The Story of Five Needle Pines
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VOLUME 49 | NUMBER 3 | FALL 2019 SUGGESTED RETAIL: $10.00 CDN Nature Alberta CELEBRATING OUR NATURAL HERITAGE NEVER GIVE UP HOPE! FEATURE ARTICLE STARTS PAGE 20. MICHAEL RUDY feature article Imagine! The Story of Five Needle Pines NATURE ALBERTA A MORMON CRICKET; SEE “ON THE COVERS” PAGE 3. TED CAMERON BURROWING OWL AND A PIPE! SEE THE STORY, PAGE 8. MYRNA PEARMAN FALL 2019 1 Nature Alberta: Nature Alberta is composed of natural history clubs from across the province. The aims of the Federation are: Celebrating our natural heritage (a) To encourage among all Albertans, by all means possible, an increase in their knowledge of natural history and understanding of ecological processes; (b) To promote an increase in the exchange of information and views among natural history clubs and societies in Alberta; (c) To foster and assist in the formation of additional natural history clubs and societies in Alberta; (d) To promote the establishment of natural areas and nature reserves, to conserve and protect species, communities or other features of interest; (e) To organize, or coordinate symposia, conferences, field meetings, Contents nature camps, research and other activities whether of a similar or NATURE ALBERTA VOLUME 49, NUMBER 3, FALL 2019 dissimilar nature; (f) To provide the naturalists of Alberta with a forum in which questions relating to the conservation of the natural environment may be discussed, so that united positions can be developed on them, and to Editor’s Page BY BROOK SKAGEN ......................................................................2 provide the means of translating these positions into appropriate actions. Letter to the Editor .................................................................................4 BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT: Linda Howitt-Taylor Alberta Issues in Brief .............................................................................5 VICE PRESIDENT: Vacant SECRETARY: Rannee Lui Nature Alberta News ..............................................................................6 TREASURER: Janice Yu PAST PRESIDENT: Lu Carbyn From the President BY LINDA HOWITT-TAYLOR ....................................................7 APPOINTED DIRECTORS: Lu Carbyn, Linda Howitt-Taylor, Brian Joubert, Richard Schneider Lending a Helping Hand: Nesting Structures BY MYRNA PEARMAN .................8 ELECTED DIRECTORS: Kim MacKenzie (ANPC); Claudia Lipski, (BLN); Wayne and Joan Walker (CFNS); Leonard Shrimpton (ENC); Public Land – Alberta’s Best Idea BY LORNE FITCH .......................................10 Elizabeth Watts (FEIS); Angela Turner (GN); Jennifer Okrainic (LLBBS); Ted Nanninga (LNS); Margot Hervieux (PPN); Tony Blake (RDRN) Insects and Us! BY ELIZABETH BOILEAU ............................................................14 STAFF: Brian Ilnicki (Exec. Dir.) FEATURE ARTICLE – Imagine! The Story of Five Needle Pines CORPORATE MEMBER CLUBS BY MICHAEL RUDY ..........................................................................................20 Alberta Native Plant Council, Box 52099, Garneau P.O. Edmonton, AB T6G 2T5 First Hand: Mating Strangers BY BRIAN GENEREUX .........................................27 Buffalo Lake Naturalists, Box 1802, Stettler, AB T0C 2L0 Edmonton Nature Club, Box 1111, Edmonton, AB T5J 2M1 First Hand: A Swainson’s Hawk Rescue BY LINDA FISHER .............................28 Friends of Elk Island Society, Box 70, 9929 – 63 Ave, Edmonton AB, T6E 0G9 Grasslands Naturalists, Box 2491, Medicine Hat, AB T1A 8G8 Eyes on IBAs: Saskatchewan’s Conservation Potholes Lac La Biche Birding Society, Box 1270, Lac La Biche, AB T0A 2C0 Lethbridge Naturalists Society, Box 1691, Lethbridge, AB T1J 4K4 BY BROOK SKAGEN .........................................................................................30 Nature Calgary (CFNS), Box 981, Calgary, AB T2P 2K4 Up Close Naturally: Seed Dispersal BY MARGOT HERVIEUX .............................32 Peace Parkland Naturalists, Box 1451, Grande Prairie, AB T8V 4Z2 Red Deer River Naturalists, Box 785, Red Deer, AB T4N 5H2 Nature Kids BY ZOE MACDOUGALL ..................................................................34 AFFILIATES: Alberta Amphibian and Reptile Friends of the Helen Schuler Nature Book Review: 125 Nature Hot Spots in Alberta ....................................36 Conservancy Centre Alberta Lake Management Society Friends of Jasper National Park Celestial Happenings BY JOHN MCFAUL ........................................................37 Alberta Lepidopterists’ Guild Friends of Little Beaver Lake Society Alberta Mycological Society Grant MacEwan Mountain Club Wildlife Along the Scenic Peace River BY THEODORE (DICK) DEKKER ..................38 Beaverhill Bird Observatory J.J. Collett