aca annualreport 2011-12

8/11/2019 ACA AnnualReport 2011-12

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Annual Report 2011/12


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Cover Photo: Trail Cam photo of wolverine ( Gulo gulo).

Charitable Registration Number:88994 6141 RR0001

Alberta Conservation Association101 9 Chippewa RoadSherwood Park, AB 8A 6J7

el: 780-410-1999

oll ree: 1-877-969-9091

Fax: 780-464-0990

Email: in [email protected]

Tis document is available online at:ab-conservation.com/publications

Our MissionACA conserves, protects andenhances sh, wildli e andhabitat or all Albertans toenjoy, value and use.

Our VisionAn Alberta with an abundance anddiversity o sh, wildli e and theirhabitat; where uture generationscontinue to use, enjoy and value ourrich outdoor heritage.


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4 Alberta Conservation Association Annual Report 2011/2012

Board of DirectorsExecutive

om Bateman, Chairman & Southern Board Liaison

Alberta Hunter Education Instructors AssociationPatrick Long, Vice ChairmanWild Sheep Foundation Alberta

Colin Gosselin, Secretary Public At Large, Northeast Region

Sandra Foss, reasurerNature Alberta

Randy Collins, Past ChairAlberta Fish & Game Association

DirectorsBrian Bildson - Public At Large, Business Representative

Jeff Surtees - rout Unlimited Canada

ravis Ripley - Ministers Representative, Environment andSustainable Resource Development

Gordon Burton - Alberta Pro essional Outtters Society

Calvin Rakach - Public At Large, Central Region

Dr. Lee Foote - Public At Large, Academic Representative

Jeff Smith - Public At Large, Southern Region

Dr. Mark Boyce - ACA/University o Alberta Chair in Fisheriesand Wildli e

Bill Abercrombie - Alberta rappers Association

Bob Haysom - Pheasants Forever, Alberta Council

Adam Norris - Public At Large, Northwest Region

Ken Ambrock - Public At Large, Northern Board Liaison

Vacant - reaty 8 First Nations o Alberta

Member Groups:Alberta Fish & Game Association

Alberta Hunter EducationInstructors Association

Alberta Pro essional OutttersSociety

Alberta rappers Association

Nature Alberta

Pheasants Forever, Alberta Council

reaty 8 First Nations o Albertarout Unlimited Canada

Wild Sheep Foundation Alberta


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About UsSince our inception as a non-prot in 1997, AlbertaConservationAssociation (ACA) has directed hundredsof millions of dollars towards thousands of conservationefforts across Alberta, from studies on the largest speciesto the securement of vast tracts of precious habitat. Everydollar from shing and hunting l icense sales and everypartnership contributes to the conservation of Albertaswild heritage. Together we are securing the future ofcountless species of sh and wildlife and the habitat theycall home while providing Albertans with access to a

myriad of sustainable outdoor recreation activit ies.

Delegated Roles and ResponsibilitiesAlberta Conservation Association holds special statusas a delegated administrative organization (DAO),which means that we deliver responsibilities as outlinedin the Wildlife Act and dened in a Memorandumof Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry ofEnvironment and Sustainable Resource Development(ESRD).

In our role as a DAO, results from our populationstudies, surveys and assessments feed directly intoESRD management plans and form the basis for shingand hunting regulation changes and evaluations ofnew management strategies, such as the special walleyeshing license.


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Milk River Basin where MULTISARcollaborates with landowners to enhancehabitat for wildlife.

photo: Brad Downey, ACA


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7Alberta Conservation Association Annual Report 2011/2012

ACA is testimony to the adage strength in numbers. We may not have thebiggest staff or the longest history in the province, but together with ourmember groups we bring a rich and diverse history in sheries and wildli econservation to the table. Every member group, staff member, corporate

partner and volunteer contributes immensely toward securing the uture owildli e and sh in our province.

As you read this annual report, I hope you appreciate the scale andimportance o what ACA has achieved once again this year, thanks to thededication and commitment o everyone who works together to achieve ourcommon goal o conservation. Given the vision, mission and passion o ourBoard and staff, I assure you the best is yet to come.

However, we ace huge challenges. Alberta is almost entirely urbanized.Our citizens come rom all around the world. Some come rom countrieswhere access to wildli e is minimal and where virtually no ormal wildli emanagement policies exist. We must recognize there is a tremendousopportunity to introduce newcomers to Albertas natural areas as well aseducate them about responsible stewardship o wildli e and habitat. Anotherchallenge is enabling residents o our cities to become better acquainted withwildli e and the pressures brought to bear on our richbut non-renewablewild resources.

I joined the ACA Board in 2004 because o my li elong interest in the well-being o our wildli e and sh. I believe ACAs conservation model is uniquein North America. Our collective vision, mission and passion create immensepotential or good work, and our ability to contribute toward conservationpolicies is virtually unlimited. During this past year this potential un olded asnever be ore. Te leadership o odd Zimmerling has taken the vision to newheights and we are all excited about the uture o ACAbut more importantlythe health o our wildli e and sheries.

I believe our greatest challenge over the next decade will be to engage as manyAlbertans as possible, directly and indirectly, in conservation. All Albertansneed to understand the energy, resources and expertise necessary to protectour wildli e and sh and realize how they contribute to our quality o li e.

Respect ully,

om Bateman, Chairman o the Board

From the Chairman


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Todd Zimmerling at the 2011 Taber Pheasant Festival.

photo: Darren Dorge, ACA


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Te Festivals success was a result o partnerships amongthe organizing groups (AHEIA, AFGA, PF, CanadianPheasant Company, Upland Birds Alberta, aber andDistrict Chamber o Commerce) and local landowners.

Another unique initiative we launched in 2011/12 was thehal -hour Lets Go Outdoors V program with MichaelShort. Te response rom stakeholders and the public hasbeen overwhelming. Tis project is heavily supportedby corporate partners. Its an excellent opportunityto educate the public about conservation activities inAlberta and connect them to the outdoors and the rolehunters, anglers and trappers play in conserving sh,wildli e and habitat.

Each organization has its own operating goals, but

we proudly share one common goal: to ensure uturegenerations have access to the same outdoor recreationalactivit ies we enjoy today. As we move into 2012/13 withour partners, we will continue to work together so thatevery precious conservation dollar and volunteer hour isused in the most efficient and effective manner.

Alberta has vast potential to stand out as a conservationleader, despite the immense development pressure weare witnessing today. Te conservation community isdedicated to achieving thiskeeping Alberta wild orgenerations to come.

Sincerely,

odd Zimmerling

President and CEOAlberta Conservation Association

President and CEOs Message

Tis last year is one ull o achievements. Ourpartnerships grew, and with it, our ability to conserve theland, wildli e and water that make Alberta a naturally vibrant, hea lthy place to live. Te greatest conservation

results are achieved by working together, and the extentto which we achieve them is magnied with support romothers. We are grate ul to the organizations that havededicated resources to various projects through 2011/12;Alberta Sustainable Resource Development (ASRD),Alberta Hunter Education Instructors Association(AHEIA), Alberta Fish & Game Association (AFGA),Alberta rappers Association (A A), Nature Alberta(NA), Pheasants Forever (PF) and a wide range o smallerlocal groups.

Te appreciation we have or our partners goes beyond

words. Teir commitment to our work and support o$4.2 million in non-levy revenue mean we can ocus ondelivering results on a wide range o projects. ogetherwe have success ully secured some 1,754 acres (710 ha)o habitat as new Conservation Sites. Conserving thesewild spaces or outdoor recreation ensures Albertanscan continue to experience nature by hiking, hunting,shing, oraging and viewing wildli e. As in previousyears, AFGA (and their affiliated clubs), PF, NatureConservancy o Canada (NCC), and Ducks UnlimitedCanada (DUC) were instrumental in the securement o

these sites.Assistance provided by our partner groups directlybeneted our Wildli e, Fisheries and Land programs;particularly rom AFGA, ASRD, A A, Delta Water owl,DUC, NCC, PF, rout Unlimited Canada and variouswatershed groups. Tese collaborations contribute tomore efficient and effective use o hunter and anglerdollars in Alberta, ensuring the best overall benet orsh, wildli e, and habitat.

Among the new initiatives launched in 2011/12 was theaber Pheasant Festival. Tis is the rst time ACA was

directly involved and it was a huge success, with nearly500 hunters participating throughout the week.


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Our People Our Culture

Mike Ranger, ACA conductsvegetation monitoring at the

Upper North Saskatchewan Riverprescribed burn.

photo: Corey Rasmussen, ACA


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Health and SafetyProgramWorkplace sa ety is a serious matter,particularly when a large segmento an organizations staff are out onthe road or in remote eld locations.Our Health and Sa ety Program hasbeen specically built to provide allour staff the best possible training,policies and procedures to ensuretheir sa ety and well-being nomatter where the job takes them. Werequire everyone who works withus in any capacity (be it employees,contractors, volunteers, visitors,etc.) to comply with ACAs Healthand Sa ety related policies andprocedures or the protection othemselves and others.

