Education Archives - Waterton Biosphere Region

2022 Trumpeter Swan Project Volunteer Call

Executive Director — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 22:14:48 +0000

Stewarding Trumpeter Swans Through the Seasons

Year 2 of our project is under way which means – it’s time to report your swan sightings

That’s right, the Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association is flying into year two of our Stewarding Trumpeter Swans Through the Seasons project! Even though it feels like we just wrapped up year one of the project, there is no denying that trumpeter swans are on their way and we need to be ready.

As we launch into year two of our project, we want to know where and when you see swans – maybe the swans are there temporarily during migration or maybe they’ll stay for the summer either breeding or loafing (akin to teenagers just hanging out). However they choose to spend their time, we want to hear about it! You can report your sightings to swans@watertonbiosphere.com or to Elizabeth at 403-563-0058.

You can view our project infographic here to learn more about reporting sightings and to learn even more about trumpeter swans and our project, you can view our project webpage here.

We want to send a huge thank you to Shell Canada-Foothills Legacy Fund, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Wildlife Habitat Canada, and Alberta North American Waterfowl Management Plan Partnership for funding our Stewarding Trumpeter Swans Through the Seasons project this year. We greatly appreciate your support and look forward to diving even deeper into this project in the months ahead!

Project Volunteer Call

Photo by Asher Warkentin

Want to be a volunteer birder for our swan project this spring? Here’s what you can expect:

We provide training on how to identify trumpeter swans compared to tundra swans and how to collect and document your findings.
Areas are assigned based on previous data on swan use of waterbodies and volunteer proximity.
Volunteers go out once a week over an 8- to 12-week period to survey wetlands visible from roads in an assigned area, though some choose to go out more frequently.
Multiple volunteers from further afield may be paired to allow more flexibility in scheduling.
You get out to explore areas you might not have otherwise, while contributing information on swan use of the area that helps guide conservation actions.

We are now coordinating volunteers for training in swan identification and data collection for swan migration monitoring. Mandatory training for new volunteers will be held online via Zoom on Monday, March 14th (two hour session) followed by an optional field session on Sunday, March 20th.

If you would like to join our trumpeter swan project this year or would like more information, please reach out – swans@watertonbiosphere.com or 403-563-0058.

The post 2022 Trumpeter Swan Project Volunteer Call appeared first on Waterton Biosphere Region.

2021 Project Updates and a Holiday Message

Executive Director — Tue, 21 Dec 2021 20:01:28 +0000

A Holiday Message

Project Updates

Photo of Little Brown Myotis by Erin Low

Building Resilience for Bats

2021 Season Update

A total of 19 bat roosts have been reported to date through our Building Resilience for Bats project, and at least 4 of these roosts are sufficiently large enough to qualify as high priority roosts that are important to monitor annually (i.e., detected species is little brown bat, colony size is over 100 individuals, and no exclusion is planned). Consistent monitoring at such roosts can help us detect changes in the population that may happen when white-nose syndrome inevitably arrives in Alberta.

Little brown bats appear to be the most common species detected in our guano sampling (in 2020, with 2021 results anticipated in late winter). This is consistent with findings province-wide in Alberta where 86% of building roosts are used by little brown bats. Big brown bats were identified at one location with multiple roost sites in the structure. Bat detectors have also indicated the presence of long-legged bats and the occasional hoary or silver-haired bat at various sites in Waterton Biosphere Reserve (WBR).

Our highest roost count saw 428 bats exiting the roost one early July evening in 2021. It was a spectacular evening for the roost counters, who had sore thumbs from all the clicking on the tally counters!

Additional guano sampling was conducted at select roosts in 2021 in conjunction with our partners at Alberta Community Bat Program (ACBP). They are starting to monitor early-season guano for the fungus that causes white-nosed syndrome to detect its arrival in Alberta.

Finally, an evening workshop on bats and bat ecology was held near Beaver Mines in early August 2021. Twenty individuals listened to the indoor presentations by Susan Holroyd from ACBP and Elizabeth Anderson from Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association and then moved outside to experience a roost count at a (very) active roost.

