BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//ACTWS | Alberta Chapter of The Wildlife Society - ECPv6.15.20//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:ACTWS | Alberta Chapter of The Wildlife Society X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.actws.ca X-WR-CALDESC:Events for ACTWS | Alberta Chapter of The Wildlife Society REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Edmonton BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:MDT DTSTART:20190310T090000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:MST DTSTART:20191103T080000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:MDT DTSTART:20200308T090000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:MST DTSTART:20201101T080000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:MDT DTSTART:20210314T090000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:MST DTSTART:20211107T080000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:MDT DTSTART:20220313T090000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:MST DTSTART:20221106T080000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:MDT DTSTART:20230312T090000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:MST DTSTART:20231105T080000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:MDT DTSTART:20240310T090000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:MST DTSTART:20241103T080000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:UTC BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:UTC DTSTART:20190101T000000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20210712T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20210712T191500 DTSTAMP:20260505T215224 CREATED:20210623T193851Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210728T220328Z UID:19248-1626112800-1626117300@www.actws.ca SUMMARY:Webinar - Coal Mining Part 1: Impacts and Cumulative Effects DESCRIPTION:Webinar Summary\n\n\n\nPart 1 of our coal mining webinar was also our first international webinar as we welcomed Dr. David Post from CSIRO to our zoom channel. David was joined by Dr. Brad Stelfox\, who many ACTWS members are familiar with for his work modeling cumulative effects across Alberta. \n\n\n\nWe started with Dr. Brad Stelfox presenting his latest work\, Assessing Watershed-Scale Consequences of Coal Surface Mines in the Headwaters of the Oldman River Watershed (ORW). Brad’s research focused on water quality\, water quantity\, and the conservation of Westslope Cutthroat Trout. In the ORW\, water has been a key issue since the 1930s and is becoming increasingly so as climate change impacts become more apparent. Brad used Alces and Raven models to explore the consequences of different levels of coal mining over a 5-decade period. He examined the proposed footprint of 8 mines (~94km2) and described how the extracted 6 billion m3 of rock would destroy or alter at least 32km2 of surface water and associated riparian habitat. Water allocation for these mines would alter total and seasonal flow of the ORW; some impacts could be mitigated if coal companies stored water from the spring for use in lower flow time (summer/fall) of the year. However\, with climate change\, annual patterns of stream flow will shift and that could further exacerbate the stress of water use from coal mines on headwater streams. The reduction in aquatic and riparian habitat would cause a substantial reduction in the amount and suitability of habitat for trout and the population would be expected to decline significantly. The proposed mines could also threaten the viability of larger landscape corridors\, including the Yellowstone to Yukon ecosystem. Brad concluded by emphasizing that if society wants to maintain large landscape connectivity\, the lands of the eastern slopes are critical. \n\n\n\nDr. David Post shared with us his work that was part of a $62 million commitment of the Australian government over 5 years to better understand the potential cumulative impacts of coal seam gas and mining on water. The project objectives were to identify areas where impacts were unlikely to occur\, and to be transparent in their work and recommendations. David’s team assessed 7 mines in the Galilee region of eastern Australia\, which was slated to contain a mix of above ground and underground mining. They defined a zone of potential hydrological change on ground and surface water and found that cumulative hydrological changes are very likely and will extend farther than previously estimated from studies examining individual mines in isolation. To arrive at that conclusion\, David’s team built a conceptual model of the ecosystem and explicitly represented uncertainty by incorporating a range of parameter values. They used this range to report on the 5th percentile\, 95th percentile\, and median impacts. They found that surface water demonstrated an increase in cease-to-flow flow days\, which would change the hydrologic characteristics of the river in a typically arid area. When they compared their results to natural variation\, they found that in some areas of the watershed there were substantial changes that could result in impacts to key environmental assets. Their results led to recommendations that improved mining practices\, particularly in terms of monitoring and reporting impacts to the Australian government. \n\n\n\nWebinar Results\n\n\n\nThe webinar was attended by 25 people on zoom and 10 people over Facebook live; 86% of attendees thought the information was useful and 93% of participants said they would recommend an ACTWS webinar to their network. Thanks so much to all who attended. \n\n\n\nSee the Webinar!\n\n\n\nA video of the webinar is posted in our members area. \n\n\n\nSponsor a webinar!\n\n\n\nWe are always looking for corporate sponsors for our webinar series. Call Sarah if you’d like more information. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSpeakers and Abstracts: \n\n\n\n\nIn 1995\, Dr. Stelfox started the ALCES modeling platform and Group\, which focuses on the interface between human land uses and regional landscapes. The major development stream has been ALCES Online© (A Landscape Cumulative Effects Simulator) a simulator rapidly gaining acceptance by government\, industry\, the scientific community\, and NGOs to explore issues between landscapes\, land uses\, and ecological and economic integrity. Today\, the ALCES Group is a collection of ecologists\, landscape planners\, and resource analysts whose mission is to be a world leader in the delivery of land use cumulative effects simulation modelling tools\, strategic land use planning advice\, and the provision of practical strategies to assist government\, business\, and society in making balanced\, informed decisions. Dr. Stelfox received the William Rowan Award (The Wildlife Society) in 2011\, the Outstanding Leadership Award of the Canadian Boreal Initiative (2009)\, the Alberta Emerald Foundation Award (2004)\, and the Alberta Science and Technology Award (2003) for his contributions with the ALCES model in advancing understanding of land use sustainability issues\, and in seeking solutions that balance economic\, social\, and ecological indicators. \n\n\n\n\nAssessing watershed-scale consequences of coal surface mines in the headwaters of the Oldman River Watershed \n\n\n\nThis study was conducted at the request of the Livingstone Landowners Group (LLG)\, which expressed concern about the consequences of large-scale surface mining of coal proposed in the headwaters of the Oldman River Watershed. These new proposed mines represent an abandonment of the Lougheed era coal policy that prohibited mining of coal in Category 2 lands of Alberta’s East Slopes. Although the range of LLG’s concerns is broad\, their central focus for this project is on water quality (selenium)\, water quantity (supply/demand)\, and a threatened species (Westslope cutthroat trout) whose conservation depends on watershed integrity. \n\n\n\nTo address these concerns\, we used a simulation approach (integration of the Alces and Raven models) to explore the consequences of different levels of coal mining (no production\, medium production (2 mines\, ~5.875 MTA/yr)\, high production (8 mines\, ~23.95 MTA/yr)) over a 5-decade period (2022-2072). A “low” coal scenario represented a future without any new coal mining in the ORW. The “medium” scenario examined the two coal mine projects (Grassy Mtn\, Tent Mtn) that are most imminent and furthest along in their regulatory approval. The upper limit of the scenarios (“high” production) was limited to the 8 existing proposed coal mine projects that have acquired leases in the ORW\, sought investor funding\, and submitted details concerning project location\, coal reserves\, production\, and lifespan. Because climate change is an important factor influencing water supply\, we also examined the complicating effects of GHG-induced changes to climate and water supply/demand in the ORW. \n\n\n\n\nDr. Post has been a research scientist with CSIRO since 1999 and his research interests focus broadly on the impacts of landuse and climate change on water resources\, as well as on the regionalization of hydrologic response to ungauged areas. He has a PhD in Resource Management from the Australian National University. Until recently\, he was project leader of the Bioregional Assessment Program\, investigating the impacts of coal seam gas and coal mining on water resources and water-dependent assets. Currently he is the Murray-Darling Basin coordinator. In 2013\, Dr. Post was elected President of the Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand (MSSANZ)\, a position he continues to hold today. \n\n\n\n\nCumulative impact assessments of multiple coal developments: an example from Australia \n\n\n\nIn this presentation\, I will provide an assessment of the cumulative impacts of proposed coal mines in the Galilee region of eastern Australia. Surface water and groundwater modelling was carried out to assess the cumulative regional-scale impacts of multiple coal mines. Uncertainty in the modelling was also considered\, and the results are presented as the median and plausible range from thousands of simulations. The results indicate that under the best-case (5th percentile) scenario\, the impact of the proposed coal resource developments can be quite small. However\, under the worse-case (95th percentile)\, groundwater drawdown is very likely for up to 5 km from the coal resource developments\, but unlikely beyond 20 km. Altered surface water characteristics can extend for many kilometers downstream\, particularly in unregulated systems. Impacts of these changes on ecosystems and key ecological assets were also considered\, and a couple of pertinent examples will be provided. URL:https://www.actws.ca/event/webinar-coal-mining-part-1-impacts-and-cumulative-effects/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.actws.ca/wp-content/uploads/July-2021-Webinar-Poster-1-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20210527T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20210527T130000 DTSTAMP:20260505T215224 CREATED:20210507T174627Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210623T191102Z UID:19191-1622116800-1622120400@www.actws.ca SUMMARY:Webinar - Alberta's Grizzlies: Latest Research DESCRIPTION:Our first installment in our Hot Topic Webinar Series offers you a chance to hear about the science informing grizzly bear management in Alberta today. You may be aware of recent media coverage about Alberta’s grizzly bear population estimates and the implications for the provincial grizzly bear recovery plan. Our speakers for Alberta Grizzlies: Latest Research will share their most recent work about bear behaviour\, population estimates\, and carrying capacity estimates. Get up to date and learn more about the science behind grizzly bear behaviour and recovery in Alberta! \n\n\n\nWebinar Summary\n\n\n\nOur first speaker\, Andrea Morehouse\, started us off with a great talk connecting bear olfactory communication with reproductive success. Olfactory communication is likely a good tool for bears since they are wide-ranging\, solitary\, and have overlapping home ranges. Both male and female bears will rub on a variety of objects. Andrea examined whether this behaviour was tied to reproductive success; we would expect if it was that bears who rubbed would have higher reproductive success. Andrea’s team gathered hair for DNA analysis and conducted a parentage analysis to define the number