sharing our stories - miistakis institute · 2 sharing our stories 2010/2011 miistakis institute...

Sharing our stories2010/2011 ANNUAL REPORT

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http://www.rockies.ca/

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Sharing our stories 2010/2011 Miistakis Institute Annual Report

Telling our story

Danah Duke EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

I am often asked – not surprisingly – to describe what it is that Miistakis does. I must admit that I regularly have to pause. My hesitation is not based on a lack of clarity.

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The Miistakis team has real clarity around our mandate and our role within the realm of conservation efforts in Alberta, B.C., and Montana. We bring people and ideas together to promote healthy communities and landscapes. We study the landscape, so we can help people conserve it; and we celebrate innovative research by making it accessible to communities and decision-makers. Every project we undertake reflects our commitment to that mandate.

Rather, I pause because I wonder which of the many stories I get to experience every day, I should tell. The list of reasons for that wonderful variety is like a list of the things I enjoy about our work.

We have a range of skillsets at Miistakis that we are able to apply in creative and synergistic ways. We may blend spatial analysis with facilitation with research design, web-based mapping with community engagement, fiscal analysis with land stewardship, or any other collection of competencies.

We actively aid the efforts of others, so the work we do in a given year is heavily influenced by the emerging opportunities we have to provide support for land use, wildlife and conservation decision making.

And we are fortunate to be able to design and develop our own projects, most of which are multi-year efforts to understand and address what we see as enduring challenges for ecological conservation.

Our annual report this year is an effort to take you through some of those stories, getting to know us and the people we work with, learning about the issues we are trying to address, and sampling some of the ways we approach fulfilling our mandate. Themes you will see threaded through these stories reflect our overarching program areas, which include road ecology, community engagement, land use planning, applied technology, and wildlife management.

Getting animals safely across the road is a simple enough concept, and one we can all agree on. But the scientific, political, and infrastructure dimensions of that goal are complex. Miistakis’ efforts in the field of ‘road ecology’ this year included ‘Highway Wilding’, our on-going collaboration with the Western Transportation Institute and Parks Canada to monitor and understand wildlife movement across the Trans-Canada Highway in Banff National Park. Miistakis has also been active in southern Alberta for many years working with a variety of groups on wildlife movement across Highway 3. This year the collaboration produced “Highway 3: Transportation and Mitigation for Wildlife and Connectivity,” providing analysis and recommended options for transportation and land use decision makers that will facilitate wildlife movement through this critical region.

A number of current Miistakis projects focus on assisting communities in their efforts to engage in the conservation process. Surrounded by the prairie rangeland, rolling foothills, and rugged, snow-capped mountains of the Municipal District of Ranchland, Miistakis undertook a multi-part community visioning project to identify and map aspects of the cultural and physical landscape that are important to MD residents. These maps will be used to inform land-use decisions and to better communicate local values and priorities. Further south in the Crown of the Continent, Miistakis partnered with the Drywood Yarrow Conservation Partnership (DYCP) on the ‘Cowboys and Carnivores’ project, developing a landowner carnivore monitoring program for southwestern Alberta.

http://www.highwaywilding.org/

http://www.rockies.ca/lib_reports.php

http://www.rockies.ca/drywood/

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For more information on Miistakis and the work we do, please visit our web site, find us on Facebook or Twitter.

Sustainable land use planning underpins much of the effort to ensure the ecological function of our valued landscapes, and is an increasing focus for Miistakis. We are in the final stages of a multi-year project to understand and apply one tool for reconciling conservation and development in Alberta, the Transfer of Development Credits (TDC) tool. Work this year focused on application efforts with the Provincial Government, the MD of Bighorn and the Beaver Hills Initiative. In an effort to support the expansion of that toolbox, Miistakis also partnered with Water Matters on the ‘ALSA Tools’ project to develop a municipal workshop series aimed at uncovering the potential of the conservation and stewardship tools provided by the Alberta Land Stewardship Act (ALSA).

