Waterton Biosphere Region

WATERTON BIOSPHERE REGION WORKING TOGETHER FOR HEALTHY ENVIRONMENTS AND PROSPEROUS COMMUNITIES

CONTACT WATERTON BIOSPHERE RESERVE

Photo by Boyd Leavitt

We’d like to hear from you!!

For more information about the Waterton Biosphere Reserve, please contact:

Email: info(at)watertonbiosphere(dot)com

Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association
P.O. Box 7, Pincher Creek, Alberta T0K 1W0

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Twitter

Scenic Waterton Biosphere

Photo by Kim Pearson

#watertonbiospherereserve

Just a quick reminder, our limber pine volunteer e

Just a quick reminder, our limber pine volunteer event is coming up soon so get registered. Only a few spots remain!
On Saturday November 16th, the Waterton Biosphere Region will be joining forces with the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation of Canada to present Sticky Fingers!
It's a great chance to learn and do something good for this endangered species!
#VolunteerOpportunity #limberpines #feelgoodstuff

The Waterton Biosphere Region is grateful for the

The Waterton Biosphere Region is grateful for the support of the Alberta Ecotrust Foundation in this year's funding mix.
These new resources will help build our capacity to inform and educate, support documentation of our activities and landscapes, and further our efforts to create biodiversity awareness.
#thankyouforyoursupport #abecotrust #fundingannouncementAlberta
From Alberta Ecotrust Foundation:
Ecotrust Foundation is proud to announce the recipients of its 2024 Springboard Grant. This grant program provides funding to organizations addressing Alberta’s environmental challenges, helping them build their internal capacity. By investing in themselves, grantees develop essential skills, strategize for the future and enhance their processes and systems to achieve greater environmental impact.
The 2024 Springboard Grant recipients are:
Athabasca Watershed Council WPAC
Bighill Creek Preservation Society
Bragg Creek Wild
Elements Society
Friends of Fish Creek Provincial Park Society
IslamicFamily
Oldman Watershed Council (OWC)
Pembina Institute
Waterton Biosphere Region
Women In Need Society
We would like to thank our funders, supporters and volunteers for their continued support and for helping turn positive intentions into meaningful actions to preserve our ecosystems.
To learn more about our grantees, visit the following link:
https://albertaecotrust.com/news/2024-springboard-grantees

The Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association (WBRA)

The Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association (WBRA) is looking for two people to support our organization and programs in southwestern Alberta.
The Conservation Technician will support various conservation initiatives including our Species at Risk and Supporting Landowners in Conservation and Stewardship programs. The ideal candidate will be a generalist with a background in conservation and agriculture, having strong field and communication skills, ability to work effectively with agricultural producers, landowners and partners, experience with GIS mapping, and flexibility to thrive in a dynamic work environment. We are looking for that person who might enjoy discussing fencing projects with an agricultural producer, counting limber pine seedlings or bats, and engaging kids at youth education events – no two days are the same.
The Executive and Finance Assistant will provide administrative, financial, and organizational support to the Executive Director and board of directors. We are looking for an essential cog to help drive the office engine - that person who keeps files and records in order, manages meeting documentation and logistics, helps track grant income and expenses, coordinates payroll submissions, and so much more. If creating efficient, organized file structures or solving a formula problem in Excel bring satisfaction to your workday, this might be the role for you!
Deadline to apply for both positions is noon on November 29, 2024. If you aren’t one of the people we are looking for but know somebody who is, please share the postings!
https://www.watertonbiosphere.com/employment-opportunity-2024/

Our October newsletter is live on the WBR website

Our October newsletter is live on the WBR website - a review of the month's activities and a look forward to what's on tap for November.
https://www.watertonbiosphere.com/wbra-october-update-2/

Happy Halloween everyone! We are hoping everyone h

Happy Halloween everyone! We are hoping everyone had a great Bat Week!
To celebrate the end of this special week of bat-related opportunities, the Waterton Biosphere Region invites you to watch a short video about southern Alberta's vulnerable bat populations.
Our furry, flying friends face a host of threats to their survival. Hope is not lost though, but we've got to work together. Be sure to help spread the word by liking, sharing, and following this great little film! Here's the link:
https://youtu.be/KfreyJ4OtmU
For more information about bats, and the work the WBR and its partners are doing, please visit our webpage about Building Resilience for Bats at:
https://www.watertonbiosphere.com/projects/bats/
Photo by: Erin Lowe/WBR files

It’s that time of year again – the time when w

It’s that time of year again – the time when we start seeing ghouls and goblins lurking about, hunting for sweet treats before winter sets in. It’s also a great time to think about our flying nocturnal friends and the value they provide to our landscapes.
October 24th to 31st is Bat Week!
Bats are an integral part of the biological mix in Waterton Biosphere Region. They help manage insect pests that bite us or that threaten our crops and livestock, providing ecological services worth an estimated $23 billion in value to the North American agricultural industry annually.
They need our help though to keep doing their job helping us! Learn more about bats and what threats they face today at https://www.watertonbiosphere.com/projects/bats/
There are simple things we can do to help, but the first step is education.
#buildingresilienceforbats #batweek #batsarefriends #wingedmammals #insectivores

