FEBUARY 2014

Dark and Dirty: Time to Dethrone King Coal

Hidden Creek: The Good, the Bad, and the Muddy

Losing a Great Forest: The Boreal and Climate Change

Come Hell and High Water: The New West?

Editor: CONTENTS Ian Urquhart FEBRUARY 2014 • VOL. 22, NO. 1 Graphic Design: Doug Wournell B Des, ANSCAD Printing: Features Association News Colour printing and process is sponsored by Topline Printing 4 Dark and Dirty – Time to Dethrone 24 Come Hell and High Water: A King Coal in Alberta Recap of Bob Sandford’s Talk on Managing Hydro-Climate Change in a Rapidly Changing West 7 Alberta’s Response to AWA’s Hidden Creek FOIP Request: the Good, the Bad and the Muddy Wilderness Watch

26 Updates 11 Losing the Boreal: A View of How Climate Change Could Shift Alberta’s Ecosystems Departments

16 Partnership Plus An Emergency 28 Gear Ideas Protection Order: A Potion to Save ALBERTA WILDERNESS Greater Sage-Grouse? 29 Recall of the Wild ASSOCIATION 30 Letters to the Editor “Defending Wild Alberta through 18 Focus: Alberta’s Species-at-Risk Awareness and Action” Events Alberta Wilderness Association is 22 Conservation Corner: Whitebark a charitable non-government Pine: Resistance Is Not Futile (in 31 Winter/Spring Events organization dedicated to the fact, it may be key to saving the completion of a protected areas species) donation, call 403-283-2025 or contribute online at Cover Photo AlbertaWilderness.ca. Caribou and the Aurora Borealis – it’s hard to imagine more powerful Wild Lands Advocate is published bi- proof of Wayne Lynch’s status as one of the world’s outstanding wildlife monthly, 6 times a year, by Alberta photographers PHOTO: © W. LYNCH Wilderness Association. The opinions expressed by the authors in this publication are not necessarily those of AWA. The editor reserves the right Featured Artist to edit, reject or withdraw articles Pamela Cinnamon moved to Tête Jaune Cache with her husband in the early and letters submitted. 1970s where they raised their family of six children. Her painting began by Please direct questions exploring the world of traditional folk art before progressing to custom-painted and comments to: 403-283-2025 • [email protected] signs and then to the multi-faceted world of exploring and teaching fine art media Subscriptions to the WLA are $30 per and techniques. Pamela has been a full exhibiting member of the Jasper Artists year. To subscribe, call 403-283-2025 Guild since 2004 and her work has found homes around the globe. or see AlbertaWilderness.ca. Her artistic goal is to interpret, simplify, and capture the overwhelming beauty of the landscape and wildlife by translating them into line, shape, colour, rhythm, and symmetry. She strives not just to mimic what she observes, but to question, search for interrelationships, and suggest a new narrative. Pattern is a strong motivational force in her art. She loves to experiment with new techniques and processes, starting each piece with a basic concept and a specific process in mind and then allowing the work to carry her forward. Passion then takes over and surprises her with the results. She loves to sketch, often en plein air, and her simple, evocative sketches are the perfect antithesis to the boisterous, vibrant, densely textured Box 6398, Station D, works that fill her studio easel. She may be reached at [email protected]. Calgary, Alberta T2P 2E1 403-283-2025 Toll-free 1-866-313-0713 www.AlbertaWilderness.ca AWA respects the privacy of members. Lists are not sold or traded in any manner. AWA is a federally registered charity and [email protected] functions through member and donor support. Tax-deductible donations may be made to AWA at Box 6398 Station D, Calgary, AB T2P 2E1. Ph: 403-283-2025 Fax: 403-270-2743 E-mail: [email protected] www.AlbertaWilderness.ca ISSN 1192-6287 Knowledge, Organization, and Change Earlier this month the Bandon Coffee Café what our environmental baristas offer you Sean Nichols’ article on AWA’s Hidden on Oregon’s spectacular south coast offered in this issue of the Advocate. Creek Freedom of Information and Privacy me more than fine coffee. The café was a Carolyn Campbell uses climate change to Act request also underlines how broken the window onto knowledge about the natural make this point in her feature article. We connection is in Alberta between improved world. This appreciation came courtesy know that climate change is taking place. ecological knowledge and government of two works of art from “The Washed Scientists such as Dr. Rick Schneider are behaviour. The prime directive when it Ashore Project” exhibited outside the café. using impressive-sounding models to help us came to logging Hidden Creek appears to Concerned about the shocking tonnage understand where the path we’re marching have been to ignore any knowledge that of plastic polluting the world’s oceans – along will take us. Without a sea-change in challenges business as usual. and killing marine life – artists started this how our governing institutions act on this I’m pleased we can also tempt you with project. By making works from the trash knowledge (here corporations get equal articles that show the positive changes collected from the sea they make “art to billing with governments) we’re …. we may be able to deliver if we let better save the sea.” Their works reminded me Brittany Verbeek also uses climate change knowledge guide our actions. That’s how just how much more we know today than to support this view in her recap of Bob I view the picture from Niki Wilson’s we did decades ago – in this case about Sandford’s talk about water, floods, and conservation corner about efforts to help the damage our plastic garbage is doing. the profound economic and social costs of whitebark pine survive. It’s also how I hope, (facebook.com/WashedAshore) climate change. When I read her piece about five years from now, I will be able to regard Looking at those pieces while I was the need to dethrone King Coal in Alberta I the work and commitment exhibited by the editing this issue served up a less savoury found it hard to see how knowledge could participants in the Sage-Grouse Partnership. reminder – if government and industry possibly lead the province to maintain Finally, I’m pleased to be able to introduce refuse to let better knowledge rule their today’s coal policy emphasis. Surely the coal a new feature in this issue of the Advocate. actions then better knowledge practically exploitation foci of days gone by have no Nigel Douglas is going to write a regular isn’t worth much more than the plastic place in 21st Century Alberta. feature for your magazine focusing on garbage floating in the Pacific. This is a Alberta’s species-at-risk. May the knowledge useful lens to use as you consider much of that he’ll share with us there help us to convince government and business of what they need to do in order to help protect and enhance Alberta’s wild spaces. Ian Urquhart, Editor Dark and Dirty Time to Dethrone King Coal in Alberta

By Brittany Verbeek, AWA Conservation Specialist

hen I think of coal, what ini- tially comes to mind is a dis- W tant beacon in human histo- ry; large-scale coal mining exploded in the eighteenth century and started the indus- trial revolution. Coal’s energy has breathed life into the modern world, first via the steam engine and then through electricity. Unfortunately for our natural ecosystems and atmosphere (not to mention human health in rapidly industrializing countries), coal remains a major global player in elec- tricity generation and steel production. In Alberta, there are significant deposits of metallurgical (coking) coal along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, mined for export mainly to Asian coun- tries to produce steel. There are also many The Grande Cache Coal operation, sprawling over roughly six square kilometres, is just several kilometres sub-bituminous (thermal) coal fields under away from Caw Ridge and its exceptional mountain goat and caribou habitat the plains that are mined and burned for electricity generation. Coal-fired power which results in permanently altered and/ tain Mine was breached. The breach re- plants scattered across the central region or scarred landscapes. Large sites cleared leased approximately 670 million litres of the province generate the majority of for open-pit mines and their associated gi- of waste into tributaries of the Athabasca Alberta’s electricity. Benjamin Thibault of gantic infrastructure can change the entire River – much more than all the residents the Pembina Institute wrote in June 2012 topography of those areas. Burning coal of the City of Calgary use in a single day. that just over 70 percent of Alberta’s elec- is king again when it comes to being the The Obed Mountain Mine, located approx- tricity generation came from coal. China, number one point-source contributor to imately 30 kilometres northeast of Hinton, according to the World Coal Association, greenhouse gas emissions. This is true here was inactive at the time of the spill. The coal generated 79 percent of its electricity then in Alberta; it’s true globally. Aquatic eco- slurry began its dirty and dangerous jour- from coal. systems pay a price as well. Wetlands are ney in Apetowun Creek, travelled approxi- Given our province’s current dependence destroyed in site areas, significant amounts mately 19 kilometres to meet Plante Creek on coal we shouldn’t be surprised to learn of freshwater are used for commercial cool- and then flowed another six kilometres and that its exploration, mining, and combus- ing, and tailings ponds can leach out toxic discharged into the Athabasca River. The tion has significant negative impacts on and other pollutants into watersheds. plume of wastewater contained mostly coal land, air, and water quality. “King Coal” cer- A devastating example of tailings pond particles, clay, mud, shale, and suspended tainly is a dark lord when it comes to these failure occurred on October 31, 2013 solids but this brew also contained toxic costs. Surface mining destroys. It com- when an on-site containment pond hold- pollutants including flocculants, selenium, pletely eradicates the existing vegetation, ing a slurry of coal cleaning plant waste arsenic, lead, mercury, and polycyclic aro- alters soil composition, and displaces fauna from Sherritt International’s Obed Moun- matic hydrocarbons.

4 WLA | February 2014 | Vol. 22, No. 1 | FEATURES This represents one of the largest coal of the Athabasca. They requested answers Robb Trend Coal Mine Expansion Project is slurry spills in North American history. The to many questions regarding the spill’s con- a massive proposed expansion to Coal Val- cause of the breach is still under investi- tents, causation, impacts, and regulatory ley Resources’ existing coal mine area locat- gation and so has not been released to the actions taken by AER. Several weeks later, ed near the hamlet of Robb, approximately public. Alberta’s Environment and Sustain- Ecojustice received the response that in- 30 kilometres southeast of Hinton. The able Resource Development (ESRD) reas- vestigations and impact assessments were proposed mining area is 37km in length sured the public, after initial water samples ongoing and the results of water sampling and encompasses three rivers – Erith, Pem- were taken, that there were no health risks. done by both ESRD and Sherritt were pub- bina and Embarras – that all drain into the However 10 communities were warned not licly available. Athabasca River. As the project is currently to draw water from the Athabasca River Based on ESRD results from water samples undergoing federal and provincial envi- and farmers were told not to let livestock taken immediately following the spill, many ronmental assessments, both governments drink from the river. Sherritt spokespeo- of the total recoverable metals (including sil- should recognize the far-reaching and res- ple said the materials in the containment ver, aluminum, lead, and arsenic) were well onating impacts of coal production on al- pond were inert and not toxic to humans above the Canadian Drinking Water Guide- ready strained ecosystems. or fish. Yet First Nations, ENGOS, and bi- lines. Benzo(a)pyrene levels, a suspected A renewed interest in coal development ologists remain concerned about what the cancer-causing polycyclic aromatic hydro- within the Crowsnest Pass area is also very spill’s sedimentation and release of toxic carbon (PAH), exceeded Canadian Council concerning. Altitude Resources and Rivers- heavy metals will mean for native fish pop- of Ministers of the Environment’s (CCME’s) dale Resources are two companies current- ulations and other wildlife. The waste wa- “Protection of Aquatic Life” guidelines. The ly pursuing coal mining opportunities in ter eroded the banks of Apetowun Creek amounts of these heavy metals peaked at that region. Australia’s Riversdale Resourc- and the surge of the water alone seriously the mouth of Plante Creek and as the pro- es purchased the coal leases for the Grassy damaged important aquatic habitat. As the cessed water became diluted and suspend- Mountain Project, north of Blairmore, early plume slowly dissipated along the course ed sediment settled on the river bottom, the in 2013. The company plans to mine met- of the Athabasca River, muddy sediment contaminant concentrations in the surface allurgical coal for export to Asian countries. loaded with heavy metals coated the river- water were reduced. Results for dissolved Last summer, Altitude Resources signed an bed. This could prevent invertebrates from metals in the surface water showed both exploration and option agreement with re-colonizing and have detrimental impacts arsenic and selenium levels were much Elan Coal Ltd. The agreement gives Alti- on the early life stages of whitefish and bull higher than normal pre-plume conditions. tude the option to acquire up to 51 per- trout. Due to the timing of the spill, reme- Selenium is of special concern because the cent of Elan’s 27 Alberta coal lease applica- diation and assessments were limited by testing results in the days immediately fol- tions, 22,951 hectares of which are located winter conditions and the effects of the spill lowing the spill displayed levels exceeding in the Crowsnest Pass region, adjacent to on aquatic ecosystems may not be evident the “Protection of Aquatic Life” guidelines. the Grassy Mountain project. An initial until spring thaw and will only be fully de- Bad news for the fish. exploration and drill program is already termined through long term monitoring ESRD also stated in their response that underway. The extent of progress into coal and mitigation. AER inspects coal mines once a year but development by both companies is alarm- An emergency protection order was is- if concerns are identified in the audit, in- ing considering that land use planning is sued by ESRD 19 days after the spill oc- spections occur more frequently. Since currently going on in this region and has curred. The emergency protection order 2011, AER has inspected the Obed mine not been finalized yet. required Sherritt International and Coal five times. This suggests the possibility Coal exploration and development is Valley Resources to produce plans for re- they had concerns about the mine prior briefly mentioned in the draft South Sas- mediation, wildlife mitigation, recovering to the spill. Ecojustice has not yet received katchewan Regional Plan as an economic solids, and managing waste and wastewa- a response to a letter requesting the AER opportunity in the mountains, foothills, ter. Heavily criticized for the delay in deliv- inspection reports done on the Obed coal and plains. The draft land-use plan does ering the order, the provincial government mine for the last two years. not, however, acknowledge the additional will hopefully offer more transparency A spill of this magnitude may not occur conflict open pit coal mines would cause moving forward. frequently but it does call into question in an area already riddled with competing Fraser Thomson and Melissa Gorrie from other coal mining project applications in land-use overlaps. When considering cu- Ecojustice wrote a letter to the ministers Alberta. Coalspur Mines’ Vista Coal Proj- mulative effects, the regional plan’s original of Health, Energy, and ESRD as well as ect, a proposed project located just east intent, it is irresponsible to add huge land the CEO of the Alberta Energy Regulator of Hinton, could become one of the larg- disturbances, increased linear footprints, (AER) on behalf of AWA and the Keepers est open-pit coal mines in North America. and place at risk important watersheds that

