Attention landowners! Sign up for your Species at Risk Conservation Plan.
Call Kristen at (403) 388-7733 or Darryl at 388-3146
MULTISAR is now hiring a range agrologist. Click here for here for more details.
The winter 2011 Grassland Gazette is available now!
"Wildlife in the Wind" Speaker Series
October 3, 2011
The Alberta Chapter of the Wildlife Society (ACTWS) is sponsoring a "Wildlife in the Wind" Speaker Series as an information exchange forum for wildlife professionals, students and interested public. The focus will be on fish and wildlife research, issues and conservation initiatives. The series is open to all and is free of charge. For more information, click here.
2011 Southern Alberta Grazing School for Women
July 27 & 28, 2011
The 8th Annual Southern Alberta Grazing School for Women was held on July 27th and 28th, 2011 at Chain Lakes Provincial Park. This two day event is geared toward women from the ranching and farming community, where tools for grazing management are the primary focus. This year, approximately 38 women attended the grazing school, where topics ranged from rangeland and riparian health, stocking rates and selecting herd sires. Attendees also participated in several field sessions where they learned how to complete riparian and range health assessments and were treated to an electrofishing demonstration by the Alberta Conservation Association. Once again, MULTISAR was on the organizing committee for the event and had several female staff members attend. To learn more about grazing schools for women in Alberta, please visit the Cows & Fish website by clicking here.
Home - News and Current Events
MULTISAR collaborates with the Fish and Wildlife Undercover Unit to safely return rattlesnakes taken from the wild for the purpose of illegal trade
October 5, 2010
Read full article here
MULTISAR inspires youth group to look at grasslands in a new way
August 11, 2010
MULTISAR brings grasslands to life for the Blood Tribe Jr. Forest Rangers during a two day field trip exploring the grasslands and its unique habitats. The rangers visited the Waterton Park Front where they met up with a MULTISAR biologist who provided an overview of grassland function and its importance for species at risk. The rangers recorded their personal experience through photos, drawings and other art as part of a Biomapping Project led by the Helen Schuler Nature Centre in Lethbridge and the Prairie Conservation Forum. A video of their experience can be viewed here.
Demonstration day in Twin Butte turns a rainy day into an informative landowner gathering
June 21, 2010
Read full article here
Government of Canada announces funding to Alberta Conservation Association from its Habitat Stewardship Program to assist in delivering the MULTISAR program
August 10, 2010
Medicine Hat MP LaVar Payne, on behalf of Federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice, announced Tuesday federal funding of over $780,000 through the Habitat Stewardship Program to assist in the protection and recovery of species at risk in Alberta. The Alberta Conservation Association received $250,000 to assist in the delivery of the MULTISAR program. This money, along with the investment and support of the three partners that make up the program, the Alberta Conservation Association, Alberta Sustainable Resource Development and the Prairie Conservation Forum, will allow MULTISAR to develop management plans and habitat projects with ranchers to improve priority habitats for species at risk and other species in a way that also provides positive outcomes to the ranching community.
Women only grazing school has another successful year
July 30, 2010
The 7th Annual Southern Alberta Grazing School for Women was held July 27-28, 2010 in Milo, Alberta. This two day event was packed with opportunities for ranching and farming women to learn, network and socialize. Presentations included range and riparian health, stocking rates, livestock handling and preplanning for energy development. There was hands on training with range health assessments and plant identification as well as demonstrations of working stock dogs and electric fence use. The evening of the first day was spent together on a local ranch, visiting and enjoying snacks by a fire. These two educational and fun-filled days came at a low price tag of $65 which included all meals and a plant identification book. Stay posted to learn more about next year's event.
