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FEBRUARY 28, 2013 | WWW.PRODUCER.COM | THE WESTERN PRODUCER
NEWS
RESEARCH | WILDLIFE
LAND | EXPANSION
Helicopter, nets used for moose research
Farmland in short supply across Alberta
Moose migration problematic | Hunters happy, farmers not so much as moose wander Highway 11 BY DAN YATES SASKATOON NEWSROOM
Moose have traditionally been associated more with boreal forest than prairie farmland. However, a researcher from the University of Saskatchewan says it isn’t difficult to find the animals alongside a busy stretch of highway that cuts through central Saskatchewan, connecting the province’s two largest cities. Ryan Brook, who works in the university’s agriculture college, said an increasing moose population with a changing habitat is cause for concern. Several thousand moose are now found south of the province’s northern forests. Their southern migration has been welcomed by hunters, who have benefited from an increase in the number of tags issued for moose, but they are also a nuisance. They damage farmers’ fences, feed on their crops and create an increased risk of collisions with rural drivers. It’s enough of a concern that the province’s environment ministry and the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation are throwing their support behind a team of researchers who have initiated the Saskatchewan Farmland Moose Project.
Their efforts will closely track the animals for two years within an area neighbouring Highway 11 between Regina and Saskatoon. “We just don’t have any data to support or assess it. We just don’t know what the population of them is or where they go or what they eat,” said Brook. For two days last week, Brook led a team of 12 that employed a helicopter and a small plane to spot, track and tag 17 adult
female moose. Joined by a professional wildlife capture crew and ministry biologists, Brook’s team eyed the animals from the sky and fired a net from above. Members on the ground blindfolded the animals, held them down and collected blood, hair and stool samples. A tag was placed in each ear and a collar, complete with a GPS unit, was attached around their necks. The technology embedded in the
Researchers used helicopters to help locate and net moose herds between Regina and Saskatoon.
collars will send Brook hourly updates on where the animal moves. He said the animals weren’t drugged or hurt, and the collars are designed to fall off after two years. “Finding enough animals in that area was not a problem,” he said. “ There was certainly lots of female moose around there.” Most of the animals were found within 10 kilometres of the highway, while some were tagged as far as 30 km away. Brook said he would like to attach collars to as many as 25 moose this year, particularly problematic animals that are moved by wildlife officials. The same exercise will be duplicated next year with male moose. The collars are easy to identify and hunters are asked not to kill the animals. The information collected could contribute to a moose management strategy for the area, providing policy-makers with a better idea of what the animals are consuming, where they’re travelling and crossing roads and how officials could facilitate and impede their movement. “That’s our job, as I see it anyway, is to provide good science and good information to help people make more informed decisions,” said Brook.
Rob Tether, a moose biologist with Saskatchewan’s ministry of environment, left, Matt Leuenberger, centre, and Clay Wilson, both with Bighorn Helicopters, work to tag a female moose. | SASK. MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT PHOTOS
BY BARB GLEN LETHBRIDGE BUREAU
There isn’t much cultivated farmland in Alberta, and there’s going to be even less in the future. Alberta Agriculture agronomist Ross McKenzie told the Alberta Soil Science Workshop in Lethbridge Feb. 20 that land suitable for cropping is becoming an increasingly scarce commodity in the province. He said 23 million acres of land, or 16 percent of Alberta’s total land area, are available to grow crops. “Alberta really has a relatively small percentage of land suitable for cultivated agriculture,” said McKenzie. He calculated it like this: • There are 158.7 million acres of land in Alberta. • Of that, 52 million are used for agriculture. • Of that, 20 million acres are used for grazing or are in native grassland. • About 32 million acres are cultivated, with seven million of those in hay or tame pasture. • That leaves 23 million acres for crop cultivation, about two million of which are in summer fallow each year. None of those areas are Class 1 land as defined by Agriculture Canada’s rating system based on soil type, climate and location. Alberta’s best land is Class 2, and most of it is located east of Calgary and Edmonton, said McKenzie. A sizable portion of it is under threat from urban expansion. Using data compiled by land use specialist Brad Stelfox of Calgary, McKenzie said Calgary now occupies 600 sq. kilometres. At its current growth rate of 4.5 percent per year, it could cover 3,800 sq. km by 2050. “In another 37 years, our very best agricultural land in southern Alberta, most of it will be under pavement and under parks, so not very productive,” McKenzie said. “Society must really get much more serious about protecting our land for future generations.” The oil and gas industry poses additional threats. McKenzie said estimates indicate there are 120,000 abandoned well sites on agricultural land. About 110,000 km of pipeline affect farmland, and in many cases crop production is only 60 percent of pre-pipeline levels. “We can’t get back to where we were” in terms of land production after a pipeline has been installed, he said. Alberta Environment regulations require that oil and gas companies reclaim land to at least 80 percent of its former production potential. “That’s the requirement, but very rarely does this happen,” he said. “Often in my travels, it seems like they reclaim about 40 or 50 percent of production.” He speculated about whether more restrictions should be placed on pipelines, electrical lines and windmills that cross or occupy agricultural land. McKenzie said manure from livestock feeding operations presents another threat because recommended manure application rates are based on nitrogen requirements rather than phosphorus content.