WLA | February 2014 | Vol. 22, No. 1 | FEATURES A5 Spills such as the Obed coal slurry spill on October 31, 2013 represent another threat to the Athabasca River and watershed. PHOTO: © J. HILDEBRAND

would be vulnerable to spills or leaks. It The environmental concerns of Alberta’s the operations are deemed to be environ- would be a huge regression, a gigantic step coal policy must not only be maintained mentally acceptable. (my emphasis) back, from securing headwaters and recov- but enhanced in certain environmentally Allowing a new wave of coal exploration ering species at risk where linear density significant areas. These areas include, but in Category 2 lands with new roads, drilling thresholds have already been surpassed. are not limited to, the Bow and Oldman sites, and land disturbance should lead to watersheds and Caw Ridge near Grande the same conclusion as was reached in the Alberta Coal Policy Cache. Any changes to the policy should 1970s – very few mines are viable. For the past 38 years, coal mining along not further exacerbate land and water dis- Alberta must also consider its place as a the eastern slopes has been regulated by turbances along the eastern slopes. Those world coal supplier. There may be a short- Alberta’s coal development policy (A Coal lands in Alberta that were assigned the least term increase in demand from primary Development Policy for Alberta, 1976) which stringent restrictions coal development, the Asian markets for thermal and coking coal, includes land categorization that deter- coal bearing lands that the coal policy re- but there are many other sources closer mines restrictions on coal exploration and fers to as Category 4, were carefully chosen and cheaper (such as Australia) that Alber- extraction. Previous to its establishment, for their reserve amounts, mineability, and ta would be competing against. Even with- intensive exploration resulted in unprece- proximity to existing rail lines. Coal com- in western Canada, the British Columbia dented habitat fragmentation and caused panies in Alberta are now most interested coalfields offer better and more numerous a public outcry. As a result, scientists and in lands referred to as Category 2, lands: coal mine development opportunities than engineers from within the government in- in which limited exploration is desirable coal deposits along Alberta’s eastern slopes. stitutions were called on to assess Alberta’s and may be permitted under strict control In addition, increased awareness and ac- coal reserves and coal development poten- but in which commercial development by ceptance of climate change combined with tial in western Canada. Their goal was to surface mining will not normally be con- harsh criticism for excessive pollution is develop a guiding policy that would calm sidered at the present time. This category encouraging countries to enforce strict reg- public concerns and allow controlled coal contains lands in the Rocky Mountains ulations on coal-fired power plants and to development in choice resource areas, and Foothills for which the preferred land move to natural gas generated electricity. while protecting areas of paramount wild- or resource use remains to be determined, With an already strained and scarred life habitat and aesthetic values. In recent or areas where infrastructure facilities are landscape in one hand and uncertain glob- years, the Coal Association of Canada has generally absent or considered inadequate al demand for coal in the other, Alberta been pushing for a policy update, claiming to support major mining operations. In should give pride of place to the harm- the existing policy is outdated, hamper- addition this category contains local ful impacts of coal mining. Maintaining ing new projects and creating investment areas of high environmental sensitiv- healthy watersheds, intact wildlife habitat, uncertainty. After hearing several rumours ity in which neither exploration nor biodiversity, and places of stunning, natural through the grapevine, AWA has received development activities will be permit- beauty for tourism and recreation are un- confirmation from Alberta Energy that it ted. Underground mining or in-situ oper- doubtedly of greater value to society than is in the process of updating and changing ations may be permitted in areas within more coal production. the coal policy. this category where the surface effects of

6 WLA | February 2014 | Vol. 22, No. 1 | FEATURES Alberta’s Response to AWA’s Hidden Creek FOIP Request: the Good, the Bad and the Muddy

By Sean Nichols, AWA Conservation Specialist

ast September, ten months af- AWA participated in a site visit as well as government documents describe a process ter AWA requested materials follow-up discussions with ESRD Forestry whereby sound science-based judgments L related to the license granted to Department staff and officers. It was clear are ignored or overruled at the behest of Spray Lake Sawmills (SLS) to log in Hid- to us that there had been numerous excep- logging interests. den Creek over the winter of 2012/2013, tions to the Class ‘A’ related limitations in we received a response. The request was a SLS’ Operating Ground Rules (OGRs) and Analysis of the Government’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Pri- that other aspects of the operation suffered Response vacy Act (FOIP) request and was directed from many other deficiencies (for more Reading through the FOIP documents, to Alberta Environment and Sustainable on these and other concerns related to the we were struck by the repeated recom- Resource Development (ESRD). Hidden Creek logging operation, see Lorne mendations made by Fish and Wildlife In November 2012, AWA learned that an Fitch’s article in the June/July 2013 issue staff; those recommendations are part of an approval was being granted to log several and Sean Nichols’ article in the February analysis ESRD must perform before they cut blocks in the Hidden Creek valley of the 2013 issue of WLA). approve an Annual Operating Plan (AOP). Oldman River headwaters within the C5 On November 6, 2012 AWA submitted a Key recommendations included: Forestry Management Unit. AWA objected FOIP request for information regarding: • The harvest as a whole should be de- to that cutting approval on several counts: • the decision to log Hidden Creek (“Who ferred for a period of at least 5 years to that the closure of a seismic line threaten- in the Forest Service made the decision evaluate alternatives. ing the creek that was promised in 1984 to overrule the hold placed on logging • Tributaries to Hidden Creek should never happened; that no proper environ- Hidden Creek and the rationale”); also be considered Class ‘A’ for a dis- mental assessment (especially a compart- • the reclassification of Hidden Creek to a tance of 2km upstream from the mouth ment assessment) of the logging operation Class ‘A’ watercourse (“All explanations of the tributary. had been performed; that logging the steep about why this re-designation request • Neither the “High Road” nor the “Low slopes of the Hidden Creek valley would from AB Fish and Wildlife (almost 3 Road” proposed to access the cut blocks cause erosion and siltation in the creek, years ago) is being ignored and Spray would represent an acceptable level of a vital spawning ground for a number of Lakes Sawmills has been directed to pro- risk to the Hidden Creek fishery. The threatened fish species including bull trout ceed with logging plans and logging in “high road” and “low road” options were and westslope cutthroat trout; and that the Hidden Creek”); and two alternatives contemplated for rout- logging action would be inconsistent with • any Fish and Wildlife objections to ing the access road. They required the ESRD’s freshly-announced moratorium on same (“All objections to logging and Ministry to approve a substantial devia- logging elsewhere in the C5 unit pending road building by Fish and Wildlife with tion from SLS’ OGRs to allow the road to the outcome of the South Saskatchewan the accompanying decision to overlook run inside the mandatory 100m buffer Regional Planning (SSRP) process. those objections”). from Hidden Creek for nearly 2km. Approval was nevertheless granted and The government’s response raises many • Maintaining a low-grade quad trail fol- logging proceeded over the course of concerns. Despite promises to release a lowing road reclamation would only roughly three months from November substantial amount of information, the fi- serve to encourage recreational OHVs 2012 through February 2013. SLS was nal amount delivered is less than a tenth of to use it following harvest; no such trail ordered to treat Hidden Creek as a Class what had been expected. Nevertheless this should be left in place. ‘A’ watercourse in order to protect those slim offering sheds a disturbing light on de- • It was unlikely that the work could threatened fish species. cision-making processes within ESRD. The avoid migration, spawning, and incu-

WLA | February 2014 | Vol. 22, No. 1 | FEATURES A7 bation periods for both the threatened be pursuing a legislation change to bution [...] all habitat occupied by this bull trout and westslope cutthroat reflect this new information. [...] Bull species is critical to its continued via- trout species. Trout [...] populations throughout bility. Fish and Wildlife staff concluded: the province are threatened and [...] At various points, Fish and Wildlife add- This portion of the AOP [proposing the Hidden Creek [...] is one area in the ed other concerns. Especially notable were harvest of blocks within the immediate [Upper Oldman] watershed for which those made following an August 2011 vicinity of Hidden Creek] is not approved current data unequivocally supports a site tour: and is deferred based on the following in- critical habitat designation. • The tour was conducted with the un- formation: 2. Genetic data [...] has identified pure derstanding that deviations from the 1. [...] Fish and Wildlife considers Hid- strain Westslope Cutthroat Trout as OGR requirements for Class ‘A’ streams den Creek to be Class ‘A’ […] and will residing in Hidden Creek as well. [...] could still be approved and Hidden Because of the highly restricted distri- Creek could continue to be treated as a Class ‘B’ watercourse. • There was unanimous support amongst the management team that SLS must clearly demonstrate that whatever they propose for Hidden Creek will not impact the Bull Trout spawning habitat, and that above and beyond normal mitigation measures will be used. (my emphasis) • The proposed road crosses two tributar- ies ~60 m from Hidden Creek, which are well within the distance before sus- pended sediment would settle out of the water column and immediately up- stream of a 1.8 km section of the creek with the highest Bull Trout redd den- sities anywhere in the Oldman basin. Bull Trout are [...] particularly sensitive to sedimentation. [...] The AOP does not demonstrate that these impacts of harvest have been assessed by SLS. No aggressive erosion control measures have been identified in the AOP. (my emphasis) • The […] letter [sent by the Forestry Department to SLS] indicated harvest could actually proceed […] but it clear- ly specified the conditions no roads, landings, decking, bared areas, or re- moval of timber within 100 m of Hid- den Creek. • There are still some block boundaries where there is no flat ground beyond the edge, and they extend to the top of the bench with steep slopes down to Hidden Creek. AWA welcomed the information that Minister Morton appreciated the recommendations. Darn though… What is most notable is that initially we had hoped to see some indication or glimpse of the substance of what the Minister was appreciating. A red “x” indicates the information has been redacted; the government refused to release any informa- the Forestry Department in (then) SRD, tion about the recommendations themselves. through the Forestry Program Manager,

