnivores are generally most active at night, so range riders can work to group livestock together in the late afternoon and help settle them before nightfall. Riding is very much an active process, often involving extended hours. A good rider will continually read the herd and the landscape to help avoid predation. By increasing human presence, more frequently checking on livestock, and herding cattle away from areas of high carnivore activity, range riding can help reduce livestock injury and depredation due to carnivores.

In many areas of the western United States, range riding is done in partnership with state agencies that are working to track carnivore activity, often through the use of radio collars. Radiotelemetry equipment is loaned to range riders who are able to use the equipment to identify areas of high carnivore activity with greater risk to livestock, such as wolf denning and rendezvous areas. This information on carnivore presence can complement range rider activity and they can use the information to better focus their efforts; in particular, radiotelemetry can help riders target their efforts on large landscapes. However, even in the absence of collared animals, riders can use other information such as tracks, rub trees, and scats to identify areas of heavy carnivore activity. Riders should also observe livestock for signs of stress as this might indicate carnivore presence. If carnivore presence is detected, riders might consider actively deterring them – depending on the circumstances including carnivore species and its behaviour. For example, in some instances, livestock can be moved away from the immediate area, and in some cases, it may be safe to pressure the carnivore away from the area, or to show the predator that the rider is aware of its presence by following its tracks for a short distance.

BENEFITS & IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS

Range riders can provide a number of benefits in addition to helping to reduce conflicts between livestock and carnivores. For example, they can identify and treat sick or injured animals, reduce the number of unconfirmed livestock deaths by more quickly identifying livestock carcasses, find missing or lost animals and assess general herd health. Further, riders can also gain increased information about carnivore activity and then proactively use that information to help prevent conflicts.

However, not everyone agrees with the effectiveness of range riding; some people believe that it simply pushes the problem onto the neighbour. Range riding can also be a significant investment. One evaluation estimated that the cost of a range rider program for one operation for one grazing season ranged from $25,000 to $50,000 CAD. In addition to the direct costs of rider salary, in-kind support such as housing, pasture for horses, use of ATVs/farm vehicles, and rancher time investment are other indirect costs that might be required.

SUCCESSFUL EXAMPLES

Have you successfully used range riding to mitigate conflicts with carnivores at your property? Would you be willing to be an information resource for others in the community? Send us an e-mail at info@watertonbiosphere.com.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

The list below is intended to provide additional resources for individuals interested in learning more about range riding.

People and Carnivores: Range Riders – This short video produced by People and Carnivores includes a brief description of how one ranch in the Wind River Range uses range riders as a conflict prevention tool.

Conservation Northwest: Range Rider Pilot Project – This website describes a collaborative effort between Washington state ranchers and Conservation Northwest. There are links at the bottom of the page to a variety of articles related to range riding.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife – Wolf-livestock Interaction Protocol – Section 4 of this document outlines the expected range riding activities for ranger rider programs that receive funding from Washington state.

Livestock and Wolves: A Guide to Nonlethal Tools and Methods to Reduce Conflicts – This publication by the Defenders of Wildlife includes a section on ranger riders and herders and discusses some of the various benefits associated with this practice.

Even with the implementation of attractant management efforts as discussed above, large carnivores will still sometimes kill livestock. While some death loss is an acknowledged part of raising livestock, livestock losses to predators in southwestern Alberta represent a significant financial burden to producers. The Alberta Wildlife Predator Compensation Program provides monetary compensation for cattle, sheep, bison, swine and goats that a Fish and Wildlife Officer has confirmed as having been injured or killed by a wolf, grizzly bear, black bear, cougar or eagle.

Compensation programs are used around the world as a tool to help offset the economic loss associated with carnivore depredation of livestock, and to increase tolerance for large carnivores in rural communities. The cost of sharing the landscape with large carnivores typically falls disproportionately on rural communities, and compensation programs are one way of helping to redistribute those costs across the larger society. While compensation programs do help cover some of the costs associated with livestock depredation, there are numerous other costs associated with sharing the landscape with large carnivores that are not compensated including increased rancher time, reduced weight gain in livestock, and missing animals.

Landowner surveys in southwestern Alberta have identified producer dissatisfaction with the Alberta compensation program (Miistakis 2011, Lee et al., 2017, Morehouse et al., 2020). The dissatisfaction stems from three main areas:

1. the burden of proof required for confirmation was too high,
2. compensation payments did not adequately cover the true cost of livestock lost to predators, and
3. the relationship between the community and Fish and Wildlife Officers responsible for investigating suspected predator kills was strained.