Today is International Day for Climate Action. The

Today is International Day for Climate Action. The WBR would like to recognize the work done by the various biosphere regions across the country, and our regional organizations and governments, in the pursuit of local solutions to this global problem.
#cbra #wbr #ClimateAction

Now that our special tree has a name, the Waterton

Now that our special tree has a name, the Waterton Biosphere Region would like to announce a special volunteer event opportunity - Sticky Fingers!
On Nov. 16th WBR and the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation of Canada will be hosting a seed extraction and education event.
Join us for the afternoon at the Lundbreck Community Hall, between 2 and 5 p.m., where the WPEC-F's Jodi Krakowski will be teaching how to separate limber pine seeds from their cones.
Lucy the Limber (Lucille) so lovingly reared a big bag of them for us to work on.
Once collected, these seeds will enter the WPEC_F's propagation program to help keep the species alive.
To register, email tporter@watertonbiosphere.com
Learn more about the limber pine on our website at: https://www.watertonbiosphere.com/projects/recovering-vulnerable-limber-pines/
#WPEC-F #WBR #limberpine #VolunteerOpportunity

SHE HAS A NAME!!! Thanks to everyone for their inp

SHE HAS A NAME!!!
Thanks to everyone for their input and name suggestions for this very special limber pine, formerly called Pf2015-0060.
Special thanks to Kevin Van Tighem for his suggestion of Lucille. With his suggestion, Kevin pointed to a picture of Lucille Ball from a 60s episode of 'I Love Lucy' where the actress was sporting some big curlers in her hair.
Our tree looks a lot like this, and who doesn't love Lucy, right?
Thanks everyone and keep watching for upcoming events and opportunities to help the limber pine.
See our website to learn more at: https://www.watertonbiosphere.com/projects/recovering-vulnerable-limber-pines/ and see postings from the
Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation of Canada

"What’s My Name?!" NAMING CONTEST If you’re f

"What’s My Name?!" NAMING CONTEST
If you’re following us on social media, you’ll know the special place limber pines holds in our programming. These trees serve a vital role in the ecosystem, making them a keystone species. They are at risk from disease, climate change, and other anthropogenic factors.
This weekend, we’d like to ask for your help in naming this VERY special limber pine! Right now, she is known as Pf2015-0060. It’s not a very flattering name, especially when you understand the lengths she is going to save her species. Let’s show her some love!
This tree is one in a dwindling population. Thankfully, Pf2015-0060 seems to have a resistance to the fungal infection that causes blister rust. This disease is a death sentence to limber and whitebark pines alike, and with their slow reproductive rates, time is of the essence if we want them to survive.
The Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation of Canada (WPEF-C) and the WBR have been partnering to save this iconic species. Trees identified as being resistance to blister rust have their cones caged early in the year to protect them from seed predators. Then in the fall, the cones are collected and seeds extracted. To help give the seeds a fighting chance, they are raised in nurseries until seedlings are ready to be reintroduced into the wild.
Pf2015-0060 (see, that just doesn’t have much ring to it) is a prolific seed producer and her seeds will help support the recovery efforts of this important species.
Submit your names this weekend in this post’s comments section and keep your eye on social media for the winning submission. We will also be hosting a volunteer event on the afternoon of November 16 to extract seeds from cones of this soon-to-be-named tree, so stay tuned for details on that opportunity.
To learn more about the Limber Pine, please visit our website at https://www.watertonbiosphere.com/projects/recovering-vulnerable-limber-pines/ .
There is a short video there that speaks to the plight of this special tree.

As autumn’s wind returns, we are reflecting upon

As autumn’s wind returns, we are reflecting upon another season of Building Resilience for Bats in Waterton Biosphere Region (WBR).
We want to acknowledge and express a huge thank you to this year's funders of our Building Resilience for Bats Project – Alberta Conservation Association, Environment and Climate Change Canada, to Jim and Mary Kearl Library in Cardston and the Pincher Creek & District Municipal Library for hosting our bat exploration kits, and to Alberta Community Bat Program for their ongoing partnership.
Certainly, this year's work would not have been possible without the landowners and stewards of WBR, our partners, and the region’s bat enthusiasts.
Join our effort to build resilience in bat populations by reporting roosts or learning how you can support bat-friendly habitats. Reach out to schedule a site visit or roost count.
Together, we can make a difference for our collective futures.
Learn more about Building Resilience for Bats on our website at https://www.watertonbiosphere.com/projects/bats/
A more in-depth account of this year's bat program activities and other happenings, please sign up for our newsletter at https://bit.ly/3U5wSsY

A shout out to Fortis Alberta for installing bird

A shout out to Fortis Alberta for installing bird diverters recently on this power line immediately adjacent to a trumpeter swan breeding lake in Waterton Biosphere Region.
Monitoring by WBR, and local landowner reports, identified this as a relatively new breeding site, with swan pairs producing cygnets in 3 of the past 4 years.
Diverters are visual cues for birds that a hazard exists. They come in various designs but the most common is a reflective, spinning panel that flashes in the breeze.
The divertors help reduce risk of powerline collisions for swans leaving or arriving at the site, particularly for newly fledged juvenile birds or during low visibility conditions.
Photo credit: FortisAlberta/P&RTech
#FortisAlberta #Stewardship #ConservationEfforts

Follow on Instagram