of offspring for bears who rubbed on objects. Andrea found a consistent relationship between increased rubbing behaviour and increased number of offspring\, therefore showing that rubbing is good for reproductive success. There are still some questions as to what exactly bears are communicating when they rub – is it dominance? Or perhaps mate signaling? There is an alternative hypothesis that perhaps it relates to female choice and that females use olfactory cues to choose their offspring paternity. More food for thought! \n\n\n\nGordon Stenhouse\, our second speaker\, shared the latest research from Foothills Research Institute that used DNA sampling to estimate grizzly bear population for Alberta and in particular Bear Management Areas (BMA) 4 and 7. Using a standard grid sampling design\, Gordon’s team collected DNA from hair snags to estimate total population of the BMAs. In BMA 7\, out of 750 hair samples\, 100 were grizzly bears from 39 unique individuals. A high confidence interval meant there was a low redetection rate\, which suggests these results should be interpreted with caution. The lower bound of the confidence interval suggests there are approximately 62 bears in this BMA. For BMA 4\, the analysis estimated 88 bears with a confidence interval of 59-130. This is an increase from the previous estimate conducted in 2005 that found 42 bears. The results also showed a change in distribution as more bears were found farther east in 2018\, even though the density was higher in the core habitat to the west. The increase in bear population in BMA 4 is higher than what is commonly seen. The value of this provincial data set is that it enables us to examine the long-term productivity of bears\, their long-term home range and movement patterns\, and increase our understanding of how bears use the landscape. \n\n\n\nOur last speaker\, Scott Nielsen\, presented work modeling the ecological carrying capacity of two BMAs. This work can help inform what kind of population the landscape can sustain and is essential to understand when we want to define recovery targets. Current densities of grizzly bears in Alberta are lower than many other places\, including British Columbia. Although the eastern slopes and foothills in Alberta have lower habitat productivity\, there are other landscape and human use features that can influence grizzly bear population density. Through a nutritional analysis\, Scott’s team identified an important relationship in macro-nutritional ecology that helped model how bears maximize their body condition by choosing what specific foods to eat and when. There is evidence of co-limitation in that both fruit and meat forage material explain the probability of more bears. Using these nutritional models\, they examined the landscape and estimated Kcal/bear to get estimates of carrying capacity per watershed. The highest carrying capacity was in the Grande Cache area and estimates suggest the landscape can sustain nearly double the current population. Using this analysis\, Scott and his team identified priority watersheds for conservation efforts based on carrying capacity potential and existing road density. \n\n\n\nThe Q&A section of this webinar was in depth and very interesting as the speakers explored how these results can be used to better understand grizzly bear habitat use and how recovery can be defined and accomplished across Alberta.   \n\n\n\nWebinar Results\n\n\n\nThis webinar was attended by 68 people and all of them thought the webinar was useful. This was the first time we live streamed our webinar on Facebook\, which was a success. We will be doing that will all of our webinars moving forward. \n\n\n\nSee the Webinar!\n\n\n\nA video of the webinar is posted in our members area. \n\n\n\nSponsor a webinar!\n\n\n\nWe are always looking for corporate sponsors for our webinar series. Call Sarah if you’d like more information. \n\n\n\nRead the speakers’ latest papers:\n\n\n\nAndrea Morehouse’s new paper: The smell of success: Reproductive success related to rub behavior in brown bears \n\n\n\nScott Nielsen will be presenting: Landscape estimates of carrying capacity for grizzly bears using nutritional energy supply for management and conservation planning \n\n\n\nGordon Stenhouse will be sharing the latest grizzly bear population estimates. \n\n\n\nSpeakers: \n\n\n\n\nAndrea Morehouse is an independent scientist who works on a variety of conservation and management issues related to large carnivores in multi-use landscapes. She moved to Alberta in 2007 and completed both an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in ecology at the University of Alberta. Through her research\, she strives to effectively engage scientists\, managers\, and community members to develop and implement scientifically sound and socially workable wildlife conservation and management strategies. She is a 2017 Wilburforce Fellow in Conservation Science; serves on the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s Conservation Advocacy Committee\, Waterton Biosphere Reserve’s Board of Directors\, and the Bear Specialist Group’s North American Bear Expert Team; is a past president of the Alberta Chapter of The Wildlife Society; and is active in other professional societies. She lives in the Pincher Creek area with her husband\, two boys\, and dog.  \n\n\n\n\n\nGordon is a research scientist and the leader of the Foothills Research Institute Grizzly Bear Research Program. This research program began in 1998 and now has over 250 published scientific papers from the research team working on this program over the past 23 years. \n\n\n\nGordon is on secondment from the Alberta provincial government and is an adjunct professor at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. He is also the past chairman of the Alberta Grizzly Bear Recovery Team and is an executive council member with the International Association for Bear Research and Management. \n\n\n\nGordon has studied both polar and grizzly bears for 37 years ….now more than half of his life. \n\n\n\n\n\nScott Nielsen is a Professor of Conservation Biology in the Department of Renewable Resources at the University of Alberta. He has a BSc in biology and MSc in natural resources from the University of Wisconsin and a PhD in ecology from the University of Alberta. His lab studies biodiversity conservation and endangered species management issues by integrating field and geospatial data with landscape modeling approaches to assess and predict biotic responses to rapid environmental change and to guide mitigation and management actions. \n\n\n\n\nThis webinar will be recorded and posted to our members area if you are unable to attend. Just one of our many member benefits. \n\n\n\n\nBecome a Member URL:https://www.actws.ca/event/webinar-albertas-grizzlies-latest-research/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.actws.ca/wp-content/uploads/May-2021-Webinar-Poster.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20210324T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20210324T130000 DTSTAMP:20260505T215224 CREATED:20210317T153334Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210317T153338Z UID:19073-1616587200-1616590800@www.actws.ca SUMMARY:Cultural and Ecological Perspectives of Bison in Alberta DESCRIPTION:Join us for lunchtime talk of three interesting presentations by Bill Snow\, Wes Olson\, and Dillon Watt. Bill Snow will be presenting a talk and a short film on the cultural perspective on the bison reintroduction in Banff National Park. Dillon Watt will be presenting on bringing bison back to Banff National Park\,and Wes Olson will be presenting on the ecological buffalo: following the trail of a keystone species. \n\n\n\nBill Snow\, Consultation Manager\, Stoney Nakoda First Nation\n\n\n\nTitle: Cultural Perspective on the Bison Reintroduction \n\n\n\nAbstract: The Bison Reintroduction in Banff National Park\, represents over 140 years exclusion of Bison in mountain landscapes. While there are many environmental benefits to having Bison on landscapes\, there are also cultural impacts to the Bison Reintroduction project. Bill Snow\, a Consultation Manager\, will cover the cultural and ceremonies that have been conducted in relation to the Bison Reintroduction since 2015\, and will discuss the historical and current importance that Bison have in Stoney Nakoda culture. A short film of place names in the Canmore and Banff area will also include the scenery of the Bison herd at Stoney Indian Park\, on the Stoney Indian Reserve. \n\n\n\nBill Snow (Stoney Nakoda / Yuma Quechan) is a Consultation Manager with Stoney Tribal Administration\, as well as a Director at Large for the Canadian Wildlife Federation. Bill has coordinated ceremonies for the Bison Reintroduction since 2014\, and will be conducting a cultural study on the Bison Reintroduction area in 2020\, as part of the Canadian Mountain Network initiative. Bill Snow is a member of the Wesley First Nation\, of the Stoney Nakoda Nation\, as well as a Dual Citizen of Canada / United States of America. \n\n\n\nDillon Watt\, Resource Conservation Officer\, Parks Canada\n\n\n\nTitle: Bringing Bison Back to Banff National Park \n\n\n\nAbstract: In February 2017\, Parks Canada began a 5-year pilot project to reintroduce North America’s largest land mammal (bison) to Canada’s first national park (Banff). Dillon will summarize the project and provide some behind-the-scenes stories of the effort to restore this iconic animal to a place where it’s been missing for 140+ years.  \n\n\n\nDillon Watt is a Resource Management Officer in Banff National Park\, and a member of the plains bison reintroduction team. Of Dillon’s 16-year career with Parks Canada in Banff\, the past five and a half years have been dedicated to the bison reintroduction effort. \n\n\n\nWes Olson\, Author\, Elk Island National Park (Retired)\n\n\n\nTitle: The Ecological Buffalo: Following the Trail of a Keystone Species \n\n\n\nAbstract: For more than 130\,000years bison have roamed the ecosystems of North America\, and while doing so\, have influenced the lives of every other species they shared space and time with. This presentation looks at some of the intricate\, and often unexpected relationships bison have with these species across their former range\, with an emphasis on the northern mixed-grass prairie. Reintroducing bison populations to areas of their former historic range re-establishes that relationships and improves ecological diversity. \n\n\n\nWes Olson was raised in the rugged foothills of Alberta’s Rocky Mountains. There\, on family camping\, hunting and fishing trips he began a life-long association with wild places and wildlife that live in them. Following graduation from college Wes worked for several years as a Wildlife Technician for the Yukon Government\, and in 1981\, began a career with Parks Canada as a National Park Warden in Banff\, and later in Waterton Lakes\, Elk Island\, Prince Albert and Grasslands National Park in southern Saskatchewan. For over two decades Wes managed the plains and wood bison populations in Elk Island National Park\, and participated in the translocation and establishment of almost every free-roaming plains and wood bison population in Canada. Wes retired in 2012 and rather than stop working with bison\, established his own bison consulting company and continues to work in the field of bison conservation. Wes’s passion for bison spills over into his creative side and he and his wife Johane have written the books\, “Portraits of the Bison; An Illustrated Guide to Bison Society”\, and “A Field Guide to Plains Bison.” These captivating books take the reader through bison society with rich illustrations\, photographs and descriptive text. \n\n\n\nRegister here and an email with log-in information will be emailed to you. URL:https://www.actws.ca/event/cultural-and-ecological-perspectives-of-bison-in-alberta/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.actws.ca/wp-content/uploads/Screen-Shot-2021-02-27-at-5.13.32-PM.