The WBR CWG initiated a project in 2012 to review compensation programs worldwide and develop a proposal for a revised carnivore compensation program for southwestern Alberta. The project, which was completed in collaboration with Simon Fraser University, resulted in two reports Report 1: Summary of Carnivore Compensation Programs and Report 2: Proposed Amendments to the Alberta Wildlife Predator Compensation Program.

The recommendations contained in Report 2 were a result of much discussion and consideration. If implemented, the recommendations will address the main concerns raised by the community about the existing compensation program and provide a more satisfactory level of compensation to livestock producers. The proposed recommendations include the application of a multiplier to the amount of compensation paid on confirmed livestock losses; additional compensation for probable kills, breeding livestock, guard animals, and purebred livestock; a review of the criteria employed for identifying probable kills; the development and delivery of a verification course for livestock producers; and an annual evaluation of any pilot and/or compensation program.

WBR has been working since 2013 to implement the proposed compensation program changes on a pilot basis within the municipalities of Cardston, Ranchland, Willow Creek, and Pincher Creek. However, despite promising discussions with several provincial staff that are involved in the administration of the program, there have been no changes to date regarding the predator compensation program. The issue of fair compensation continues to be one of the greatest areas of frustration among affected livestock producers.

Carnivores and Communities: A Case Study of Human-Carnivore Conflict Mitigation in Southwestern Alberta

In 2018, the Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association used an online survey to evaluate the effectiveness of the CACP directly from the program participants’ perspectives and experiences. The survey was organized into the following sections: demographics, general awareness and motivation to participate, safety risks and sense of security associated with large carnivores, assessment of attractant management and deadstock removal programming, and communications and future direction.

We evaluated the CACP’s bear safety workshops, deadstock removal program, and attractant management projects by collecting survey data on participants’ perspectives of the CACP’s effectiveness relative to reducing economic costs and human safety risks and completing an analysis of carnivore conflict data.

The results of our collaborative research clearly show that the CACP is having a positive impact and making progress towards reducing conflicts between people and large carnivores. We believe the CACP’s work provides a successful example of a community-based program that helps people and large carnivores better coexist on the landscape.

The full story including details on methods and results can be found in the published paper here.

A condensed version of the project results is available here.

In an effort to begin to understand the spatial and temporal patterns of carnivore conflicts in southwestern Alberta, the Grizzly Bear Monitoring Project in collaboration with Alberta Environment and Parks, Solicitor General, and the University of Alberta, WBRA analyzed occurrence reports for grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, and cougars from 1999 – 2011. When someone in Alberta has an issue regarding large carnivores, they can report it to their local Fish and Wildlife Office. The details of that event are recorded as a text summary. GBMP personnel read through and extracted the pertinent information from each record for this 13-year period. These data help identify hotspots of large carnivore conflicts, summarize conflict patterns for the different species, and can be used to focus deadstock pickup and other conflict mitigation efforts.

The community has found this information valuable and the WBR CWG has continued to support the summary of occurrence records in subsequent years.

The initial 13-year report along with all available subsequent yearly updates can be found here. The review of occurrence records from 1999 through 2014 has also been published in a peer-reviewed journal and the paper can be accessed here

If you would like more information about the Carnivores and Communities Program or the work of the Waterton Biosphere Region Carnivore Working Group, please follow the links provided or contact us at info@watertonbiosphere.com.

If you would like to discuss an attractant management project on your property, please contact: Jeff Bectell jbectell@watertonbiosphere.com.

For more information about large carnivores in southwestern Alberta, please contact Andrea Morehouse at amorehouse@watertonbiosphere.com.

Waterton Biosphere Region and the WBR Carnivore Working Group would like to thank the many people and organizations who have supported the Carnivores and Communities Program. Thank you to the landowners for their efforts to complete projects and make changes to their operations to reduce conflicts with large carnivores. Thank you to the landowner groups, provincial and municipal governments and staff, non-government organizations, and other key individuals and partners that have provided critical support to community-based efforts. And finally, we would also like to recognize those who have provided the funding to make this work possible.

