WBRA October 2023 Update

What’s New with the WBRA?

Photo by Andrea Morehouse

Limber Pine Planting

Limber pine planting along transect line photo by Elizabeth Anderson

Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association staff took to the hills this month, and not a moment too soon. With winter weather moving in it was critical to get limber pine seedlings into the ground. While we might not have enjoyed the recent snow, the moisture was well timed for these seedlings.

Stewarding Trumpeter Swans Through the Seasons

Trumpeter swan and cygnets at Beauvais Provincial Park photo by Mackenzie Brown

Although the fall swan migration is underway, our Stewarding Trumpeter Swans Through the Seasons monitoring work has wound down. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t thinking about swans! The infographic below summarizes the data on swan usage of wetlands in WBR based on the immense efforts of dedicated migration monitoring volunteers over the past three years.

In general, we were able to show significant usage of wetlands across WBR, particularly during the spring migration period, rather than a few sites where migrating swans concentrate. That means many landowners in WBR have the potential to influence swan stopover habitat – truly a collective responsibility.

Trumpeter swans are also regularly using a handful of new breeding sites since the last North American Trumpeter Swan Survey in 2015, and seemingly produce almost three times the number of cygnets annually than those surveys showed (though survey methods were different). The question remains as to whether there are more potential wetlands they can breed on, but the first step is always healthy habitat with little human disturbance.

Our WBRA staff will now begin to dig deeper into the data to explore whether there were patterns in wetland usage between years, examine how significant the area is for migrating swans relative to other parts of the province, and integrate the data into other WBRA mapping projects and programs. We are also working on a Trumpeter Swan Conservation Plan to guide our program activities into the future, and an interactive story about trumpeter swan recovery will go live soon on our website.

Thank you again to the volunteers, landowners, and other members of the public who reported swans and who share our desire to see more of this iconic species on our local wetlands.

Building Resilience for Bats

Little brown myotis with white-nose syndrome. The fungus is visible on their muzzles. Photo by Larisa Bishop-Boros / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

Movies like Dracula would lead you to believe bats are evil and bloodthirsty. There is a different word the WBRA would use to describe bats though. That word is ‘misunderstood’.

Misconceptions about these night-flying mammals form, in part, because most of us are asleep while bats are active. That said, our understanding of bats may be shaped by pop culture rather than science or experience.

Not a single bat in Alberta drinks blood. In fact, only three of the more than 1,300 species of bat in the world are vampire bats. Those species are found in Central and South America, and prefer to dine on animals, not humans. All bats in Alberta eat insects – like mosquitos – who DO consume our blood.

The Real Villain

There is a villain in this batty story of ours, but it may be unfamiliar to some. This antagonist is a cold-loving, fuzzy fungus called Pseudogymnoascus destructans (or Pd). It is often referred to by another name – White-nose Syndrome (WNS).

This disease gets its name from the appearance of some infected bats, a white nose. This fungus impacts bats while they are in hibernation. It grows on the skin of bats, including their wings, and is irritating enough to wake these animals out of hibernation.

This continued disturbance means bats exert themselves when they normally wouldn’t, using their limited fat reserves inefficiently. This unwanted wakefulness can also alter a bat’s water and electrolyte balance. These factors combined may ultimately lead to their death by dehydration and starvation.

Some bats have been observed to survive the winter with Pd, only to perish in the spring when their immune system attacks the fungus and their own skin tissue together. There is no known cure for WNS, however some hopeful interventions are being researched.

What We Can Do

The best thing we can do for bats right now is to better understand bat populations and keep populations resilient. This way, when they go into hibernation they’ll have a better chance of survival.

Through our Building Resilience for Bats Program, we support landowners stewarding healthy habitat for bats. We also conduct roost counts for those who have or suspect they have bats living on their property.

Contact Elizabeth at bats@watertonbiosphere.com for more information if you are interested in joining the fight to build resilience of our greatest natural ally in pest management.

***By now, most bats have have headed for their winter hibernaculum, but bat encounters are still possible. If you find a bat displaying odd behaviour- such as flying during the day, flopping along the ground, or exhibiting no fear toward you – it is possible the bat is sick. While rare in Alberta (less than 1%), bats can carry the rabies virus. Never touch a bat with your bare hands. Report the injured or dead bat to your local Fish and Wildlife Office.

Meet a Conservation Biologist

Elizabeth Anderson at Day on the Creek photo by Lisa Salonen

Our resident Conservation Biologist, Elizabeth Anderson, teamed up with Career Transitions this month to share where her role has taken her and where it could lead those curious about work in the realm of conservation.

The Career Exploration Sessions hosted by Career Transitions offer southern Alberta students the opportunity to learn from professionals across a wide spectrum of fields in a virtual setting. Elizabeth was able to share her experiences in her role, outline her educational and career pathway that led to WBRA, and discuss the duties a Conservation Biologist could expect on the job.

We hope to have planted some seeds in the form of ideas and possibilities for careers in conservation as students look toward the future!

You can watch recordings of past Career Sessions by visiting their website here.

Be sure to stay tuned to our social media for a link to Elizabeth’s session!

Carnivores and Communities Program

Bear-resistant bin basics

We are still receiving reports that bears are active on the land. Guided by their final effort to become spherical, they are in search of high quality, low effort food sources. One way we can keep these attractants out of paws reach is by using bear resistant feed and garbage storage bins.

A Toter bear-resistant bin is a double walled poly cart with a steel-reinforced rim and a self-latching mechanism that bears cannot open. These bins have been certified as bear-resistant by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee following testing by captive grizzly bears at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery center in Montana. Watch this adult grizzly attempt to solve the puzzle of opening a Toter Bear Tough Cart (spoiler, he can’t).

If you are interested in purchasing a bin you can contact Jeff Bectell, Carnivores and Communities Program Coordinator at jbectell@watertonbiosphere.com, with your inquiry. If there is sufficient interest in pre-purchasing bins, we will explore the possibility of doing a bulk order at a subsidized cost.

Fall Cleanup