8 WLA | February 2014 | Vol. 22, No. 1 | FEATURES AWA staff, joined by Lorne Fitch, on a Hidden Creek site tour conducted by Spray Lakes Sawmills PHOTO: © C. CAMPBELL wrote to confirm many of the Fish and written response from [Fish and Wildlife] again make no reference to any of the afore- Wildlife recommendations and in an April that would allow approval of a fall early mentioned concerns or recommendations. 20, 2009 letter to SLS included the addi- winter harvest. This is outstanding and Indeed they stand in sharp contrast to tional notation: should have been dealt with months ago.” the Fish and Wildlife position maintained • This area is to be deferred until such Further noteworthy excerpts include: throughout the previous 165 pages of cor- time as the re-classification of Hid- “My understanding is that we are proceed- respondence. den Creek has been completed. SRD ing with reviewing the changes to roading The FOIP materials don’t help us to de- will then initiate a compartment as- and moving to AOP approval this spring. termine the tone of the May 28 meeting. sessment within this watershed area […] this means […] that decisions have However the above context, taken as a to further assess overall forest manage- been made by upper management to pro- whole, paints a very explicit and quite dis- ment objectives. (emphasis added) ceed with the AOP.” Also the same email turbing picture: forestry officials decided Yet through the early months of 2012, thread at one point asks: “How long do that timber yield was their one and only there was increased impatience and pres- we hold off, waiting for the designation to priority for managing Hidden Creek and sure within that very department to ap- change before we make a decision?” one can surmise they told Fish and Wildlife prove SLS’ 2012-2013 AOP and to start Finally we discovered there was a meeting to “get in line.” logging. As early as February 14, 2012, on May 28, 2012 between Fish and Wild- there is a reference to the area forester hav- life and Forestry, after which all references Implications for Hidden ing “[requested] that SLS resubmit an AOP. to any of the earlier Fish and Wildlife con- Creek, Alberta’s Forests, This is despite the original letter sent to SLS cerns stop. Nor is there any more reference and Forest Species April 20, 2009.” to their recommendations that had once Those concerns repeatedly highlighted by A week later, further comments from for- had forestry staff support. This is followed Fish and Wildlife throughout the FOIP re- estry staff suggested that they “reply […] up by a letter in which Fish and Wildlife sponse mirror very closely the conclusions that [SLS] has reached the point that they submit a watered-down list of conditions AWA had drawn and communicated to want to clean up this small volume [of tim- they would want to see in place in order ESRD about the Hidden Creek operation. ber].” Also: “I have been unable to get a to agree to the logging. These conditions These comments reflected our worry that

WLA | February 2014 | Vol. 22, No. 1 | FEATURES A9 the observed practices and that the inability Creek. Despite repeated recommendations FOIP requests and responses have revealed of ESRD to properly address them would for such diligence, no risk assessment, com- similar decision making processes. Logging lead to slumping, erosion, and significantly partment assessment, or any cumulative continues to occur throughout southern Al- damage Hidden Creek’s habitats. effects analysis was performed. None of berta in crucial habitat for fish species with Subsequent observations from the sum- these exercises were ever used to decide on scant concern for the needs of those species. mer and fall of 2013 have borne those logging. It remains to be seen whether the AWA has sent a letter to the minister of worries out. The heavy rainfall events that province’s westslope cutthroat trout will be ESRD expressing in no uncertain terms caused flooding elsewhere significantly af- able to withstand this disruption to a creek the same concerns detailed in this article. fected Hidden Creek. Clearcut logging and providing spawning habitat to 80 percent of In that letter we have requested a meeting the removal of the canopy changed the the Oldman Basin pure-strain population. with that minister and his staff to work hydrologic response of the watershed to What the FOIP documents suggest is that through these issues. At the same time we rainfall and snowmelt events. Immediately considerable pressure was exerted on oth- are working with the rest of Alberta’s con- after the late June rainfalls, Hidden Creek er parts of the department to “sign off” and servation community to search for grass- began to fill with massive amounts of sed- agree to logging. There is a clear focus on roots solutions. We are planning a Fish and iment-laden water. It’s crucial to note that timber quotas and the bottom line. What Forests public forum for sometime in 2014 inspections showed the stream running is missing is a coordinated, integrated ap- that will include working with, and solic- completely clear upstream of the logged proach to resource management that en- iting feedback from, our membership and area of the watershed. This continued for courages and demonstrates respect for the the wider public on this issue. most of the summer and early fall. Several expertise within all related departments. Between the conservation community, naturally unstable banks on Hidden Creek Albertans have a right to expect a level of the scientific community, the provincial within the sphere of logging slumped and cooperation and decision-making regard- government, and the concerned public, we eroded substantially; comparable unstable ing our natural resources and ecosystems are hopeful that a brighter and more sus- banks upstream of the logging didn’t. that embraces and reflects the very best tainable future for Alberta’s fish and forests AWA is concerned that the lack of dil- knowledge available at the time. can be forged. igence on the part of forestry officials has What is perhaps most distressing is that led to this sediment problem in Hidden this is not an isolated example. Previous

As this photo by Trout Unlimited’s Brian Meagher illustrates so well, this reclaimed portion of the Hidden Creek access road has left a trail for OHV access. PHOTO: © B. MEAGHER

10 WLA | February 2014 | Vol. 22, No. 1 | FEATURES Losing the Boreal: A View of How Climate Change Could Shift Alberta’s Ecosystems

By Carolyn Campbell, AWA Conservation Specialist.

very now and then you learn In summary, Schneider considers drier fu- directional aspect. Outside the mountains something that really shifts your ture scenarios more likely than wetter ones. and foothills, precipitation follows an arc: E world view. That happened for me On the most likely trajectory, grasslands and roughly speaking, the most falls in the mid- in autumn 2013 when I saw University of parkland climates will shift at least one Nat- dle of the province and amounts decrease as Alberta biologist Rick Schneider present the ural Subregion northwards by the 2050s, you move north and south. Following this first phase of his work modelling what Al- and water will become scarcer across the pattern and to my surprise, Medicine Hat berta could look like under a range of like- enlarged parkland and grassland regions. gets roughly the same precipitation as the ly climate change effects. I’ve followed the The rate at which wetland areas and forests northern boundary of Wood Buffalo Na- UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate would be displaced by grasses would de- tional Park. Change (IPCC) reports since 1997 and so pend on fire, insect outbreak, drought, and For plants, what matters is how much I’ve been aware of some of the global food, the rate at which species migrate. There is moisture stays in the ground. In simplified water, and political implications of what we potential to reach a tipping point by the end terms, Alberta can be divided into regions are leaving to future generations. The rev- of the century where our vast Mixedwood that are forested and those that are not. The elation in Schneider’s work is literally how Boreal Forest, consisting of extensive peat moisture is driven out of the soil in warm close to home it hits: it allows us to glimpse wetlands and mixed aspen and how Alberta’s regions have changed in re- conifer forests, would be tran- sponse to climate change in the past and to sitioning towards a much drier imagine how our touchstone landscapes in parkland ecosystem or even Alberta could shift in the next 80 years – towards grasslands. Though the average life expectancy of a baby born in Schneider does not dwell on Alberta today. Most importantly, this work this, the potential for such dra- can help inspire us to act to conserve them. matic loss of species in Alber- Schneider published the paper Alberta’s ta leaves a deep impression of Natural Subregions Under a Changing Cli- why it is so important for us to mate: Past, Present, and Future in August reduce global greenhouse gas 2013. It is the first of three studies he will emissions. undertake as part of the Biodiversity Man- agement and Climate Change project led by Understanding the Edmonton the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Insti- Present tute (ABMI). This first study outlines how Schneider clearly explains 2005 Natural Regions our Natural Regions and Subregions might why Alberta looks the way it and Subregions of Alberta Boreal Forest Natural Region Foothills Natural Region change by the end of this century. The sec- does now in terms of the es- Central Mixedwood Upper Foothills Dry Mixedwood Lower Foothills

Northern Mixedwood Canadian Shield Natural Region Calgary ond study, now near completion, looks at sentials of elevation, tempera- Boreal Subarctic Kazan Uplands Peace-Athabasca Delta Parkland Natural Region Lower Boreal Highlands Foothills Parkland options for adapting to climate change and ture, and precipitation. Of all Upper Boreal Highlands Peace River Parkland Athabasca Plain Central Parkland setting objectives for biodiversity conser- our Natural Regions, the Rocky Rocky Mountain Natural Region Grassland Natural Region Alpine Dry Mixedgrass Subalpine Foothills Fescue vation in light of climate change. His third Mountains and Foothills re- Montane Northern Fescue Mixedgrass

2005 Natural Regions and Subregions of Alberta - study, starting in April 2014, will focus on Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, Alberta Environment, ceive the most precipitation; Alberta Community Development and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, June 2005 the design of a protected areas network in there, vegetation changes with Map of Alberta’s Current Natural Regions the face of climate change. altitude and, in some areas, CREDIT: GOVERNMENT OF ALBERTA.

WLA | February 2014 | Vol. 22, No. 1 | FEATURES 11A Medicine Hat, so grasslands prevail. In the istics existed during the Hypsithermal pe- temperature increase will increase growing much cooler boreal forest region, which riod. At lower elevations, Dry Mixedwood degree-days by between 33 and 56 percent, covers about 60 percent of the province, Boreal characteristics replaced what is now mainly through an earlier spring season. the soil retains enough moisture to support the largest Subregion, the moister Central None of the models predicts a decline in trees. Soil moisture levels are fairly uniform Mixedwood. In the Foothills, the water Mean Annual Precipitation (compared to across large portions of Alberta’s boreal, an table also was lower and the fire rate and 1961-1990) but 21 out of 24 models pre- exception being the cooler, wetter areas of proportion of pine increased at the expense dict Alberta will become substantially dri- boreal hills such as the Birch Mountains. of spruce. In the Rocky Mountains, many er in the coming decades. This is because Such relative uniformity implies that once southern Alberta glaciers melted (to be warmer temperatures increase evapo-tran- a tipping point in temperature change is re-established in later millenia), the treeline spiration from soils and vegetation and reached, it will affect most of Alberta’s bo- moved up 200 metres and there was some reduce winter snow cover duration. They real forest. upslope movement of tree species. combine to produce a longer period of evaporative moisture loss. As well, in the Glimpse into a Warmer Past Looking at a Range of middle of summer when moisture stress is – the Hypsithermal Period Future Climates greatest, precipitation is expected to decline An early section of Schneider’s report re- Today the atmospheric CO2 concentration from today’s levels. constructs how Alberta’s Natural Regions is nearly 397 parts per million (ppm), about Examining the temperature-precipitation and Subregions responded to a warmer 25 percent more than the 320 ppm of 1965. outputs from the emission scenarios and temperature period in the mid-Holocene Levels of greenhouse gas emissions over models, Schneider focussed his research on era called the Hypsithermal period. It oc- the next 80 years are uncertain. They will scenarios representing a range of five cli- curred 4,000 to 8,000 years ago. His recon- depend in large part on future population mate outcomes. These scenarios are “Wet,” struction draws on previous research based growth, rate of economic development, and “Cool,” “Median,” “Hot,” and “Dry,” based on pollen obtained from lake and pond sed- the effectiveness of policies to curb emis- on the defining feature of each profile. Next iments from across the province. Schneider sions. Predictions vary on how increased Schneider used the “climate” output from states that the Hypsithermal period is of greenhouse gas emissions will affect future these five models to model how vegetation particular interest because Alberta summer temperatures and precipitation. Schneider would respond in those Alberta Natural temperatures were 1.5 to 3° C warmer than uses the range of those predictions to try Subregions with a strong causal relation- at present; that is at the low end of what to identify the likely results for Alberta. I’ll ship between climate and ecosystem type. is expected later this century as a result of briefly describe that process. He could not do this for several Subregions global warming. The Hypsithermal also Schneider selected one higher (A2) and where non-climatic factors (for example, had colder winters than what current pre- one lower (B1) standardized or well-accept- extensive delta or bedrock) dominate the dictions suggest so it’s not a perfect match. ed scenario of greenhouse gas emissions ecosystem (such as in the Peace-Athabasca Nonetheless it reveals how our Natural Re- levels. B1 projects CO2 concentrations of Delta, or the Kazan Upland in Alberta’s Ca- gions responded in the past to growing sea- 488 ppm in 2050 and 549 ppm in 2100. nadian Shield region). But he could do it for son changes arising from warmer summers. For those same years, A2 projects CO2 con- most Subregions. Subregions occurred approximately one centrations of 532 and 856 ppm, respec- Subregion to the north of their present tively. He then looked at 24 climate models Less Likely “Wet,” More locations. There is limited data from the (Global Circulation Models or GCMs) de- Likely Drier Parkland and the Grassland but, in both veloped by different teams of scientists that The effects of increased precipitation pre- of these regions, it is clear there was a sig- have been used to generate temperature dominate in the “Wet” scenario (24 percent nificant decrease in available water. Most and precipitation responses to emissions for higher precipitation, a 4° C temperature lakes in these two regions, except those fed western North America. increase by the end of the century). Vege- by deep groundwater sources, were largely The average across all 24 models is for the tation succession under a hotter and wetter dry during the Hypsithermal. This suggests Mean Annual Temperature for Alberta to climate is difficult to predict. It would be that from the Edmonton area eastward and rise by 4.2° C by the end of the century un- something like Minnesota’s climate, which southward, what is now the aspen-grass der the high-emission A2 scenario and by doesn’t exist anywhere in Alberta now. In Central Parkland would have mainly sup- 2.8° C under the lower B1 scenario. These this scenario, Schneider believes that plant ported grasses and more extensive sand predicted increases are relative to the aver- communities would shift due to warming dunes. age temperature for the “baseline” period of and increased climate variability. But species In the Dry Mixedwood Subregion of to- 1961 to 1990. Notably, not one model proj- best suited to the climate would be too far day’s Boreal, Central Parkland character- ects an increase of less than 2.0° C. Such a away to out-compete most native species.

