This award recognizes wildlife professionals for outstanding written contributions in the publication in the technical category. Publications can be a book, article, monograph, or in this case a peer-reviewed article relevant to wildlife management and conservation in Alberta. This year, the ACTWS is pleased to present this award to Mark Hebblewhite, Daniel Eaker, Scott Eggeman, Holger Bohn, and Evelyn Merrill for their article: Density-independent predation affects migrants and residents equally in a declining partially migratory elk population (in Oikos, 2018. 127: 1304-1308).

This research is part of a long term study examining population dynamics of the Ya-Ha Tinda elk herd in Banff National Park. Using over a decade of data, this paper examines density-dependent mortality, as well as mechanisms of bottom-up or top-down regulation in the resident and migrant elk populations. The results challenge the classical predator-prey theory and call for better integration between predator-prey and migration theory.

This research has direct management implications for the Ya Ha Tinda elk herd in Banff National Park. This research is innovative as it challenges classical theories and encourages us to see the world a little differently. With five co-authors, this work also exemplifies the value of collaborating across disciplines and specializations to conduct and share meaningful scientific research. This award is well deserved! Congratulations everyone!

Check out the acceptance video with Mark Hebblewhite and Evelyn White in our members area to learn more about this fascinating research.