A big thank you to the ACBP, roost count volunteers, and the landowners who gave access to their properties and roosts – together we are all working to maintain bat populations in WBR!

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.

Webpage Update

We have been working hard at providing more attractant management information on our website and it is finally up and ready for you to explore! There are five new sections on attractant management. Topics include: completed projects, cost-sharing, our deadstock removal program, on-farm carcass composting, livestock guardian dogs, electric fencing, and securing your grain, feed, and garbage. We will soon be adding information on range riding as well!

To view all this and more, you can visit our webpage here and scroll down to the Attractant Management sections.

2015-2019 Attractant Management Projects Book Published

The WBRA published, Large Carnivore Attractant Management Projects in Southwestern Alberta 2015-2019, this year. It is the third compilation of producer stories that shares the personal experiences, fears, frustrations, and successes on the human realities behind coexisting with large carnivores.

For paper copies of this report, you can contact us at: info@watertonbiosphere.com.

Youth Education

Youth Birding Week

The Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association hosted a Birds in Your Backyard and Beyond – Youth Birding Week event from March 12 – 19. The event included two Zoom events with presentations, group interactions, and sharing with a week full of birding and nature exploration in between supported by a resource and activity package. It was a great time spent together despite these challenging times.

Special thanks to our guest presenters, youth bird enthusiast Asher Warkentin, youth Indigenous conservationist Anatsikakato’saakii Monroe Fox, and Tany Warkentin from the Pincher Creek Library for their valuable contributions to the event. And finally a shout out to the WBRA Youth Bird Week team for organizing such a wonderful event and getting folks outside into nature!

Wetland Field Day 2021

We held our 8th Wetland Field Day with Grade 5 students from Cardston Elementary School on September 9, 2021. The kids (and adults) spent the whole day exploring wetlands and associated habitat at Police Outpost Provincial Park. The students rotated through a series of activities rich with hands-on experiences and nature-based learning with a concentration on wetland species and habitats and land stewardship in the park and the surrounding ranchlands.

This years activities were:

pond dipping and a close-up look at aquatic invertebrates
exploring wetland species at risk and the role that they play in wetland food webs
learning about wetland animal and plant adaptations thru activities and exploration of biofacts, and
experiencing the Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association’s Bear Discovery Trail.

Thank you to Oldman Watershed Council, Waterton Lakes National Park, and the staff and volunteers with Waterton Biosphere Reserve for making it such an enjoyable and successful day. And thank you to Wildlife Habitat Canada and Waterton Lakes National Park for their financial support.

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.

The post 2021 Project Updates and a Holiday Message appeared first on Waterton Biosphere Region.

Now Hiring Conservation Technician – Apply by 5pm on November 12

Executive Director — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 20:57:44 +0000

WBRA is hiring a Conservation Technician

The Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association (WBRA) is looking for a part-time contractor to support our Cooperation Plan implementation, conservation programs, and operation and administration functions. The ideal candidate will be a generalist with a background in conservation and agriculture, having strong research, organizational and communication skills and experience with GIS mapping. As this is a broad range of skills, we would consider hiring a second contractor specifically to address the GIS mapping requirements, so please apply even if you do not have the required GIS experience.

This position is located in the Waterton Biosphere Reserve area of Alberta and has a minimum of 15 hours per week on average (with possible maximum of 35 hours per week depending upon qualifications and funding). The initial contract will be 7 months (December to June) with the possibility of extension.

Candidate selection will begin on November 13, 2021.

CLICK HERE to view the full Conservation Technician job posting and how to apply.

The post Now Hiring Conservation Technician – Apply by 5pm on November 12 appeared first on Waterton Biosphere Region.

Upcoming Species at Risk Summer Workshops

Executive Director — Wed, 21 Jul 2021 15:35:40 +0000

Click poster to enlarge

Join the Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association for two species at risk project workshops this summer.