12 WLA | February 2014 | Vol. 22, No. 1 | FEATURES Species from more distant warmer regions to the US border and includes the areas cue grassland vegetation now seen in the would eventually arrive but major changes around Nanton, Pincher Creek, and Card- Castor-Coronation area to take over in the in ecological composition would be unlike- ston. Precipitation and elevation levels gen- Edmonton area (which is now Parkland) ly to occur before the dawn of the 22nd erally decline as we move eastward through by the 2050s. In the “Hot” model, a shift Century. Schneider concludes that “Wet” the Mixedgrass and Dry Mixedgrass Subre- to the Oyen-Medicine Hat Dry Mixedgrass is unlikely because only three of 24 GCMs gions, with the Northern Mixedgrass Subre- climate will occur in the Edmonton area support this outcome. He does not develop gion now arching east through Rockyford, by the second half of the century. This is a it in as much detail as the scenarios where Drumheller, and Coronation. striking change. Schneider’s paper does not higher temperature effects dominate. In the “Cool” model, representing the least focus on possible effects to agriculture but Of the four scenarios where increased amount of predicted climate change, Grass- there undoubtedly would be important im- temperature effects dominate, “Dry” is at land and Parkland Subregion climates shift pacts. Where native vegetation persists, the the other precipitation extreme from “Wet,” roughly one Subregion northward by the drier climate would reduce the ability of the with zero precipitation change from the 2050s. Plant communities preferring the Parkland’s characteristic aspen to withstand baseline and a 4° C temperature increase. warm and dry end of the spectrum within a drought and insect attack and would favour “Cool” (a nine percent precipitation in- given Subregion will flourish, at the expense a transition to grass depending on the tem- crease and an almost 3° C temperature in- of communities on the cool and wet end of perature change. crease) is not really cool but it involves the the spectrum, mainly through competition. least change along a range of “in-between” Presumably, the Calgary area will remain in Upward Migration in precipitation outcomes. Those in-between Foothills Fescue, but would favour plant Foothills and Mountains outcomes also include “Median” (a nine communities now found closer to the US In the elevation-sensitive Foothills and percent precipitation increase and a 4° border. The Northern Mixedgrass (now in Rocky Mountains, climate change effects C temperature increase) and “Hot” (a six the Hanna-Coronation-Sullivan Lake area) will mean that current low elevation plant percent precipitation increase and a 6.5°C acquires a Dry Mixedgrass climate. South- communities will mix with and gradually temperature increase). These three scenari- east Alberta’s Dry Mixedgrass would shift to displace higher elevation plant communi- os follow a common pathway of vegetation more closely resemble conditions in north- ties. The Foothills under the “Cool” scenario change, with the main uncertainty being ern and central Montana. should remain forested because of its high how fast and how far Alberta’s Subregions In the “Hot” model, the same Grasslands precipitation. Present even-aged lodgepole shift along that path. changes as predicted in “Cool” are likely to pine stands will transition to more complex Schneider produces a series of fascinat- occur up until the middle of the century. Af- communities including aspen and possibly ing maps portraying the modelled shifts in ter that, species now outside Alberta that are Douglas fir from the Montane. In the “Hot” various Natural Subregions for the “Cool,” better suited to dry conditions will be need- scenario, the southern Lower Foothills “Median,” “Dry,” and “Hot” models (there ed for colonizing. A big question is wheth- (north of Cochrane and just west of Sun- are maps of “Wet” in the Supplemental er species migration can match the rate of dre and Caroline) will be moisture-limited Map appendix). In the text, he focuses most climate change, especially under the hot- by the 2050s, and the entire Foothills will on describing vegetation shifts under the test and driest scenarios. Alberta’s current be moisture-limited by the 2080s. At that “Cool” and “Hot” models, which bound the Dry Mixedgrass Subregion in the southeast point, a northern expansion of Grasslands minimum and maximum amount of change would have a 2080s climate similar to the from the Foothills Parkland (where Co- expected by the year 2100. He emphasiz- driest parts of Wyoming and southern Ida- chrane and Turner Valley are situated) and es how vegetation succession would occur ho, suited to sage brush adapted to extreme Foothills Fescue (where Calgary is situated) instead of specific endpoints because of aridity and with more active sand dunes. is likely. Due to the expected time required the many uncertainties about the timing of Across today’s Grassland and Parkland for grasslands succession, there may not changes. regions, as in the Hypsithermal period, the be widespread forest loss by 2100, but the average water level of “prairie pothole” wet- change will be underway. The Drying and Expansion lands and lakes will decline. Seasonal wet- In the Rocky Mountain Subalpine and Al- of the Grasslands lands will remain dry for longer periods. pine, species will generally move upslope, Today’s Parkland region is the most dense- The change will be proportional to the in- but at different rates due to local site con- ly populated region in Alberta, containing crease in temperature. ditions. The pace of succession will be slow Edmonton and Red Deer. Of the four Grass- Due to agricultural settlement, few native due to the short growing season but even- land Subregions, Calgary is now located in vegetation areas now remain in Alberta’s tually Alpine communities will be less able the most westerly, the Foothills Fescue. Parkland region. Under the “Cool” mod- to shift upwards because of slope steepness That Subregion extends in a corridor south el, conditions will favour Northern Fes- and lack of soil. Vegetation communities of

WLA | February 2014 | Vol. 22, No. 1 | FEATURES 13A Montane, Subalpine, and Alpine may mix to an extent. Today’s Montane area west of Turner Valley and Cochrane consists of open forest and grasslands. At least some Montane forest will remain in the “Cool” model but, under the “Hot” scenario, it will likely transition to Grassland. The Rocky Mountains and Foothills are our headwaters lands, generating over 80 percent of the annual flows of the North and South Saskatchewan River systems. Groundwater “base flows” and season- al runoff patterns of the main tributaries and mainstems of these rivers, driven by Mountain and Foothills precipitation and temperature, are vital to downstream urban settlements, irrigated agriculture, and many other industries across Alberta, Saskatche- wan, and Manitoba. Since Schneider is fo- cusing on native vegetation change he does not model flow variation of major rivers ex- A B pected from these climate change scenarios. Other groups such as the Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative are working on this important topic.

The Contraction of the Boreal When I interviewed Rick Schneider to ask him what the key climate change impact of his research was, he stated, “The biggest story is the potential for Alberta’s boreal to reach a tipping point. We should prepare for it.” According to Schneider’s modelling, it will only take a couple of degrees’ increase in temperatures to reach that tipping point. Because of the large area of relatively uni- form boreal forest climate, this implies the potential for a massive change. The Dry Mixedwood Subregion makes up 22 percent of Alberta’s boreal region today (it’s shown as “Deciduous” in Schneider’s C D map simulations). It includes the towns of Athabasca and Bonnyville in the northeast Maps of four models of potential Alberta Natural and stretches along much of the Peace River Region climate conditions in the 2080s. All the maps show in varying degrees the expansion up to High Level. Where it has not already of Grasslands and contraction of Boreal Forest been cleared for agriculture, it is primarily climate conditions compared to today. Panel A= Cool model; aspen forest and roughly 15 percent wet- Panel B = Median model; lands. The “Cool” model predicts transition Panel C = Dry model; to an aspen-grass Parkland climate over Panel D = Hot model. CREDIT: SCHNEIDER (2013), P. 42. the next few decades. As moisture levels

14 WLA | February 2014 | Vol. 22, No. 1 | FEATURES decline, they eventually limit aspen regen- a Parkland climate would be established, affect succession patterns. eration and promote grasslands. Strikingly, and most white spruce would be lost from The Upper and Lower Boreal Highlands the “Hot” model predicts Medicine Hat’s low elevations by the end of the century. make up 18 percent of the Boreal, and in- Dry Mixedgrass climate will be established At higher elevations in the Central Mixed- clude the Chinchaga region, Birch Moun- across the Dry Mixedwood by the latter half wood, there would be minimal permanent tains, and Caribou Mountains. Their suc- of the century. After the 2050s, depending loss of white spruce before 2050; after that, cession pathway is similar to the Central on the rate of fire and insects, aspen regen- the shift would be driven by forest fires. To- Mixedwood, only delayed because of higher eration would decline and widespread tran- tal surplus surface water will decline, peat elevations. Under the “Cool” model, Central sitions would occur beginning with south formation will stop, and most wetlands will Mixedwood climate conditions are achieved and west-facing slopes. eventually transition to Parkland charac- by the 2020s or 2030s. In the “Hot” scenar- The Central Mixedwood is by far Alber- teristics, albeit with a significant lag. The io, the climate conditions reach the current ta’s largest Subregion today, covering 44 availability of groundwater is an uncertain- Dry Mixedwood by the 2050s, and the low- percent of the Boreal or a quarter of the en- ty; it may slow this transition, or not. Even er hills eventually transition to a Parkland tire province. In the northeast, the Central this change, from Central Mixedwood to or even a Grassland climate. Mixedwood extends from Lac La Biche to Parkland under the “Cool” scenario, would In the Northern Mixedwood that now about 100 kilometres north of Fort McMur- involve an astonishing loss of Alberta’s covers eight percent of the Boreal, perma- ray, where the drier, sandier Athabasca Plain species diversity in the lifetime of today’s frost thawing is likely to be complete by the begins. In north central Alberta, it extends young children. end of the century under the “Hot” model, from Lesser Slave Lake to Wood Buffalo In the “Hot” scenario, almost the entire but some permafrost patches may remain National Park, interrupted by several bore- Central Mixedwood experiences a Grass- under the “Cool” model. This thawing ini- al hill systems. In the northwest it includes land climate by the 2050s. The transition to tially favours the formation of bogs and a wide area around the Hay-Zama Lakes, a moisture limited system happens quick- fens, which then dry as temperatures warm. bounded by Boreal Highlands. ly, and fire would be the main factor in the Again, because of the water now stored in The relatively flat topography of the Cen- succession rate. Additional tree mortality this Subregion, Schneider considers it un- tral Mixedwood means that excess water could occur from prolonged drought. For- likely to change much beyond a wetland tends to pool in low lying areas. Since the est loss can also be expected from ongoing stage by the end of the century. Under the last glacial period, slow decomposition in forest clearing by the petroleum industry A2 scenario, greenhouse gas emissions do these wetlands due to cool temperatures has and from harvesting by the forest industry if not stabilize by 2100. If humanity goes led to the accumulation of peat wetlands efforts at regeneration prove unsuccessful in down that path, climate warming and as- (fens and bogs) over almost half the Cen- the dry climate of the “Hot” model. Because sociated forest transitions would continue. tral Mixedwood landscape. These wetlands of the large amount of water now stored in This would eventually expose most of Al- include extensive areas of black spruce fens. the Central Mixedwood, Schneider notes berta’s boreal forest to a grassland climate. On the uplands there are aspen, mixed- that a transition of wet sites to grassland by This would indeed mean a profound trans- wood, and white spruce forests, with jack the end of the century is unlikely. It is un- formation of the Alberta we know now. pine stands on the sandier soils to the east. clear what the intermediate stages might be, Understanding how Natural Regions and Though Schneider does not address wildlife but eventually, most wetlands will transition Subregions may well change in the next impacts in his paper, the Subregion sup- to grassland characteristics. The remaining 80 years will hopefully strengthen our re- ports a range of fur-bearing carnivores, doz- water bodies will eventually be those either solve to work to slow down the likelihood ens of migratory bird species during their fed by groundwater or those whose waters of this change by reducing global green- breeding season and, in its intact peatland are deep enough to sustain summer out- house gas emissions. It should also inform complexes and old growth forests, popula- flows and evaporation. our conservation planning and adaptation tions of boreal woodland caribou. In the uplands, the transition to grassland efforts. Edmonton and area members can For both “Cool” and “Hot” models, cli- would be affected by the limited number get a preview of Schneider’s work to date mate change effects in the Central Mixed- of dry-adapted grass species available in on this topic at our Edmonton Talk that wood will begin first in lower areas, and forested areas, and possibly by soil type he will present on April 7 (see Events sec- widespread change across the higher eleva- as well. Invasive grass species could be- tion). We will also keep our readers post- tion areas will follow. In the “Cool” scenar- come abundant given the extensive road ed as more instalments of these landmark io, Dry Mixedwood characteristics would network in the Boreal and the relative ab- studies are completed. appear along the Peace and Athabasca Riv- sence of native grass species. A forest in- ers by the 2020s and extend across most dustry response may be to plant non-native of the Subregion by the 2050s. After 2050, dry-adapted tree species, which could also

WLA | February 2014 | Vol. 22, No. 1 | FEATURES 15A Partnership Plus An Emergency Protection Order: A Potion to Save Greater Sage-Grouse?