2011/12 Overview We worked diligently to ensure

all aspects o ACAs Healthand Sa ety Program met orexceeded established standardsin preparation or our applicationto the Certicate o Recognition(COR) program. Te programwas reviewed to ensure policiesand procedures were consistentlyadhered to and appropriaterecords maintained. Several staffwere trained as COR auditors.ACA was then peer reviewed andduring the latter part o the yearwas interviewed by a certiedexternal COR auditor. We

achieved an overall score o 93%,resulting in ACA success ullyobtaining COR designationissued by Alberta Employmentand Immigration and co-signedby the Certi ying Partner

Reviews and updates weremade to the Health and Sa etyManual throughout the year,incorporating insight, commentsand suggestions rom ACA staff

We saw an overall reductionin the number o workplaceincidents, with no specic typeo workplace hazard identiedas particularly signicant orcommon among ACA work

environments. Tis can beattributed to increased awarenessand appropriate proactive orpreventative actions takenby ACA staff. All incidents at

ACA are reviewed to reduce oreliminate potential hazards

Human ResourcesACA accomplishes a lot o work over vast territory every year, thanks inlarge part to our 78 permanent staffand 22 temporary seasonal staff.Human Resources not only ensuresthe best people are recruited or

the job, but we are also integral tokeeping our most valuable resource our staff trained, sa e, educatedand satised with the organization.

Year afer year, it is ourhardworking, dedicated staff bothin the office and in the eld thattruly makes it possible to ConserveAlbertas Wild Side. Congratulationsand thanks are extended to the

ollowing individuals who have

achieved signicant Years o Servicemilestones this year.

5 Years of ServicePeter Aku, Fisheries ProgramManagerBrad Hurkett, Intermediate BiologistLeila Lassey, Intermediate Finance

echnician

2011/12 Overview

Employee Survey We are very pleased with the resultso our annual employee survey.Highlights include: An impressive 97.4% o

employees have a goodunderstanding o ACAs identityand messaging thanks to toolssuch as the internal website,publications and variousmeetings conducted throughout

the organization 93.5% o employees agree they are

satised with ACA as a place towork, setting a new record high

90.9% o employees are satisedwith having a good work-li e

balance and a high o 91% aresatised with ACAs benet plan

Employee Retention urnover is at 5.1%, a slight

increase rom the previous year We will continue to increase

job satis act ion by providingemployees the opportunityto maximize their abilitieswhile improving their workingenvironment

InformationTechnologyAs we continue to grow as anorganization, the management o ,and ease o access to, systems anddatabases becomes increasinglyimportant. In ormation echnology(I ) is committed to ndingsolutions, increasing operationalefficiencies and saving resources insupport o this growth.

2011/12 Overview Migrated to Windows 7. Wesaved $12,000 in licensing ees by

utilizing non-prot programs Implemented ArcGIS 10.0 or

staff that require GIS as part otheir day-to-day activities

Formed a GIS staff-basedcommittee to plan uture GISenvironment developmentswithin ACA

Developed an aeration database

or sheries biologists towarehouse in ormation romlakes and ponds across theprovince

ested new web-based toolsto assist staff with day-to-dayactivities, easing time and costswithin I

Provided daily technical supportor issues relating to sofware,

hardware, network and mobilitysystems


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Warrensville Conservation Site

photo: Jennifer Straub, ACA

103Map Grid C2


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CommunicationsWe continued to expand ourdigital reach into 2011/12, keeping

newsletter subscribers, website visitors and app holders as up-to-the-minute as possible with thehappenings at ACA. Several o thesedigital media saw dramatic increasesin traffic and use over the last 12months.

Perhaps our most signicant orayinto new media opportunities camein the orm o theGuide to Outdoor Adventure app, launched on May

12. Tis app is available or iPhoneand is a complete mobile version oour popular Discover Albertas WildSide: Annual Outdoor AdventureGuide publication. Users can searchall 700+ Conservation Sites by name,proximity, or type o activity. Teapp also includes a number o use uland interesting articles and tips onAlbertas big outdoors and its wildinhabitants. Within three months

we had received in excess o 10,000downloads. Our goal was not only togive die-hard hunting and anglingenthusiasts a new, robust tool touse when planning their outdooradventures, but also to attract ayounger, more diverse audience aswell as tap into the signicant touristtraffic that visits our province everyyear.

Since the launch, we have also

completed our rst round omajor updates to the app. Userscan now search the 500+ huntingConservation Sites by Wildli eManagement Unit (WMU). ocomplement this unctionality, we

also added Hunter ips and Sa ety(in ormation courtesy o AHEIA),Ice Fishing ips and Sa ety as wellas some new seasonal photos and

Conservation Site Getaways. TeWMU search is also available onour website at ab-conservation.com/guide.

We have achieved success with thepublic relations surrounding theapp as well, with several onlinenewspaper editions across Canadaand the US picking up the story inthe second quarter o 2011. As oMarch 31, 2012, the app received16,208 downloads. We have alsocompleted development o mobileweb pages or Blackberry andAndroid users.

A surprisingly happy jump camerom our electronic newsletter,

which saw a whopping increase o17,700+ subscribers last year, thanksin large part to WIN card renewals.Tis monthly publication now goes

out to some 47,000 subscribers.In addition, our open and click-through rates are approximately 15%higher than industry average. Weappreciate the ongoing support oour long-term and new subscribersand are pleased at the conrmationthat the stories and in ormation wepublish is o interest and value to ourreaders.

Along similar lines, the Spring/

Summer 2012 edition oConservation Magazine grew by

our pages at the request o ourBoard o Directors, who urged usto keep providing all the news andinsights we can into the outdoors

and conservation in Alberta. Wethank them or their support andencouragement as well.

Other internal and generalhousekeeping projects includedpromotion, design and webpages orthe 2011 aber Pheasant Festival,completing posters, signage,banners, brochures and other toolsto help program areas achieve theirannual goals. We made severalimprovements to the CorporatePartners in Conservation (CPIC) andWIN Card Benets program pageson our website. Several additionalwebsite updates and improvementshave been scheduled to launch into2012.

2011/12 Overview Publications 2010/2011 Annual Report produced 2011/2012 Annual Operating Plan

produced Discover Albertas Wild Side:

Annual Outdoor Adventure Guide Fourth edition published

and 100,000 copies printed anddistributed

Launched the Alberta Outdoor Adventure Guide App 16,208 users downloaded the

ree app off i unes Conservation Magazine

Published bi-annually

Distributed hard copies to40,000 subscribers andapproximately 30,000 onlinereaders

2012/2015 Strategic Business PlanUpdate

Conservation Programs


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Web 117,025 unique visitors to www.

ab-conservation.com, up 84%rom last year

Social Media 1,689 Responded to our Report

A Poacher online survey 53,329 E-newsletter subscribers

(Wild Mail) an increase o 27,326(over 100%) rom 2010

811 Facebook Likes 594 witter ollowers

YouTube 9,412 viewers

Lets Go Outdoorspartnership generated: Radio

8,320 total occasions on radioproduced in partnership withLets Go Outdoors, combinedbetween radio eature stories andthe one-minute commercials

1,600 additional occasionsrecorded with opening and

closing billboards on theweekend radio show

4,992 occasions o one-minutedaily radio columns, each othese aired at a minimum othree times per day, seven daysa week

elevision

LGO V program aired onC V2 with an average o 9,000 viewers per episodes (13). Teshow was also carried by ShawCable Edmonton. Shaw re-airedall 13 episodes several times.

Vignettes 10 one-minute television

vignettes produced inpartnership with Lets GoOutdoors

48 television occasionsresulted (each vignette was airedover a two week period duringthe prime time supper newsbreaks)

3 million viewers reached 26 eature stories produced

resulting in 10,816 occasionson the weekend show and 6,240occasions or daily eatures

3 stand-alone eaturesproduced on the WIN Cardbenet program that ran on theweekend show resulting in 256occasions

Business DevelopmentWe rely heavily upon sponsorships

rom the business community toachieve our annual operating goalsand leverage unding or signicantmilestones in conservation work andhabitat securement. Were pleased tobe a desired and welcomed partnerto many Alberta corporations thatsupport our various projects andalign themselves with our work and values.

ACAs Corporate Partners inConservation (CPIC) Program goes

beyond most offset programs byproviding unique opportunities orAlberta businesses to play a vitalrole in conserving Albertas naturalheritage. Our CPIC participantsenjoy the ability to promote theiraffiliation with us through theirown communications, and benetalso rom ACAs promotion o thesepartnerships through our existingcommunications initiatives.

Business Development is alsoresponsible or generatingrevenue through advertising salesto offset costs associated withCommunications activities ontelevision, radio and our in-housepublications, Conservation Magazine and the Discover Albertas Wild Side: Annual Outdoor Adventure Guide.

2011/12 Overview Six companies signed on as

Corporate Partners inConservation:1. Cabelas Canada2. Canadian Association o

Petroleum Producers3. Cycle Works Motorsports4. DOW Chemical Canada5. Windshield Surgeons6. Lets Go Outdoors

Secured more than $70,000 inadvertising sales in the two 2011issues o Conservation Magazine and the 2011-2012 Discover Albertas Wild Side: AnnualOutdoor Adventure Guide a75% increase over last year.

Lets Go Outdoors on location.2011 Taber Pheasant Festival.

photo: Darren Dorge, ACA


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Wildlife ProgramWildlife projects are delivered within four areas: 1) Ungulates, 2) UplandGame Birds, 3) Waterfowl, and

4) Species at Risk

Catch a glimpse of acryptic carnivoreYoure almost as likely to catch aglimpse o a Sasquatch as you area wolverine when out in the wild.Tis shy behaviour, coupled withthe rugged landscapes they haunt,make it difficult to learn aboutwolverines and their reactions tohuman disturbance. As part o theWHILDZ project, we partnered withthe Alberta rappers Association tocompile in ormation their membersnd on wolverines, beginning withtesting eld protocols this pastwinter. rail camera data romselect locations provided evidenceo visitation rates and times, whileDNA results rom hair samples willidenti y individuals, enhancing ourunderstanding o their movementswithin Alberta and outside ourborders. We also reviewed trappingrecords stretching back to the early1970s which suggest about 25% otrap lines in Alberta have reportedwolverine harvests over this period,as compared to 4% recording aharvest in 2011.