Funders and Supporters:

DIET

Voracious vegetarians – that’s one way to describe the trumpeter swan’s food habits. Although they will occasionally eat small fish and fish eggs, swans consume large quantities of plants, particularly emergent plants that are rooted in the sediment with their stems, flowers, and leaves rising above the water. Adults will forage on shoots, roots, and tubers of these aquatic plants at depths of up to 1 m. A high abundance of aquatic insects is also important at breeding ponds, given that young swans (known as cygnets) forage on insects for the first few weeks of life.

Swans will feed like dabbling ducks, tipping their bottoms up into the air as they reach beneath the water surface. They root with their beaks at the bottom of the pond or lake to twist and pull up vegetation. They will also sometimes free roots for themselves or their young by paddling their large feet in or above the mud.

STAGING HABITAT

As they prepare (or “stage”) for migration, trumpeter swan individuals, pairs, and families gather in larger groups on open water to feed before heading south when ice begins forming. A few swans may linger into November or occasionally longer.

Migrating trumpeter swans from the Rocky Mountain population are thought to travel along a relatively narrow flyway that follows the eastern front of the Rocky Mountains, with migration stopover sites providing critical habitat to increase reserves for onward migration. Suitable stopover wetlands may be more limited in availability than breeding habitat, and maintenance of habitat quality and quantity at this restricted network of sites is important. But we also know relatively little about the location of such sites in the Waterton Biosphere Region.

Trumpeter swans prefer to nest in shallow wetlands with irregular shorelines and plentiful vegetation (including both submerged vegetation and emergent vegetation, which is rooted in the bottom of the waterbody but growing to extend above the water). In the Waterton Biosphere Region, this includes lakes and ponds as well as wetlands adjacent to rivers. The size of waterbodies selected by swans varies, but because they are such a heavy-bodied bird, they require an unobstructed distance of approximately 100 m (328 ft) for takeoff. Breeding pairs are sensitive to disturbance so they are most often found on waterbodies with low levels of human activity.

Nests are found in areas with good visibility within or adjacent to the waterbody, and are often on slightly elevated features, such as sites offered by muskrat houses, beaver dams, small islands, or peninsulas. Stable water levels are important to prevent nests from getting flooded. Pairs can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to over a month to construct a nest, but the same pair may reuse a nest site year after year.

Click image to enlarge

BREEDING

Trumpeter swans form pairs at 3-4 years of age with their first mating at 4-7 years. The courtship ritual sees both individuals taking turns bobbing their heads while vocalizing back and forth as well as extending their impressive wings. Once paired, the mates are monogamous and generally stay together for life, which probably helps them learn together from each successive nesting and parenting effort.

Both adults gather material for the nest while females place the material and incubate the eggs. The pair usually lays 4 to 6 eggs in the 3 m diameter nest. Hatching occurs in late May or early June after a 32-37 day incubation. Unfortunately, trumpeter swans will not re-nest in a given year if their nest fails – annual breeding is a one-shot deal.

CYGNETS

Like most waterfowl, trumpeter swan cygnets are ready to leave the nest within a few hours of hatching. By 9–10 weeks of age, cygnets are fully feathered though their first flight is still about a month away. Young trumpeter swans are light grey and get their mature white plumage as they age. Whereas tundra swan cygnets will turn white by the end of their first winter, trumpeter swan cygnets will not molt their grey feathers until the summer of their second year.

If you see swans and cygnets on any ponds or lakes in Waterton Biosphere Region from early August to late September, be sure to let us know by dropping an email to swans@watertonbiosphere.com or calling 403-563-0058.

LIFESPAN

Trumpeter Swans have survived in captivity for up to 35 years, but in the wild, most breeding swans probably live no longer than  20 years. The key to swan survival is to make it through the first year of life: young cygnets experience survival rates of 40-80% while adult swans typically have annual survival rates ranging from 80-100%.

Natural causes of mortality include disease and parasites, exposure or starvation during severe winter conditions, and predation (particularly of eggs and chicks by coyotes, foxes, raccoons, owls, and golden eagles). You can read more about human-caused threats to trumpeter swans in the Waterton Biosphere Region in the Threats section below.

If you are interested in pursuing a cost-shared project to maintain or improve wetland habitat, please reach out to us at eanderson@watertonbiosphere.com. We can assist you with access to technical experts and funding opportunities. Examples of stewardship projects include off-stream watering, development of hardened access sites, fencing to support rotational grazing in riparian pastures, controlling run-off from winter pastures, and more.