By AWA Staff

ithout emergency action, ed to be fewer than 100 individuals and these 2009, more than four years ago now, when greater sage-grouse will dis- survivors occupy less than 10 percent of their there were still over 100 sage-grouse in Alber- W appear in Canada in three to historic range. ta. After that ruling federal government staff five years. Gone… totally. This forecast, based Long term monitoring of greater sage- went to work identifying additional critical on scientific data and current population grouse and their habitat has provided clear habitat outside of federal lands and updating trends, was delivered on January 17, 2014 evidence of long term decline but actions to the recovery strategy. at a workshop of experts hosted by the Cal- conserve habitat and recover the species have In September 2011, AWA hosted the Emer- gary Zoo and facilitated by the International been slow in coming. The federal government gency Sage-grouse Summit in Calgary. The Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN’s) produced the first recovery strategy for great- Emergency Summit brought together leading Conservation Specialist Breeding Group. The er sage-grouse under the Species at Risk Act international scientists, local landowners, and magnitude of our sage-grouse crisis precipi- in 2008; however, the associated identifica- environmental organizations dedicated to en- tated the gathering of experts to identify and tion of critical habitat addressed only federal suring greater sage-grouse remains on Can- prioritize emergency measures. lands. Recognizing that the identified critical ada’s prairie landscape. Recommendations Greater sage-grouse and the sagebrush hab- habitat was woefully inadequate, AWA and from the Emergency Sage-grouse Summit itat on which they depend have been in de- several other environmental organizations included: restoring the functionality of crit- cline for decades. More than 80 percent of the joined forces with Ecojustice to use the courts ical habitat and previously occupied range, natural habitat thought to have once support- to try to force the federal government to com- severely limiting new development in and ed sage-grouse in Canada is gone, swept aside ply with the Species at Risk Act and produce around critical habitat, and designating ad- by industrialization and agriculture. Canada’s a meaningful strategy that might realistically ditional critical habitat as identified on pro- current population of sage-grouse is estimat- recover sage-grouse. We won that round in posed critical habitat maps made in 2010. Again, action to recover the species lagged dismally behind the planning, mapping, and monitoring that was occurring. In 2011, with only 30 sage-grouse left in Alberta, an inter- national coalition of conservation groups in- cluding AWA sent a petition to then Environ- ment Minister Peter Kent demanding he issue an emergency protection order and take oth- er action. When the deadline passed for the Minister to respond to the petition, Ecojustice filed an application in federal court to force his hand. We won again and the emergency order was finally released in December 2013. The emergency protection order restricts the construction of new roads, tall or noisy ob- jects, and fencing that is not “grouse-friendly.” It also restricts loud noises at certain times of year. However, it is widely recognized that the Dr. Mark Boyce (l), from the University of Alberta, and Dr. Cam Aldridge, from Colorado State University, at the September 2011 Sage-Grouse Summit convened by AWA PHOTO: AWA emergency order restrictions alone will not

16 WLA | February 2014 | Vol. 22, No. 1 | FEATURES to the participants of the Emergency Sage- Grouse Summit who also attended the Pop- ulation and Habitat Viability Assessment (PHVA) Workshop hosted by the Calgary Zoo in January 2014. The issues and threats asso- ciated with the decline of greater sage-grouse in Canada have not changed, but the situation has become more critical. Participants at the PHVA workshop recommended several crit- ical measures needed to recover sage-grouse June 2013 Sage-Grouse Partnership meeting in Manyberries Alberta PHOTO: © C. OLSON in Canada. Three of those were considered recover greater sage-grouse. management of predator populations with- essential and urgent. The first urges imple- Frustrated by the lack of action and collab- in sage-grouse critical habitat is considered a menting a captive rearing program to create oration, AWA set out to work with the local high priority, short term strategy which may an assurance population that conserves the community in southeastern Alberta to estab- be undertaken by the provincial government. potentially unique genetics of greater sage- lish a partnership that would be capable of Alberta Environment and Sustainable Re- grouse north of the Milk River and that may moving action forward. Recognizing that the source Development (ESRD) also recognized contribute to future reintroductions. Second, support of local ranchers and local industry the need for emergency measures. The first restoring, rehabilitating, and enhancing sage- was vital to accomplishing success, a series of Alberta Greater Sage-Grouse Recovery Plan brush habitat – a very broad measure encom- community meetings was held in 2013. Out was published, if not acted on, in 2005. When passing numerous actions from predator re- of those meetings a core group of dedicated sage-grouse numbers declined by 50 percent duction to ranch planning. Third, increasing individuals emerged and the Sage Grouse in Alberta in 2010 and by a further 50 per- the capacity for and effectiveness of actions by Partnership (SGP) was formed. cent in 2011, they worked to update the plan. establishing an interprovincial working group The SGP is co-chaired by Cliff Wallis from The five-year updated recovery plan was re- to facilitate collaboration between various AWA and David Heydlauff, a local rancher leased in September 2013. Coinciding with stakeholders as well as between jurisdictions. whose land supports some of the few re- the preparation of the recovery plan, ESRD This third measure is critical to enhancing the maining sage-grouse in Alberta. Much time implemented numerous reclamation and success of the first two measures. was spent learning what the Alberta and Ca- conservation actions and identified land use Meanwhile, the SGP will support these mea- nadian governments and other jurisdictions standards for industry to further sage-grouse sures and will forge ahead with sharing infor- were doing to conserve and recover greater protection. They also negotiated the translo- mation and implementing actions to optimize sage-grouse. Dr. Dave Naugle, one of North cation of sage-grouse from Montana in 2011 the remaining greater sage-grouse sagebrush America’s leading grouse experts, attended and 2012 to supplement the Alberta popu- habitat. Two goals are paramount here. First, one meeting to discuss the U.S.-based Sage lation. A total of 41 birds were translocated retain at least some of the extant Canadian Grouse Initiative and to provide advice. to Alberta. They were fitted with transmitters, birds so their genetics and behavioral knowl- The SGP proceeded to prioritize actions which have allowed biologists to track them. edge will contribute to at least some part of that should be taken to address the decline Many died, primarily due to predation by a future recovered population. Second, con- of greater sage-grouse. They then identified avian and mammalian predators, but at least serve, enhance, and restore sagebrush habitat the actions that could be advanced by the two of the translocated hens nested in 2013. in Alberta – not just for the recovery of greater partnership without overlapping with activ- Greater sage-grouse numbers didn’t fall any sage-grouse but also to avoid similar crises ities already being undertaken. Currently, the further in Alberta between 2012 and 2013, from afflicting other species dependent on SGP is focussing on minimizing the impact likely due to the translocations, which are this ecosystem. The path forward is fraught of recreational access, ranch planning to im- seen as a temporary stop-gap measure. with risks and challenges; therefore, it is es- prove hiding cover and forb availability, and The amended version of the proposed sential that there is well-resourced, concerted, encouraging the removal of older industrial, federal sage-grouse recovery strategy was and immediate action from land managers, agricultural, and residential structures on the posted on the Species at Risk Public Regis- government, industry, and conservationists. landscape. All of these activities have the po- try in December, 2013 and the public can This is critical if we are to retain this magnifi- tential to increase sage-grouse survival and provide comments until February 18, 2014. cent species in the northern sagebrush steppe productivity. Other actions were also deemed AWA submitted an extensive review of the ecosystem. critical and the SGP will either support the amended strategy; the bottom line is it simply implementation of these actions by others doesn’t go far enough, fast enough. or undertake them directly. For example, It might have seemed a bit like déjà vu

WLA | February 2014 | Vol. 22, No. 1 | FEATURES 17A Focus: Alberta’s Species-at-Risk

By Nigel Douglas

ention endangered species in Ord‘s Kangaroo Rat tail. They hop along, kangaroo-style on dis- Alberta and many of us will Here we turn our attention to one of Alber- proportionately large back feet, tail stream- M think about the larger, more ta’s less well-known endangered species, the ing out behind as a counter-balance. They glamorous species that tend to make the Ord’s kangaroo rat. spend most of their days in underground headlines – grizzlies, woodland caribou and The majority of Alberta’s endangered spe- burrows, emerging only at night to feed and (in no small part due to the work of AWA) cies – around 66 percent – are grassland search out mates. The diet consists mostly greater sage-grouse. But of course there are specialists. As less than one percent of Al- of seeds and plants which are stored, ham- many more endangered species of fauna and berta’s Grassland Natural Region is protect- ster-style, in cheek pouches and taken back flora. The website for Alberta Environment ed, this means that many of our most im- to the burrow to be eaten or cached. They and Sustainable Resource Development perilled species are particularly vulnerable. are highly adapted to living in dry habitats (ESRD) lists: Ord’s kangaroo rat is a case in point. Though and, interestingly, they can survive without • 28 species as At Risk, these fascinating critters live throughout the drinking virtually any water. Their predators • 449 as May be at Risk, and dry grasslands and deserts of western North include owls, snakes, and badgers. • 662 as Sensitive. America, in Canada they are limited to small, Unlike a lot of other desert rodents that Many of these are species that the huge isolated populations in southeastern Alberta may live for several years and reproduce rel- majority of us are unfamiliar with or have and southwestern Saskatchewan. atively slowly, kangaroo rats live very short never heard of. There are 107 May be at Risk Ord’s kangaroo rats are, of course, not rats lives (most live for less than a year) and have species of lichen alone, for example, includ- at all (nor indeed kangaroos!) but small, noc- a high reproductive rate. Though Ord’s kan- ing such tantalising delights as the reptilian turnal rodents. They measure up to 25 cm garoo rat populations stretch south to the pixie-cup, the concentric jellyskin and the (10 inches) from nose to tail, more than half southern United States and Mexico, Alberta’s blinking owl lichen. of which is made up of an impressively long residents are the only ones which are known to hibernate. Alas this does not seem to be a highly successful life strategy. In most years, 90 percent of Alberta’s population does not survive the winter, succumbing to starvation or cold. The ones that do survive can breed rapidly, raising up to four broods a year and their young can themselves become sexual- ly mature within 50 days, time enough to breed and raise their own offspring. Though the enormous natural fluctua- tion in numbers makes the population of Ord’s kangaroo rats in Alberta very diffi- cult to estimate, it is likely that their num- bers are declining. The federal Species at Risk website notes that “changes in avail- able habitat strongly suggest long-term population declines.” Ord’s Kangaroo Rat PHOTO: © A. TEUCHER Ord’s kangaroo rats have very specific hab-