Keeping it wildAn important step in conservingwilderness areas is to identi ywhere they are and put thisin ormation into a structure thatis easy to access and understand.Were creating a mapping tool thatidenties wilderness areas and keywildli e in these wild spaces. Doneeffectively, this tool will providecritical in ormation that can beused by stakeholders, industry and

government in land use planningdiscussions and negotiations.Tis past year we mapped humandisturbance within an area greaterthan 5,000 km 2 in southwesternAlberta by overlaying roads, trails,

pipelines and recent cut blocks. Wecaptured over 40,000 remote photosat mineral licks to explain their dailyand seasonal use by different species.Among the ungulates observedwere mountain goats, mountainsheep, elk, moose, mule deer andwhite-tailed deer. Many o theselicks are used or a long period otime beginning in late spring whenthe snow melts and continuinginto early all. Well be addingmovement corridors and other areaso importance or elk in the comingyear.

Friendly farmingTe prairies offer a wide tapestry ohabitat or wildli e when in its nativepristine orm, but nding suitablehabitat can be a challenge or manyspecies when converted to cropland.We work with landowners withinthe Habitat Legacy Partnershipproject to enhance their land orwildli e while sustaining a protable

arming operation. Ofen we assist

with identi ying areas that aremarginal or production but greatlybenet pheasants and other speciesthat thrive in close proximity tointensive crop operations. Manylandowners nd that 5-10% o theirland base is marginal at best, andcan easily be sequestered as wildli ehabitat without hurting the bottomline. We planted more than 13 kmo shrub to create winter pheasant

habitat in 2011, and used more than14 km o drip irrigation to osterearly shrub growth. We assess howour enhancement areas benetother birds as well, and ound morethan 50 species at both control andtreatment sites.

Pulling togetherMuch o the land base throughoutthe Milk River basin is a mix o

cattle and arming operations. OurMUL ISAR program works with volunteer landowners to benetmultiple species, in particularthose that are at risk. Working withproject partners, we help landowners

develop habitat conservationstrategies on their land, and targetspecic enhancements that benetboth wildli e and the landowner. In2011, we seeded 680 acres back to

native grass, o which 320 acres is incritical sage grouse habitat. We alsoplanted 400 silver sage brush plugsin a natural mosaic to both test thisprocedure and provide a criticalresource or sage grouse.

Big game surveysPronghorn surveys seemed toconrm what many hunterssuspected: 2011s harsh winter led toa dramatic decline in numbers the

ollowing summer. Aerial mountaingoat surveys, normally own in earlyJuly, had to be postponed to allowthe heavy snow pack to recede. Assuch, nanny groups were harderto nd, but we will not know untilsummer 2012 whether this was theresult o a population change orsimply an arti act o the extendedsnow cover in the mountains. By

contrast, snow all was abnormallylow in winter 2012 which caused usto cancel nearly 75% o the surveysthis past winter. Despite theseabnormal weather patterns we wereable to complete 13 surveys orungulates, including the goat andpronghorn estimates mentionedabove.

Dancing kings of AlbertaEach spring, male sharp-tailedgrouse put on their dancing shoesto impress the ladies at sites knownas leks. While this showy displayis hard to orget or anyone luckyenough to come across a lek, itsquite a challenge to nd theselocations when searching over abroad geographic space. In 2011,as part o the Sharp-tailed GrouseHabitat Inventory project we began

trialling an approach or detectingleks by using remote listeningdevices (song metres). Our goal isto evaluate how effective they are atdetecting sounds made at leks, andassess how reliable they are when


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units are placed at intervals rom 0 1000 metres rom a lek. As predicted,detections decreased at greaterdistances rom a lek and increasedwhen sound recordings were pooled

over multiple days.

Fleet of footPronghorn are highly-specializedprairie dwellers that thrive in openspaces. Te increasing prominence ocattle ranching into southern Albertahas brought a serious physicalbarrier to pronghorn: they have notdeveloped the behaviour to jumpover obstacles like ences. Ofen seen

skirting a long ence lines seekinga place to duck underneath, lowlying ences can impede pronghornmovement and ofen scalps hair romtheir backs as they stoop under thebottom wire. In 2011, we mappedover 25,000 km o ence line in 363townships to highlight key areas inneed o ence modications. Fencedensity was almost two times higherin grassland townships compared

to cultivated ones. As part o theWhere the Pronghorn Cross project,we continued our work with AlbertaFish and Game volunteers to modi y

ences in key areas along pronghornmigration routes.

2011/12 Overview Te largest numbers o

individuals o the same speciesdocumented at a mineral lick at

one time was 23 mountain goats,18 mule deer, 15 bighorn sheepand 10 wolves (but not all at thesame lick!)

40 new hunters harvested theirrst bird by partnering withother groups to host two novicepheasant hunts

53 species and over 600individual birds were recorded atHabitat Legacy Partnership sites

to evaluate the benets o habitatenhancements to species otherthan pheasants

Heavy snow pack rom winter2011 delayed mountain goatsurveys in summer 2011, butwe did complete counts in theCrowsnest Pass and GrandeCache areas

Pronghorn numbers were downsubstantially across their range

in summer 2011 ollowing severesnow storms rom the previouswinter

$600,000+ secured rom partnerswith our land management teamto purchase 960 acres o habitat

42 sites received trail camerasalong ence lines to observepronghorn behaviour. Te vastmajority o pronghorn did notcross an unimproved ence line

within camera range 53% occupancy was noted at 59

sites known to have previouslybeen active as a sharp-tailedgrouse lek in the northwest nearGrand Prairie

10 km o trails enhanced withimproved access on ACA-managed Conservation Sites orruffed grouse hunting

Opposite:

Where the Pronghorn Cross project:page wire to be removed along CPrail line, J-BAR-J Ranch.

photo: Paul Jones, ACA


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Abbreviations Index

ac acre

fish/h fish caught per hour

fish kept/h fish kept per hour

fish/100 m2 of net/24 h fish captured per 100 m2of net per 24 hours

h hour

ha hectare

h/ha hours per hectare

km kilometre

m metre

m2 square metres

mg/L milligrams per litre

mm millimetre

mpn/100 mL most probable number of coliforms per 100millilitres

g/L micrograms per litre

y year


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Big Game SurveysBig game surveys providein ormation on population sizes andtrends, population demographicsand reproductive output or anumber o ungulate species inAlberta. Many stakeholders areinterested in these data, includinghunters and resource managers.Alberta Sustainable ResourceDevelopment uses these data asa source o in ormation to assistwith setting hunting quotas and toaid land use planning efforts. Wework in partnership with AlbertaSustainable Resource Developmentto deliver these surveys in selectwildli e management units acrossthe province.

In 2011/12, we had to cancel 75%o the surveys that we planned todeliver during the winter because obelow-normal snow all. However,we were able to conduct surveys

or multiple ungulate species inAlberta; these surveys provided 22population estimates. Additionally,our staff assisted with two surveys

unded by Alberta SustainableResource Development. Weentered all data into the provincialFisheries and Wildli e ManagementIn ormation System. We will uploadsummary in ormation to our webpage or public viewing once nalreports are completed in earlysummer 2012, making it available tothe hunters and anglers who pay orthe majority o costs associated withthis project.

PartnershipsAlberta Sustainable ResourceDevelopment

Alberta NorthernLeopard Frog RecoveryProgramTe northern leopard rog has

suffered dramatic populationdeclines in many parts o its range inAlberta and is listed as a Treatened species in the province. ACA is amember o the Alberta NorthernLeopard Frog Recovery eam and is

involved in the delivery o strategicactions outlined in the speciesrecovery plan. Between 2007 and2010, we attempted to establishnorthern leopard rogs at 10 sites

through egg translocations. Insummer 2011, we observed rogs at

our o these reintroduction sites,including evidence o success ulbreeding at two o these sites. Inresponse to identied habitat threatsat select sites, we implementedstewardship activities to mitigatepotential negative impacts o cattleon important habitat. We monitoredexisting stewardship sites in summer

2011 to ensure their operationcontinues to achieve intendedobjectives. One o these stewardshipsites (Jenner Springs) displayeda weed problem (Canada thistle)that had colonized a discontinuousarea o approximately 7,000 m2. Wediscussed Canada thistle controland eradication strategies with thelandholder or implementationin summer 2012. We believe

landowners play an important rolein al leviating habitat threats thatimpact northern leopard rogs inAlberta.

PartnershipsAlberta Sustainable ResourceDevelopment, Alberta ourism,Parks and Recreation, Governmento Canada Habitat StewardshipProgram or Species at Risk,Parks Canada, D Friends o the

Environment Foundation

Alberta Wildlife StatusReportsTe Alberta Wildli e Status ReportSeries provides comprehensivesummaries o the status o selectedwildli e species in Alberta. Highpriority species are those considered At Risk or May Be At Risk in TeGeneral Status of Alberta Wild

Species 2010 or considered tobe at risk at a national level bythe Committee on the Status oEndangered Wildli e in Canada.Each spring, ACA and staff romAlberta Sustainable Resource

Development prioritize the speciesthat are most in need o a detailedstatus assessment. Status reportscontain in ormation on speciesdistribution, habitat, population,

limiting actors and management inAlberta and provide a basis or theScientic Subcommittee (o AlbertasEndangered Species ConservationCommittee; ESCC) to complete a

ormal status assessment o thatspecies. Te Subcommittee providesthe ESCC with the ormal statusevaluation, and the stakeholder-based ESCC concurs or withholdsconcurrence o the recommended

status, which is then provided tothe Minister o Alberta SustainableResource Development to determinethe legal designation. ACA overseesthe entire publication process

or status reports, including thecontracting o experts to write thereport, editing drafs, supervisingthe external review process,completing the nal ormatting,and distributing printed reports.

