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Identifying High Residency Habitat and Functional Movement Paths for Caribou in West-Central Alberta

Locating habitat and prioritizing restoration in west-central Alberta.

Within West-Central caribou ranges, this project will

  1. identify high-residency habitat patches and functional movement paths,
  2. identify priority areas for restoration based on expected contribution, and
  3. provide tools to evaluate on-the-ground impacts of planned activities on the availability of high-quality habitat and landscape connectivity.

Related Programs:

Caribou Program
Read more about the project
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  • April 1 2016

    Project Begins

    Progress update: Project begins with analysis of GIS data to identify high quality habitat

  • Summer 2016

    Field Season Underway

    Progress update: From June to September, field crews are collecting data in west-central Alberta

  • Fall 2016

    Summer Field Work Complete

    Progress update: 2016 data has been collected. The winter will be focused on analysis.

  • Spring 2017

    Progress Report Completed

    Progress update: Results from the first year of data collection and analysis delivered to partner

  • Summer 2017

    Fieldwork Underway

    Progress update: High occupancy habitat visited to survey site characteristics.

  • Fall 2017

    Data Analysis Underway

    Progress update: Movement paths analyzed and high occupancy patches characterized.

  • November 2017

    GIS Tool Development

    Progress update: The GIS Program begins building a tool for land managers to use project findings

  • Spring 2018

    Project Complete

    Progress update: Final report completed. Additional papers and GIS tool in progress.

Calves and Calve Nots: Predicting Caribou Reproduction from Movement Rates

Ben Williamson In the foothills of west-central Alberta, the last of the snow does not melt until May. It is then that the dwindling herds of caribou begin their spring migration up into the Rocky Mountains. They leave behind a landscape rich in nutritious lichen and other delicacies but also—they hope—their predators. The timing is no accident. After a long, harsh winter in the Canadian boreal forest, the herd embarks on the climb up to their mountain refuge. Safer from wolves and far from human activity, the females give birth.

Seeking Sanctuary – the Neonatal Calving Period among Central Mountain Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou)

Peer reviewed paper from the Caribou Program.

Photo Credit: Doug MacNearney

A Day in the Field: Lichen Surveys with the Caribou Program

Pictures of the field crew conducting lichen surveys to identify high quality caribou habitat in west-central Alberta.

Laura Finnegan

Program Lead

Julie Duval

Program Lead

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