18 WLA | February 2014 | Vol. 22, No. 1 | FEATURES itat requirements. They need open, thin- potential predators such as badgers or coy- ered sand verbena, western spiderwort, and ly-vegetated ground with plenty of sand in otes, not to mention those unintentional hognose snakes. As the Alberta government’s which to excavate their burrows. In practice predators – vehicles. Recovery plan for Ord’s kangaroo rat in Alberta this means that, in Alberta, they are limit- This was confirmed in the 2009 report points out, “efforts to conserve and enhance ed to sand dunes and arid grasslands with from the Suffield Joint Review Panel, which sand dune habitats should benefit a diversity loose sandy soil. Even in southeastern Al- noted Environment Canada’s concerns that of species at risk in Alberta.” berta, this habitat is in very short supply, “the trend towards increasing use of… roads, The long-awaited draft Regional Plan for being restricted to the Middle Sand Hills trails, fireguards, and bare ground associated the South Saskatchewan offers some encour- along the South Saskatchewan River and the with oil and gas facilities and the margins of aging words, about maintaining intact native Great Sand Hills. Just under half the species’ cultivated agricultural lands appeared to be grasslands and habitat on public lands but, Canadian range is in Canadian Forces Base a threat to Ord’s kangaroo rat in Canada, and as Brittany Verbeek pointed out in the last Suffield National Wildlife Area, federal lands that these anthropogenic habitats appeared issue of WLA, it is very short on substance. protected since 2003 under the Canadian to be low-quality ‘sink’ habitats in which AWA is intensely disappointed that more Wildlife Act. mortality exceeded recruitment.” As with leadership was not shown on formally pro- Historically the grasslands, and the sand- grizzly bears, roads represent both an attrac- tecting grassland areas that will benefit many hills particularly, would have been dynamic tant and a source of mortality. species at risk. The draft plan is available for ecosystems, continuously changing. Occa- Interestingly, it’s plausible to argue that ex- public comment until February 28, 2014 so sional fires and periodic intense grazing by plosions on the Suffield bombing ranges are there is still a chance for enhanced grassland bison would have kept the vegetation down an excellent substitute for natural processes protection if more Albertans demand it. and bare ground would have been common. in creating open sandy kangaroo rat habitat. Winds would have ensured that sands were Like all species at risk in Alberta (and in- Quick Facts: continuously shifting, creating new areas of deed anywhere) the survival of Ord’s kanga- • Ord’s kangaroo rat, Dipodomys ordii open sand that the kangaroo rats need. To- roo rat into the future depends on protecting • Federal status: Endangered day with fire suppression and the enormous habitat. More than this, the species needs • Provincial status: Endangered ecological hole left by the destruction of 50 protection of areas sufficiently large to allow • Length: up to 25 cm (10 inches) million bison across North America, those the processes to be maintained that produce • Average weight: 69 grams open sandy habitats are increasingly hard to the shifting sandy conditions they require. • Surprising fact: In most years, find. Ironically, industrial access roads may Protecting their remaining habitat in the 90 percent of Alberta’s kangaroo do provide attractive habitat to kangaroo rats, sandhills will also protect habitat for other not survive the winter, succumbing but they also make things much easier for endangered species, including small-flow-

Woodland caribou Regular readers of the WLA will be very familiar with the sad plight of woodland caribou in Alberta. But as we get caught up in the desperate need to protect caribou habitat in Alberta before the species is driv- en to extirpation (local extinction), we can sometimes lose sight of the animal itself. Here we take a look at caribou themselves and their place in the world. Caribou are members of the deer family and they occur across a huge swathe of the Arctic and Subarctic regions (the European reindeer is the same species as the caribou, Ranger tarandus). Caribou are superbly adapted to their harsh environment. They are surprisingly compact animals, often no more than a metre tall at the shoulder with small ears and tails. They have dense PHOTO: © P. SUTHERLAND

WLA | February 2014 | Vol. 22, No. 1 | FEATURES 19A two-layerto starvation coats, withor cold. fine, thick under- Boreal and Southern Mountain ecotypes of particularly wolves, investing time in hunt- coats, and outercoats of hollow guard hairs woodland caribou, which are spread across ing them. Add networks of roads, cutblocks which trap air to provide insulation. They fifteen separate herds, many of which are and seismic lines to that landscape, and even grow hair between the “toes” of their geographically isolated from each other. suddenly it’s harder for caribou to separate hooves, to reduce heat loss in winter. Their themselves from deer and moose, and it be- broad, splayed hooves allow them to travel Caribou in Alberta comes much easier for wolves to travel, par- comfortably through deep snow. Overall, Both Alberta’s populations (Boreal and ticularly in winter, and so caribou predation the coat is a warm brown (becoming grey- Southern Mountain) are listed, both federally becomes a serious issue. Unfortunately the er in the winter) with a creamy white neck, and provincially, as threatened and there is appetite for a quick-fix solution to the prob- mane and underbelly. Caribou are the only little doubt that their future in the province lem by killing wolves has not been matched member of the deer family in which both is extremely precarious. by any appetite to reduce the real root of the sexes grow antlers. Despite being listed as threatened for 28 issue which is industrial access. The numerous different subspecies, pop- years, the decline of Alberta’s caribou has On the surface it is a relatively straight- ulations and ecotypes of caribou are some- been continued and relentless. As far back forward picture: to recover any species the what complex. New techniques in genetic as 1979 Michael Bloomfield, Alberta’s pro- answer is to protect its habitat. But that fingerprinting of caribou sometimes seem vincial biologist, was quoted as saying: brings with it political repercussions in a to make the picture clearer and sometimes “Continued hunting and unrestricted devel- province so profoundly tied to oil and gas to make it even more complicated. opment in caribou range could result in the development and industrial forestry and so So the woodland caribou is a subspecies disappearance of our resident populations.” for the past three decades, progress on car- of caribou. It is the largest and darkest-co- Although caribou hunting has ceased (with ibou recovery has been minimal. More re- loured caribou, occurring in scattered pop- the exception of a First Nations harvest), cently there have been signs that the Alberta ulations across a huge area of boreal forest development in caribou range has not and government may belatedly be prepared to and mountains from British Columbia in so the species continues to decline. move to reduce disturbance in some cari- the west to Newfoundland in the east. The That decline has been understood for bou habitat. In May 2013, energy lease sales Boreal and Southern Mountain are two dis- many years. While other deer species such were suspended in the range of two of the tinct ecotypes of woodland caribou. The as mule deer and white-tailed deer are very most endangered of Alberta’s fifteen cari- Boreal population occurs from the Mack- adaptable to human disturbance, caribou bou herds, the Little Smoky and A La Peche enzie Mountains in the northwest to south- are much more sensitive. The biggest culprit herds. And two months later, some forest- ern Labrador in the east and as far south is the loss of intact older forest and motor- ry activity was reduced in the Little Smoky as Lake Superior. The Southern Mountain ized access development which comes with (though not, alas, in the A La Peche). It is an ecotype is much more localized, consisting industrial disturbance. In undisturbed hab- encouraging start, but only time will tell if it of scattered populations in Alberta and Brit- itats, caribou are scattered so thinly across is too little too late. ish Columbia. Alberta is home to both the the landscape that it is not worth predators, Quick Facts: • Woodland caribou, Ranger tarandus Species Caribou caribou Ranger tarandus • Federal status: Threatened • Provincial status: Threatened (Caribou occurring in Alberta are • Height: 1.0 to 1.2 m high at the shown in bold) shoulder • Weight: 110 to 210 kg (bulls weigh Subspecies Woodland caribou Barren ground Peary caribou on average 180 kg, cows weigh on Rangifer tarandus caribou include: Rangifer tarandus average 135 kg) caribou Rangifer tarandus pearyi groenlandicus • Surprising fact: Male reindeer (the same species as caribou) shed their Ecotypes Boreal woodland High Arctic antlers at the beginning of winter, include: caribou Low Arctic usually late November to mid-De- Southern Mountain Banks Island cember. Female reindeer, however, woodland caribou retain their antlers until after they Northern Mountain woodland caribou give birth in the spring. So if Ru- dolph still has antlers at Christmas, then she is likely to be a female! Caribou occurring in Alberta are shown in bold type

20 WLA | February 2014 | Vol. 22, No. 1 | FEATURES Caribou Entwined, 11”x14” pen, ink, and watercolour mounted on wood panel. PHOTO: © P. CINNAMON Pamela Cinnamon Entwined, intertwined, confusing, chaotic, curled and hidden … Pamela has a long-standing interest I could draw and paint your intriguing designs forever. in the health of the caribou herds in Endangered, threatened, not showing signs of recovery … Jasper National Park. The images in- I am in love with your sinuous, twisting, curvaceous shapes. cluded in this issue of the Advocate are taken from a series entitled “Caribou – Human trails lead predators ever further into your territory … I weep for you.” Pamela writes: I feel the memory of the ages in your antlers’ story. Caribou - I weep for you … Habitat destruction, interruption of natural pathways … I weep for the loss of you, caribou.

WLA | February 2014 | Vol. 22, No. 1 | FEATURES 21A Conservation Corner: Whitebark Pine: Resistance Is Not Futile (in fact, it may be key to saving the species)

By Niki Wilson

Whitebark pines, the long-lived giants of grizzly bears, a species with an especially Despite these losses, hope can be found the Rocky Mountain sub-alpine, have been strong ecological link to whitebark pine. in a handful of individual trees that appear fending off attacks from numerous threats Some scientists suggest whitebark pine is to have developed a natural resistance to for the better part of a century. Popula- important to over 100 species of plants the rust. tions have declined due to mountain pine and animals. Cyndi Smith, Assistant Director of the beetle infestations, fire suppression, and Blister rust impacts whitebark pine by Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation, climate change. However, by far the most infecting and killing the cone-bearing and Scientist Emeritus of Waterton Lakes devastating foe has been an exotic disease branches of the tree’s canopy, reducing seed called white pine blister rust. This rust has availability and dispersal. It kills the main decimated whitebark pine populations up stem by girdling it, thereby cutting off food Clark’s Nutcracker and down the spine of the continent. and water supply. Throughout the Canadi- The Clark’s nutcracker is solely Whitebark pine forests are hubs of a an Rockies, very few populations remain responsible for the distribution of unique sub-alpine ecosystem, largely rust free. In some areas, like that of Water- whitebark pine seeds. With its dag- based on the high calorie fuel their seeds ton Lakes National Park, 97 percent of the ger-like beak, it is specially adapted provide. Many of the seeds are eaten by whitebark pine population has succumbed to pry open the hard, tightly packed Clark’s nutcracker, a bird upon which over the past 100 years. As a result of mass cones. The nutcracker can shove up whitebark pine relies to distribute its declines, the Committee on the Status of to 150 seeds into a pouch below its seeds. Red squirrels also harvest cones and Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSE- tongue, which it then caches 10 to15 store the seeds in underground middens. WIC) lists whitebark pine as endangered, at a time. By the end of the summer, These middens are routinely raided by as does the Province of Alberta. one bird may have stored tens of thousands of seeds in the ground. The nutcracker remembers where most of its caches are, but occasion- ally forgets one. In a forgotten cache the seeds germinate and whitebark pine seedlings radiate out from the cache. Without the nutcracker, whitebark pine would cease to exist.

Niki “Sticky Hands” Wilson helped Parks Canada ecologist Brenda Shepherd harvest seeds from white- bark pine cones like this one for restoration. Tip: Sap is best removed from hands with butter. PHOTO: PETER WALLACK PHOTO: © N. WILSON

22 WLA | February 2014 | Vol. 22, No. 1 | FEATURES National Park, first began identifying patience is key – the testing takes five to water retention in higher elevations as these trees in 2006. She says ecologists seven years. climate changes. We’re going to need as call them “plus trees,” meaning trees are Another factor complicating the res- much help conserving water downstream assumed to be resistant, although they toration of this species is that, as Smith as possible,” says Smith. However, her have not been tested in a lab to prove it. In points out, whitebark pine trees don’t pro- appreciation for the species extends far Waterton Lakes, trees were assumed resis- duce mature cones until they are at least beyond what it can do for us. “As an ecol- tant if they were healthy in a stand where 40 to 60 years old, and often much later ogist, I feel this species has an intrinsic the other 90 percent was dead or dying than that. In the meantime, a shortage in right to exist, and by saving whitebark from blister rust. seed crops could be problematic. pine, you’re helping a lot of other spe- With enough plus trees one might expect In response to this, Smith says creating cies.” the species to recolonize their home range “seed orchards” may help accelerate cone Niki Wilson is a multi-media science over time. The problem is that there are production in the short term. Specialists communicator and biologist living in relatively few rust resistant individuals. in this technique take a cutting or “scion” Jasper. Visit her at www.nikiwilson.com Some landscapes contain so few white- off of the branch of a plus tree, usually in bark pine that biologists are concerned the winter when it’s dormant. “They then nutcrackers will consume the majority of graft that branch onto a faster growing co- the seeds they collect, instead of leaving nifer,” says Smith. She points to one case some to grow into seedlings. where ten years after grafting the grafted To help whitebark pine along, Smith and branch produced a whitebark pine cone. colleagues in Waterton Lakes developed The efforts of Smith and many who share programs to protect plus trees from other her passion to leverage the natural resis- threats, like fire. They collected seeds and tance of plus trees and restore whitebark sent them to a nursery to be grown into pine to the landscape have been monu- seedlings for replanting. In recent years, mental. One wonders if, in the face of oth- the seeds of some of these trees have been er threats like climate change, it’s worth accepted into a resistance-testing pro- the effort. Whitebark pine seeds, if you eat one, remove the gram in the United States in the hopes “You can make the economic argument husk first (they don’t taste very good) of confirming their resistance. However, that these species should be saved for PHOTO: © N. WILSON

Lighting It Up: Adventures in Terra Torching

Cyndi Smith says fire can be both torch fed from a barrel of helicopter fuel. friend and foe to whitebark pine. “Fire The blast and application of the torch is can be bad if it’s going to kill seedlings designed to mimic a lightning strike and or kill mature cone-producing trees. only burns a very localized area or tree. However, having some fire to kill off Crews plant plus tree seedlings in the other conifers that are out-competing freshly charred earth after things cool off. it is okay.” Parks Canada uses prescribed fire to help restore whitebark habitat in Wa- terton Lakes National Park. However, getting the right conditions to proper- ly control a burn can be tricky. In re- sponse to this, Smith says Parks Can- ada developed a “Terra Torch” to be used in places where prescribed burns had been planned, “but could never get the appropriate conditions at high- Seedlings of whitebark pine plus trees planted in Terra Torching in Waterton Lakes er elevations to drop the match.” The freshly burned earth. National Park apparatus is essentially a giant blow- PHOTO: PARKS CANADA. PHOTO: PARKS CANADA.