More than ever, conservation practitioners have a wealth of technology at their disposal, especially with advancements in the Internet and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Much of our work at Miistakis focuses on the challenges in applying those technologies in a way that truly supports decision making. This year, web-based mapping continued to be a core focus for Miistakis, a technology that is a foundation of our ‘Road Watch in the Pass’, ‘Cowboys and Carnivores’ and ‘Living with Coyotes’ projects. We strive to create freely-available ‘open source’ tools, and have received requests from as far away as Capetown, South Africa for use of our online mapping tool. Remote cameras are a non-invasive technology for monitoring wildlife, and one we have used extensively. Recently Miistakis partnered with Parks Canada in hosting a meeting to discuss topics related to utilizing remote cameras for researching and monitoring wildlife and humans in natural settings and how to analyze the obtained data.

Relationships between people, wildlife and the land are complex and many of our projects try to address these issues. Miistakis’ ‘Living with Coyotes’ allows citizens of Calgary to enter coyote observations on a web-based map. By understanding where coyote/human encounters occur in the city, and empowering citizens to monitor these issues in their own neighborhoods, human-coyote conflicts can then be managed or prevented. To understand the issues of living with carnivores in the Waterton region, the Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association and the Chinook Area Land Users Association requested the assistance of the Miistakis Institute in researching the attitudes of area landowners toward carnivores and, more specifically, the Wildlife Predator Compensation Program.

Perhaps now you can see why I pause when I am asked what it is Miistakis does! Please scan through our annual report, and explore some of the ways that our world interacts with the things that are important in your world.

Over the last 16 years, the work of Miistakis has increased in scope and complexity, with 2010/2011 being one of our most varied yet – and one of our most exciting and productive years, as well. We are very thankful for the ongoing support of our funding partners, and of those partners and groups with whom we collaborate on research, tool building, spatial analysis and conservation planning projects.

We look forward to working with an equally varied and productive group of partners next year.

Danah DukeEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR


http://www.rockies.ca/project_info.php?id=45

http://www.rockies.ca/coyotes/

http://www.watertonbiosphere.com/biosphere-resources.html

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Miistakis-Institute/107604169271672

http://twitter.com/#!/Miistakis

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Highway 3 Transportation Corridor Science and Mitigation Assessment

Miistakis Institute, Western Transportation Institute and Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative have been working to maintain and facilitate large mammal movement across a major transportation corridor through the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Highway 3 is a low east west corridor through the Northern Crown of the Continent Ecosystem. Last year the collaborative released a report which synthesized existing science to identify mitigation sites along the highway, prioritized the sites based on a variety of factors, identified a suite of transportation mitigation recommendations and undertook a cost benefit analysis based on the costs of the annual rate of wildlife-vehicle collisions compared to costs associated with implementing transportation mitigation measures.

The collaboration is currently working with Alberta Transportation and Alberta Sustainable Resource Development to implement some of the mitigation recommendations.


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Sharing our stories 2010/2011 Miistakis Institute Annual ReportFor more information on this project please visit the Highway 3 Transportation Corridor Project web site

PARTNERSMIISTAKIS INSTITUTEWESTERN TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTEYELLOWSTONE TO YUKON CONSERVATION INITIATIVEALBERTA TRANSPORTATIONALBERTA SUSTAINABLE RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

http://www.rockies.ca/crossroads/

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Cowboys and Carnivores


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Sharing our stories 2010/2011 Miistakis Institute Annual ReportFor more information on this project please visit the Cowboys & Carnivores web site

PARTNERSMIISTAKIS INSTITUTEDRYWOOD YARROW CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIP

One of our current collaborative projects within the Crown of the Continent is “Cowboys and Carnivores.” The Miistakis Institute and the Drywood Yarrow Conservation Partnership (DYCP) are currently developing a landowner carnivore monitoring program for southwestern Alberta. One of the focus areas is on grizzly bears and wolves. Grizzly bears are attracted to grain bins, silage, desirable agricultural fields and carcasses left on the landscape. These interactions often result in an economic loss to the landowner and may lead to safety concerns. Wolves occur in the area and are involved in cattle predation, again resulting in economic losses to landowners. These conflicts often result in removal of carnivores involved in conflicts and a decrease in tolerance of landowners for sharing the landscape. Understanding where and why these conflicts are occurring will be helpful to landowners and government staff responsible for mitigating or reducing these conflicts.

