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Photo by Thomas Porter

After more than 15 years of dedicated leadership, Nora Manners is beginning a planned transition toward retirement as Executive Director of the Waterton Biosphere Region. As we look to the future, the Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association (WBRA) is inviting Expressions of Interest from individuals who are passionate about conservation, stewardship, sustainable communities, and collaborative leadership.

This is a unique opportunity to help shape the organization’s next chapter while working alongside a dedicated team, Board of Directors, landowners, partners, and communities across southwestern Alberta. WBRA is open to exploring a variety of leadership models, including full-time, part-time, shared leadership, or other approaches that support the organization’s ongoing work.

We encourage interested individuals, particularly those with strong connections to the region, to review the full Invitation for Expressions of Interest and share this opportunity within their networks. More information about the role, qualifications, and submission process is available here.

New Large Carnivore Occurrence Reports Now Available

The Waterton Biosphere Region is pleased to release the 2024 and 2025 Large Carnivore Occurrence Reports for southwestern Alberta. These annual reports provide an overview of reported grizzly bear, black bear, cougar, and wolf occurrences across the region, helping identify reported occurrence patterns and trends over time.

The reports show that large carnivore occurrences remained generally consistent between 2024 and 2025, with 153 classifiable occurrences recorded in 2024 and 139 in 2025. Grizzly bears accounted for the highest number of reports in both years, followed by black bears, cougars, and wolves.

A consistent pattern emerged across species. Most grizzly bear, cougar, and wolf incidents involved livestock depredation, while the majority of black bear incidents were linked to attractants, such as garbage and other unsecured food sources. In 2025, nearly 90% of grizzly bear incidents were livestock-related, while 75% of black bear incidents involved attractants. In 2024, more than 80% of black bear attractant incidents were associated with garbage, highlighting the continuing importance of securing potential food sources around homes, acreages, and communities.

Photo by Spencer Rettler

The reports also highlight several noteworthy regional trends. Black bear incidents continued to be concentrated in the Crowsnest Pass, accounting for approximately two-thirds of occurrences in 2024 and more than half in 2025. Cougar occurrences increased from 9 reports in 2024 to 15 reports in 2025, while wolf occurrences declined from 10 reports to 4 over the same period.

These findings reinforce the importance of ongoing coexistence efforts. Through the Waterton Biosphere Region’s Carnivores and Communities Program (CACP), local residents have access to initiatives such as attractant management projects, deadstock removal, bear safety workshops, and community outreach that help reduce conflicts and support people living and working in carnivore country. Research has shown that these efforts are having a positive impact on reducing human-carnivore conflicts in southwestern Alberta.

Each report includes species-specific summaries, occurrence maps, incident trends, and information about factors that can influence human-carnivore interactions. We invite community members, landowners, partners, and anyone interested in wildlife stewardship to explore the findings and learn more about large carnivores in our region.

You can read the reports at the following links:

• 2024 Large Carnivore Occurrence Report
• 2025 Large Carnivore Occurrence Report

Still Accepting Water Project Applications

Although summer is winding down, we can still squeeze in some habitat projects before the snow flies. If you have a water-related project idea – off-site waterer, fencing around a wetland or stream, spring development, stream crossing, willow planting, beaver co-existence – give Elizabeth a shout (403-563-0058) to discuss your idea and our potential support.

Understanding Livestock Predation Losses in Southwest Alberta

The Carnivores and Communities Program (CACP) of the Waterton Biosphere Region (WBR) has a stated goal of reducing conflict between people and large carnivores. For the past 15 years the CACP has strived to help residents of the WBR achieve this goal. To this end, community members have completed more than 150 on-farm projects, participated in bear safety workshops, responsibly managed thousands of livestock carcasses to avoid attracting large carnivores, and participated in and attended community tours and meetings. Further, landowners have been engaged in grizzly bear research projects.

Recently, at the request of representatives of the Province of Alberta, the WBR invited livestock producers to complete a survey of livestock predation in their herds. This survey was conducted to inform and update a livestock loss multiplier that was proposed by the WBR in 2013 as a way to more dependably support livestock producers who experience predation in their herds (multipliers are a way to account for predation losses that can not be confirmed due to missing livestock or missing evidence and have been shown to be an effective way to fairly compensate producers in other jurisdictions).

The path to this point has been long – currently over 13 years. Along the way, the WBR together with community members have met with numerous government ministers and civil servants to try and improve the Alberta Wildlife Predator Compensation Program. At times we have been bounced between elected officials and civil servants, with no action being taken. At other times progress has been made and commitments given, only to have the progress derailed by elections, or changes in Ministers or staff. Since January, funding for the compensation program has been under Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation, and some productive meetings have been held, leading to the request to put the predation survey before producers. That survey was distributed in June and by mid-July, 23 producers had provided data detailing their herd size, death loss from all causes, death loss they saw as the result of predation, and predation losses confirmed and paid on through the compensation program.

Photo by Thomas Porter

Here is what the survey showed:

• On average producers reported losses of 5.6 livestock to predators/yr.
• Individual producers reported losses ranging from 0-28 livestock to predators/yr.
• On average producers reported being compensated for 1.1 livestock losses/yr.
• Individual producers reported compensation ranging from 0-7 livestock losses/yr.
• These figures suggest that for every confirmed predator loss, 4 additional losses were uncompensated. Thus, the survey data supports a 5x multiplier for the average producer.

For a more complete summary, please see this document.