WLA | February 2014 | Vol. 22, No. 1 | FEATURES 23A Come Hell and High Water: A Recap of Bob Sandford’s Talk on Managing Hydro-Climate Change in a Rapidly Changing West

By Brittany Verbeek, AWA Conservation Specialist

On Tuesday, November 26, 2013 the events. He explained that jet streams are conditions of Lake Winnipeg caused by in- AWA Hillhurst office was jam packed with forming very different patterns than they creases in runoff and nutrients from agri- people who had come to listen to a presen- used to and extending into areas never pre- cultural fertilizers. tation by Robert Sandford, an internation- viously seen. Could the great central plains Sandford reminded the audience that wa- ally respected expert on water related cli- become uninhabitable if climate change ter does not disappear; it simply changes mate policy. Sandford is the EPCOR Chair continues at the same rate? Desertification form. Climate change causes liquid water of the Canadian Partnership Initiative in of Canadian prairies, and forests transi- to move to a different space in the hydro- support of the United Nations Internation- tioning to grasslands, are both predicted sphere. Three hundred glaciers disappeared al Decade for Action “Water for Life”. He is by climate change modelling. Conversely, between 1920 and 2012 and at an accel- part of numerous national and internation- the longer, heavier rainfalls that are taking erating rate – half of those disappearances al committees related to water, including place are not without consequence; they took place between 1985 and 2012. Where the advisory committee of the Rosenberg can drastically decrease water quality. More did their water go? The answer, he told us, International Forum on Water Policy and frequent flooding, occurring in industri- is the atmosphere. Recently scientists have the advisory board of Living Lakes Can- al, urban, and agricultural areas, causes discovered the presence of “atmospheric ada. He has published six books and in notable increases in water contamination rivers” that can carry seven to fifteen times 2013 was recognized as one of the year’s because floodwater can potentially carry the average annual flow of the Mississippi 50 most influential Albertans by magazine. any water soluble contaminant. A specific River at the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico. AWA was extremely fortunate and pleased example Sandford used was the eutrophic Water changes have already begun to af- he volunteered his time to be part of our speaker series. Bob began his talk by stressing there are huge gaps between the scientific knowl- edge we possess and the actions that need to take place in regards to global water con- cerns. Water related issues are one of the greatest global threats to economic growth and are a huge threat to the health of Alber- ta’s economy. With an already limited water supply in a resource rich southern Alber- ta region readily prone to drought, water should be treated like gold. He emphasized that, despite people’s mis- conceptions, climate change doesn’t imply a uniform and incremental warming over time; instead it means destabilized weath- er patterns. Melting polar ice causes an in- crease in ocean acidification, reduces tem-

perature differences of polar and equatorial Bob Sandford, internationally-recognized water expert, outlining the lessons we should take from the regions and contributes to extreme weather 2013 Alberta flood PHOTO: © S. NICHOLS

24 WLA | February 2014 | Vol. 22, No. 1 | ASSOCIATION NEWS fect the economy and unmask liabilities. can deliver. We need nature’s help; we can- ciation and other environmental organiza- Manitoba experienced 1.3 billion dollars not rely on engineering alone. We need to tions. He said it’s important to recognize in lawsuits related to floods, a direct link better understand and, where possible, bet- and emphasize that climate change is far between hydrology and economy. As early ter manage the hydrological cycle. In order more than an environmental problem; it as 1979, a major flooding event had been to gain better control we need to reverse is a huge economic and social problem predicted for the Calgary area. Sandford land degradation and restore wetlands. We as well. This is useful to consider because doubts the major southern Alberta flood must manage water on a basin-wide scale while it seems our provincial and federal of 2013 was the “one in 100 year” event it and start taking greenhouse gas emission governments are marginalizing science and is often cited to be and believes floods will cuts seriously. environmental issues, they are all ears when likely occur more frequently. He finished off his talk with some very it comes to economic and social issues. So what did we learn from the 2013 astute advice to Alberta Wilderness Asso- flooding? Sandford listed numerous lessons to take away from the event and to be used in future decision-making. These included: • Establishing proper flood prediction systems; • Creating current and relevant flood maps; • Accepting that adaptation to the “new normal” is going to be expensive social- ly, economically, and politically; and • Understanding that governments are unable to solve problems of this scale on their own. He noted several broader, overarching lessons as well. We need to come to terms with the fact that these problems are not going away and the flooding last year was Street in Calgary’s Mission neighbourhood during the June 2013 Alberta flood. small compared to what the atmosphere PHOTO CREDIT: AWA

Caribou Couple 11”x14” pen, ink, and watercolour mounted Caribou Quandary 11”x14” pen, ink, and watercolour on wood panel. PHOTO: © P. CINNAMON mounted on wood panel. PHOTO: © P. CINNAMON

WLA | February 2014 | Vol. 22, No. 1 | ASSOCIATION NEWS 25A Updates

Wolf Matters – Humans Wolf Matters is developing several stun- message is striking a chord with the public Standing Up for Wolves ning posters and has a well designed web- and a list of activists is growing Are humans hard-wired to fear and hate site that is regularly updated and is receiving Vivian Pharis wolves? Is this why, given the opportunity, hundreds of hits every day. Dwight Rodtka’s some will unleash savagery against them? Within days of the U.S. rescinding protected Biodiversity Assessment in the Athabasca Oil Sands Area status for the wolf, hundreds were slaugh- In early December 2013, the Alberta Biodi- Adding description to the numbers, the tered. versity Monitoring Institute (ABMI) released report observes that species that adapt well In Alberta, wolves are fair game through- its latest regional status report on species di- to human disturbance such as coyote and out the hunting season, landowners can kill versity. This report, The Status of Biodiversity song sparrow are now more abundant com- them on sight, and some trappers kill them in the Athabasca Oil Sands Area, Preliminary pared to intact reference areas. Species that during the trapping season. Clubs like local Assessment 2013, documents the high-profile depend on old-growth boreal forest habitat Alberta Fish and Game Association affiliates Athabasca Oil Sands Area (AOSA), an Alber- such as bay-breasted warbler, boreal chick- even offer bounties for dead wolves. ta government administrative area indicating adee, marten and fisher are less abundant. Alberta’s government offers no protection tar sands development potential. Extending Non-native weeds are found at 32 percent of for wolves. In fact it plays in this killing from Lac La Biche to only a few kilometres the surveyed sites. game by aerially gunning down wolves to south of the Wood Buffalo National Park The relative intactness of the mineable area protect caribou. Many forms of wolf torture border, AOSA covers 14 percent of Alberta, may come as a surprise. According to Alber- are condoned – poisons, leg hold traps, and all in the Boreal Forest Natural Region. It in- ta Energy, as of July 2013, 99 percent of the insidious snares are all allowed. Poisons and cludes the entire mineable oil sands region, mineable oil sands area had been leased but snares are indiscriminate and their “collateral where bitumen deposits are shallow enough “only” 15 percent (715 km2, or more land damage” includes eagles, magpies, coyotes, to strip mine, as well as what ABMI calls the than is covered by Edmonton proper) had bears, wolverines, and even deer and horses. Active In-situ Oil Sands subregion, where been disturbed. Peat wetlands cover over All of this “by kill” is officially tolerated. The the bitumen is deeper and there are either half the pre-disturbance landscape in the fact that killing one member of the dominant operating or approved projects to steam mineable area. As the Shell Jackpine Mine pair of wolves in a socially ordered pack will (typically) and pump out bitumen. ABMI Expansion Joint Review Panel noted in July trigger the subdominant pack members has provided estimates of species intactness 2013, there is little prospect that reclama- to breed and produce many more wolves for the Mineable and Active In-situ subre- tion will mitigate mine effects on wetlands seems lost on Alberta’s wolf managers. gions as well as the overall AOSA. ABMI can- and old growth forests. Mining impacts will Four years ago, one man, an ex-govern- not measure intactness compared to historic persist long term along this major migratory ment employee, began to expose the wolf’s conditions, as sadly, these are unavailable. bird flyway along the Lower Athabasca Riv- plight. After two frustrating years of trying to Instead, it measures intactness compared er enroute to the internationally significant get attention, Dwight Rodtka got a call from to its 2003-2007 reference data, taken from wetlands in the Peace-Athabasca Delta. Bob Scammell, one Alberta’s top outdoors sampling sites in the least disturbed areas in The summary human footprint data writers, and doors began to open. A group the region. above is presented without any buffers ap- of infuriated Albertans began to take action. The key conclusions, based on surveys of plied (e.g.: around seismic lines, pipeline They wrote to the International Union over 350 representative species, are summa- corridors, and forest cutblocks). Such dis- for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) calling rized in Table 1. turbance has different impacts or “zones of for humane and scientific management of Alberta’s wolves, led by government, not Region Percent Compared to Reference Human private clubs. The IUCN’s Wolf Specialist Intact Condition Footprint Group took an interest, wrote the Alberta Entire AOSA 95% Loss of 6% 6.8% government, has received a reply, and is like- Minable Area 86% Loss of 14% 20.8% ly to ask Alberta to do more than the gov- Active In-situ ernment seems prepared to do. Correspon- Subregion 91% Loss of 9% 7.7% dence continues. Table 1: biodiversity intactness of the Athabasca Oil Sands Area.

26 WLA | February 2014 | Vol. 22, No. 1 | WILDERNESS WATCH influence” for different species. Within the Feral Horse Advisory The first meeting concentrated on an im- report, an important “Core Habitat” section Committee mediate issue – should the capture pro- reports the area of native habitat that is at It strikes me as bizarre that the Alber- gram, which has been suspended for the least a certain buffer width away from human ta Government would see developing a past two years, be reinstated? A focused disturbance. Only 46 percent of native habi- strategy for managing feral or wild horses discussion followed a presentation by Uni- tat in AOSA, 29 percent in the Mineable area, as urgent and necessary but it has set up versity of Alberta rangeland specialist, Dr. and 28 percent in the Active In-situ subre- a public advisory committee to do so. A Edward Bork, on feral horse habitat pref- gion, is more than 200 metres away from hu- 2013 count indicates fewer than 1,000 erences, and a decision was taken to pro- man disturbance. feral horses roam mostly southern East- ceed with a capture program in two key The health of woodland caribou, as a spe- ern Slopes lands although numbers are areas under some habitat stress – the first cies relying on intact peat wetlands and old increasing. Meanwhile, caribou numbers being McLean Creek/Ghost and the second growth forest to separate itself from deer, are plummeting while committee debates an area west of Sundre. The problems are moose, and predators, is another indicator drag on for decades and government re- that few in Alberta have the skills needed of the intactness of this region. Forestry cut- fuses to take meaningful action. to receive a permit to capture feral hors- blocks and in-situ infrastructure stimulate AWA was asked to participate in this es, it is not a lucrative business, and since deer and moose populations and facilitate committee and I was asked to be the repre- few people want to adopt feral horses most predator travel. For its national woodland sentative because of my knowledge of do- captured horses go to slaughter. caribou recovery strategy, Environment Can- mestic horses and of several Eastern Slopes At the second meeting in mid December, ada used a buffer of 500 metres around hu- areas where feral horses are abundant. management strategies from other juris- man footprint as best describing the harmful The first meeting was held in early Octo- dictions were examined, from Australia zone of influence on caribou from that foot- ber 2013 in Red Deer. I have sat on various to Sable Island in Nova Scotia. Australia print. Using the same buffering technique, government committees over the years, has some 400,000 brumbies (free-roam- Global Forest Watch Canada concluded in but was struck by the organization of this ing feral horses) and 250,000 feral camels a report also published in December 2013 one. It comes with balanced representation taking a toll on ecosystems not adapted to that “all of the woodland caribou herd rang- and a message of urgency from the Min- them. It makes Alberta’s “problem” seem es in Alberta suffered substantial declines ister of Alberta Environment and Sustain- miniscule. of intact forest landscapes over the period able Resource Development. The Minister Vivian Pharis 2001 to 2010.” Instead of reporting a 500 wants to develop a strategy within a year. metre disturbance buffer, the ABMI report’s section on woodland caribou notes declin- ing caribou populations (wherever data is available) and an increasingly larger human footprint in caribou ranges across AOSA. No matter how you look at it this region is not being developed responsibly given legal re- quirements and stated policy objectives to support self-sustaining caribou populations in Alberta. Caribou Scratch My Back? The 2013 ABMI biodiversity status report 11”x14” pen, ink, and for AOSA already shows clear impacts from watercolour mounted on forestry and energy across a large region that wood panel. PHOTO: © P. CINNAMON experienced little human disturbance prior to the 1990s. It will provide an important base- line to compare with future ABMI reporting, given the intense industrial activity expected on this landscape. Even more importantly, it should motivate Alberta to deliver the over- due biodiversity management framework and land disturbance limits promised in the 2012 Lower Athabasca Regional Plan. Carolyn Campbell