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20210322T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20210322T120000 DTSTAMP:20260505T215224 CREATED:20201206T180458Z LAST-MODIFIED:20201206T180503Z UID:18697-1616414400-1616414400@www.actws.ca SUMMARY:#ACTWS21 - Annual Conference DESCRIPTION:March 22-27 – Online! URL:https://www.actws.ca/event/actws21-annual-conference/ CATEGORIES:Conference END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20210220T093000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20210220T110000 DTSTAMP:20260505T215224 CREATED:20210129T051907Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210303T204111Z UID:18901-1613813400-1613818800@www.actws.ca SUMMARY:Workshop: Writing Science for Non-Scientists DESCRIPTION:Want to expand your writing skills? Interested in getting your science into the hands of the masses? \n\n\n\nThis workshop was facilated by Dr. Lee Foote and Dr. Sarah Elmeligi and featured the wisdom from our Expert Presenters: Kevin Van Tighem\, Ken Bailey. This engaging and interesting workshop shared perspective and experience in regards to publishing scientific work and perspectives in magazines\, books\, online forums\, and traditional media. Some advice tidbits included: \n\n\n\nTake a step back. Realize that writing a process that lasts your whole life. Thinking about building your writing portfolio over the long term. Start with magazines and articles that tell stories where scientific information is a foundational component. Pitch to publishers in a way that convinces them to take a risk in publishing your work. Think beyond Canada. There are markets around the world and with online magazines\, there could be opportunities for you to publish in areas you haven’t even thought of yet! The possibilities are endless.Consider the quality of images included in your work. Your personal photos may be great\, but think about partnering with a photographer who can be a part communicating your work visually. Stay on target and write within the parameters of your credibility and knowledge.Publishing is a business\, so treat it that way when you are approaching publishers and editors.\n\n\n\nThere was so much more that we discussed in this workshop. The conversation was rich and the advice from Kevin and Ken was top notch! Check out the video in our members area! \n\n\n\nAn annual membership is only $20 – become a member here. \n\n\n\nExpert bios:\n\n\n\nKevin Van Tighem\, a former superintendent of Banff National Park\, has written more than 200 articles\, stories\, and essays on conservation and wildlife which have garnered him many awards\, including Western Magazine Awards\, Outdoor Writers of Canada book and magazine awards\, and the Journey Award for Fiction. He is the author of Bears Without Fear\, The Homeward Wolf\, Heart Waters: Sources of the Bow River\, Our Place: Changing the Nature of Alberta\, and Wild Roses Are Worth It: Alberta Reconsidered. He lives with his wife\, Gail\, in Canmore\, Alberta. \n\n\n\nOutdoor Canada’s long-time hunting editor Ken Bailey has travelled all over Canada—and the world—with rifle\, shotgun and fly rod in hand. Recognized as one of Canada’s most accomplished outdoor writers\, he’s also the author of No Place Like Home\, an award-winning book celebrating the abundance and diversity of hunting and angling experiences Canada has to offer. In his professional career\, Ken spent more than 30 years conserving wildlife\, fish and their habitats across Canada. URL:https://www.actws.ca/event/workshop-writing-science-for-non-scientists/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.actws.ca/wp-content/uploads/Writing-Science.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20210217T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20210217T130000 DTSTAMP:20260505T215224 CREATED:20210129T170701Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210305T174203Z UID:18928-1613563200-1613566800@www.actws.ca SUMMARY:Webinar - Sharing the Landscape II: Wildlife in Human Environments DESCRIPTION:Read the speaker abstracts here. \n\n\n\nWebinar Summary\n\n\n\nOur last webinar in this series started with John Paczkowski from Alberta Parks and Claire Edwards from the University of Alberta discussing a long term-term dataset pertaining to aversive conditioning of grizzly bears in Kananaskis Country. With many bears and many people using the same landscape\, the work that has been happening in Kananaskis over the past few decades is an example of successful human-bear coexistence. A big part of this is due to the continued and dedicated staff capacity directed towards coexistence and successful garbage management in campgrounds and day use areas. All bears that are part of the aversive conditioning program are collared and tagged so they can be monitoring; most of these bears are habituated but not food conditioned. Food conditioned bears are managed differently. The aversive conditioning program gives bears an unpleasant experience when they are in the “red zone”\, an area populated with campgrounds and human developments; staff repeatedly condition individual bears as they enter this zone. Most aversive conditioning happens during the berry season as bears move into red zones to forage. Over 20 years\, 8000 records have been recorded. Managing roadside bears continues to be challenging to keep bears and people safe. Over the years\, Park managers have been able to provide an array of tools and test their effectiveness on individual bears. They are working to compare bear response over time based on equipment used and bear characteristics. They’ve also been able to the aversive conditioning data to look at family and relational patterns in response. Managing human behaviour continues to be a challenge. \n\n\n\nOur second speaker was Deanna Steckler from the University of Alberta discussing Echinococcus in Edmonton’s urban coyotes. Coyotes are a definitive host for Echinococcus multilocularis and since 2012 there has been a new\, more virulent strain spreading throughout Alberta that can infect humans. Over half of the coyotes in Edmonton are infected and this number is greater in urban areas than in rural areas. Coyotes ingest anthropogenic food (e.g.\, compost)\, which may relate to an overall increased susceptibility to parasitic infections. But coyotes are exposed to the parasite through the consumption of rodents\, which are also attracted to compost piles. Deanna set out to find the links between diet and infection by examining coyote carcasses from urban and rural areas and compared physiology\, parasitic infection\, and diet. She detected parasites through DNA tests of the intestinal scrapings and by visual detection and used stomach and claw samples to look at short- and long-term diets\, respectively. She presented an array of results in her talk. Deanna found that urban coyotes have higher infection rates than rural coyotes\, but that long-term diet did not differ with infection status. Infected coyotes consumed more trash items and urban coyotes consumed more rodents\, but contrary to her prediction\, uninfected coyotes consumed more anthropogenic food. Deanna is still unsure of the degree to which humans may be at risk\, but the main preventative measure is to wash your hands and secure any food attractants on your property. This reduces the likelihood of attracting coyotes to you and limits opportunities for exposure. \n\n\n\nWebinar Results\n\n\n\nThis webinar was attended by 32 people and it was a great way to end our webinar series based on talks that would have been presented at the 2020 conference. \n\n\n\nOur next webinar series will start in May\, once the 2021 conference is behind us and we’re thirsty for more talks and knowledge! Stay tuned for that. Members always get priority registration for webinars and can view webinar recordings any time in our members’ area. Join us for this great membership perk! \n\n\n\nSee the Webinar!\n\n\n\nA video of the webinar is posted in our members area. \n\n\n\nSponsor a webinar!\n\n\n\nWe are always looking for corporate sponsors for our webinar series. Call Sarah if you’d like more information. \n\n\n\nInterested in more science talks from ACTWS members and supporters? Check out our annual conference! URL:https://www.actws.ca/event/webinar-sharing-the-landscape-ii-wildlife-in-human-environments/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.actws.ca/wp-content/uploads/February-2021-Webinar-Poster.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20210208T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20210208T130000 DTSTAMP:20260505T215224 CREATED:20210129T164103Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210303T203135Z UID:18904-1612785600-1612789200@www.actws.ca SUMMARY:Workshop: How's Your Resume? DESCRIPTION:Getting ready to send out your field season applications? Or entering the workforce? Has your resume set you up for success? \n\n\n\nGlynnis Hood and Samantha Morris-Yasinski shared some great tips and tricks for writing successful cover letters and resumes in this workshop. We discussed the three stages of the job application process: the cover letter\, the resume\, and the interview. \n\n\n\nThe cover letter is your first impression\, so highlight a few things to demonstrate who you are and how well you write. Share some details about what you are going to bring to the employer. Remember that every word counts and be conscious of how many times you use the word “I”. Share some thoughts on you will contribute to the larger project and perspectives. \n\n\n\nYour resume doesn’t have to be very long and should focus on the skills and experience that are relevant to the position you’re applying for. Make sure the formatting between sections is consistent. Include examples of writing and contributions to others’ work. Be specific in your certifications and specialized skills and use formal language. \n\n\n\nCast a wide net in your job search. We know it’s stiff competition out there and we wish you the best luck! \n\n\n\nA video of the workshop is posted to our members area and is available for viewing if you’re a member. \n\n\n\nAn annual membership is only $20 – become a member here. URL:https://www.actws.ca/event/workshop-hows-your-resume/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.actws.ca/wp-content/uploads/Resume-workshop.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20201216T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20201216T130000 DTSTAMP:20260505T215224 CREATED:20201204T023801Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210104T165836Z UID:18590-1608120000-1608123600@www.actws.ca SUMMARY:Webinar: Comparing Methods DESCRIPTION:Our final webinar of 2020 discussed automated approaches to data collection in the field with remote cameras and audio recorders. In our Comparing Methods webinar\, our speakers focused on the application of these technologies and the implications for methodological approach\, analysis\, and overall results.     \n\n\n\nRead the speaker abstracts. \n\n\n\nWebinar Summary\n\n\n\nCamille Warbington from the University of Alberta started the webinar by discussing the use of camera traps in Africa in estimating density of wildlife. She compared analyses focused on spatially explicit capture-recapture (SECR) and time in front of the camera. Although researchers frequently use SECR models\, not all wildlife populations fit these model assumptions. For example\, the direction of movement away from the activity centre (the camera) can sway density estimates because of varying home range shapes. Camille explored alternative models. One used a network distance to calculate density and resulted in an estimate of animals/km of habitat. She also tested a rest model that does not require individual identification or movement rates (this was the Time In Front of Camera\, or TIFC model). She presented results on density estimates from the different models and showed that results were comparable without some model limitations. Her results suggest that TIFC models can be an alternative to SECR when the species violates model assumptions. \n\n\n\nTyne Baker from A/Vian Eco discussed her field tests comparing autonomous audio recording units. The goal of these tests was to define any difference in data capture between devices of varied age and price\, and to compare the magnitude of these differences to the biologically relevant signal radius. Tyne used a paired playback design to compare units in real-world recording conditions using stimuli of varied acoustic properties. Her results show recording quality is comparable but there is a small gap in stimuli captured by devices. Industry-standard\, higher-cost devices may assist in capture for some types of signals (eg. high-frequency signals\, broadband sound and stimuli with sound characteristics matching background noise). Older cheaper devices may be best used in tighter spatial configurations\, over longer periods of time\, in areas with low ambient noise\, and for species with signals that travel greater distances (large signal radii). Comparing between sites that have different recorder types without a correction factor is not recommended. Overall both the signal characteristics of the target species and the capabilities of the recording device should be considered when designing an acoustic monitoring program.     \n\n\n\nOur final 2020 webinar wrapped up with Marcus Becker from ABMI. Marcus presenting some lessons learned from ABMI’s five years of mammal monitoring in Alberta by remote camera. The ABMI has been using the Rest model to estimate mammal density that Camille discussed in her talk. By mounting a pole 5m from the camera\, ABMI is also examining camera reliability to be triggered at distances greater than 5m. The overall goal of the project is to report on species abundance. Their approach uses a grid system with several cameras in each grid over time; each camera is representative of a much larger spatial area. Data for each camera is summarized and a confidence estimate is calculated. When Marcus compared the camera abundance estimates to traditional aerial surveys\, he found that cameras overestimated density. This is confounded by the fact that some species are attracted to the camera and the pole\, thus spending more time in front of the camera. He is now working on models that parse out the playful or curious behaviour on camera\, as well as looking at microhabitat selection for camera placement. \n\n\n\nWebinar Results\n\n\n\nThis webinar was attended by 40 people and 95% them thought the webinar was useful. Most participants would recommend ACTWS webinars to others\, and half of them were repeat webinar participants! That is what we like to see! \n\n\n\nJoin us in January as we ring in a new year of lunch and learn webinars. Our first webinar will discuss Parasite and Disease Transmission. Details to come on our events page. \n\n\n\nSee the Webinar!\n\n\n\nA video of the webinar is posted in our members area. \n\n\n\nSponsor a webinar!\n\n\n\nWe are always looking for corporate sponsors for our webinar series. Call Sarah if you’d like more information. URL:https://www.actws.ca/event/webinar-comparing-methods/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.actws.ca/wp-content/uploads/December-Webinar-Poster-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20201125T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20201125T120000 DTSTAMP:20260505T215224 CREATED:20200926T212628Z LAST-MODIFIED:20201129T000053Z UID:18386-1606294800-1606305600@www.actws.ca SUMMARY:Workshop - Working with Communities DESCRIPTION:The second in our fall/winter workshop series is all about working well with others! \n\n\n\nLocation: Zoom \n\n\n\nAttendance: Maximum 40 participants  \n\n\n\nCost: $0 (members); $10 (non-members) \n\n\n\nFacilitators: Sarah Elmeligi\, Andrea Morehouse\, Courtney Hughes \n\n\n\nResults: 22 people attended this workshop. \n\n\n\nSummary: Many wildlife professionals conduct field work on public or private land. Knowing how and when to engage with private landowners\, lease holders\, and other stakeholders is important for research success. Building relationships with other land users facilitates the collection of robust scientific data\, as well as increasing local support for research projects. \n\n\n\nThis workshop was facilitated by Sarah Elmeligi\, Andrea Morehouse\, and Courtney Hughes who come to their work with communities from various perspectives. The workshop was split into three sections: 1) preparing to engage with your community and project planning\, 2) implementing your project\, and 3) wrapping up and reporting back to your community. Sarah\, Andrea\, and Courtney covered the details of identifying who to talk to and when\, how to reach out\, and the social science techniques and methods that can be applied for success. They also discussed lessons learned from their own experience and best practices\, as well as various communication and planning tools to keep your community engaged and to build trust and positive relationships. \n\n\n\nA recording of the workshop is available in our members area\, so don’t worry if you missed it.   \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGet a ticket for the webinar below – you’ll get the link in your email after you sign up! Tickets are free for members and $10 for non-members. \n\n\n\nAn annual membership is only $20 – become a member here. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIf you are a member\, please Login to register for your free ticket.\n\n \n \n \n Username or E-mail\n \n \n \n \n \n Password\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Remember Me\n \n  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n  \n \n \n Forgot Password URL:https://www.actws.ca/event/workshop-working-with-communities/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.actws.ca/wp-content/uploads/Working-with-Communities-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20201118T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20201118T130000 DTSTAMP:20260505T215224 CREATED:20201026T145942Z LAST-MODIFIED:20201207T155849Z UID:18521-1605700800-1605704400@www.actws.ca SUMMARY:Webinar: Managing for Caribou Recovery 2 - Species Research DESCRIPTION:In the second part of our webinar series focusing on managing for caribou recovery\, we heard from three speakers discussing caribou genetics and site fidelity. With caribou being such a hot topic in Alberta conservation right now\, these talks were timely and shared some valuable information about how caribou recovery can happen in Alberta.    \n\n\n\nSee the speakers’ abstracts here. \n\n\n\nWebinar Summary\n\n\n\nOur first speaker was Maria Cavedon who spoke about caribou genetic diversity and its importance in determining appropriate caribou populations for captive breeding programs. As Parks Canada considers a captive breeding programs for their dwindling caribou populations\, there is a need to decide where to source animals from. Maria’s genomic study provided critical information that accounts for actual genes in both source and captive bred stock. She examined 30\,000 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) across caribou herds distributed throughout western Canada. It is important that any individual caribou involved in a captive breeding program are genetically similar to native individuals and that they also have genetic diversity. Maria found there were genetic similarities between Mountain and Boreal areas and that caribou can be used for translocation within these areas. Some genes Maria identified were tied to behaviour\, such as migration or habitat selection. Her results can be used to ensure captive breeding programs are genetically appropriate. \n\n\n\nFollowing Maria\, Jessica Theoret discussed the genetic component of seasonal migratory behaviour. Genetic traits can be adaptive as they are passed through the generations. As caribou populations decline\, these gene-to-environment associations are also at risk. Whether caribou are migratory or sedentary is considered an adaptive trait to their habitat. Jessica examined whether migratory movement behaviour was associated to genomic differences\, environmental factors\, or a combination of the two working in concert. She compared genetic and GPS collar data from barren-ground and woodland caribou from 31 herds across Western Canada. She used multiple methods to understand movement both from a planar perspective and an elevation perspective. Using a combination of methods helped her to reliably capture movement for all individuals. Jessica’s results show that barren ground caribou are highly migratory\, but so were woodland caribou. Jessica did find evidence for genetic drivers of movement. Diversity in movement is related to genetic diversity and both should be considered when planning for caribou recovery. \n\n\n\nOur final speaker\, Phil Walker\, switched gears a little by discussing his research focused on caribou in Ontario. Phil’s work examined site fidelity of parturition events in forest dwelling caribou from a spatial perspective (i.e.\, caribou return to the same site to give birth) and a habitat perspective (i.e.\, caribou use the same habitat types to give birth). Once he has identified parturition events\, he calculated Euclidean distances between birth sites each year\, and compared those to random locations. He found that there was no spatial fidelity for some individuals (35%)\, but no fidelity for others. He also found that 48% of individuals expressed habitat fidelity\, with 77% of those individuals using predominately lowlands during calving. Phil found that caribou had higher spatial and habitat fidelity in regions with higher levels of human disturbance. Overall\, 40% of individuals with surviving calves displayed spatial and habitat fidelity\, whereas 86% and 57% of individuals that lost their calf did not show spatial and habitat fidelity\, in the following year\, respectively. Phil’s results suggest that protecting calving habitat and possible spatial area near anthropogenic disturbance may be helpful for caribou. \n\n\n\nWebinar Results\n\n\n\nThis webinar was attended by 40 people and all of them thought the webinar was useful. Most participants would recommend ACTWS webinars to others\, and over half of them were repeat webinar participants! That is what we like to see! \n\n\n\nJoin us in December for Comparing Methods\, a webinar about the nitty gritty of how data is collected! Details to come on our events page. \n\n\n\nSee the Webinar!\n\n\n\nA video of the webinar is posted in our members area. \n\n\n\nSponsor a webinar!\n\n\n\nWe are always looking for corporate sponsors for our webinar series. Call Sarah if you’d like more information. URL:https://www.actws.ca/event/webinar-managing-for-caribou-recovery-2-species-research/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.actws.ca/wp-content/uploads/November-Webinar-Poster.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20201013T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20201013T130000 DTSTAMP:20260505T215224 CREATED:20200930T180500Z LAST-MODIFIED:20201026T144755Z UID:18378-1602590400-1602594000@www.actws.ca SUMMARY:Webinar - Managing for Caribou Recovery I: A focus on habitat issues DESCRIPTION:Our October webinar was the first part in a two-part series focusing on caribou recovery. Our first round of talks focused on habitat related management research or actions that aim to better understand the effectiveness of habitat restoration and explore different land-use management options to recover caribou populations in Alberta.  \n\n\n\nThis webinar was sponsored by Fuse Consulting Ltd. \n\n\n\nSee the speaker abstracts here. \n\n\n\nWebinar Summary\n\n\n\nOur first speaker was Melanie Dickie from the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI). Restoration of habitat has been identified as an essential component of caribou recovery\, but different intensities and forms of habitat restoration haven’t always been tested for efficacy. Melanie’s research explored the predicted success of restoration for recovering caribou using predator-prey simulations\, and empirically testing the effectiveness of restoration treatments. Melanie compared habitat use along restored linear disturbances and non-restored linear features. Through a multiple-lines-of-evidence approach\, she described caribou\, moose\, wolf\, and bear response to habitat restoration treatments. Caribou consistently tended to decrease their use of treated linear features as treatment intensity and cumulative area treated increased. Moose and wolves used linear features treated with high intensity treatments less\, but did not change their overall use of linear features within the restoration area as restoration progressed. Black bears were the least responsive to restoration intensity and the progression of restoration treatments. Melanie stressed the need for continued monitoring to measure restoration effectiveness as questions regarding how big or how intense a restoration effort should be remained unanswered. \n\n\n\nMatt Munson from the Dene Tha’ First Nation and Gillian Chow-Fraser from the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society tag-teamed the next presentation sharing their efforts to integrate Traditional Knowledge in a community-based monitoring program with the ultimate goal of informing a management plan for a proposed Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA). Their work focused on the northwest corner of Alberta\, where an IPCA may create an opportunity for leadership by the Dene Tha’ First Nation in caribou recovery actions for the Bistcho herd. Their research approach prioritized collaborations and incorporating a diversity of perspectives in the monitoring program. Through a series of interviews and workshops\, they mapped Traditional Knowledge in the Bistcho Lake area to identify important features\, such as predator refuges\, resting areas\, and traditional hunting grounds. Through this mapping exercise\, they learned to expand their study area and identified critical areas for the Bistcho caribou herd. Using a western-science approach\, they worked with the Dene Tha’ to deploy a series of remote cameras to improve habitat selection modeling efforts and increase our understanding of how Bistcho Lake is used by the herd. Project outcomes include an integrated\, interdisciplinary knowledge base to inform caribou management planning\, and an empowered community that is regaining agency in stewarding their traditional lands and resources. \n\n\n\nOur webinar closed with a presentation about partial cutting by Kirby Smith. Kirby’s presentation focused on a logging method that was experimentally applied more than 20 years ago in west central Alberta with a goal of enhancing terrestrial lichens. This method of logging attempts to address the elimination of lichen habitat essential for caribou that occurs with conventional clear-cut logging\, reduce the creation of new access roads for logging\, and reduce habitat available to alternate prey species. Partial cutting is essentially a logging method that selectively removes a high percentage\, but not all of the trees. With partial cutting\, the timber is processed onsite instead of at roadside\, then the logs are carried to the road rather than skidded. This method experimentally removed up to 80% of the timber volume. This approach is more labour intensive\, thus generating more jobs. Treated areas did not increase moose forage availability and other research results suggest that additional species\, such as grizzly bears and bull trout\, could also benefit from the approach. Kirby is working with various ACTWS partners to recommend a 10-year experiment conducting partial cutting in areas that have already been approved for timber removal within mountain caribou range. \n\n\n\nWebinar Results\n\n\n\nThis webinar was attended by 55 people and 95% of them thought the webinar was useful. Most participants would recommend ACTWS webinars to others\, which is great! \n\n\n\nJoin us in November for Part 2 of Managing for Caribou Recovery where our talks will focus on species dynamics. Details to come on our events page. \n\n\n\nSee the Webinar!\n\n\n\nA video of the webinar is posted in our members area. \n\n\n\nSponsor a webinar!\n\n\n\nWe are always looking for corporate sponsors for our webinar series. Email Sarah if you’d like more information. URL:https://www.actws.ca/event/webinar-managing-for-caribou-recovery-i-a-focus-on-habitat-issues/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.actws.ca/wp-content/uploads/October-Webinar-Poster-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20201006T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20201006T113000 DTSTAMP:20260505T215224 CREATED:20200930T181041Z LAST-MODIFIED:20201015T204323Z UID:18383-1601978400-1601983800@www.actws.ca SUMMARY:Workshop - Passing Oral Exams DESCRIPTION:Welcome to the first in the ACTWS fall/winter workshop series! \n\n\n\nDescription: The workshop will cover how a graduate student can prepare for and pass an oral exam (e.g.\, thesis defense\, candidacy)\, as well as how professionals can prepare for job interviews or testifying in the legislature.  \n\n\n\nThe workshop will lay out 6 key essential pieces of information that will pave the way for people to have greater success in passing oral exams. The workshop will involve interactive discussion and exercises.  \n\n\n\nOutcomes: All attendees will come away from the workshop with concrete exercises and skills to improve their oral exam performance.  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nResults: We had 13 people attend this workshop and generated some great discussion. Dr. Foote shared some amazing tips and tricks from his book\, Oral Exams: Preparing For and Passing Candidacy\, Qualifying\, and Graduate Defenses. \n\n\n\nSummary: Our workshop focused on the “biggest hurdle in grad school”\, candidacy and oral defense exams. We talked about everything from committee selection to the types of questions you can expect in your exam and ways to answer them. Dr. Foote shared his perspective on the five types of exam questions: \n\n\n\nOnes you know the answer to and can easily provide it.One you don’t know the answer to (Pro tip: admit it honestly. It’s ok if you don’t know).Ones you are unsure of but may have an idea. (Hint: give qualifiers and use probabilities. Draw on the literature).Ones that you know the answer to but cannot answer for various reasons.\n\n\n\nWe also discussed ways to prepare\, study\, and practice to reduce the uncertainty you may feel about your exam outcome. \n\n\n\nDr. Foote shared his strategy for the best prepared 3-minute question answer and his advice for 3 months of preparation before your exam. \n\n\n\nA video of the workshop can be found in our members area\, so don’t worry if you missed it. \n\n\n\nThis was the first in our 2020-2021 workshop series. All workshops have discounted prices for members. Don’t be shy\, sign up and have access to the workshop for less and recordings of any you miss! An annual membership is only $20 – become a member here. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIf you are a member\, please Login to register for your free ticket.\n\n \n \n \n Username or E-mail\n \n \n \n \n \n Password\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Remember Me\n \n  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n  \n \n \n Forgot Password URL:https://www.actws.ca/event/workshop-passing-oral-exams/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.actws.ca/wp-content/uploads/Passing-Oral-Exams-Ad-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20200917T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20200917T130000 DTSTAMP:20260505T215224 CREATED:20200828T173627Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200930T194047Z UID:18349-1600344000-1600347600@www.actws.ca SUMMARY:Webinar - Understanding Distribution and Selection DESCRIPTION:Our monthly Lunch and Learn Webinars are quickly becoming my favourite thing! Our September webinar: Understanding Distribution and Selection\, was a great way to get back to work after the summer. From bats\, to wolverines\, to little owls\, this webinar discussed distribution and behaviour of animals we know relatively little about. The talks were truly on the front lines of creating new information about some very interesting species (added bonus – this may be the cutest webinar we’ve ever had)! \n\n\n\nSpeakers\n\n\n\nErin Low (University of Calgary): Effects of Forest Fire on the Bat Community in Waterton Lakes National Park \n\n\n\nRobert Anderson (Alberta Conservation Association): Characteristics of Wolverine Dens in the Lowland Boreal Forest of North-Central Alberta \n\n\n\nLisa Takats-Preistley (STRIX Ecological Consulting) – Year-Round Northern Saw-Whet Owl Movements Through a Banding Station in Central Alberta\, Canada \n\n\n\nRead the speaker abstracts. \n\n\n\nWebinar Summary\n\n\n\nOur first speaker\, Erin Low\, presented some of her graduate work from the University of Calgary. Climate change is increasing fire risk around Alberta\, and in 2017 a large portion of Waterton Lakes National Park burned in the Kenow Wildfire. There are seven species of bats in Waterton; Erin was primarily interested in habitat selection of little brown bats in burned and non-burned areas after the fire. Fires can have positive and negative impacts on bat habitat; they can increase habitat by creating more burned trees\, which are great for roosts\, but they can also result in extensive habitat loss. Erin radio tagged bats and compared their locations to the extent of known or possible roost trees in burned and non-burned areas. In 2019\, she had 10 little brown bats “on the air”. She found that reproductive females appeared to prefer roosting in buildings around the town of Waterton. Interestingly\, some of the bats in her study would go 20-30 km round trip from their roost to foraging locations! There was no significant difference between roosting availability in burned and unburned areas; buildings were important for maternal colonies. Male bats were tagged in 2020 and appeared more likely to roost in natural roosts and did not fly as far between roosting and foraging locations. Erin’s work sheds light on how little brown bats select habitat after a significant forest fire event. Erin’s work helps us better understand\, predict\, and prepare for the effects of wildfire on bats. \n\n\n\nNext up\, was Robert Anderson from the Alberta Conservation Association. Robert conducted some interesting research about wolverine den selection patterns in the boreal. Wolverines living in the boreal have a very different ecosystem to work with than mountain wolverines\, and their den selection reflects that. Robert’s study is one of the first to look exclusively at wolverines in the flatter\, wetter\, forested lands of the boreal. Although mountain wolverines prefer to den in areas with at least 1m snowpack\, areas in the boreal rarely have that snow depth. With 4 radio-collared females\, Robert captured some interesting data. He found that wolverines were very sensitive to disturbance and gathered most data with remote cameras and site visits after wolverines had left the area. His presentation contains an amazing video of a female wolverine moving her kits to a secondary den in the cover of darkness. Seven of the 8 dens he visited were located in the hollow created by a root-ball from a fallen tree; dens were about 1 m3 with a ~30 cm entrance. He found one den in logging debris in an old cutblock. Dens were located in wetland\, high windrow ecosites. Beaver and snowshoe hare appear to make up a large portion of the wolverine winter diet. Robert hypothesized that the moss covering the dens provides the required insulative capacity\, which may compensate for the lack of deep snow. Robert’s work is being applied by logging companies to plan forestry activities around conserving representation wind throw areas in mature forest. \n\n\n\nOur last talk of the day came from Lisa Takats-Priestley who shared her research on saw-whet owl migration patterns. Previous data efforts on this little owl were focused in the U.S. Lisa aimed to fill in some of the data gaps on the Canadian side of the border. She worked with other banding stations across Alberta and Saskatchewan to great success. In all\, she banded 148 owls in Beaver Hills in Alberta. Those birds have now become part of an inter-provincial research study involving 15\,099 in owls in Alberta and another 9\,000 in Saskatchewan! Her research shows that late September/early October\, around October 2nd  and 3rd\, are saw-whet owl migration prime time. Migrations were mostly in south and south east directions; the largest migration recorded was 1\,411 km! Some saw-whet owls are true migrants in the fall\, traveling various distances and following habitats. The results from the spring were less consistent with lower movement levels and less precision regarding the date of migration. Lisa found that young birds were different from adults\, perhaps being more nomadic. Thus\, there may be individual strategies between young and adults; some owls are true migrants\, others are partial migrants\, and some more nomadic. This research helps to create a more continental understanding of saw-whet owl movements and habitat selection. \n\n\n\nWebinar Results\n\n\n\nThis webinar was attended by 47 people and 96% of them thought the webinar was useful. All participants would recommend ACTWS webinars to others\, which is great! Thank you for that! \n\n\n\nJoin us in October for our next webinar! Details to come. \n\n\n\nSee the Webinar!\n\n\n\nA video of the webinar is posted in our members area. \n\n\n\nSponsor a webinar!