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Moths of Rochon Sands Provincial Park, Alberta

Description

Rochon Sands Provincial Park, on the south side of Buffalo Lake in south-central Alberta, is located 24 km northwest of Stettler. Ecologically it is found in the Aspen Parkland. These studies,... More ≫

Description

Rochon Sands Provincial Park, on the south side of Buffalo Lake in south-central Alberta, is located 24 km northwest of Stettler. Ecologically it is found in the Aspen Parkland. These studies, conducted annually between 2006 and 2009 and again in 2011, present information on the distribution and status of lepidopteran (moth and butterfly) species in the park.

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Lepidoptera of Big Knife Provincial Park, 2001-2011

Description

Provincial Parks and other areas where natural vegetation is protected are of great value as the flora and fauna present in them is typical of what was in Alberta before widespread agricultural... More ≫

Description

Provincial Parks and other areas where natural vegetation is protected are of great value as the flora and fauna present in them is typical of what was in Alberta before widespread agricultural activities replaced them with flora and fauna that was reduced in numbers and made up of species that were associated with cultivated grains and hay crops. As a result, many of Alberta's "rare and endangered" species are now found only, or mainly, in such protected areas. There is still much to be learned about the distribution and status of lepidopteran (moth and butterfly) species in south-central Alberta. Baseline studies of this sort provide information that helps characterize the species associated with various ecoregions, in the present case Aspen Parkland; determine the status designations (abundant, common, rare, endangered) of various species; show the effects of grazing on species composition and abundance; and allow the examination of many other parameters, including phenology, dry...

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Winagami Lake water quality monitoring report

Description

This report is one in a series of nineteen that provide a brief assessment of recent and historical information collected through the Provincial Parks Lake Monitoring Program in an attempt to... More ≫

Description

This report is one in a series of nineteen that provide a brief assessment of recent and historical information collected through the Provincial Parks Lake Monitoring Program in an attempt to describe current states of water quality in these recreational waters. These waterbodies vary considerably in terms of their physical, chemical, and biological characteristics and represent the spectrum of water quality found within other typical lakes and reservoirs in Alberta.

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Survey and analysis of plant community types of Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park : final report

Description

A fundamental strategy in the preservation of functional ecosystems is to identify and preserve a full compliment of habitat types, which in return support a diversity of animals, plants, and... More ≫

Description

A fundamental strategy in the preservation of functional ecosystems is to identify and preserve a full compliment of habitat types, which in return support a diversity of animals, plants, and other life forms. Vegetation is an integral component of habitat and provides a relatively easy means of inventory and monitoring of ecosystem health both spatially and temporally. The current study, in Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, focuses on the identification of unique riparian and coulee plant associations, or plant community type. Alberta Sustainable Resource Development contracted Wildlands Ecological to complete an inventory of natural/semi-natural plant communities, statistically analyse the data, and describe potential plant community or association types.

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Spider records from four wildland parks in northeastern Alberta

Description

Several wildland parks and two ecological reserves have recently been established in the northeast corner of Alberta (Figure 1). Colin-Cornwall Lakes Fidler-Greywillow, La Butte Creek and Maybelle... More ≫

Description

Several wildland parks and two ecological reserves have recently been established in the northeast corner of Alberta (Figure 1). Colin-Cornwall Lakes Fidler-Greywillow, La Butte Creek and Maybelle River Wildland Parks are located in the Canadian Shield Natural Region. Egg Island and Athabasca Dunes Ecological Reserves are also located in that Natural Region. Birch Mountains, Marguerite River and Richardson River Dunes Wildland Parks are within the Boreal Forest Natural Region (Alberta Environmental Protection 1998). These wildland parks contain numerous and important examples of Alberta's biodiversity. Much of it is poorly understood or unknown, particularly the invertebrate fauna. The spider fauna is no exception. As Aitchison and Sutherland (2000) state, "…information on the composition and functioning of the boreal forest arachnid community [in Canada] remains sketchy". The spider specimens that were collected during this survey are the first for these wildland parks of...

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Sundance Provincial Park vegetation survey

Description

The purpose of this vegetation survey was to identify and describe all associated plant community types found within the Sundance Provincial Park and associated special management zone. As part of... More ≫

Description

The purpose of this vegetation survey was to identify and describe all associated plant community types found within the Sundance Provincial Park and associated special management zone. As part of this process other features of unique, sensitive or disturbed nature were noted. These included, but were not limited to, new disturbance features (cutlines, well site roads, quad trails, and hiking/horse trails) significant wildlife habitat areas or migration corridors (including mineral licks and hibernacula), or areas of high biodiversity (old growth forests and highly diverse plant communities). The information collected as part of this vegetation survey not only provides a detailed assessment of the vegetation communities that occur in the region, but also identifies areas of high use, sensitive areas that may be in need of additional protection, or other significant features that may be of ecological, biological or cultural interest. This is a well-used provincial park with a number...

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Preliminary bird inventory for three wildland provincial parks (and their environs) in northeast Alberta

Description

From June 12-23 (inclusive) 2000, preliminary bird inventories were conducted for three, newly established Wildland Provincial Parks (WPPs) located in the Central Mixedwood (Boreal Forest) and... More ≫

Description

From June 12-23 (inclusive) 2000, preliminary bird inventories were conducted for three, newly established Wildland Provincial Parks (WPPs) located in the Central Mixedwood (Boreal Forest) and Athabasca Plain (Canadian Shield) Sub-Regions of northeast Alberta. These parks, and the total number of bird species documented within them (to date) are: Marguerite Crag and Tail WPP (61); Maybelle River WPP (85), and Richardson River Dunes WPP (64). A composite bird checklist was compiled for the study area as a whole. It comprises species (representing 31 families) of which 16 (13.8%) are considered residents and the remainder, summer residents. Of the latter 100 species, 26 are short-distance migrants and 74 are Neotropical Migrants (NTMs; split equally between Obligate and Facultative NTMs). From a conservation perspective, it is noteworthy that almost two-thirds (63.8%) of the study area bird list is comprised of NTMs.

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Big Knife Provincial Park biophysical inventory

Description

Big Knife Provincial Park project area covers roughly 297.54 hectares* (735.21 acres) of terrain in and along the Battle River valley southwest of Forestburg in east central Alberta. The Park... More ≫

Description

Big Knife Provincial Park project area covers roughly 297.54 hectares* (735.21 acres) of terrain in and along the Battle River valley southwest of Forestburg in east central Alberta. The Park represents a variety of landscapes and includes the valley bottom and slopes associated with the Battle River and the lower reach of Big Knife Creek to the north, and the northern edge of of a broad upland to the south. The Park also exhibits a variety of plant communities. Better drained sites are vegetated with a mosaic of plant communities consisting of open grasslands, shrublands and dense wooded areas while poorly to very poorly drained sites mostly in the valley bottom are suited to sedge meadows, willow dominant wetlands and cattail marshes. Extensive erosion into the valley slopes has exposed the soft Upper Cretaceous sedimentary bedrock resulting in badland features in the southern portion of the Park. This report elaborates further on the biophysical resources of Big Knife Provincial...

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