WLA | February 2014 | Vol. 22, No. 1 | WILDERNESS WATCH 27A Gear Ideas

New Year’s Resolution: Mayra is better suited for lighter weight (200lbs) when inflated. Hoe he’e nalu - the NRS paddlers in general. Weighing 10.8kg The heavy-duty 4” PVC provides optimal Mayra Stand Up (23.8lbs), the Mayra is easy to carry, and performance against abrasion and abuse, Paddleboard (Women’s) can accommodate paddlers up to 90.7kg as well as stability for both beginner and experienced paddlers. Rivaling the perfor- mance of a hard board, the Mayra inflates to 15 psi with the reliable assistance of a top-quality Leafield C7 inflation/deflation valve. The Mayra then rolls up compactly when deflated for easy transport and stor- age, making it the ideal choice for SUPers who drive compact vehicles or often travel By Kristina Vyskocil to the Aloha state! T he advent of another new year has some Constructed with a high-volume nose outdoor enthusiasts making resolutions to and tail, the Mayra is durable, responsive, ride harder, live better, run faster, and climb and stable enough for paddling and prac- stronger. But if you’re looking to make your ticing asanas on the water. A three-quarter New Year’s resolution less intense and a bit diamond-textured foam deck pad (2.0m more chill, why not try stand up paddle- x 71cm; 80” x 28”) provides comfortable boarding (SUP)? Originating in Hawaii, padding for the knees, ample grip for rid- SUP is an offshoot of surfing and allows a ing control, a no-slip standing surface, and person to travel farther on a board with the plenty of room for poses on the board (3.2m assistance of a paddle or an oar. The NRS x 81cm; 10’6” x 32”). Three removable, Mayra Stand Up Paddleboard is designed interchangeable fins flex to absorb impact specifically for paddlers who practice yoga without breaking, and allow you to custom- (or, alternatively, yogis who SUP). This ize your board for tracking and turning no means you can practice those yoga poses matter what the water conditions may be and get a feel for the board even when the (two 2” fins; two 5” fins; one 9” fin). The two ice floes continue to drift down the North sturdy webbing handles, located in the cen- Saskatchewan River ($895 at MEC; back- ter and the rear of the board, make the board pack for carrying and storage, a pump with easy to carry to and from the shore, and hold pressure gauge, valve adapter and repair kit on to during a swim. Three stainless D-rings included; leash and paddle not included). provide you with the option to attach gear and a leash (not included). What is the NRS Mayra In addition to MEC’s “Rock Solid Guar- Stand Up Paddleboard? antee” (if an item hasn’t met your expec- The NRS Mayra Stand Up Paddleboard tations, you can bring it back), the Mayra is an inflatable board designed with fitness also comes with a three-year retail warranty. in mind and aimed at both yoga and pad- dling enthusiasts. What’s the bottom line? Whether you’re looking to take up SUP What does the NRS Mayra yoga for the first time, or are an experi- Stand Up Paddleboard do enced SUPer looking to try something dif- well? ferent, you’ll find the NRS Mayra Stand Up Don’t be deceived by the pink graph- Paddleboard an accommodating board at a ics – although advertised for women, the great value - da kine?

28 WLA | February 2014 | Vol. 22, No. 1 | DEPARTMENTS Recall of the Wild

In this issue of WildLands Advocate we’re Then a prairie chicken cackle They kick their feet side ways pleased to publish a poem Buddy Gale Now there’s hundreds of wings And charge all around. submitted last year in the Louise Guy po- Here comes the flock The sentries never leave etry contest. Buddy was born in 1928 and It’s safe to come in Their perch in the trees grew up just south of Buck Lake, Alberta. Just land and be silent Then a sharp clucking sound His grandfather, who was a sniper during Until it’s okay again Says every one freeze the First World War, settled there in the The sentries sit still They shut down silent late 1800s and taught Buddy how to hunt, with eyes that can see All crouching low track, and trap. The scene recalled in his The slightest thing different Another sharp cluck poem is now just a memory – a change where danger might be It’s danger let’s go Buddy attributes to pesticides, sport hunt- They fly in all directions ing, and habitat loss. They watch a few minutes It’s the safest way to leave Maybe it’s five, then an all clear cackle How they know this, I don’t know. Prairie Chicken It’s now time to jive It’s just something to believe By Buddy Gale They move like an army Not afraid anymore They’ve gone to hide away Sentries fly in Hens circle the roosters Completely out of sight with a whistling sound In this mate dance of war They’ll be back to dance again Almost silent The roosters are fierce When everything is right For their wings are on glide with their plumage and strut To sit in a tall tree The hens in mock fear How was I to know And look side to side Say he acts like a nut That someday First there is one This all would be Then there are three The dance is serious A part of a world we’ve lost It’s very important Their wings pound the ground Now it’s only This job of sentry A private memory

Written in 93- From the year of 1938 They sit there silent When I was 10 yrs old Examine all things

PHOTO: © J. GROVES

WLA | February 2014 | Vol. 22, No. 1 | DEPARTMENTS 29 Letters to the Editor conservation values. I grew up in Southern Ontario in the 1970s Note: Letters should be less than 250 words Even worse than that, though, was Ms. to claims about how we were an “underpop- long. Letters of any length may be edited or Mitchelmore’s contention, in answer to a ulated country” with a density of people rejected. question from the audience, that Alberta “one tenth that of the U.S.” our neighbour. has the best environmental regulators in the Living in the so-called “Golden Horseshoe” I Martha Kostuch Annual world. The awards night refreshment went recoiled in horror. “Oh my God,” my young Lecture down very well, but that remark continues mind wondered, “how could the U.S. possi- Grateful congratulations to Wildlands to stick in my craw, especially in view of bly be more congested than this?” Advocate for highlighting in its October documented government horrors such as You can’t judge how over or under-popu- 2013 issue the disgraceful treatment by the the one AWA brought to light again in its lated a place is based on surface area alone, Alberta government of the Oil Sands Envi- piece on “Blacklists and Witch-hunts.” although even such Canadian illuminati as ronmental Coalition. The blackballing of The ongoing timidity and failures of Envi- Peter C. Newman insist on committing this conservation groups speaking up on behalf ronment and Sustainable Resources Alberta, error and perpetuating the myth of an un- of environmental interests is worse than ap- for example, are well known to AWA. The der-populated country. Yes, Canada is gi- palling. Thank goodness for the AWA and sorry mess of the South Saskatchewan Re- gantic but the places attractive to settlement its ongoing vigilance regarding such actions. gional Plan is just the latest of its abomina- are now chockablock with humanity. If any- All the more shocking, then, was the ap- tions.I don’t want to say we should not invite thing we are over-populated. parent acquiescence of the AWA to the industry representatives to speak to events I think a storm lies ahead. This storm, like message delivered to its annual Lecture and like the annual lecture – although Martha those that hit earlier civilizations, has many Awards night by Lorraine Mitchelmore, Kostuch must be stirring in her grave. It’s causes. It’s fundamentally about outstripping president and country chair of Shell Can- just we shouldn’t give them such an easy our energy equation and the growing inabil- ada Ltd. I’m afraid I was part of the audi- ride when they spout such stuff. ity to generate “real” wealth, as opposed to ence that appeared to sit contentedly as Ms. Yours truly, the illusory wealth of today’s financial instru- Mitchelmore regaled us in mellifluous tones Andy Marshall ments. When this happens, things are going with stories of Shell’s sterling and selfless en- to get tough. At that time, we’ll be wishing vironmental record in Alberta; the remark- Lu Carbyn’s Letter on we had fewer mouths to feed, not more. able potential of Shell’s technical solutions, Immigration I’m happy to see I’m not alone in my feel- especially carbon sequestration under its Please add my voice to those who agree ings about what I have long recognized as outstanding leadership; and the confluence with Lu Carbyn and David Suzuki on im- the folly of our immigration policy. of Shell’s and the AWA’s bedrock support for migration. Jonathan Wright

Sweet Dreams 11”x14” pen, ink, and watercolour Caribou Quartet 11”x14” pen, ink, and watercolour mounted on wood panel. PHOTO: © P. CINNAMON mounted on wood panel. PHOTO: © P. CINNAMON

30 WLA | February 2014 | Vol. 22, No. 1 | DEPARTMENTS Upcoming Winter/Spring Events

Snowshoe Day Trip Beer, Nuts and with Ed Hergott Wolves! Saturday, March 1, 2014 An evening with Join Ed Hergott on a snowshoeing hike in Kananaskis Country to get some Andrew Manske fresh air, exercise and enjoy the winter wilderness! Location: Mt. Lawson- South Summit, Kananaskis May 6, 2014 Distance: 7km return (elevation gain 650m) Don’t miss a spectacular evening with renowned Canadian wildlife Estimated duration of hike: 6 hours filmaker Andrew Manske as he Cost: $20.00 members/$25.00 non-members shares his experiences filming Registration: (403) 283-2025 wolves all over Canada and his footage of this breathtaking Online: www.albertawilderness.ca/events animal. Alcoholic beverages will be served along with delicious snacks! Talk: Loss of Biodiversity Location: 455 – 12 Street NW, Calgary and Why it matters to us? Time: May 6, 2014 with Gus Yaki Tickets: $20.00 Tuesday, March 4, 2014 Gus Yaki has been a life-long naturalist, famous birder and wildlife advocate. He has lead nature tours all across Canada and around the world. He will be sharing his expert knowledge on the ever increasing Edmonton Talk: number of species that are rapidly declining and why we need to preserve and increase biodiversity in Alberta. Conserving Location: 455 – 12 Street NW, Calgary Alberta’s Time: Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Talk starts at 7:00pm Biodiversity in Tickets: $5.00 the Face of Registration: (403) 283-2025 Online: www.albertawilderness.ca/events Climate Change with Dr. Rick Schneider Music for the Wild Monday, April 7, 2014 In this presentation Dr. Saturday, March 29, 2014 Schneider will summarize recent Headline act: Horizon Ridge climate projections for Alberta and describe how ecosystems Fine singers, songwriters and players (Dianne Quinton, Craig Blakney, Steve and species are expected to Goodchild, & Helen Goodchild) playing a broad swath of ‘folk’ music with respond. He will also provide panache. Their music is a mixture of country tunes, Celtic, blues, rock, traditional an overview of new climate- and contemporary folk; all with good stories and great arrangements. The band ready conservation objectives members have played in folk festivals, folk clubs and concerts in Alberta, the U.S and management options for and U.K. and have completed several very good CD’s. adapting to change. Opening: Dr. J Location: TBA – Stay tuned on Dr. J (Ted Jablonski) is an award winning multi-instrumentalist singer our website! songwriter from Calgary. Ted has released 7 indie CDs and has produced Time: TBA 2 Canadian music Compilations featuring a number of great Canadian artists. Tickets: $5.00 Location: 455 – 12 Street NW, Calgary Registration: (403) 283-2025 Time: Doors open at 7:00 p.m. Music at 7:30pm Online: Tickets: $20.00 www.albertawilderness.ca/events Registration: (403) 283-2025 Online: www.albertawilderness.ca/events

WLA | February 2014 | Vol. 22, No. 1 | EVENTS 31 23rd ANNUAL

April 26th, 2014 Celebrate Earth Day at the Calgary Tower

Climb 802 stairs or Race 1km and Climb 802 stairs to raise money and promote awareness for & Alberta’s wild spaces 2014 FOR WILDERNESS Registration: 403 283 2025 Online: www.climbforwilderness.ca

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