In 2011/12, we published one newstatus report (pygmy whitesh)and initiated our others (prairierattlesnake, hare- ooted locoweed,western grebe, brassy minnow).


Habitat LegacyPartnershipUpland game birds are highly valued

or their showy colours, breedingdisplays and long history in thehunting tradition o Alberta. Ring-necked pheasants require a varietyo habitats that provide suitablecover or nesting, brood rearingand travel. In 2011/12, we worked inpartnership with Pheasants Forever(Calgary, Chinook and Lethbridgechapters), private landowners,

municipal districts, i rrigationdistricts and on ACA-managed sitesto support enhancement activities

or upland habitat. We hostedlandowner advisory workshopsthat were strongly supported by


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participants interested in ndingways to improve wildli e habitat onworking arms. Tese workshopshave led to arm visits where tailor-made enhancements are planned. We

planted more than 13 km o shrubrows to improve winter habitat andinstalled more than 14 km o dripirrigation to increase the probabilityo success ul shrub growth. We alsocollaborated with a student at theUniversity o Lethbridge and usedpoint count data collected at ourenhancement and control sites todevelop a baseline inventory o avianspecies present at each site. Given the

short period that enhancements havebeen in place, we did not anticipatenor nd large differences in speciesdiversity between enhanced andcontrol sites. However, this earlyprocess o evaluation has helpedrene our protocol or ongoingevaluation o these enhancementsand their effect on habitat andspecies diversity and abundance.

PartnershipsAlberta Hunter EducationInstructors Association,landowners, Municipal District o

aber, Pheasants Forever CalgaryChapter, Chinook Chapter andLethbridge Chapter, St. Mary RiverIrrigation District, University oLethbridge

Hay-Zama WetlandMonitoringTis program was developed inresponse to concerns about thepotential impact o oil and gasactivities on water owl within theHay-Zama wetland complex. As acondition o operation within thecomplex, Albertas Energy ResourcesConservation Board requires oiland gas companies to monitorstaging water owl and suspendproduction o a well i water owl

numbers exceed the level o 600individuals within 30 m o a well.

o monitor water owl numbers,we y weekly aerial surveys duringspring and all migration periodsover all producing oil and gas wells

within the complex. Our weeklysurveys also include an establishedroute over the entire complex toestimate the aggregate number ostaging water owl observed or each

survey, which we use to assess whenthe bulk o migration occurs. In2011, we observed peak numbers owater owl during the second surveyweek in spring (May 5) and thethird survey week in all (September15). Water owl concentrations didnot exceed threshold levels at anywell site during the 2011 migrationperiods. We also ew a single aerialsurvey or bald eagle nests within

the complex on June 7, 2011 andobserved six active nests.

PartnershipsHay-Zama Committee,NuVista Energy Ltd.

MUL ISARMUL ISAR is a multi-speciesstewardship program or speciesat risk ocusing on the Milk Riverand associated watersheds. Teprogram is a collaborative effortamong landowners, ACA, AlbertaSustainable Resource Developmentand the Prairie ConservationForum. In 2011/12, we completeddetailed wildli e and range surveyson 19,489 ac o land and completedve habitat plans. Te provinciallyEndangered erruginous hawk andnationally Treatened loggerheadshrike, chestnut-collared longspurand Spragues pipit are a ew o thespecies we identied on these lands.We implemented enhancementson eight properties, including thereseeding o 680 ac back to nativegrass, sa eguarding three trees thatcould be used by erruginous hawks

or nesting, controlling lea y spurge,planting 600 native shrubs (silversagebrush, thorny buffaloberry andchokecherry), and installing 3.6 km

o wildli e- riendly ence. Troughopen communication, we continueto build long-term relationships withthe landowners who care or ourwildli e and increase their awarenesso species at risk. Tese relationships

help us implement stewardshipactivities that benet wildli e andcomplement the business strategieso individual landowners.

PartnershipsAlberta Sustainable ResourceDevelopment, AltaLink, CanadianNational Sportsmen Shows,Canadian Natural ResourcesLimited, Environment Canada Environmental Damages Fund,Government o Canada HabitatStewardship Program or Speciesat Risk, landowners, PrairieConservation Forum

Piping Plover RecoveryProgramTe piping plover is a small, blackand white, stubby-billed shorebirdlisted as Endangered under AlbertasWildlife Act . We address threats

acing piping plover populationsthrough the enhancement o habitatand the protection o nests. Wealso conduct annual surveys oncore breeding lakes to monitorpopulation numbers and the successo our recovery actions. Our work isdone with the support o the AlbertaPiping Plover Recovery eam,

unding partners and the manylandowners throughout east-centraland southern Alberta.

In spring 2011, ACA, AlbertaSustainable Resource Development,Alberta ourism, Parks and

Recreation and the Departmento National De ence carried outpopulation inventories on 70waterbodies or piping ploversas part o the fh InternationalPiping Plover Census. In total, weobserved 244 adults on 24 lakesand we recorded 10 or more adultson 11 o these lakes. During thecensus, we recorded piping ploversthat were banded in Louisiana,Alabama and Mississippi as parto a project monitoring the effectso the major oil spill that occurredin the Gul o Mexico in 2010. Wesurveyed habitat on 70 lakes andrecorded contact with 34 landowners


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during the piping plover breedingseason. We also completed encingenhancements on our lakes toimprove breeding habitat and protectthe area rom livestock, bringing thetotal shoreline edge habitat protectedsince 2002 to over 48 km. One othese projects was the removal o anon-wildli e- riendly ence that hadbeen knocked down and submergedby rising water levels. Tis encehad been replaced with a wildli e-

riendly ence in summer 2010.

PartnershipsAlberta Sustainable Resource

Development, Alberta ourism,Parks and Recreation, landowners,Department o National De ence,Ducks Unlimited Canada, DFriends o the EnvironmentFoundation

Pronghorn ProgramPhase III MappingFencesTe pronghorn is the most

specialized and representative largemammal that is considered to beendemic to the Grasslands NaturalRegion o Alberta. Having evolvedon the prairies o North America,pronghorn have not developed aninstinct to jump vertical obstacles.Te increase in encing that ollowedcattle ranching into Alberta posesa serious barrier to pronghornmovement. Pronghorn may cross

under ence lines in some locations,but crossing under slows downtheir movements making themsusceptible to predators and maystrip hair off their backs causinglacerations and making them vulnerable to in ection and rostbite.We mapped 25,015 km o ence linein 363 townships in southeasternAlberta. We set up 42 cameras onCanadian Forces Base Suffield and

monitored the existing ence linesor a month. Afer one month, we

randomly changed 21 ence lines togoat bars, which hold the bottom

ence wire up, and monitoredence lines to see how pronghorn

reacted to the enhancement. Werecorded behaviour or 156 events

or six species and ound that themajority o ungulates did not crossthe ence line. As results rom the

ence modication enhancementstudy become available, we willdisseminate our ndings tostakeholders, wildli e managers andconservation groups to help guide

uture work aimed at removingbarriers to pronghorn movement.

PartnershipsAlberta Fish and Game Association,Bushnell, Cabelas Canada, Canadian

Forces Base Suffield, Sa ari ClubInternational Northern AlbertaChapter (Hunting Heritage Fund),World Wildli e Fund, Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park

Restoring NaturalHabitat for WildlifeTis project ( ormerly delivered asUngulate Winter Range Restoration)helps restore natural ecosystem

patterns and wildli e habitat values within landscape units (e.g.,watershed subbasins) and ocal areasthat have aged beyond the naturalrange o variability. o achieve thisobjective, we provide planningand logistical support to AlbertaSustainable Resource Developmentsprescribed burn program,emulate natural disturbance usingmechanical clearing techniques,

evaluate and monitor restorationactivities on both public land andACA-managed land, and developlandscape plans and targets orenhancement and restorationtreatments.

In 2011/12, we did not participatein any planned prescribed burnsdue to un avourable springweather conditions delaying burnactivities. However, we worked

with Alberta Sustainable ResourceDevelopment to develop burn plans

or our Northwest, Central andSouth regions. We also collectedpost-burn vegetation data within57 subalpine sites o the Upper

North Saskatchewan prescribedburn. Preliminary analysis olandscape-level and ecosystemobjectives suggests the project isproceeding towards established

targets. Specically, the UpperNorth Saskatchewan burn appearsto have substantially improvedwinter habitat or elk within theCline River subbasin; primaryhabitat improved by 43% andsecondary habitat improved by 11%.Further, we tested new protocols orevaluating biological resources andhabitat restoration opportunities onsix Conservation Sites and ound

them to be efficient or gatheringbaseline inventories o species andhabitat. Finally, we developed astrategic plan that outlines proposedlandscape and ecosystem objectives

or restoring natural disturbancepatterns within the Montanesubregion o the Porcupine Hills.Tis document will help directrestoration activities and providebenchmarks to evaluate the successo uture restoration work.