Natural Area Foundation Beaver River Naturalist Society Kimiwan Lake Naturalists Bighill Creek Preservation Society Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory Big Lake Environmental Support Society Little Creeks and Rough Fescue BowKan Birders Appreciation Society PUBLISHED QUARTERLY BY NATURE ALBERTA, Calgary Area Nestbox Monitor Society Purple Martin Conservancy 11759 GROAT ROAD, EDMONTON, AB T5M 3K6 Calgary Bird Banding Society Riverlot 56 Natural Area Society Cochrane Environmental Action Stewards of Alberta’s Protected Areas PHONE.780.427.8124 FAX.780.422.2663 Committee Association EMAIL. [email protected] Crooked Creek Conservancy Society The Wagner Natural Area Society Crowsnest Conservation Society Vermilion River Naturalists Edmonton Native Plant Group Weaselhead/Glenmore Park EDITOR.DENNIS BARESCO ASSISTANT EDITOR.BROOK SKAGEN Ellis Bird Farm Preservation Society [email protected] Fort Saskatchewan Naturalist Society Wizard Lake Watershed and Lake Friends of Blackfoot Society Stewardship Assoc. CIRCULATION.JAYNNE CARRE LAYOUT.BROKEN ARROW SOLUTIONS INC. THANKS TO THE PROOFREADERS WHO ASSISTED IN PRODUCING THIS ISSUE: SANDRA FOSS, TED HINDMARCH, SARAH LEETE, VAL SCHOLEFIELD. CELEBRATE NATURE ALBERTA 50 YEARS IN 2020! MANY THANKS TO THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS WANT TO SUBMIT ARTICLES NATURE ALBERTA DEADLINES ARE: EDITORIAL DISCLAIMER OR PHOTOS? SPRING ISSUE.FEBRUARY 28 The opinions expressed by the authors in this publication do not GUIDELINES ARE AVAILABLE ON SUMMER ISSUE.MAY 31 necessarily reflect those of the editor and the Federation of Alberta THE NATURE ALBERTA WEBSITE: FALL ISSUE.AUGUST 31 Naturalists. The editor reserves the right to edit, reject or withdraw articles submitted. While due care will be taken of all manuscripts, WWW.NATUREALBERTA.CA WINTER ISSUE.NOVEMBER 30 photos or artwork submitted, FAN cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage to such articles. Brook Skagen 2 NatureAlberta Editor’s Page BY BROOK SKAGEN, ASSISTANT EDITOR Habitat Modeling Explained: Resource Selection Functions The need to conserve our Habitat models are statistical models that yield values for the wild spaces and preserve our tools that predict the habitat probability or likelihood of a biodiversity is ever-increasing. associations of species across species occurring within a given However, for decision makers, landscapes. They may be used area, based on the resources knowing where to act, how, and to facilitate the identification of available [1,2]. When combined with what the resulting consequences key habitats, better understand geographic information systems on wild species and their spaces the habitat requirements for (GIS), programs which map might be, may seem a daunting select species, habitat suitability data sets in real-world locations, task. of an area, or to predict the such predictions can be used distribution of species in response to characterize the distribution Habitat modeling may aid in the to environmental changes, among and diversity of species across development, implementation, many other applications, so long landscapes [2,3,4,5]. and prioritization of wildlife as their limitations have been conservation efforts by providing For example, the location of accounted for. valuable insight into these and a Horned Lark (Eremophila other uncertainties. There are as many model alpestris) observation has types as there are applications. corresponding habitat information, DESPITE OF ITS COMMONALITY IN However, Resource Selection such as terrain, vegetation, and SOUTHERN ALBERTA, THE HORNED Functions (RSFs) have become climatic characteristics that, LARK HAS EXPERIENCED A DRAMATIC an increasingly popular tool in when combined, influence POPULATION DECLINE IN NORTH modelling the habitat associations the likelihood of a Horned AMERICA OVER THE LAST 50 YEARS, THE of flora and fauna in research Lark occurring in the area. By MECHANISMS OF WHICH ARE NOT YET and conservation efforts comparing the habitat information FULLY UNDERSTOOD. ALAN VERNON 2008 worldwide. RSFs are statistical of numerous locations where (WIKIMEDIA COMMONS) the bird was observed, we can begin to discern the relationship between these habitat characteristics and AN RSF FOR THE HORNED LARK WITHIN ALBERTA’S MILK RIVER WATERSHED WAS DEVELOPED BY COMPARING THE AMOUNT OF GRASSLAND COVER, LITTER, VEGETATION DENSITY, TOPOGRAPHY, AND PRECIPITATION RECEIVED 1 YEAR PRIOR, 2 YEARS PRIOR, AND DURING THE NESTING SEASON, ALLOWING THE MODEL TO CHANGE OVER TIME. BROOK SKAGEN FALL 2019 3 the presence of Horned Lark. In the end, each On the Covers: habitat characteristic selected for use in the model has a FRONT COVER positive or negative effect on The five needle pines may be starkly beautiful even when dead, but they the likelihood of the species are still dead! Michael