Workshop #1:

Building Resilience for Bats

Learn about the Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association’s project and how WBR residents have helped
Hear from Susan Holroyd with the Alberta Community Bat Program
Share your knowledge about possible bat roosting sites
Watch for emerging bats and “listen” to them using bat detectors

Date: Wednesday, August 4, 2021

Time: 7:30pm – 10:30pm

Place: Coalfield Hall (near Beaver Mines) then moving to a nearby bat roost location

Workshop #2:

Stewarding Trumpeter Swans Through the Seasons

Find out why the Waterton Biosphere Reserve’s trumpeter swan population is unique
Explore swan habitat and search for cygnets
Hear from the Alberta trumpeter swan recovery team lead, Mark Heckbert (Alberta Environment and Parks)
Share your knowledge of swan use on local waterbodies

Date: Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Time: 1:00pm – 4:30pm

Place: Boundary Creek Community Hall then moving to Police Outpost Provincial Park area

To register for either of these free workshops, please email Crystal at chiebert@watertonbiosphere.com.

Photo of Little Brown Myotis by Erin Low

The post Upcoming Species at Risk Summer Workshops appeared first on Waterton Biosphere Region.

WBR Youth Birding Week March 12 – 19, 2021

Executive Director — Mon, 08 Mar 2021 21:27:00 +0000

Photo of a Red-breasted Nuthatch by Asher Warkentin

Birds in Your Backyard and Beyond – Youth Birding Week

in the Waterton Biosphere Reserve

The Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association has exciting news for all you nature enthusiasts out there! Starting March 12th we will be launching our Birds in Your Backyard and Beyond – Youth Birding Week in the Waterton Biosphere Reserve event. See below for details!

Click poster to register

Event Details:

Friday, March 12 (Zoom) 6:30pm to 7:30pm

Photo of a Common Redpoll by Asher Warkentin

Learn from local youth bird enthusiast Asher Warkentin and Anatsikakato’saakii Monroe Fox, youth Indigenous Conservationist and receive resources that will keep you birding throughout the week.

Saturday, March 13 – 18 (your backyard and beyond)

Explore various fun bird activities and learnings at your own pace throughout the week. Activities include:

Winter Walk Bird Bingo
Bird Feeder Project Ideas for Preschool to Grade 6
Online Bird Resources for Youth (interactive and learn at home)
Bird Species Checklists (photo ID and others)
Bird Fact Sheet
Bird Tally Sheet

Friday, March 19 (Zoom) 6:30pm to 7:30pm

Join us on Zoom once more and be a part of the conversation. Local youth birding expert Asher Warkentin will lead a conversation reviewing what participants observed and learned about birds through the week.

Registration:

This event is free, please register by going to: https://www.watertonbiosphere.com/Youth-Birding-Week-Registration and receive a Zoom Meeting link for both the March 12 and 19 events.

The post WBR Youth Birding Week March 12 – 19, 2021 appeared first on Waterton Biosphere Region.

Want to be a part of WBR’s Building Resilience For Bats Project 2020

Executive Director — Wed, 06 May 2020 16:18:56 +0000

Building Resilience for Bats in the Waterton Biosphere Reserve

Bats are an important part of the ecosystem in Waterton Biosphere Reserve (WBR). Unfortunately, bats in North America are threatened by white-nose syndrome (WNS), a fungal disease that has killed millions of bats since first noted in the eastern United States in 2006. Learn more about WNS here.

In the face of population-level challenges, WBR began a project in 2019 to work with local landowners to build resiliency for bats, in particular little brown myotis (or little brown bat). A resilient bat population will be quicker to recover from disturbances like WNS or severe weather through adapting to stresses, better resisting disease, and/or sustaining fewer mortalities.

In 2020, a Waterton Biosphere Reserve Conservation Technician will help landowners to identify and monitor maternity roosts for bats, specifically by identifying entry and exit points, conducting roost counts, helping determine the particular bat species through bat detectors and guano collection, and discussing ways to maintain or improve habitat for bats on a given property. To correspond with when mother bats have flightless pups in the colony, the survey window will be from June 1 to June 30.