PartnershipsAlberta Sustainable ResourceDevelopment, D Friends o theEnvironment Foundation

Ruffed GrouseRecreational AccessACA has a strong history o securingand protecting habitat to benetwildli e and the recreating public.Ruffed grouse are highly soughtby upland bird hunters and offerexceptional t raditional and amily-

riendly hunting experiences. Tisproject provides Albertans withsmall game hunting opportunitieson lands secured by ACA throughimprovement o trails to encouragehunter access and enhance habitatconditions or ruffed grouse.In 2011/12, we enhanced more

than 10 km o trail on ve ACAConservation Sites in the PeaceRiver area in northwestern Alberta.Enhancement activities includedremoving large debris along grown-in trails, mowing grass and small


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woody regrowth, and providing gritor ruffed grouse.

PartnershipsAlberta Fish and Game Association,

Weberville Community ModelForest

Sharp-tailed GrouseHabitat Inventory andStewardshipTis project attempts to rene anefficient approach or repeatedlysampling lek sites to estimateoccupancy over broad spatial areas.Ultimately, occupancy measures

could provide a suitable metricto evaluate population status. In2011/12, we began testing a modiedapproach or detecting sharp-tailedgrouse leks using remote listeningdevices (song metres). We ocusedour attention in the rst year onevaluating the utility o song metersto detect sounds made at lek sitesand assessing i detection decreasedwhen units were placed at intervals

rom 0 m to 1,000 m rom a leksite and increased when soundrecordings were pooled over multipledays. As predicted, detectionsusing song meters decreased asdistance rom a lek site increased(out to 500 m) and increased whensound recordings were pooled overmultiple days. We also visited 59 o103 historical lek sites to estimateoccupancy and ound that morethan hal o these sites were active.In addition to our lek monitoringwork, we continued to developpartnerships with provincial grazingreserves and members o the ruralcommunity to promote conservationand stewardship o breeding habitat.

PartnershipsAlberta Sustainable ResourceDevelopment, High Prairie GrazingReserve, Wanham Grazing Reserve

Waterfowl Crop DamagePrevention ProgramTis program assists agriculturalproducers in reducing damage to

crops caused by water owl duringall migration. oward this goal,

ACA provides water owl scaringequipment and advice ree-o -charge to producers. We also

maintain a web page that providesscaring advice and displays areas opotential water owl concentrationsthat hunters may use to plan theiractivities. In 2011/12, we provided74 landowners with 181 scarecannons. O these landowners, 34%allowed their contact in ormationto be provided to water owl hunters.Anecdotal evidence suggested thatmany landowners did not want their

contact in ormation shared becausethey already had other water owlhunters wanting to hunt on theirlands. We updated our web pageweekly through the all with areaso scare cannon use and receivedrequests rom ve water owl huntersseeking concentrations o water owlas a result o the web page.


Waterfowl NestingHabitat EnhancementTis project uses articial nestingstructures to enhance nesting habitat

or mallards (nest tunnels) andcommon goldeneye and buffleheadducks (nest boxes). Wheneverpossible, we engage volunteersto install, monitor and maintainthese structures. Tis involvementincreases our volunteersunderstanding and appreciation owater owl and their habitat needsand allows volunteers to participatein hands-on conservation.

In 2011/12, we provided 17 nesttunnels to volunteers or installation,bringing the total number oinstalled tunnels to 256 over thepast seven years. We engagedtwo conservation groups andseven landowners to assist withmaintaining and monitoring abouthal o these tunnels. In winter2011, we monitored 85 nest tunnels

and ound that 62 o these wereunctional or nesting, with the

remaining 23 damaged or missingrom ooding. O the 62 nest tunnels

available, 55% were used with 97%

success ully hatching at least oneduckling. We maintained 35 nestboxes and installed three new boxes,bringing the total number installedto 1,300 boxes since 1989. We invited300 landowners to participate inmaintaining and monitoring nestboxes located on their properties. Wealso provided an additional 21 nestboxes to industry and individuals orinstallation. Further, we distributed

over 400 copies o theNest BoxGuide for Waterfowl, Alberta Edition to individuals and groups, and wehosted two presentations and threeeld trips on water owl habitat needsto approximately 166 adults and 157youth.

PartnershipsAlberta Fish and Game Association,Delta Water owl, Ducks UnlimitedCanada, Syncrude Canada, Wildli eHabitat Canada, Windsor Plywood

Wildlife Volunteer andOutreach ProjectMembers o the public who volunteerwith ACA develop skills and gainknowledge related to conservationand simultaneously increase ACAscapacity to deliver our projects. In2011/12, we engaged 56 participants

rom the Alberta VolunteerAmphibian Monitoring Programand Crowsnest Conservation Societyin our Wildli e Program. Volunteerssubmitted a total o 245 amphibianand 18 reptile observations,including two snake hibernacula(den) locations. Te data collectedrepresented 90% o the amphibianand 67% o the reptile species nativeto the province and increased ourknowledge o the distribution

o herpeto auna in Alberta. Tisin ormation wil l help wildli emanagers to incorporate appropriatesetback distances around breedingponds used by sensitive species,such as boreal toad, into orestry


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Trappers collect wolverine hairsamples from alligator clips.

Wildlife Habitat Initiative in LowDisturbance Zones WolverineDistribution Mapping Project.

photo: Mike Jokinen, ACA


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harvest plans. Te data collectedwill also support the updating o thegeneral status o amphibians andreptiles in Alberta. o ensure ACAmaintains high-quality volunteer

opportunities, we developed anonline volunteer eedback survey.

PartnershipsAlberta Sustainable ResourceDevelopment, CrowsnestConservation Society, EdmontonReptile and Amphibian Society,Royal Alberta Museum, D Friendso the Environment Foundation

Wildlife HabitatInitiative in LowDisturbance Zones Habitat Resources andMovement Corridors inSouthwest AlbertaMany wildli e species seasonallydepend on localized, resource-richhabitats during their li e cycles.Unique habitat resources, suchas mineral licks and dense berrypatches, provide essential nutrientsto ungulates and carnivores orgrowth and development duringperiods o dietary deciency orincreased energy demand. In2011/12, we continued monitoringsome o these unique habitatresources (e.g., mineral licks) insouthwestern Alberta. We arecreating a database o uniquehabitat eatures and have compiled

a comprehensive spatial dataseto anthropogenic disturbances toidenti y areas o important wildli ehabitat with currently low levelso human disturbance. In 2012/13,we will work towards sharing thisin ormation with resource managersand users through the developmento an online mapping tool thatwill identi y key wildli e habitatresources and movement corridors.

We will continue to identi y thelocation and seasonal use o minerallicks, which we predict will varybased on vegetation conditionsthroughout the summer. We believethat the inventory o unique habitat

resources and mapping tool willsignicantly contribute to currentand uture land use planning insouthwestern Alberta.

PartnershipsAlberta Sustainable ResourceDevelopment, Fish and Wildli eDivision, Anatum EcologicalConsulting, Devon CanadaCorporation

Wildlife HabitatInitiative in LowDisturbance Zones Wolverine DistributionMappingTe wolverine is an icon o theCanadian wilderness and is aagship species or conservation. Tespecies commonly occurs in areaswhere human disturbance is low;yet, relatively little is known abouthow it might be affected by uturedevelopment and climate change. InAlberta, the wolverine is considereda Data Decient species indicating

that there is insufficient in ormationto determine whether it is at risk orstable in the province. Te wolverineis classied as a urbearer in Albertaand is managed or ur harvestwith a quota. Much o the existingpopulation in ormation in Albertahas been extrapolated rom trappingrecords; however, we do not know itrapping harvest trends accuratelyreect the distribution and relative

abundance o wolverine. We areworking with volunteers rom theAlberta rappers Associationto identi y where wolverines arepresent in the province and what

actors inuence their distribution.As the project continues, we hope tounderstand the genetic relationshipsamong wolverines across theprovince and the importance othese relationships in conserving thespecies over the long term.

PartnershipsAlberta rappers Association, ShellFuellingChange

Fisheries ProgramFisheries projects are deliveredwithin three categories: 1) EnhancedSports Fisheries (Lake Aeration

and Enhanced Fish Stocking), 2) Monitoring and Evaluations, and 3)Riparian Conservation.

More shing ... good!Making something really goodout o almost nothing. Tats whatEnhanced Sports Fisheries (LakeAeration and Enhanced FishStocking) are all about, providingAlbertans with recreational angling

opportunities while reducingpressure on limited native shstocks. Te end result: happy anglersand conservation o important shspecies.

Lake aeration breathes li e into lakesthat are especially prone to summeror winter kills. An impressive 17lakes across the province benetted

rom this treatment last year,creating great angling opportunities

or residents o neighbouringcommunities. We also stockedsome 131,000 catchable-size (i.e.,20-cm) rainbow trout into 60 lakesthrough Enhanced Fish Stocking(EFS) creating put-and-take troutsheries where anglers are allowedto harvest up to ve sh per day.Tese sites are located close to urbancentres, making them very popular

amily destinations all summer long.

Among the anglers we surveyed,most were very satised with theirshing experience at EFS ponds and

requented these sites because theywere close to home.

In 2011/12, we initiated a graduatestudent thesis research projectwith the University o Lethbridgeto investigate the suitability owaterbodies in urban centresincluding those on public

recreational grounds and storm-water ponds that can support put-and-take recreational sheries.

Results from our 2010/2011 studieswith the University of Albertaindicate that aeration and trout


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effects o land-use activities on shcommunities.