These results were provided to government on July 16^th, along with a request to meet and discuss next steps. We were disappointed to learn at that time, that there had once again been a change in staff, and that consideration of the proposed amendments to the compensation program has been deferred until after the October 2027 provincial election. After so many years, and so much effort, these results are very discouraging. While we appreciate the efforts of those we have worked with and do hope that there is yet opportunity to see a multiplier and other changes implemented, we are also worried that the concerns of livestock producers regarding inadequate predator compensation may never be given due attention. This has implications from both an economic and conservation perspective. If you share these concerns, we encourage you to contact your MLA and share your thoughts.

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Project Updates

Photo of Little Brown Myotis by Erin Low

Building Resilience for Bats

2021 Season Update

Stewarding Trumpeter Swans Through the Seasons

2021 Season Update

Up, up, and away! Trumpeter swans have headed south to their over-wintering areas (although nobody would consider southern Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming particularly tropical in the winter). Our 2021 Stewarding Trumpeter Swans Through the Seasons project was well received in the Waterton Biosphere Reserve community with 333 swan sightings recorded between March 2021 and November 2021. This included 122 sightings contributed by a team of volunteers who observed waterbodies accessible by road. Together the volunteers spent 350 hrs and covered over 10,000 km to help identify which waterbodies were used by trumpeter swans migrating through the WBR area. The map below shows the distribution of all sightings across the region.

Click image to enlarge

Local landowners also contributed information on swans breeding, attempting to breed, or younger loafing pairs on WBR waterbodies in the summer. Nests were established on 8 ponds or lakes, with only one pair failing to maintain their cygnets through to late August. On average, successful pairs generally raised 3 to 4 (average 3.7) cygnets with brood sizes ranging from 1 to 6 cygnets. Three of these families were on waterbodies lacking previous records of breeding and would not have been detected without the keen eyes and knowledge from nearby landowners.

Click image to enlarge

We want to give a big shout out to the landowners and volunteers who connected with our project this year – your sightings provided eyes and ears on the ground and helped with widespread coverage in the WBR area. We will be starting spring migration monitoring again in mid-March 2022, so please consider supporting the project by reporting sightings or volunteering next year! The ultimate goal is to raise awareness of the importance of healthy wetlands to species of concern such as trumpeter swans and to provide assistance to landowners who wish to improve their stewardship of these valuable wetland areas for wildlife habitat and water retention alike.

Photo credit: WBRA

Carnivores and Communities Program

Deadstock Program Paper Published

Carnivores and Communities Program had a paper published this month on the CACP’s deadstock program, including community perspectives, costs, and ecological and management considerations. Please check out our paper, Dealing With Deadstock: A Case Study of Carnivore Conflict Mitigation From Southwestern Alberta (Morehouse et al., 2021) in Frontiers in Conservation Science.

CACP Presentation for CBRA

Andrea Morehouse, recently presented in the Canadian Biosphere Reserve Association’s Research in Canadian Biosphere Regions webinar.

You can watch the webinar here. Andrea’s presentation on the CACP is at the 1:25:27 time stamp. Other presentations are from Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region, Beaver Hills Biosphere, Redberry Lake Biosphere Region, Tsa Tue Biosphere Reserve and Georgian Bay Biosphere.

Photo credit: Ted Loosen

WBR 2022-2026 Cooperation Plan

2021 Update

We are in the midst of our Cooperation Planning process. We kicked off our Cooperation Plan with a six-week survey that ran from November 1 – December 13, 2021. We have received 144 survey submissions and will be working hard over the next while going over the results, compiling information, and beginning to process how we can integrate the constructive ideas presented as we prepare for our upcoming public forums.

What To Expect In 2022

With the survey now completed we are working on the second phase of our Cooperation Plan of hosting public engagement forums in February 2022.

We invite those that live, work, or have traditional territory in the Waterton Biosphere Reserve (i.e., Cardston County, M.D. of Pincher Creek, and Waterton Lakes National Park) to attend our upcoming forums.

Stay tuned for more information including dates, location(s), and registration. For now, mark February in your calendars as a month to help shape the future of the region by having your say.

For a more in depth look at the Waterton Biosphere Reserve’s Cooperation Plan, you can visit our webpage here.

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Photo by Kim Pearson

The Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association (WBRA) is looking for a skilled technician to support our Carnivores and Communities Program (CACP). The ideal candidate will be knowledgeable about reducing conflict between people and large carnivores in an agricultural setting and have the ability to work effectively with local landowners and partners. 

View the CACP Technician job posting here.

The post Part-time Carnivores and Communities Program Job Opportunity appeared first on Waterton Biosphere Region.

The WBRA aims to support healthy landscapes and the people who live and work here.

The Carnivores and Communities Program helps livestock producers lessen the impacts of large carnivores on their operations. This includes a Deadstock Removal Program and financial support for projects like grain bin upgrades and electric fences. Please visit our CACP webpage for more information on these cost-sharing initiatives.

To stay up to date on all of the Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association’s upcoming programs and events be sure to visit us here on our website, Like and Follow our Facebook page, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

The post Carnivores and Communities: Program Case Study and Summary are now published! appeared first on Waterton Biosphere Region.

Not sure how to train your livestock to graze weeds?

Need tips and tricks on how guardian dogs fit into your grazing strategy?

This workshop is for you!

More information on the workshop and its organizers can be found here.

To view, save or print a PDF of the poster click here.

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