Conservation Blog

Caribou Update: Rhetoric Meets Reality

22 April 2024

In the Spring issue of Nature Alberta Magazine: An honest appraisal of the gap between rhetoric and reality in caribou conservation.

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The Kleskun Hills, rising up over the surrounding plains, are the largest remaining tract of upland Peace River Parkland. REG ARBUCKLE

The Kleskun Hills: Alberta’s Newest Provincial Park

22 April 2024

Explore Alberta’s newest Provincial Park, Kleskun Hills, in the Spring issue of Nature Alberta Magazine!

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Bohemian waxwings are infamous for flying into windows after eating fermented berries. LEO DE GROOT

Four Ways to Help Your Backyard Birds

22 April 2024

BY STEPHANIE WEIZENBACH

Four practical tips to create a safe and welcoming space for urban birds in your own backyard.

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Environmental Advocacy: The Anatomy of a Campaign

18 February 2024

Human activities are placing a severe strain on our environment, and the health of natural systems and species are in decline. Pushing back is far from easy, but progress can be made, particularly through well-planned environmental protection campaigns. Collective action is key. This article provides a step-by-step guide to planning and implementing effective campaigns.

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The Impacts of Impact Assessment

19 January 2024

The status of impact assessment in Alberta — in terms of environmental protection, where do we stand?

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The meticulous record-keeping of angler Jim Rennie provided a clear account of the population crash of westslope cutthroat trout in Gold Creek following the failure of a coal spoil pile that released sediment into the waterway.

The Currency of Angler Citizen Science

19 January 2024

Lorne Fitch searches for a treasure trove of citizen science data in the fishing diaries of lifelong anglers.

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Wildfire is both a destructive process and a source of forest renewal, resetting the successional clock. CAMERON STRANDBERG

The Changing Role of Forest Fire in a Warming Climate

19 January 2024

Explore the changing role of forest fire in a warming climate. What does the future hold, and how can we respond?

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Renewable Energy: Proceed But With Caution

19 November 2023

The Alberta government recently put a pause on renewable energy projects, exposing critical gaps in our system of land-use planning. Nature Alberta strongly supports efforts to reduce carbon emissions through increased renewable energy development. But we need to do a better job of planning renewable energy projects and where they are placed on the landscape.

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The soil at this chronic crude oil spill contained an astonishing 21% oil, yet numerous plants persisted, among them: foxtail barley, alsike clover, reed canary grass, common horsetail, scentless chamomile, common plantain, and smooth perennial sow-thistle (58°55’03” N, 118°56’04” W). KEVIN TIMONEY

Hiding in Plain Sight: The Legacy of Fossil Fuel Industry Disturbances

29 September 2023

BY KEVIN P. TIMONEY

The legacy of fossil fuel landscape disturbance is pervasive in Alberta. Municipalities and individual homeowners are finding themselves living alongside contaminated sites, which at first glance may have appeared nice and green. Learn to spot the signs of contamination…

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Survival Against the Odds: Alberta’s Half-moon Hairstreak Butterfly

29 September 2023

BY BENNY ACORN

Waterton Lakes National Park is truly one of the most remarkable areas in all of Alberta, where natural beauty is partnered with rich and unique biological diversity. Although you would not expect it, the story of one of Alberta’s rarest insects begins here, under the late-winter snow. This is a story of unexpected alliances, remarkable specialization, and perseverance in the face of catastrophic adversity, and it all takes place on the Blakiston Fan.

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