http://www.rockies.ca/drywood/

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Transfer of Development Credits


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Sharing our stories 2010/2011 Miistakis Institute Annual ReportFor more information on this project please visit the Transfer of Development Credits project page

PARTNERSMIISTAKIS INSTITUTEMD OF BIGHORN BEAVER HILLS INITIATIVE

The pressures of growth in Alberta often result in the dilemma of how to reconcile development and conservation. One tool is Transfer of Development Credits (TDCs). This voluntary tool involves identifying valued landscapes under threat, and areas appropriate for increased development. Conservation areas receive credits they can sell in exchange for placing restrictions on their property; purchasers of credits receive increased development in designated areas.

TDCs work in tandem with zoning, regional planning, and other tools. Their rudder is the goals of the community - ecological, agricultural or historical conservation. Miistakis has worked for several years to identify how and where in Alberta this tool could be applied.

This year we worked with the MD of Bighorn refining their TDC policy, the Land Use Secretariat developing a TDC Regulation, and the Beaver Hills Initiative helping determine an implementation process.

This year Miistakis will launch a web-based resource called “TDCs in Alberta: A Practical Guide” to assist municipalities in understanding and structuring a TDC program.


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Community and Conservation Values Mapping


In 2007, concerned over mounting development pressure and threats to the landscape and traditional lifestyle of the region, the MD Ranchland approached the Miistakis Institute to help them identify community and conservation values that are important to the MD, and then to map these values as accurately as possible.

The MD Council and residents know that they live in a special place - a unique cultural and physical landscape with vast ecological diversity, the headwaters of the Oldman River watershed, no urban settlements, and only about 100 residents, most of whom make their living from ranching. But when considering proposals for development and the benefits promised by proponents, they had no way to express these values in a similar context, or to assess the extent to which these values might be compromised.

Through an open and inclusive process, Miistakis worked with the MD staff, council and residents to identify these values and then express them in a spatial/GIS context.

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PARTNERSMIISTAKIS INSTITUTEMD RANCHLAND

For more information on this project please visit the Conservation Mapping project page


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Living with Coyotes

Coyotes inhabit urban areas across North America and Calgary is no exception. As more people move to the cities and the urban rural fringe becomes increasingly blurred the opportunity to interact with coyotes increases. To address human-coyote interactions in the City of Calgary Miistakis has partnered with the Department of Geography and launched an interactive online mapping tool to track coyotes in the City of Calgary. Engaging citizens in the observation and recording of coyotes within their own city will lead to increased awareness of issues by participants and a more collaborative approach to management of coyotes in the region.


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Sharing our stories 2010/2011 Miistakis Institute Annual ReportFor more information on this project please visit the Living with Coyotes web site

PARTNERSMIISTAKIS INSTITUTEUNIVERSITY OF CALGARY DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHYCALGARY RESIDENTS

http://www.rockies.ca/coyotes/

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Highway Wilding


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Sharing our stories 2010/2011 Miistakis Institute Annual ReportFor more information on this project please visit the HighwayWilding web site

PARTNERSMIISTAKIS INSTITUTEPARKS CANADAWESTERN TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTEWILBURFORCE FOUNDATIONWOODCOCK FOUNDATION

Highway Wilding is a collaborative project between Parks Canada, the Western Transportation Institute, Miistakis Institute, Wilburforce Foundation and Woodcock Foundation with a focus of getting wildlife safely “across the road” in Banff National Park. More than 25 years ago, efforts were undertaken to reduce the effects of the Trans-Canada Highway on wildlife within Banff National Park through the construction of wildlife overpasses, underpasses and fencing designed to keep wildlife off of the highway right-of-way. Continual research and monitoring on these structures helps us to learn what sort of characteristics are important to enable passage by animals that are sensitive to their habitat being fragmented. The results of the Highway Wilding project are critical to understanding how highways should best be designed with both people and wildlife in mind. Miistakis is playing key roles in both project management and communications for Highway Wilding.