\n\n\n\nWe are always looking for corporate sponsors for our webinar series. Call Sarah if you’d like more information. URL:https://www.actws.ca/event/webinar-understanding-distribution-and-selection/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.actws.ca/wp-content/uploads/September-Webinar-Poster-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20200811T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20200811T130000 DTSTAMP:20260505T215224 CREATED:20200730T144832Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200930T194047Z UID:18322-1597147200-1597150800@www.actws.ca SUMMARY:Webinar - Cascading Impacts: Community dynamics and landscape genetics DESCRIPTION:Speakers:\n\n\n\nBaily McCulloch (University of Alberta) – The New Top Dogs? Mesopredator response to wild removal in a changing landscape.Glynnis Hood (University of Alberta) – Ecological Compromise: Can alternative beaver management maintain biodiversity?Ian Gazeley (University of Lethbridge) – Species Reintroductions and Population Bottlenecks: Conservation genetics of Roosevelt Elk in southwest BC.\n\n\n\nRead the speaker abstracts. \n\n\n\nOur monthly Lunch and Learn Webinar series continues to share the research and work of our members. Each of these webinars focuses on a concurrent session from our cancelled 2020 conference. The August webinar\, Cascading Impacts: Community Dynamics and Landscape Genetics\, offered attendees an opportunity to learn about mesopredator response to wolf removal\, aquatic invertebrate community response to beaver management\, and genetics of reintroduced elk populations in BC. Research spanned from British Columbia to Saskatchewan and really got me thinking about the diversity of ecosystems we work in! \n\n\n\nThis webinar was sponsored by Bighorn Wildlife Technologies Ltd. \n\n\n\nWebinar Summary\n\n\n\nOur first speaker\, Baily McCulloch\, shared her graduate research examining how mesopredators (e.g.\, coyotes\, foxes) respond to wolf removal in Alberta’s boreal. Previous research on trophic cascades had shown that mesopredators are the only group that has a positive response to top predator control management strategies. Baily looked at populations in Alberta and Saskatchewan to compare how different levels of human development might impact this response. Her analysis matrix compared four situations with wolf control/no wolf control and human development/no human development. Her main research objective was to determine how the two management strategies impact mesopredator population density. She found that fishers and red fox populations increased in areas with less disturbance\, but there was no effect of wolf control on mesopredator populations. \n\n\n\nGlynnis Hood then discussed monitoring research that examined beaver ponds in Beaver County\, Alberta\, and then compared these results to previous research in nearby Miquelon Lake Provincial Park and the Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area. Beavers are recognized for their positive influence on aquatic biodiversity. In areas near human infrastructure\, pond levellers are used to control the depth of beaver ponds to prevent flooding. In areas where pond levellers had been constructed\, Glynnis and her team sampled aquatic invertebrates near beaver lodges\, in beaver channels leading to and away from ponds\, in open water\, and along vegetated edges. They identified 87 aquatic micro invertebrate taxa. Glynnis found that species richness was highest in beaver channel. Omnivorous invertebrates appeared to decrease and shredders increase after pond-leveller installation in beaver channels\, but all other functional feeding groups remained intact. Most importantly\, there were no other significant differences in biodiversity and community composition pre and post leveller installation. This research demonstrated that the levellers were not impacting aquatic diversity\, thus increasing their credibility as a management option to reduce flooding. \n\n\n\nOur last speaker was Ian Gazeley who discussed genetic bottlenecks and a reintroduced population of Roosevelt elk from Vancouver Island to the mainland. Roosevelt elk are Blue Listed in BC and are endemic to the west coast. After some concerning sightings of elk with recessive genetic conditions\, Ian was interested in looking at the genetic diversity of reintroduced populations. His work found that the Vancouver Island South population had a distinct genetic composition from all other populations and the Vancouver Island North population had the highest genetic diversity. When he examined mitochondrial DNA\, he found a distinct separation on Vancouver Island\, with distinct North and South populations\, but that the mainland herd had similar genetic attributes as North Vancouver Island. Ian’s results suggest there is limited connectivity between the Vancouver Island South and all other populations\, which may lead to genetic isolation. \n\n\n\nWebinar Results\n\n\n\nThis webinar was attended by 26 people and all of them thought the webinar was useful. Half of the attendees had been to an ACTWS webinar previously\, which is great! Thanks for coming back! Close to 70% of attendees would recommend an ACTWS webinar in the future. \n\n\n\nJoin us in September for our next webinar! Details to come. \n\n\n\nSee the Webinar!\n\n\n\nA video of the webinar is posted in our members area. (Apologies for cutting the first 2 minutes of the webinar. We had technical difficulties). \n\n\n\nSponsor a webinar!\n\n\n\nWe are always looking for corporate sponsors for our webinar series. Call Sarah if you’d like more information. URL:https://www.actws.ca/event/webinar-cascading-impacts-community-dynamics-and-landscape-genetics/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.actws.ca/wp-content/uploads/August-Webinar-Poster-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20200727T090000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20200805T090000 DTSTAMP:20260505T215224 CREATED:20200722T171854Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200723T163545Z UID:18307-1595840400-1596618000@www.actws.ca SUMMARY:BE WILD: An Experience Auction DESCRIPTION:The ACTWS has always been so grateful to have an array of experienced\, creative\, and supportive members. The support of our members has been integral to the success of our annual conference silent auction. This year\, we’re taking the auction online! We are excited to expand our auction into this new realm and open our fabulous prizes to all Albertans with an interest in wildlife! \n\n\n\nWhat is an Experience Auction?\n\n\n\nEach year\, some ACTWS members donate a guided experience as a prize for our silent auction. These experiences give people an opportunity to engage in an outdoor activity\, learn something new from experts\, and meet other ACTWS members. Examples of past experiences have included a weekend of hunting or fishing\, a weekend on a trapline\, and a day of wildlife photography. \n\n\n\nSelling experiences is a great way for the ACTWS to do what we do best – go outside and share our expertise with each other and our broader community. This is a great opportunity to get outside\, make new friends\, and learn new outdoor skills\, all while supporting your ACTWS! \n\n\n\nWhat are the prizes?\n\n\n\nSo far\, this year’s online auction features: \n\n\n\nAn Alberta Trapline ExperienceHunting with Dumb and DumbererA day of fly fishing in Montana or YellowstoneA weekend of fly fishing in Southern AlbertaA guided bear safety and behaviour hikeA wildlife photography lesson\n\n\n\nHow will the auction work?\n\n\n\nThe auction will launch on July 27\, 2020 at 9am and run until August 5\, 2020 at 9am. Detailed item descriptions can be found at: https://www.32auctions.com/BeWildACTWS. Each day we will highlight items on our social media and you can read more about each item through the links above. \n\n\n\nFollow these steps to bid on an item: \n\n\n\nGo to https://www.32auctions.com/BeWildACTWClick on “View All Items” on the left sidA yellow banner will appear at the top of the screen that says “You need to be logged in to participate. Would you like to login now or create an account?” You can either create an account or click on items to learn more about them.The items are all listed below an ad banner. Click on an item to see its bidding information. Scroll past another ad banner to read the complete item description.To bid on an item\, you’ll need to create a free account. Enter your email address and create a password. An email will be sent to you from 32 Auction to confirm your account.Bid on items at will!Cross your fingers and hope you are a winner!32Auctions will notify you if you are the winner once the auction ends on August 5. You can pay for your experience through the 32Auctions website. The ACTWS will email your prize to you and connect you with the donor to arrange the details.\n\n\n\nWe need your help!\n\n\n\nIf you have something you’d like to donate\, don’t be shy! Donate your experience before July 31\, 2020! Email Sarah with your donation or to brainstorm one! \n\n\n\nShare this post and the auction with your friends and family. The more people we have spreading the word\, the more interest and bids we can generate for these unique prizes. URL:https://www.actws.ca/event/be-wild-an-experience-auction/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.actws.ca/wp-content/uploads/Title-image.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20200716T120000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20200716T130000 DTSTAMP:20260505T215224 CREATED:20200623T130941Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200930T194121Z UID:18258-1594900800-1594904400@www.actws.ca SUMMARY:Webinar - A Shifting Climate: Changes in environmental and social conditions DESCRIPTION:Speakers:\n\n\n\n1. Cesar Estevo (University of Alberta) – A Hill Has Many Faces: The influence of topography on microclimates\, vegetation\, and boreal songbirds \n\n\n\n2. Alexandre Caouette (MacEwan University) – Elucidating the Distribution of a Non-Native Species of Katydid in Alberta Using Bioacoustics \n\n\n\n3. Howie Harshaw (University of Alberta) – The Human Dimensions of Waterfowl Hunting Participation: Understanding Albertan waterfowl hunting retention\, recruitment\, and reactivation \n\n\n\nOur Lunch and Learn Webinar Series continues to offer great opportunities for our members to share their important research. Our third webinar discussed how the Alberta landscape is changing with climate change\, a new non-native species\, and the human dimensions of waterfowl hunting. The diversity in topics kept me engaged well beyond the hour of the webinar!   \n\n\n\nWebinar Summary\n\n\n\nCesar Estevo presented a great talk about how climate change is impacting boreal birds and vegetation distribution. By examining topography and other landscape features\, he compared the potential for climate refugia between four sites across Alberta (2 in the northern boreal\, 1 in central Alberta\, and 1 in Cypress Hills). Cesar assessed species specific responses to fine-scale topographic variation by using a combination of models to explore how terrain influenced songbirds and tree distribution. He found that topography and local temperature were positively correlated with solar radiation and negatively correlated with terrain roughness. While all areas will get warmer with climate change\, they will also likely retain their heterogeneity. There were some mixed effects between birds and vegetation; in some cases\, birds seemed to display niche plasticity and were able to adapt to changing vegetative structures. Even though local refugia may be too small to accommodate all bird populations\, there is still good refugia potential in boreal ecosystems. \n\n\n\nOur second speaker\, Alex Caouette\, presented his work measuring the distribution of a new species of Katydid in Alberta. Alex used bioacoustics monitoring and audio recognition software to measure the presence of the Katydid across Alberta. His used data from ABMI monitoring sites across Alberta and his own sound recordings from sites known to contain this novel Katydid. By recording the Katydid in known locations\, he was able to test for that same call from other areas of the province. He first tested the effectiveness of his approach and technology and was able to identify 51 recordings of the Katydid in Alberta. His results did not find any Katydid calls outside of its known range\, but some new populations have been found using other methods. Alex is working to refine bioacoustics as a monitoring tool. His work may prove valuable for tracking insect distribution changes with climate change. \n\n\n\nIn a topic twist\, the webinar shifted with Howie Harshaw’s presentation detailing the human dimensions of waterfowl hunting in Alberta. He aims to understand peoples’ preferences so they may be incorporated into management. Howie found that barriers to hunting for existing hunters included access to good sites and time constraints. His research also showed\, however\, a disconnect between non-hunters and hunters. Some people didn’t hunt because of a lack of interest or a moral opposition to hunting. He compared various scenarios to better understand when people would choose to hunt and found three drivers: 1) competition from other hunters (people liked less competition); 2) travel time (people liked to hunt closer to home); and 3) harvest (people wanted to catch more birds). Waterfowl hunters strongly identified as conservationists and valued being in nature. Howie’s work contributes to broader conservations about waterfowl hunting and management. \n\n\n\nWebinar Results\n\n\n\nThis webinar was attended by 23 people and all of them thought the webinar was useful.   \n\n\n\nWe are happy that our webinars are being so well received! \n\n\n\nSee the Webinar!\n\n\n\nA video of the webinar is posted in our members area. \n\n\n\nSponsor a webinar!\n\n\n\nWe are always looking for corporate sponsors for our webinar series. Call Sarah if you’d like more information. URL:https://www.actws.ca/event/webinar-a-shifting-climate-changes-in-environmental-and-social-conditions/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.actws.ca/wp-content/uploads/Webinar-Flyer_July.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20200609T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20200609T130000 DTSTAMP:20260505T215224 CREATED:20200601T041519Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200615T184734Z UID:18213-1591704000-1591707600@www.actws.ca SUMMARY:Webinar - Sharing the Landscape: Ecology of Human Infrastructure DESCRIPTION:Speakers:\n\n\n\nDee Patriquin (WSP Canada) – From Butterflies to Bears: Developingstandards for road ecology across Canada.Taylor MacLeod (University of Alberta) – Effects of FlowAugmentation: Are species selective towards a threatened benthic fish?Colleen Cassady St. Clair (University of Alberta) – Railway Mortalityfor Several Mammal Species Increase in Areas with Poor Sight Lines and Escape Terrain\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThis FREE webinar was part of our monthly lunch and learn webinar series. Thank you to WSP for sponsoring this webinar! \n\n\n\nWebinar Summary\n\n\n\nOur first speaker\, Dee Patriquin\, gave an overall review of road ecology in Canada. Her meta-analysis examined best practices in road ecology from across Canada that could be applied by transportation agencies to improve connectivity. Although there are some standardized practices for design and construction\, they typically focused on environmental impact assessments. Some emerging topics she introduced included roadside vegetation management\, pollinator habitat\, caribou management\, as well as the aesthetics of crossing structures. It is clear that we are still at the beginning of understanding the multi-disciplinary impacts of crossing structures across Canada. There is\, as always\, so much to learn. \n\n\n\nTaylor MacLeod discussed the plains sucker in the Milk River in Alberta and Saskatchewan. They compared the plains sucker holding ability between the Milk River\, which has augmented flow based on a river diversion upstream\, to control sites without man-made fluctuations in flow. With videos\, they demonstrated how the plains sucker has adapted to hold station in lotic (stream) environments. Their research found that the plains sucker has an increased capacity to maintain its position during augmented flows in the Milk River\, and that other fish in the same family cope with high flows in different ways. They concluded that the effects of flow augmentation are species selective towards the plains sucker\, and that follow up work should look for evidence of energetic trade-offs.    \n\n\n\nColleen Cassady St. Clair shared the latest results from her lab’s multi-year project with Parks Canada and CP Rail examining mitigations for wildlife mortality on the railway through Banff National Park. Mitigating wildlife-train mortality is best accomplished at the site-specific level. Their model showed that mortality risk was related to the top speed of the train\, distance to water\, and curvature of the railway. They found different results for different guilds\, suggesting that high collision locations may be species and season specific based on habitat requirements. This research highlights the importance to consider why mortality occurs. You can find out more about this large research project here: https://uofastclairlab.wordpress.com/. \n\n\n\nWebinar Results\n\n\n\nSixty-seven people attend the webinar. Of those who answered our closing poll\, 35% and 65% thought the webinar was very useful and useful respectively; 95% of them would attend a future ACTWS webinar. \n\n\n\nWe are happy that our webinars are being so well received! \n\n\n\nSee the Webinar!\n\n\n\nA video of the webinar is posted in our members area. \n\n\n\nSponsor a webinar!\n\n\n\nWe are always looking for corporate sponsors for our webinar series. Call Sarah if you’d like more information. \n\n\n\nEmail us if you’re interested in sponsoring future webinars. URL:https://www.actws.ca/event/webinar-sharing-the-landscape-ecology-of-human-infrastructure/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.actws.ca/wp-content/uploads/Webinar-Flyer_June.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20200522T165120 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20200522T165120 DTSTAMP:20260505T215224 CREATED:20200522T225119Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200522T230513Z UID:18142-1590166280-1590166280@www.actws.ca SUMMARY:Dee Patriquin Webinar DESCRIPTION:Dee Patriquin is going to present an amazing webinar \n\n\n\n\n\n\nLog in to your ACTWS account to view the webinar link! Become a member with the Join tab at the top of the page. URL:https://www.actws.ca/event/dee-patriquin-webinar/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.actws.ca/wp-content/uploads/blanchard-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20200521T215700 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20200521T215700 DTSTAMP:20260505T215224 CREATED:20200522T035659Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200522T035703Z UID:18132-1590098220-1590098220@www.actws.ca SUMMARY:Test2 DESCRIPTION: URL:https://www.actws.ca/event/test2/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20200521T214413 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20200521T214413 DTSTAMP:20260505T215224 CREATED:20200522T033553Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200522T034416Z UID:18120-1590097453-1590097453@www.actws.ca SUMMARY:Test Webinar DESCRIPTION:this is merely a test URL:https://www.actws.ca/event/test-webinar/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20200513T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20200513T130000 DTSTAMP:20260505T215224 CREATED:20200601T041405Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200601T041408Z UID:18211-1589371200-1589374800@www.actws.ca SUMMARY:Webinar - Cumulative Effects of Land Uses in Alberta's Southern East Slope Watersheds DESCRIPTION:Speakers:\n\n\n\nSarah Milligan\, ALCES: Cumulative Effects of Land Uses and Conservation Priorities in Alberta’s Southern East Slopes. See the abstract.Sarah Elmeligi\, ACTWS – The C-5 Report and the ACTWS: Organizational perspectives and implications.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWebinar Summary:\n\n\n\nLast year\, the ACTWS commissioned ALCES to conduct a cumulative effects assessment of the Southern Eastern Slopes to model long term impacts of human use across the landscape. The model compared “business as usual” to “increased protection” scenarios. The purpose of this project was to provide scientific analyses and modeling that could inform land use planning along the Eastern Slopes. The results from this work will be used by several ACTWS partners to ensure that the best-available science is part of decision-making processes and land use plans in the study area. \n\n\n\nSarah Milligan discussed the project objectives\, results\, and implications. The lands with the highest conservation potential lie to the west of the study area. Results show that conservation efforts in the headwaters have the best potential to conserve native trout habitat with the least economic impacts. The full report is available here. \n\n\n\nSarah Elmeligi discussed the implications of projects like this for the ACTWS. Funding new research is something the ACTWS has not explored before. Although this kind of work isn’t our normal stream of work\, research results are helpful and timely for various land use planning process that are happening right now. There could be other models to explore future projects like this. \n\n\n\nWebinar Results:\n\n\n\nForty-one people attended the webinar and were asked a few closing questions. Here are those results. \n\n\n\n51% and 46% of participants found the webinar “very useful” and “useful” respectively.94% of participants said they would attend future ACTWS webinars.63% and 31% of participants answered “yes” and “maybe” respectively when asked if the ACTWS should pursue projects like this in the future.\n\n\n\nSee the webinar!\n\n\n\nA recording of the webinar can be found in our members area. URL:https://www.actws.ca/event/webinar-cumulative-effects-of-land-uses-in-albertas-southern-east-slope-watersheds/ CATEGORIES:Webinars END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20200320T113000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20200320T120000 DTSTAMP:20260505T215224 CREATED:20200224T033150Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210129T000546Z UID:14824-1584703800-1584705600@www.actws.ca SUMMARY:WORKSHOP: Graduate School Oral Exams DESCRIPTION:How to Prepare for and Pass Graduate School Oral Exams (qualifying exams and defenses)\n\nPresented by Dr. Lee Foote\, Professor\, University of Alberta\n\nAuthor of Oral Exams: Preparing for and passing candidacy\, qualifying\, and graduate defenses (2016)  Academic Press\n\nFriday\, March 13\, 2020\n\n11:30AM-12:00PM\n\nNorsemen Inn\, Salon A1\n\nMost graduate students worry about their graduate oral exams – particularly\, how to best prepare\, how to manage nervousness\, what they will be asked\, how to frame answers appropriately\, and basically what their committee considers satisfactory. Unfortunately\, the available advice thus far has consisted of highly variable guidance from professors\, scary internet tales\, and graduated students’ horror stories.  In this short workshop we will change all of that with insights and compiled advice from many faculty members across a dozen disciplines and universities. This information is available in my recent book\, the contents of which will be outlined in workshop format to address the most common exam concerns.  This casual and interactive ½ hour presentation will give you the tools to understand committee selection and dynamics; recognize the types of questions you can expect; give specific advice on framing oral answers; describe techniques for handling  baffling questions; describe preparation time frames and techniques; and provide a description of “the bar” over which successful students must pass. By following this advice it is unthinkable that you won’t succeed in defending a worthwhile proposal or thesis. The information is crucial for both qualifying exams and defenses as well as expert testimony\, board oral exams\, and framing answers in a courtroom.\n\nHow to select a good committee?\n\nHow to prepare for questions?\n\nHow to frame a 3-minute descriptive answer?\n\nHow to address the impossible/unfair/trick/unknown question?\n\nWhat about antagonistic questioners?\n\nWhat are committee members really looking for to pass you?