Improving riparian areasA healthy riparian area iscritical to a healthy water body,particularly where located inclose proximity to agriculturaloperations. Working withlandowners, we use managementtools such as streambank encing,bank stabilization, provision ooff-channel watering or cattle,education and outreach to enhance,maintain and protect riparianhabitats and ecosystem health.

In 2011/12, we initiated a specialriparian encing project to protectand restore vegetation along a 40 kmsegment o the Owl River to supportthe provincial government walleyerestoration program in Lac La Biche.Since 2006, more than 200 mill ionwalleye ry have been stocked in thelake, many o which are expected tobegin spawning in 2011 and use theOwl River as their primary spawningsystem. However, potentialreductions in water quality andspawning habitat in the Owl Riverresulting rom riparian habitatdegradation could limit success othe walleye restoration program. Tegoal o this project is there ore tomitigate these negative impacts andensure long-term availability ooptimal walleye spawningrequirements in the Owl River.

We also conducted severalcommunity outreach activitiesincluding demonstration tours, openhouses and workshops to highlightour projects and increase publicinterest in the critical role riparianareas play in the landscape. Over 400people, including 125 high schoolstudents, participated in outreachand educational activities. In total,we delivered 20 on-the-groundriparian restoration projects,including our livestock exclusion

encing, three off-channel cattlewatering, and one bank stabilization(with 500 willow cuttings). We also

stocking have no signicant negativeeffects on native sh, invertebrate,and amphibian communities in theselakes. Tis gives ACA condencethat these projects while providing

popular recreational anglingopportunities to Albertans do notcompromise the ecosystem health ofthese lakes.

aking stock We conduct numerous monitoringand evaluation projects to providein ormation on the populationstructure, abundance, distribution,and li e history o priority sh

species. We also monitor sportssheries or angler use, harvest,and demographics. We undertook10 surveys at seven rivers, ve lakesand 36 ponds, as well as interviewed1,499 anglers during creel surveys.In our sport sh surveys we ocuson walleye, northern pike, Arcticgrayling, bull t rout, cutthroat trout,rainbow trout, and brook trout.Results rom these surveys assist

ESRD with sheries managementplans and orm the basis or shingregulation changes. Tey alsodetermine the effectiveness o newmanagement strategies, such as thespecial walleye shing license.

Our studies also generate criticalin ormation required or thedevelopment o key provincialconservation initiatives and resourcemanagement policies, including the

Alberta Fish Sustainability Index,Alberta Wildli e Status Reports, andState o the Watershed reports underthe Alberta Water or Li e Strategy.Our bull trout studies in the eastslopes drainages have identied keyspawning tributaries, overwinteringhabitats, and sub-populations thatwere previously unknown. Onthe Clearwater River project, byincorporating advances in analytical

techniques (such as occupancymodeling) we lead the developmento population status assessment tools

or bull trout. We also continued ourstudy on the use o a sh-based indexo biotic integrity to assess potential

planted over 22,000 seedlings at 12Conservation Sites. ogether, ourprojects protected approximately12 km o streambank and over 2,270acres o riparian habitat.

Overall, the success o our Fisheriesprogram activities in 2011/12involved the support rom over 60partners consisting o provincialand ederal governments, industry,watershed groups, NGOs, counties/municipalities, universities, privatelandowners and other interestedgroups.

2011/12 Overview 17 aerated waterbodies

success ully overwintered shand prevented summerkills

130,000, 20-cm long rainbowtrout stocked into 60 waterbodies

10 sheries surveys conductedon 48 waterbodies; generatedin ormation on population status,recreational harvest, distribution,migration, and spawning habitato sport sh

Sport sh surveyed: walleye,northern pike, lake trout, bulltrout, Arctic grayling, cutthroattrout, rainbow trout, and brooktrout

1,499 anglers interviewed duringcreel surveys

Bull trout studies in the eastslopes drainages have identiedkey spawning tr ibutaries,

overwintering habitats, and sub-populations previously unknown 20 on-the-ground riparian

conservation enhancementsprotected 12 km o streambankand over 2,270 acres o riparianhabitat

22,500 seedlings and shrubsplanted

400 people, including 125 highschool students, participated

in outreach and educationalactivities


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Kevin Fitzsimmons, ACA, PIT tagging (passive integratedtransponder) a bull trout in the Red Deer River.

photo: Marco Fontana, ACA


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A Fish-based Index ofBiological Integrity forAssessing EcologicalCondition of the Beaver

RiverUrban development, agricultureand industrialization over thelast century have resulted in landuse modications o Albertaslandscape that pose seriousthreats to the biological integrityo aquatic ecosystems in theprovince, including the BeaverRiver watershed. We developedan index o biological integrity(IBI) or assessing the health o theBeaver River watershed, comprisedo the Beaver, Amisk and SandRivers, using data collected onsh assemblages and a suite ophysicochemical variables. We usedboat electroshing to sample 50 sites:31 on the Beaver River, 17 on theSand River and two on the AmiskRiver. We used physiochemicaland geographic data to assess the

level o disturbance o each site.White suckers represented 52% othe total catch while the sport shspecies, walleye and northern pike,represented less than 2% o thecatch. Interviews with long-timeanglers in the watershed indicatedthat sport sh have decreasedin size and abundance over thepast 30 years. We identied 13candidate metrics based on the sh

community and screened themor responsiveness to disturbance

using multiple regression and anin ormation-theoretic approach.Five metrics (percentage oinvertivorous cyprinids, percentageo benthic invertivores, percentage oomnivores, percentage o lithophilsand percentage o carnivores) weresignicantly related to humandisturbance and were used to

calculate the IBI. Te resultingmulti-metric IBI was highlysensitive to changes in cumulativeanthropogenic disturbances,particularly road density, whichis mainly related to agricultural

and petroleum sectors in our studyarea. Our IBI is a use ul tool orbiological monitoring o the BeaverRiver watershed and could be usedin the uture to assess the effects

o industrial development andremediation strategies on the healtho the aquatic ecosystem throughoutthe watershed.

PartnershipsAlberta Environment, AlbertaSustainable Resource Development,Alberta ourism, Parks andRecreation, Beaver River WatershedAlliance, Municipal District o

Bonnyville

Abundance of SpawningWalleye and Availabilityof Spawning Habitat inVandersteene LakeVandersteene Lake, located innorthwestern Alberta east o RedEarth Creek, has been classed asa trophy status walleye shery

or over a decade. However, inrecent years anglers have reporteda decline in the quality o theshery. In 2004, ACA conductedsurveys to identi y the level oangling pressure and determineabundance and population structureo walleye in the lake. Results othe study identied high anglingpressure and a lack o recruitmentas possible limiting actors o thewalleye population. In 2011/12, our

primary objectives were to assessspawning activity and habitat andestimate the population o maturespawning walleye. However, spring

orest res restricted access intoVandersteene Lake during criticalspawning periods preventing us

rom conducting these surveys.Instead, we evaluated the efficacy oangling as a suitable capture method

or marking adequate numbers

o walleye or a mark-recapturepopulation size estimate to occur the

ollowing spring. Catch rates werelow (0.05 sh/h) and insufficientto mark adequate numbers o sh;there ore, the project has been

de erred indenitely.


Beaverlodge RiparianConservationBank-side livestock eeding andwatering, vehicle ording, and in-stream alterations have degradedriparian areas in the BeaverlodgeRiver drainage. Since 2004, ACAhas worked to rehabilitate andconserve riparian areas withinthe Beaverlodge River and two

o its tributaries. We partnerwith landowners, provincialand municipal government, andother conservation organizationsto deliver a variety o projects,including streambank encing,alternative livestock wateringsystems and tree planting. Weidenti y potential project sites andapproach the associated landownersto collaboratively plan riparianenhancement projects. As projectsare delivered, we arrange or thecollection o baseline vegetation andwater quality in ormation al lowingus to monitor the impact o riparianrestoration activities. In 2011/12, weand our partners co-ordinated theplanting o 22,000 trees at 12 sites,including ve new project sites andtwo ongoing project sites. We signedve habitat enhancement agreementswith landowners who received trees.In total, these agreements enhanced19.2 ha (47.4 ac) o riparian habitatalong 4.5 km o stream.

PartnershipsAlberta Agriculture and RuralDevelopment, ConocoPhillips,County o Grande Prairie, PennWest Energy, Royal Bank o Canada,West County Watershed Group

Clearwater River CoreArea Bull rout StatusTe majority o Albertas bull troutpopulations are classied as being At Risk or High Risko extirpationaccording to Alberta Sustainable


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Resource Developments rankingsystem. Te Clearwater Rivercore area bull trout population isclassied as being at High Riskoextirpation. Te objective o this

study is to determine the area ooccupancy o bull trout in theClearwater River core area. Weused a patch-based approach ormonitoring bull trout distributionmodied to enable occupancyestimation and modeling. Wedelineated patches using streamorder, elevation and watershedarea resulting in 23 patches in theClearwater River core area. We

determined ve sample reachesper patch are necessary to achievea alse absence rate o 0.2 givenan estimated bull trout detectionprobability o 0.3. We consideredpatches to be occupied when wecaptured at least one juvenile bulltrout (


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project, we collected baseline dataon the distribution and abundanceo sport sh species in the system

or measuring responses to uturerestoration activities. During the

summer o 2011, we electroshed28 reaches (~27 km) o the EdsonRiver using a cataraf electrosherto collect baseline sheriesin ormation to gauge ongoingremediation activities. We stratiedreaches by riparian health scoreand encompassed the ull rangeo land use disturbance in thewatershed. Mountain whitesh wasthe dominant sport sh, ollowed by

rainbow trout and Arctic grayling.Sucker species dominated the catchin terms o biomass at 44%, ollowedby mountain whitesh at 28%, Arcticgrayling at 9%, and rainbow troutat 8%. General sport sh speciesrichness was higher at samplereaches assigned good aerial riparianhealth scores than those assigned

air to poor health scores. Biomassor sport sh, non-sport sh, and

all species combined and totalestimated sh cover were greaterat sites where streambanks wereclassied as >50% vegetated versussites classied as


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and develop a robust study designor implementation in 2012/13.

Implementation o this projectwas contingent upon acquisitiono partner unds that we did not

acquire; hence, we suspended theproject.

PartnershipsNone

Owl River RiparianRestoration andEnhancement ProjectSince 2006, the provincialgovernment has stocked nearly

200 million ry and ngerlings torestore walleye populations to Lac LaBiche, many o which are expectedto begin spawning between 2011and 2013. Te Owl River is theprimary spawning river or Lac LaBiche walleye. However, potentialreductions in water quality andspawning habitat in the Owl River

rom riparian habitat degradationcould limit success o the walleye

restoration program. In 2011/12,we collected baseline data onriparian health, water quality anddistribution o walleye spawninghabitat to assess the effectiveness oa long-term initiative to protect andrestore riparian vegetation along a40 km segment o the Owl River.Our health assessment indicated that47% o riparian areas are in goodcondition, 39% are in air conditionand 14% are in poor condition. Weobserved several walleye in theupper 10 km o the study area inMay but very ew in the lower 30 km,conrming previous identication othe upper section as suitable walleyespawning grounds. Substrate in theupper section was dominated byboulder, cobble and gravel suitable

or spawning, while the lowersection consisted mainly o nesand sands unsuitable or spawning.Dissolved oxygen levels were high(6.0 13.6 mg/L) throughoutthe system rom May to August.

otal phosphorus concentrationswere high (summer average: 92 140 g/L) throughout the system;

concentrations were higher atdownstream sites than at upstreamsites. otal coli orm counts exceededestablished limits or agriculturaluse (>1,000 mpn/100 mL) at several

sites. We initiated communicationwith several landowners interestedin working with ACA to providelong-term protection o riparian vegetation along the river. Wenegotiated a verbal agreement witha leaseholder, pending approvalby Alberta Sustainable ResourceDevelopment Lands Division, toprotect approximately 9 km oriparian area along the river.

PartnershipsSyncrude Canada Ltd.

Southern RiparianConservationFor the past decade, ACA hassupported riparian enhancementinitiatives in southern Alberta. Pastprojects involved working with theBeaver Creek Watershed Group,

odd Creek Watershed Group andindividual landowners. Six morewatershed groups in southernAlberta have been engaged, andseveral key conservation groups view ACA as a valuable partner.In 2011/12, we completed oneriparian pasture encing and springdevelopment project and constructedan additional 1 km o riparian

encing in the odd Creek watershed.We also planted approximately 500willows and cottonwoods on FiveMile Creek. We participated in aneducational school eld day withthe Drywood/Yarrow ConservationPartnership involving over 100 highschool students and participatedin the Pincher Creek WatershedGroup Blueweed Blitz weedpull and education day involving100 volunteers. We also providedpartner unding or an off-site solar

watering unit on the Oldman River.Further, we attended workshopsand meetings with other watershedgroups, partner conservation groupsand interested parties. We alsoorganized a watershed tour or ACA

staff and partner groups. Strongpartnerships have been developedwith the Southwestern AlbertaConservation Partnership andthe Oldman Watershed Council,

and planning or uture projectshas been initiated. Our continuedinvolvement with watershed groupsand their partners will contributeto riparian habitat enhancement insouthern Alberta.

PartnershipsAlberta Agriculture and RuralDevelopment, Alberta RiparianHabitat Management Society (Cowsand Fish), Alberta SustainableResource Development, BeaverCreek Watershed Group, Countyo Lethbridge, Drywood/YarrowConservation Partnership,Indian arm Creek WatershedGroup, LaFarge Canada, LyndonCreek Watershed Group, OldmanWatershed Council, Penn WestEnergy, Pincher Creek WatershedGroup, Prairie Farm RehabilitationAdministration, Royal Bank oCanada, Southwestern AlbertaConservation Partnership, routUnlimited Canada, odd CreekWatershed Group, WatertonWatershed Group

Sport Fisheries Surveys:Haig, Figure Eight andSulphur Lakes, Alberta,2011/12

High shing pressure, coupled withslow-growing and late-maturingpopulations, has resulted in theoverharvest o many o Albertassport sh populations includingwalleye and northern pike. o collectin ormation that will assist with themanagement o these species, weconducted a creel survey on HaigLake in summer 2011. In addition,we collected similar in ormationto assist with the management ostocked trout sheries on FigureEight and Sulphur lakes. Weestimated that angling pressure orHaig Lake was 2.8 h/ha, with anglersmaking 887 trips and shing or


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2,554 h. Harvest and release rateswere higher or walleye than ornorthern pike, with associated catchrates o 0.52 sh/h and 0.48 sh/h,respectively. For the stocked trout

sheries, angling pressure was twiceas high at Figure Eight Lake (105.0 h/ha) as at Sulphur Lake (51.0 h/ha).Anglers made 2,477 trips and shed

or 4,095 h at Figure Eight Lakeand made 1,161 trips and shed or2,703 h at Sulphur Lake. Our datawill support Alberta SustainableResource Development in themanagement o these sport sheries.


Stream CrossingRemediationArctic grayling populations inAlberta have severely declined sincethe 1950s primarily due to habitat

ragmentation resulting romimproperly installed or hangingculverts. o generate in ormationto help mitigate these declines, wereviewed all ACA stream crossingin ormation and developed a streamcrossing site prioritization process

or ve northern watersheds,including the Simonette, Kakwa,Notikewin, Swan and UpperAthabasca rivers. We prioritizedsites or remediation based on the

ollowing criteria: stream order,sh presence at crossing, proximityto sh-bearing water and quantityo upstream habitat above barrier.O the ve watersheds assessed,the Swan River watershed had thegreatest number o stream crossingswith potential sh passage barriers(74%, sample = 351 crossings). Withthis in ormation, crossing ownerscan develop remediation planswithin their areas.

PartnershipsNone

rout StockingEvaluation 2011/12Stocking trout to create put-and-takesheries is a popular management

tool or providing recreationalsheries. ACA annually stocksapproximately 60 lakes with 131,000trout. An initial evaluation o ourstocking program conducted atnine stocked lakes between 2008to 2010 indicated low survival ostocked sh produce sport sherieswith low catch rates; however,anglers consistently reported highlevels o satis action. In 2011/12,we continued to collect data toevaluate the efficacy o our stockingprogram by determining anglersatis action at six additional lakesand collecting physiochemicaldata rom all ACA stocked lakes.Creel surveys at Anderson, Castor,Cipperlys, Gooseberry, PleasureIsland and wo Hills lakes revealedthat the number o angling tripsranged between 0 to 661, thenumber o angling-hours rangedbetween 0 to 849, and catch ratesranged rom 0 to 0.39 sh kept/hacross all lakes. We observed 13sh harvested at two lakes. Te

majority o anglers were satisedwith their angling experience andthey shed these lakes because theywere close to home. Chlorophyll-aand total phosphorous increased

signicantly rom early season tolate season. We ound no signicantdifference between early and lateseason samples o otal Kjeldahlnitrogen, nitrate and nitrite, andturbidity. Analysis o our data ortemperature, dissolved oxygen andpH is orthcoming.

PartnershipsAlberta Student emporaryEmployment Program, CanadaSummer Jobs

Walleye StockAssessment Program2011/12 Moose andFawcett LakesAlberta walleye populationsexperience considerable shingpressure due to an imbalance o highangler densities and limited shing

opportunities. In 1995, AlbertaSustainable Resource Developmentimplemented the Alberta WalleyeManagement and Recovery Plan to

Trevor Council, ACA, stockingrainbow trout at McQuillanReservoir Conservation Site.

photo: Brad Hurkett, ACA

8Map Grid F3

Discover Albertas Wild Side Annual Outdoor Adventure Guide


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acilitate the protection and recoveryo walleye sheries. In support othis plan, we conducted gill nettingsurveys at Fawcett and Moose lakesin the all o 2011 to collect data

on walleye abundance, populationstructure and growth that willhelp Alberta Sustainable ResourceDevelopment determine the statuso these walleye populations andmake uture management decisions.Relative abundance o walleye washigher in Moose Lake (19.4 sh/100m2 o net/24 h) than in FawcettLake (15.3 sh/100 m2 o net/24 h).Walleye populations in both lakes

exhibited wide and stable age-class distributions. Te majority oFawcett Lake walleye were 8 y inage and 425 to 475 mm total length,while the majority o Moose Lakewalleye were 4 y in age and 450to 550 mm total length. Overall,growth rates were slow (500 mm in12 to 15 y) or Fawcett Lake walleye.Males grew slower than emales withestimated average maximum sizes

o 486 and 520 mm total length,respectively. Walleye in FawcettLake matured early, with both malesand emales reaching maturity atage 6. Growth rates were moderate(500 mm in 7 to 9 y) or MooseLake walleye with the average shreaching 500 mm total length in 7 y.Males and emales grew at similarrates, but males were estimated toreach an average maximum size o538 mm total length while emalescan reach 631 mm total length.Walleye rom Moose Lake maturedearly, with males reaching maturityby age 3 and emales by age 5.