http://www.highwaywilding.org/

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Remote Camera Data Sharing

The Miistakis Institute and Parks Canada hosted a one day remote camera meeting in Calgary. Participants included researchers who use remote cameras for research and monitoring purposes, and included representatives from provincial and federal government agencies, academia, and non-governmental organizations. A total of 37 people from Alberta, British Columbia and Montana attended the day-long meeting. The impetus for organizing the meeting was the realization that many people have been using remote cameras for some time, but there has not been much information sharing between researchers. The organizing committee thought it would be timely to bring people from the region together to share what we’ve learned – our challenges and successes – and try to stimulate more scientifically defensible/rigorous use of remote cameras for research and monitoring.


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Sharing our stories 2010/2011 Miistakis Institute Annual ReportThe proceedings for this meeting can be found here

PARTNERSMIISTAKIS INSTITUTEPARKS CANADARESEARCHERS PROVINCIAL /FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIESACADEMIANON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS

http://www.rockies.ca/files/Remote_camera_mtg_2011_proceedings.pdf

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A Review of Compensation Programs for Livestock in Southwest Alberta

Wolves in the United States, tigers in Russia, jaguars in Mexico, lions in Kenya and large carnivores in southwestern Alberta all share a similar story: all are involved in interactions deemed negative by people. Negative carnivore and human interactions occur in a variety of forms, such as livestock depredation, killing of pets, damage to property and, in exceptional cases, human injury or death. These interactions often result in economic impacts that tend to fall disproportionately on local populations living within a carnivore’s range.

To better understand the issues of living with carnivores in southwestern Alberta, The Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association and the Chinook Area Land Users Association requested the assistance of the Miistakis Institute in undertaking a survey to document the attitudes and perceptions of landowners toward carnivores in the Waterton Biosphere Reserve region in southwestern Alberta and, more specifically, toward the Wildlife Predator Compensation Program that is currently in operation in Alberta.


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A Review of Compensation Programs for Livestock in Southwest Alberta

The final report and recommendations can be found here

PARTNERSMIISTAKIS INSTITUTEWATERTON BIOSPHERE RESERVE ASSOCIATIONCHINOOK AREA LAND USERS ASSOCIATION

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http://www.watertonbiosphere.com/biosphere-resources.html

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Projects in development

Conservation Easements for AgricultureWorking with the Environmental Law Centre, Miistakis is exploring the policy implications of the new ‘agricultural lands’ purpose in Alberta’s conservation easement legislation; the aim is to help private land conservation organizations better apply this new dimension to an old tool.

Understanding Landscape ValueMiistakis and the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute have begun exploring the development of a scientifically-robust, user-driven landscape valuation tool to support decision-making in a variety of ecosystem service contexts.


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Sharing our stories 2010/2011 Miistakis Institute Annual ReportFor more information on these projects please visit the Miistakis Institute web site

Community-Based Recreational Ecology of Mountain BikingMiistakis has submitted a proposal to work with two local mountain bike trail organizations on a project that will increase our knowledge of the ecological impacts associated with mountain biking. The plan is to establish a protocol for collecting trail usage, erosion, and vegetation data through trail crews, and observations of wildlife-human (and human-human) encounters through a web-based mapping system.

Multi-Criteria Assessment of Wind Power PlacementMiistakis is developing a project in collaboration with the Prairie Conservation Forum (PCF) to assess the potential for sustainable growth of the wind industry in Alberta. Assessment will be based on criteria related to development potential, ecological and other conservation priorities, and social/economic values of local communities. The goal is to provide a resource that will inform decision-makers and promote equitable wind power development in Alberta.

ALSA ToolsWorking with Water Matters, Miistakis has developed and is delivering a workshop program for municipal councils to help them become more familiar with the suite of conservation and stewardship tools available in the new Alberta Land Stewardship Act (ALSA).


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Ways to give

Supporting Miistakis

MailCheques should be made out to The Miistakis Institute.

Please send to:Miistakis Institutec/o EVDS – University of Calgary2500 University DriveCalgary, Alberta T2N 1N4

Our charitable number is: 89040 4965 RR0001

OnlineYou can donate to Miistakis through a secure online connection at CanadaHelps.

