All Resources

Lepidoptera of the J.J. Collett natural area, 2002-2011

Description

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

Description

Provincial Parks and other areas where natural vegetation is protected are of great value as their flora and fauna is typical of what was in Alberta before widespread agricultural activities which resulted in a replacement of many native species by weedy species 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.

Tags

Survey of the odonate fauna in Kakwa Wildland Park, June - July, 2006

Description

Kakwa Wildland Park is located at the northern edge of Alberta’s Rocky Mountains, about 114 km southwest of Grande Prairie. The purpose of this survey was to provide an annotated summary of the... More ≫

Description

Kakwa Wildland Park is located at the northern edge of Alberta’s Rocky Mountains, about 114 km southwest of Grande Prairie. The purpose of this survey was to provide an annotated summary of the odonate species that occur in the park, including notes on such parameters as relative abundance, distribution patterns, range extensions and any other relevant biological or behavioural information. This information will contribute towards an increased understanding of the odonate fauna of the park and, in a broader context, of Alberta.

Tags

A survey of the beetles (Coleoptera) in Kakwa Wildland Provincial Park

Description

Insect collecting was targeted to the major ecotypes within the park. Many people contributed specimens for this study. Most arthropods collected were preserved in 70% ethanol or killed and placed... More ≫

Description

Insect collecting was targeted to the major ecotypes within the park. Many people contributed specimens for this study. Most arthropods collected were preserved in 70% ethanol or killed and placed in envelopes. Specimens were sorted and dispersed to other researchers to identify and curate. Spiders were field sorted, discarding debris and numbers of apparently common species. Material was sorted further in the lab, and again numbers of very common species were discarded. Specimens deemed of interest were pinned and labeled or repackaged in fresh vials of 70% alcohol. Non-beetle samples were passed on to other workers – spiders to D. Buckle, dragonflies to D. Macaulay, and butterflies and moths to D. Lawrie. The beetles are the focus of this report. The remaining insects, flies, bees, wasps, bugs and grasshoppers were sorted and vouchers pinned. They are catalogued in a separate report.

Tags

Bird inventory for Kakwa Wildland Provincial Park, northwest Alberta

Description

The main goal of this portion of the study was to compile an inventory of the bird species present in the Kakwa Wildland Provincial Park. An attempt was made to determine the breeding status for... More ≫

Description

The main goal of this portion of the study was to compile an inventory of the bird species present in the Kakwa Wildland Provincial Park. An attempt was made to determine the breeding status for each of the species through behavioural observations and/or subsequent observations such as nests or young. Habitat associations were recorded as well as a measure of relative abundance. All species recorded herein were encountered either in June or July 2006.

Tags

Survey of the Lepidoptera fauna from the Holmes Crossing Sandhills Ecological Reserve, the Fort Assiniboine Sandhills Wildland Park, and nearby areas

Description

The Holmes Crossing Sandhills Ecological Reserve (ER) is 8 km southwest and the Fort Assiniboine Sandhills Wildland Provincial Park (WPP) is 9 km east of Fort Assiniboine; both are located within... More ≫

Description

The Holmes Crossing Sandhills Ecological Reserve (ER) is 8 km southwest and the Fort Assiniboine Sandhills Wildland Provincial Park (WPP) is 9 km east of Fort Assiniboine; both are located within the Central Mixedwood Subregion. Holmes Crossing Sandhills ER occupies 1982 hectares and Fort Assiniboine WPP occupies 7903 ha. The latter area was the focus of a Lepidoptera survey in 2005. Both areas contain a number of vegetated transverse sand dunes dominated by stands of jack pine. Other habitats include aspen forest, dry meadows, fens, marshes, bogs and a series of riparian balsam poplar and alder forests. The purpose of this survey was to provide an annotated summary of the Lepidoptera species that occur in these areas, including notes on such parameters as relative abundance, distribution patterns, range extensions and any other relevant biological or behavioral information. This information contributes towards an increased understanding of the Lepidoptera fauna found in this region...

Tags

Survey of rare vascular plants in La Butte Creek Wildland Provincial Park

Description

La Butte Creek Wildland Provincial park is one of 81 recently designated protected areas, established in March 1998. It is located in the northeast corner of Alberta, north of Lake Athabasca,... More ≫

Description

La Butte Creek Wildland Provincial park is one of 81 recently designated protected areas, established in March 1998. It is located in the northeast corner of Alberta, north of Lake Athabasca, about 300 km north of Ft. McMurray. The two main objectives of this reconnaissance survey were to: document the location, habitat and population size information for tracked vascular plant taxa occurring within the study area; and develop a preliminary list of vascular plant species for LBCWPP.

Tags

Survey of rare vascular plants in Fidler-Greywillow Wildland Provincial Park

Description

Fidler-Greywillow Wildland Provincial Park is one of 81 recently designated protected areas, established in March 1998. It is a remote site located in the northeast corner of Alberta, north of... More ≫

Description

Fidler-Greywillow Wildland Provincial Park is one of 81 recently designated protected areas, established in March 1998. It is a remote site located in the northeast corner of Alberta, north of Lake Athabasca, about 315 km north of Fort McMurray. This park includes portions of the north shore of Lake Athabasca and a series of islands, two of which are amongst the largest islands in the lake. FGWPP falls within the Kazan Upland and Athabasca Plain subregions of the Canadian Shield Natural Region of Alberta.The two main objectives of this reconnaissance survey were to a) document location, habitat and population size information for tracked vascular plant taxa occurring within the study site, and b) to update the list of vascular plant species for FGWPP.

Tags

Vegetation communities of Marguerite Crag and Tail Wildland Provincial Park

Description

This park straddles the Central Mixedwood and Athabasca Plain Natural Subregions transitional area. The terrain in the park is defined by the crag and tail topography created through the actions... More ≫

Description

This park straddles the Central Mixedwood and Athabasca Plain Natural Subregions transitional area. The terrain in the park is defined by the crag and tail topography created through the actions of glacial ice and meltwater. Crags refer to the knobs or areas of exposed bedrock located on the up-ice side of the landform, while the tails are the trailing elongate bodies on the lee side of the landform and generally consist of erodible bedrock (American Geological Institute 1984 in Alberta Natural Heritage Information Centre 1998). The bedrock patches in this area are generally quite small; however they are very distinct, and do provide defining character for the park landscape This park is located in a relatively remote region of the province and little documented information is currently available for this area. Much of the information currently used to describe this area has been extrapolated from more intensively studied areas near Lake Athabasca to the north and the Athabasca Sand...

Tags

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...

Tags

Small patch communities of La Butte Creek Wildland Provincial Park

Description

In July 2001 La Butte Creek Wildland Provincial Park (LBCWPP) was surveyed to document small patch plant communities. Small patch plant communities add considerably to the diversity of a site,... More ≫

Description

In July 2001 La Butte Creek Wildland Provincial Park (LBCWPP) was surveyed to document small patch plant communities. Small patch plant communities add considerably to the diversity of a site, harbouring flora and potentially fauna dependent on these specialized habitats. They are however often overlooked in vegetation studies because they are not extensive or common enough to be considered representative. The focus of this study was to look within the matrix of the representative plant communities (surveyed and documented by the Ecological Land Classification team) to find and document the small patch communities that may be significant in a provincial context. This work was also significant as there were no previous studies documenting vegetation of this remote area. LBCWPP is located in the northeast corner of Alberta, a remote site accessible in summer only by air or water. The character of the site changes significantly from west to east, as it straddles two natural subregions,...

Tags