Land ManagementLand Management projects aredelivered within three categories:1) Habitat Conservation, 2) ACA

Conservation Site Management,and 3) Recreational OpportunityInitiatives.

Te impact ofconservation: more than just numbersTousands o acres worth millionso dollarsits easy to lose thesignicance o habitat conservationin the numbers. Te big projects arecertainly satis ying to secure, butsometimes a big difference can alsobe made in the health o a speciesby improving a ew kilometres ostreambank or encing. Any stepmade toward the conservation o ournatural heritage is one in the rightdirection. Identi ying those needsand opportunities, and working withlandowners and member groups toconserve key habitat, is what ACAs

Land Management program is allabout.

Tis year, we acquired 12 newConservation Sites and oneConservation Easement, coveringover 4,300 acres (1,740 ha) and worthin excess o $9 million. In addition,we expanded the protection o twoexisting Conservation Sites by 1,370acres o Crown land using protectivenotations together with AlbertaSustainable Resource Development.Most o our acquisitions have beencollaborative efforts with otherconservation organizations, privatedonors and corporate partners.Trough our continued partnershipwith Suncor Energy Foundation andShell Canada Energy, we expandedour terrestrial conservation work inthe boreal regions o Alberta.

Private landowners also play a bigpart in our conservation effortsand successes. Our LandownerHabitat Program (LHP) is designedto conserve key wildli e and shhabitat and enhance recreational

access on deeded lands using termagreements. We currently manage54 LHP agreements protecting 8,600acres (3,480 ha) o habitat, includingtwo new agreements conserving

an additional 847 acres (342 ha)this year alone. Notably, we signedtwo additional habitat retentionagreements along the North RavenRiver, which brings the total numbero agreements on the Clear Creek,North Raven and Raven River to ve.

We grate ully acknowledge thecooperation and support oour many partners and privatelandowners; without theirsupport and involvement theseaccomplishments could not havebeen achieved. Our partners areidentied within each project on the

ollowing pages.

Habitat improvements:better for residents and visitorsHabitat management is more thanputting up a sign and some encing.Its more like taking care o a really,really big back yard: there areweeds to control, ences and otherin rastructure to x, areas to inspect,and land use and conservationeasements to monitorall on the200,000+ acres o land ACA eitherowns or manages. All in all, ACAstaff and seasonal employees spentover 11,000 hours completinginspections and maintenanceon over 140 Conservation Sitesacross Alberta, covering nearly100,000 acres (40,469 ha) o habitat.Volunteers, member groups andpartners assisted us immensely incompleting our work.

All o this good managementtakes solid planning to guide ACAand our partners in the uturemanagement o our ConservationSites. We developed 53 managementplans or Conservation Sites thatwe either own or manage (Crown).We ocus on active managementby enhancing and restoring habitatto improve the overall quality


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Corporate Partner Securement Transactions in 2011/12

Name Corporate Partner Size (ac) Special Features

WarrensvilleExpansionSE22-84-23-W5MSW23-84-23-W5M

Suncor Energy Foundation 320 This site is located 27 km northwest of Peace River. The majority of lanthe south and northeast is a mix of forested and agricultural land. To thenorthwest, forest dominates. Lac Cardinal, an important waterfowl lake,lies 6.5 km southwest of the site and several other smaller waterbodies arescattered across the surrounding landscape.

Doe CreekSW15-79-8-W6MNE3-79-8-W6MSE15-79-8-W6MSW10-79-8-W6MNW10-79-8-W6MSW14-79-8-W6MNW14-79-8-W6MSE9-79-8-W6MNE9-79-8-W6MNE10-79-8-W6MNW15-79-8-W6MNW3-79-8-W6MNW4-79-8-W6M

Shell Canada Energy 1,780.8 This site is located 23 km from Spirit River and is a mixture of hayland,logged areas, mature boreal forest and riparian habitat. Ksituan Rivermeanders through the site.

North Fawcett 6SE32-64-1-W5MSW32-64-1-W5M

Shell Canada 320 This site is located 52 km north of Westlock and consists primarilyof improved pasture. We are planning a reforestation project on thelands through a three-way partnership with ACA, Trees Canada andShell Canada. The north side of this site is adjacent to North Fawcett 2Conservation Site.

North RiverSE3-56-8-W4M

Suncor Energy Foundation 155.4 This site is located 29 km southeast of St. Paul and consists of a mosaicof deciduous forests, dominated by trembling aspen and balsam poplar,naturalizing meadows and shrublands. The site is in close proximity toACAs Stoney Lake Conservation Site and provides important linkagesalong the river valley corridor of the North Saskatchewan River.

North VilnaNE12-60-13-W4M

Suncor Energy Foundation 161 This site is located 10 km northeast of Vilna and consists of boreal foreswhich is excellent habitat for mule deer, white tail deer, moose, blackbear, small fur bearers and waterfowl. The landscape to the northwest ofthe site is dominated by boreal forest; the landscape to the northeast isagricultural land.

Musidora 2NW26-53-11-W4MNE26-53-11-W4M

Suncor Energy Foundation 320 This site is located 35 km northeast of Vegreville and consists primarilyof mixed forest with small ephemeral wetlands and some tame pasture.South Plain Lake and Musidora Conservation Sites are situated in closeproximity to each other. The majority of land to the northwest and southis intact boreal forest. Agricultural land used for grain and cattle farmingoccurs east and north of the site.

TOTAL 3,057.2

Lands Division, Beaver HillsInitiative, Bow River IrrigationDistrict, Buffalo Lake Naturalists,Cal rac, Cameron DevelopmentCorporation, Clear Water Land

Care, Clearwater County, Countyo Barrhead, County o Lethbridge,County o Newell, County oStrathcona, County o Warner,Ducks Unlimited Canada, EasternIrrigation District, Edmonton

and Area Land rust, NatureConservancy o Canada, PheasantsForever Calgary Chapter andChinook Chapter, landowners,Robert Bateman, Shell Canada

Energy, Strathcona WildernessCentre, Suncor Energy Foundation,

otal E&P Canada, ransCanadaPipelines, ree Canada, routUnlimited Canada CentralChapter

Corporate PartnersProgramTrough this program, ACA workswith corporate partners to secure

important native habitat areasor wildli e and sh and enhancerecreational opportunities orAlbertans. Te program is guidedby agreements developed withcorporate partners and by selected


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priority Focus Areas. Corporatepartnerships and collaborations withother conservation agencies allowACA to maximize assets and overalleffectiveness o our securement

programs. ogether in 2011/12, wesecured six new Conservation Sitestotaling 3,057.2 ac o high-qualityhabitat with an estimated land valueo over $1,900,000.

PartnershipsAlberta Fish and Game Association,Alberta Sport, Recreation, Parks andWildli e Foundation, EnvironmentCanada Ecological Gifs Program,Shell Canada Energy, Suncor EnergyFoundation

Fisheries Access SiteManagementACAs Land Management Programencompasses activities intendedto conserve, protect and enhancesh and wildli e habitat and toincrease sustainable recreationalopportunities including anglingand hunting. One activity o theprogram is the management osheries access sites across theprovince. Te Fisheries Access SiteManagement Program providesenhanced opportunities or anglersto access key streams, rivers andlakes throughout the province.We maintained 31 sheries accesssites in 2011/12 and upgraded ninesites with improvements to parking

acilities (one site), a wheelchair-accessible dock (one site), a oatingdock (one site), day use acilities suchas outhouses and bear-proo garbagedisposal bins (ve sites) and signage(ve sites). We engaged 25 partnersin 2011/12 who made nancialcontributions or provided in-kindsupport. We met with AlbertaSustainable Resource Developmentrepresentatives and other potentialpartners to discuss developing a new

sheries access site in our Centralregion and expanding an existingsheries access site in our Northwestregion.

PartnershipsAlberta Environment, Alberta Fishand Game Association, AlbertaSustainable Resource Development,Fish and Wildli e Division andLands Division, Alberta ourism,Parks and Recreation, ClearwaterCounty, County o Camrose, Countyo Newell, County o Warner,Daishowa-Marubeni InternationalLtd., Devon Canada Corporation,Grimshaw Agricultural Society,Hillcrest Fish and Game, LamontFish and Game, Mancal EnergyInc., Municipal District o RockyView, Municipal District o SunriseCounty, North Raven River WorkingGroup, R C Services Ltd., ShellCanada Energy, own o Lamont,

rout Unlimited Canada CentralChapter and Yellowhead Chapter,Weyerhaeuser, Zama Lake Society

Landowner HabitatProgramAlbertas natural land base is underintense pressure rom a varietyo sources. Population growthin Alberta since 2007 averagedaround 53,500 new people peryear. Expansion o urban areascontributes to habitat loss and

ragmentation. Land in cropsincreased by about 500,000 ha (1.2million ac) between 1986 and 2006.Industrial activities related to oiland gas and mining also contributeto habitat loss, ragmentation and

degradation. In 1986, Alberta Fishand Wildli e Division launched theLandowner Habitat Program (LHP)to prevent the destruction o nativehabitat on privately owned lands.Te program was structured to makeannual or lump-sum payments tolandowners who agreed to retainwildli e habitat on their land bysigning a legally binding agreement.While the program provided a cost-

effective tool or preserving habitat,it did not guarantee recreationalaccess to the habitat.

In 2008, ACA modied the LHPagreement to include recreational

access as a condition o theagreement.

aca annualreport 2011-12

Documents