Thank you for your belief in the Miistakis Institute. Your commitment to us is what helps us continue to do innovative research, engage communities and work toward healthy landscapes. When you donate to Miistakis you play a crucial role in advancing conservation efforts.


http://www.canadahelps.org/CharityProfilePage.aspx?CharityID=s80702

http://www.canadahelps.org/CharityProfilePage.aspx?CharityID=s80702

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Board of Directors

Michael Quinn CHAIRProfessor, Faculty of Environmental Design, University of Calgary Miistakis Director of Research and Liaison

Marco Musiani VICE CHAIRAssociate Professor, Faculty of Environmental Design, University of Calgary

Rob Senko TREASURERRob Senko Consulting

Shelley AlexanderAssociate Professor, Department of Geography, University of Calgary

Len BrobergProfessor/Program Director, Environmental Studies Program, University of Montana

Bill DolanLand and Resource Management Coordinator, Alberta Parks

Ian DysonSection Head, System Development, Alberta Environment

Larissa MullerAssistant Professor, Faculty of Environmental Design, University of Calgary

Robert ParkinsonManager, Geomatics and Asset Record Management Company, Enmax

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Partners

Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties

Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute

Alberta Ecotrust Foundation

Alberta Environment

Alberta Innovates Technology Futures

Alberta Land Trust Alliance

Alberta Municipal Affairs

Alberta Real Estate Foundation

Alberta Sport, Recreation, Parks & Wildlife Foundation

Alberta Sustainable Resource Development

Alberta Transportation

Alberta Urban Municipalities Association

Alex Taylor

Alpine Club of Canada

Animal Damage Control

Anonymous Donor

Beaver County

Beaver Hills Initiative

Calgary Foundation

Calgary Regional Partnership

Cameron Plewes

City of Calgary

Clay Graphic Design

CPAWS – Calgary Chapter

Crown Managers Partnership

Crown of the Continent Conservation Initiative

Department of Geography, University of Calgary

Drywood Yarrow Conservation Partnership

Dunlop Family Foundation

Environmental Law Centre

Faculty of Environmental Design, University of Calgary

Galvin Family Fund

Greygates Foundation

Kayak Foundation

Lake O’Hara Lodge

Land Use Secretariat, Government of Alberta

Matt Knapik

McLean Foundation

Municipal District of Bighorn

Municipal District of Foothills

Municipal District of Ranchland

Parks Canada Agency

Patagonia Environmental Grants Fund

Rocky View County

Shell Environment Fund

Southern Alberta Land Trust Society (SALTS)

Strathcona County

Stu Slayen Consulting

Sustainable Resources Ltd.

TD Friends of the Environment

Water Matters

Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association

Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University

Wilburforce Foundation

Winding River Pictures – Leanne Allison

Woodcock Foundation

Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative

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Get to know us

Greg Chernoff SENIOR RESEARCH ASSOCIATE/SPATIAL ANALYST

Greg joined Miistakis in 2004, and was initially hired for his GIS, geospatial analysis, and mapping skills. However, we soon discovered that he likes interacting with people way too much to be stuck in front of a computer all day. So now, as well as building and sharing spatial data and making cool maps, Greg spends considerable time in meetings, workshops, classrooms, and conferences, helping people to better understand the potential and limitations of GIS-related conservation tools.

Kimberly Good PROJECT MANAGER

Kim is dedicated to finding conservation solutions for prairie Canada’s working landscapes and the people who make their living on them. She is educated in plant ecology and animal science from the College of Agriculture at the University of Saskatchewan. She has a wide ranging background in land management and stewardship having worked with farmers and ranchers throughout Alberta and Saskatchewan. Kim has worked extensively with landowners to apply conservation easements and to implement land management plans including such topics as livestock, woodlot, invasive species and species at risk management.

Guy Greenaway SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER

Guy Greenaway is a Senior Project Manager with Miistakis, working to understand how ecological conservation connects with private land, financial markets, land use planning, and government policy. That adventure takes him through projects related to community servicing, conservation planning, market-based instruments, conservation easements, and others. And he talks a lot, trying to make those stewardship stories resonate with the people whose decisions affect our ecosystems.