\n\n \n\nI will also invite questions and discussion afterward about your specific conundrums. URL:https://www.actws.ca/event/graduate-school-oral-exams/ LOCATION:norsemen inn\, camrose\, 6505 48th Ave\, Camrose\, Alberta\, Canada CATEGORIES:Conference,Workshop ORGANIZER;CN="ACTWS":MAILTO:info@actws.ca END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20200313T164500 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20200313T230000 DTSTAMP:20260505T215224 CREATED:20200131T115335Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200202T075111Z UID:13152-1584117900-1584140400@www.actws.ca SUMMARY:WORKSHOP: Owl Field Techniques DESCRIPTION:Presented by Lisa Takats-Priestley and Chuck Priestley\, STRIX Ecological \nThe first part of this workshop will kick off with an introduction to Alberta’s owls and their ecology. There will be an overview of standardized protocols used to monitor and research diurnal and nocturnal owls. Local owl research and monitoring efforts will be described and Lisa and Chuck will share ideas about how you can get involved. \nFor the second part of the workshop\, the group will travel together out to one of the Alberta Nocturnal Owl Survey routes where you will conduct surveys at ten long term monitoring stations. The roadside surveys are surrounded by some of central Alberta’s best owl woods. Data have been collected for more than a decade at these locations.\nPlease note: the workshop will begin in the Norsemen Inn Salon A1\, then a bus will transport workshop participants to the off-site owl survey locations. Please prepare for being outside at night for (possible) cold winter temperatures. Dress warm and carry a flashlight. A good motto for all owl enthusiasts!! \n\n\nVisit our Shop to pick up your free ticket – limited to 25 participants. URL:https://www.actws.ca/event/owl-field-techniques/ LOCATION:norsemen inn\, camrose\, 6505 48th Ave\, Camrose\, Alberta\, Canada CATEGORIES:Conference,Workshop ORGANIZER;CN="ACTWS":MAILTO:info@actws.ca END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20200313T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20200313T160000 DTSTAMP:20260505T215224 CREATED:20200202T074131Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200202T074131Z UID:13252-1584104400-1584115200@www.actws.ca SUMMARY:WORKSHOP: Wildlife Necropsy DESCRIPTION:Presented by Dayna Goldsmith\, University of Calgary \nAugustana Miquelon Lake Research Station \nThis workshop will include instruction on proper necropsy/tissue collection procedures of small wildlife. An overview of the procedures will be presented with a hands on demonstration. Safe handling procedures will be emphasized. \n\nVisit our Shop to pick up your free ticket – limited to 25 participants. URL:https://www.actws.ca/event/wildlife-necropsy/ LOCATION:norsemen inn\, camrose\, 6505 48th Ave\, Camrose\, Alberta\, Canada CATEGORIES:Conference,Workshop ORGANIZER;CN="ACTWS":MAILTO:info@actws.ca END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20200313T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20200313T150000 DTSTAMP:20260505T215224 CREATED:20200202T072959Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200202T073245Z UID:13243-1584104400-1584111600@www.actws.ca SUMMARY:WORKSHOP: Aquatic Invasive Species DESCRIPTION:Presented by Cindy Sawchuk\, AIS Operations/K9 Program Lead\, Alberta Environment and Parks \nAquatic Invasive Species are one of the greatest threats to our biodiversity. Alberta estimates that invasive mussels alone could cost the province $75 million annually if introduced into the province. In 2015\, the Government of Alberta introduced a team of K9s as an innovative tool for prevention of invasive mussels\, and their role has since expanded. This workshop will highlight the work of the Conservation K9 unit\, and a four-legged member of the team will be on hand to showcase his skills. \n\n\nVisit our Shop to pick up your free ticket – limited to 50 participants. URL:https://www.actws.ca/event/aquatic-invasive-species/ LOCATION:norsemen inn\, camrose\, 6505 48th Ave\, Camrose\, Alberta\, Canada CATEGORIES:Conference,Workshop ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.actws.ca/wp-content/uploads/ais_k9.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="ACTWS":MAILTO:info@actws.ca END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20200313T093000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20200313T153000 DTSTAMP:20260505T215224 CREATED:20200205T204930Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200205T204930Z UID:13689-1584091800-1584113400@www.actws.ca SUMMARY:WORKSHOP: Miquelon Provincial Park and Ministik Bird Sanctuary Field Trip DESCRIPTION:Presented by Margo Pybus\, Alberta Fish and Wildlife\, and Glen Lawrence\, County of Strathcona \nFriday\, March 13\, 2020 \n9:30AM-3:30PM \nLocation: Surrounding Camrose area\, meet at Norsemen Inn registration desk \nCost: $10 – this includes bus transportation and a bagged lunch \nVisit our Shop to buy your ticket – limited to 53 participants. URL:https://www.actws.ca/event/ministikfieldtrip/ LOCATION:norsemen inn\, camrose\, 6505 48th Ave\, Camrose\, Alberta\, Canada CATEGORIES:Conference,Field Trip ORGANIZER;CN="ACTWS":MAILTO:info@actws.ca END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20200313T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20200313T120000 DTSTAMP:20260505T215224 CREATED:20200202T073721Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200211T095742Z UID:13247-1584090000-1584100800@www.actws.ca SUMMARY:WORKSHOP: Winter Mammal Tracking DESCRIPTION:Presented by Joseph Litke\, P.Biol\, Fiera Biological Consulting and Stephen Olson\, Wildlife Biologist\, STRIX Ecological \nAugustana Miquelon Lake Research Station \nThis workshop will begin with a one hour indoor session to discuss tracking fundamentals\, including photos of wildlife track and sign from the Camrose area. The outdoor portion will be approximately two hours\, and will apply the participants tracking skills in a practical winter setting. \nPlease note: the workshop will be held at the Augustana Miquelon Lake Research Station (location here)\, approximately a 30 minute drive from Camrose. Please arrange for your own transportation to and from the Research Station. Please prepare for being outside for the majority of the workshop and dress for (possible) cold winter temperatures. Please bring your own snowshoes\, if possible. Some snowshoes will be available to borrow. \n\n\nVisit our Shop to pick up your free ticket – limited to 30 participants. URL:https://www.actws.ca/event/winter-mammal-tracking/ LOCATION:norsemen inn\, camrose\, 6505 48th Ave\, Camrose\, Alberta\, Canada CATEGORIES:Conference,Workshop ORGANIZER;CN="ACTWS":MAILTO:info@actws.ca END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20200313T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20200313T110000 DTSTAMP:20260505T215224 CREATED:20200129T021324Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200205T203654Z UID:13089-1584086400-1584097200@www.actws.ca SUMMARY:WORKSHOP: Alberta Trapping DESCRIPTION:This workshop will review regulations\, methods and guidelines for trapping in Alberta. Canada leads the world in humane trapping standards\, standards that have been integrated into regulations for trapping in Alberta. Dr. Boyce will bring traps\, snares and fur-handling equipment to demonstrate how to make sets for various species. He will cover fur handling methods\, sales and markets. Finally\, Dr. Boyce will summarize how individuals can trap in Alberta in Registered Fur Management Areas (RFMAs) or with a Resident Fur Management Licence.\n\nVisit our Shop to pick up your free ticket – limited to 50 participants. URL:https://www.actws.ca/event/alberta-trapping/ LOCATION:norsemen inn\, camrose\, 6505 48th Ave\, Camrose\, Alberta\, Canada CATEGORIES:Conference,Workshop ORGANIZER;CN="ACTWS":MAILTO:info@actws.ca END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20200312T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20200312T210000 DTSTAMP:20260505T215224 CREATED:20200205T101012Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200205T102959Z UID:13560-1584039600-1584046800@www.actws.ca SUMMARY:Public Talk: Bison DESCRIPTION:In association with the ACTWS conference in Camrose\, AB\, we are hosting a public talk on bison. Join us for an evening of two interesting presentations by Bill Snow and Wes Olson. Bill Snow will be presenting a talk and a short film on the cultural perspective on the bison reintroduction in Banff National Park. Wes Olson will be presenting on the ecological buffalo: following the trail of a keystone species. \n  \nCultural Perspective on the Bison Reintroduction \nThe Bison Reintroduction in Banff National Park\, represents over 140 years exclusion of Bison in mountain landscapes. While there are many environmental benefits to having Bison on landscapes\, there are also cultural impacts to the Bison Reintroduction project. Bill Snow\, a Consultation Manager\, will cover the cultural and ceremonies that have been conducted in relation to the Bison Reintroduction since 2015\, and will discuss the historical and current importance that Bison have in Stoney Nakoda culture. A short film of place names in the Canmore and Banff area will also include the scenery of the Bison herd at Stoney Indian Park\, on the Stoney Indian Reserve. \nAbout the speaker: \nBill Snow (Stoney Nakoda / Yuma Quechan) is a Consultation Manager with Stoney Tribal Administration\, as well as a Director at Large for the Canadian Wildlife Federation. Bill has coordinated ceremonies for the Bison Reintroduction since 2014\, and will be conducting a cultural study on the Bison Reintroduction area in 2020\, as part of the Canadian Mountain Network initiative. Bill Snow is a member of the Wesley First Nation\, of the Stoney Nakoda Nation\, as well as a Dual Citizen of Canada / United States of America. \n \n  \nThe Ecological Buffalo: Following the trail of a keystone species \nFor more than 130\,000years bison have roamed the ecosystems of North America\, and while doing so\, have influenced the lives of every other species they shared space and time with. This presentation looks at some of the intricate\, and often unexpected relationships bison have with these species across their former range\, with an emphasis on the northern mixed-grass prairie. Reintroducing bison populations to areas of their former historic range re-establishes that relationships and improves ecological diversity. \nAbout the speaker: \nWes Olson was raised in the rugged foothills of Alberta’s Rocky Mountains. There\, on family camping\, hunting and fishing trips he began a life-long association with wild places and wildlife that live in them. Following graduation from college Wes worked for several years as a Wildlife Technician for the Yukon Government\, and in 1981\, began a career with Parks Canada as a National Park Warden in Banff\, and later in Waterton Lakes\, Elk Island\, Prince Albert and Grasslands National Park in southern Saskatchewan. For over two decades Wes managed the plains and wood bison populations in Elk Island National Park\, and participated in the translocation and establishment of almost every free-roaming plains and wood bison population in Canada. Wes retired in 2012 and rather than stop working with bison\, established his own bison consulting company and continues to work in the field of bison conservation. \nWes’s passion for bison spills over into his creative side and he and his wife Johane have written the books\, “Portraits of the Bison; An Illustrated Guide to Bison Society”\, and “A Field Guide to Plains Bison.” These captivating books take the reader through bison society with rich illustrations\, photographs and descriptive text. URL:https://www.actws.ca/event/public-talk-bison/ LOCATION:norsemen inn\, camrose\, 6505 48th Ave\, Camrose\, Alberta\, Canada CATEGORIES:Conference,Public Talk ORGANIZER;CN="ACTWS":MAILTO:info@actws.ca END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20230309T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20230312T150000 DTSTAMP:20260505T215224 CREATED:20230103T231550Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230103T231554Z UID:20305-1678386600-1678633200@www.actws.ca SUMMARY:ACTWS 2023 Conference DESCRIPTION:This year’s theme:\nWhere The Wild Things Meet\n \n\nFind details about the conference on our Conference page. \nClick here to purchase tickets. URL:https://www.actws.ca/event/actws-2020-conference-2/ LOCATION:Best Western Premier Calgary Plaza Hotel & Conference Centre\, 1316 33 St NE\, Calgary\, T2A 6B6\, Canada CATEGORIES:Conference ORGANIZER;CN="ACTWS":MAILTO:info@actws.ca END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR