Reading Time: 3 minutes The Municipal District of Taber in southern Alberta remains at a political crossroads, weighing the interests of generating revenue for public services with conserving native grasslands.
Conservation groups enter grazing lease debate
Five Alberta groups ask for halt of proposed project to convert native grasslands to irrigation
Chronic wasting disease spillover risk deserves more attention: report
U.S. researchers say it’s time to look beyond deer when watching for chronic wasting disease exposure and infection
Reading Time: 6 minutes U.S. researchers say it’s time to look beyond deer when watching for chronic wasting disease exposure and infection, sometimes called zombie deer disease.
Don’t let domestic sheep mix with Bighorns
Reading Time: < 1 minute Domestic sheep and goats can pose a threat to the health of Bighorn sheep. Anne Hubbs, senior wildlife biologist with the Alberta government, says domestic sheep and goats can commonly carry a bacterium that can cause pneumonia and large-scale population die-offs of Bighorn sheep following close contact with an infected animal. “There are no vaccines […] Read more
Group launches wildlife monitoring project in Milk River watershed
Acoustic monitoring project aims to determine population levels and valuable habitat for bats and amphibians
Reading Time: 4 minutes Some people find bats and frogs creepy, but the Milk River Watershed Council Canada wants to examine them through its “Wild Nights” monitoring project. The aim is to understand how many bats and amphibians live in the watershed, in southeastern Alberta, and how they’re distributed. The group is particularly interested in the little brown myotis […] Read more
Plan aims to protect ferruginous hawk
Ferruginous hawks control the ground squirrel population and are a huge benefit to landholders
Reading Time: 3 minutes The Alberta government and several conservation partners have released a recovery plan for the ferruginous hawk. The largest North American hawk, with a wingspan up to 55 inches, it is classified as both at risk and endangered in Alberta. “It’s been a while to come out, but it’s great to finally see it out in […] Read more
Testing wetlands for infectious bird flu – and finding it
Because concentration is too low in large water bodies, the usual methods of testing don’t work
Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Morning omelettes and holiday dinners have become more expensive. One likely cause is bird flu, outbreaks of which led to the deaths of millions of chickens and turkeys from infection or culling in 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and which still demands rigorous monitoring of wild populations. Now, reporting […] Read more
Saskatchewan expands wildlife testing to include bovine TB
CFIA probe of cattle herd finds 10 infected so far
Recent confirmed cases of bovine tuberculosis (TB) in a Saskatchewan cattle herd have led the province to expand its annual wildlife monitoring program for chronic wasting disease (CWD) to also include TB. The province each year since 1997 has asked hunters to submit heads from harvested deer, moose and elk to test for CWD. It […] Read more
COVID-19 isn’t over for white-tailed deer
The virus mutates rapidly in white-tailed deer, but here’s why we don’t need to worry – for now
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – At some point during the pandemic, Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, spread from humans to white-tailed deer in North America. In 2021, scientists revealed that 40 per cent of white-tailed deer sampled in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Illinois and New York state in the U.S. had antibodies for the virus. Surveillance of these […] Read more
Yarrow Project extends grassland preservation
Area will rely on cattle to replace the ecosystem services of bison, Nature Conservancy of Canada says
Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta has a new area of preserved natural grassland right outside Waterton Lakes National Park. Dubbed the Yarrow project, it comprises 150,000 acres. “It really is one of the most unique and incredible properties I’ve ever personally been to,” said Jeremy Hogan, director of prairie grassland with the Nature Conservancy of Canada. He said the […] Read more
Scientists isolate human gene able to fend off most bird flu viruses
Finding may show which bird flu strains have human pandemic potential
London | Reuters — U.K. researchers have homed in on a human gene implicated in thwarting most bird flu viruses from infecting people. Bird flu chiefly spreads among wild birds such as ducks and gulls and can also infect farmed birds and domestic poultry such as chickens, turkeys and quails. Although the viruses largely affect […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