Danah Duke EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Danah has spent the past 17 years dedicated to land and wildlife conservation. As Executive Director Danah gets to keep her hand in all things Miistakis. This diversity keeps her inspired and challenged. Danah celebrates her ten year anniversary with Miistakis this year.

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Rachelle Haddock RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

Rachelle has worked in conservation for over ten years. She partnered with the Miistakis Institute to carry out her master’s degree research, and enjoyed the people so much that she began working with Miistakis full-time in 2010. Rachelle is very much a generalist, and her work with Miistakis reflects this inclination: from striving to communicate about conservation in compelling ways to deploying remote cameras in the field, her role at Miistakis is diverse.

Ken Sanderson GIS DEVELOPER

Ken enjoys problem solving and the creation of applications that help people understand and use GIS data. Joining the Miistakis Institute in 2001 Ken is responsible for system administration and server management, data management, GIS and website development, online mapping applications and any other tool that can be developed in a GIS or Web environment.

Tracy Lee SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER

Tracy focuses on promoting sustainable land use practices on Canadian landscapes. Her past experiences in Africa instilled an appreciation of the role of local knowledge when addressing conservation issues and much her work focuses on the integration of citizens in research. Her recent work involves promoting the facilitation of wildlife movement across Highway 3 through the southern Canadian Rockies and assisting landowners in southwestern Alberta to monitor interactions occurring between producers and carnivores.

Samantha Managh RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

Samantha came to Miistakis many years ago but has only recently started spending time here. Samantha holds a degree in geography and has spent much of her working life in the conservation field. Her roles at Miistakis range from citizen engagement in research to GIS support for multi stakeholder groups working towards a common vision.

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Financial statements

Statement of Financial PositionAS AT MARCH 31, 2011

2011 2010

ASSETS

Current

Cash $ 340,413 $ 511,786

Accounts receivable 219,199 215,396

Accrued project receivables 17,298 10,436

576,910 737,618

Property and equipment (Note 3) 31,989 30,977

$ 608,899 $ 768,595

LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS

Current liabilities

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 127,363 $ 124,979

Goods and services tax payable 1,601 2,987

128,964 127,966

Deferred contributions – operating (Note 4) 265,084 366,651

Deferred contributions – property and equipment (Note 5) 17,990 25,096

412,038 519,713

Net Assets

Invested in property and equipment 14,000 5,881

Internally restricted 120,000 60,000

Unrestricted 62,861 183,001

196,861 248,882

$ 608,899 $ 768,595

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Full audited statements are available by contacting the Miistakis Institute

Statement of OperationsFOR THE YEAR ENDED MARCH 31, 2011

2011 2010

Revenue

Foundation and other grants $ 388,536 $ 290,329

Services 316,065 183,269

Government grants 212,977 255,839

Interest and other income 48 18,650

917,626 748,087

Expenses

Salaries and wages 531,672 407,946

Subcontractors 272,502 190,540

Travel 47,653 10,569

Supplies 28,631 9,367

Professional fees 26,550 20,034

Workshop 23,164 3,183

Amortization 11,315 10,391

Insurance 9,138 10,587

Repayment of project funding 8,391 -

Software 3,708 763

Telephone 3,401 2,343

Training 1,552 1,006

Interest and bank charges 1,032 948

Internet and web domain 755 330

Advertising and promotion 183 11,518

969,647 679,525

Excess (deficiency) of revenue over expenses $ (52,021) $ 68,562


The Miistakis Institute brings people and ideas together to promote healthy communities and landscapes. We study the landscape, so we can help people conserve it; and we celebrate innovative research by making it accessible to communities and decision-makers.

Our partners are leading edge scientists, like minded organizations, government agencies, industry and inspiring community leaders who work toward ecosystem health today and for the future.

Affiliated with the University of Calgary, the Miistakis Institute is an independent, non-profit charitable organization.

Innovative Research. Engaged Communities. Healthy Landscapes.


sharing our stories - miistakis institute · 2 sharing our stories 2010/2011 miistakis institute...

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