Publications

Environmentally significant areas in Alberta : 2014 update : final report

Description

Environmentally Significant Areas in Alberta: 2014 Update is an update of the 2009 Environmentally Significant Areas (ESAs) of Alberta, and the 2010 Aquatic Environmentally Significant Areas of... More ≫

Description

Environmentally Significant Areas in Alberta: 2014 Update is an update of the 2009 Environmentally Significant Areas (ESAs) of Alberta, and the 2010 Aquatic Environmentally Significant Areas of Alberta. The report and associated mapping products are available for use by provincial and municipal land-use planners, industry, consultants, environmental organizations, academic institutions, and others, as an information tool to support municipal, regional, and provincial scale planning initiatives.

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Lepidoptera of the Lowden Springs Conservation Area, Alberta, 2002-2011

Description

Three hundred and nineteen species of moths and 4 butterflies are reported from the Lowden Springs Conservation Area. Most collections were made at night and, therefore, butterflies and day-flying... More ≫

Description

Three hundred and nineteen species of moths and 4 butterflies are reported from the Lowden Springs Conservation Area. Most collections were made at night and, therefore, butterflies and day-flying moths are underrepresented. If all species in the undetermined categories were named, the actual total would be over 350. With further study and names on all of the undetermined specimens, the total would probably be close to 500 species of moths. To put things into perspective, Pohl et al (2010) document 2367 species of Lepidoptera for Alberta. It was especially encouraging to have a first for Alberta (Sparganothis directana) plus several discoveries of seldom encountered species, such as Xenotemna pallorana, Sciota fernaldi, Lipographis fenestrella, Escaria homogena, Heliothis phloxiphagus and Schinia meadi. The list of species would have been considerably greater if the area had additional habitats such as woods or a riverine community but, at the same time, it is quite interesting to...

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Lepidoptera of the Medicine Lake Provincial Recreation Area, 2003-2011

Description

The Lepidoptera of the area was studied on 13 different days (30 trap nights) from June 27 to August 15 in the years 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. All collected specimens were... More ≫

Description

The Lepidoptera of the area was studied on 13 different days (30 trap nights) from June 27 to August 15 in the years 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. All collected specimens were databased and information on most is available on the Virtual Museum website of the University of Alberta Strickland Museum (http://www.entomology.ualberta.ca/). No collections were made in the spring or fall and thus many species remain to be documented.

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Lepidoptera of the Tolman Bridge Area, Alberta, 2000-2011

Description

Tolman Bridge, is located in the valley of the Red Deer River, 18 km (10 miles) east of the town of Trochu. The bridge and adjoining Park land are in the north half of section 14, range 22,... More ≫

Description

Tolman Bridge, is located in the valley of the Red Deer River, 18 km (10 miles) east of the town of Trochu. The bridge and adjoining Park land are in the north half of section 14, range 22, township 34, west of the Fourth Meridian. The coordinates at the bridge are 51.503N and 113.009W. The elevation ranges from around 600 m at the river to 800 m or so near the top of the river breaks. In a Natural Area Inspection Report dated 25 June 1982 and in the 1989 Trochu 82 P/14, 1:50,000 topographic map, the land southwest of the bridge was designated as the “Tolman Bridge Municipal Park” while that southeast of the bridge was referred to as the “Tolman Bridge Recreation Area”. In an Alberta, Department of the Environment, Parks and Protected Areas Division paper dated 9 May 2000, the areas on both sides of the river are included in “Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park”. Campgrounds are found in both areas and they are patrolled by a Conservation Officer stationed in Drumheller.

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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.

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Environmentally significant areas : provincial update 2009

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The purpose of this report is to provide an overview for the update of ESAs in the province of Alberta. ESAs represent places in Alberta that are vital to the long-term maintenance of biological... More ≫

Description

The purpose of this report is to provide an overview for the update of ESAs in the province of Alberta. ESAs represent places in Alberta that are vital to the long-term maintenance of biological diversity, soil, water, or other natural processes, at multiple spatial scales. They are identified as areas containing rare or unique elements in the province, or areas that include elements that may require special management consideration due to their conservation needs. As applied to resource management systems in Alberta, ESA mapping is a strategic conservation tool that is useful to the development of landuse planning and policy. Identifying these areas using scientifically rigourous, defendable, and relevant methodology is the first step toward the successful integration of ecological values into provincial land-use planning and management. It enables decision makers to rapidly progress through the planning process where informed trade-offs can be discussed, priorities set and clear...

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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Range survey manual for Alberta rangelands. Version one

Description

In general a range survey consists of a site description, a vegetation survey, a rangeland and/or riparin health assessment, preliminary range typing and mapping, plant community type... More ≫

Description

In general a range survey consists of a site description, a vegetation survey, a rangeland and/or riparin health assessment, preliminary range typing and mapping, plant community type classification and a written summary.

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