Safety for landowners, surveyors, and bats remains our top priority during these uncertain times. Site visits will incorporate the latest Alberta Health Services requirements to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Our precautionary measures will be discussed with landowners prior to scheduling the technician’s visit (or scheduling for spring 2021 if necessary). The virus causing COVID-19 has not been found in North American bats, and wild bats in either natural or man-made roosts have very little chance of transmitting diseases to humans, unless handled without proper protection. Nonetheless, our work will focus on roost monitoring from a distance and identifying ways to steward bat habitat.

If you suspect you have bats roosting on your property, schedule a site visit with our Conservation Technician, Elizabeth, between June 1st and 30th. Scheduling can be done by emailing Elizabeth bats@watertonbiosphere.com or by calling Nora Manners 403-627-1473. Please contact us by May 27th (even if you would be more comfortable scheduling for next spring)!

We want to say a huge thank you to this year’s funders of our Building Resilience for Bats Project, Environment and Climate Change and Land Stewardship Centre of Canada and another big thank you to the Alberta Community Bat Program for their continued support. We greatly appreciate it!

#WBRBatsInTheBiosphere

The post Want to be a part of WBR’s Building Resilience For Bats Project 2020 appeared first on Waterton Biosphere Region.

Northern Leopard Frog Project – 2019 Field Season Update

Executive Director — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 21:35:53 +0000

Click image to enlarge

The Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association’s Northern Leopard Frog Project had a successful third season in 2019! Visual surveys and environmental DNA (eDNA) (testing for certain species’ DNA in water samples) were used in search of northern leopard frogs and other amphibians. The focus of the fieldwork was on private lands near Beauvais Lake Provincial Park, Waterton Lakes National Park and Magrath where northern leopard frog re-establishment efforts are in progress or have been successful, and on other areas with historical records. We are happy to report thatnorthern leopard frogs were found at one site not previously documented! This is in addition to the five new sites documented in 2018. Five other amphibians that call the Waterton Biosphere Reserve home were also observed: tiger salamander, long-toed salamander, western toad, striped chorus frog, and Columbia spotted frog.

For more information on these amphibians and our project please visit our NLF webpage.

Thank you to everyone who submitted information on northern leopard frog sightings in the WBR area and to those landowners who allowed us access to your properties. Your support was critical to the success of this project!

We are still interested in information on northern leopard frog sightings in the WBR and welcome you to contact us at nleopardfrog@watertonbiosphere.com.

The post Northern Leopard Frog Project – 2019 Field Season Update appeared first on Waterton Biosphere Region.

Day on the Creek 2020 has been Cancelled

Executive Director — Wed, 25 Mar 2020 17:53:49 +0000

To learn more about Day on the Creek and a look at past years, visit our webpage by clicking here.

The post Day on the Creek 2020 has been Cancelled appeared first on Waterton Biosphere Region.

Carnivores and Communities: Program Case Study and Summary are now published!

Executive Director — Thu, 20 Feb 2020 19:54:35 +0000

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 can be found in the published paper here.

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.

Bird Count for Kids – January 19, 2020

Executive Director — Fri, 10 Jan 2020 18:29:59 +0000

Want to get your kids back into nature with this fun and educational program for the whole family? Everyone is invited to join us for this FREE family-friendly event!

Join us on Sunday, January 19, 2020 for the Bird Count for Kids event. The Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association is collaborating with Nature Alberta to bring this wonderful NatureHood event to our local Pincher Creek community.

Join WBRA’s Kim Pearson and other local bird experts Asher Warkentin and Bradley Yee, for some hot chocolate and a short presentation on some of the birds you may see. Then head out along the creek with your fellow bird enthusiasts on an exploratory bird count walk. Let’s see how many different species you can find from the day’s presentation!

More information on this event, its organizers, and the NatureHood Program can be found here.

To view, save or print a copy of the image click here.

The post Bird Count for Kids – January 19, 2020 appeared first on Waterton Biosphere Region.