Al.taLink creates a safe nesting site for Alberta’s endangered ferruginous hawks
August 21, 2009
Ferruginous hawks in Alberta’s prairies are finding it harder to find a safe nesting site, adding to the endangered hawk’s struggle to increase their declining population. From a ferruginous hawk’s perspective, transmission towers often appear to be the best available nesting location, which sometimes creates a concern for both the safety of the hawk and the reliability of the transmission system. To provide ferruginous hawks with a safe nesting site, AltaLink, Alberta’s transmission leader, teamed up with Operation Grassland Community (OGC) and the Government of Alberta, Fish and Wildlife Division on the Multiple Species at Risk (MULTISAR) program to install two nesting platforms in Southern Alberta.
Release of Species at Risk Strategy sets priorities for next 5 years
January 20, 2009
Direction for Alberta's management of species at risk and priorities for the next five year's have been clearly outlined with the release of Alberta's Strategy for the Management of Species at Risk (2009-2014). Alberta has had a well established program since the 1980s that has provided conservation and recovery for plants and animals at risk of disappearing from the province. The strategy points towards recovery for prairie species, increased efforts for invertebrates, fish and plants and a focus on multi species management through MULTISAR. See
www.srd.alberta.ca/fishwildlife/speciesatrisk/strategy2009/default.aspx
for more information.
MULTISAR journeys to China to present at international congress
December 2, 2008
Last June Range Management Specialist Jennifer Carlson embarked on a journey to Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, to expose the International Grasslands/Rangelands Congress 2008 to MULTISAR. Jennifer presented a paper and poster The Use of Range/Wildlife Correlations to Achieve Ecological Diversity on Native Grasslands in Alberta, Canada.Over 1200 delegates were in attendance, 15 of which were from Canada. Great exposure was given to the project and interest was high from delegates around the world. Jennifer’s travel to the IGC/IRC 2008, was funded by Sustainable Resource Development, Lands Division.
Canadian Natural Resource Limited provides $84,000 to MULTISAR
September 15, 2008
Starting in 2008 Canadian Natural Resource Limited (CNRL) donated $84,000, split over three years, to the MULTISAR Program for the conservation of species at risk. "CNRL is committed to operating in the grasslands of Alberta in a sound and ecological sustaining manner and views the partnership with MULTISAR as a way to conserve habitat for species at risk that are in the area of our operations,” says Lance Schelske CNRL’s South District Landman. Canadian Natural Resource Limited funds will go towards assisting MULTISAR with completing detailed wildlife and range assessments on lands working with MULTISAR, as well as towards habitat enhancements identified on those lands.
Blackfoot Challenge tour inspires Albertans to work together
August 15, 2008
Twenty nine Southern Albertans travelled to Seeley Lake, Montana August 11-13 to learn how the Blackfoot Challenge is successfully managing their watershed to maintain rural lifestyles and natural resources. The Blackfoot River was once labelled as endangered but is now a productive trout stream that fishermen, ranchers and local communities are working together to protect.
The Oldman Watershed Council's Rural Team organized the tour to inspire local watershed stewardship groups and agencies to adapt their success to our watershed. For more information visit www.blackfootchallenge.org.
MULTISAR is proud to support the Etzikom Museum’s species at risk displays
July 2, 2008
One display features the endangered soapweed plant and yucca moths while the other discusses several species at risk, their threats and recovery strategies. Visit the Etzikom Museum in Etzikom on highway 61 just past Foremost. Call the museum at 403-666-3737 for more information.
MULTISAR and AltaLink partner to provide nests for Ferruginous hawks
December 7, 2007
MULTISAR and AltaLink collaborated to provide two artificial nesting platforms for one of Alberta’s endangered species, the ferruginous hawk.
In the spring of 2007 a pair of ferruginous hawks nested on a conveyor belt in an active gravel pit, prompting landowner Barry Snow to shut down the belt until the hawks were done nesting. Snow is a MULTISAR partner who is having a Habitat Conservation Strategy completed for his ranch near Milk River.
AltaLink, an independent transmission company, constructed one of two artificial nests and donated poles to mount them on. AltaLink placed the nests near the conveyor belt in hopes that the hawks will choose them instead this coming spring.
Ferruginous hawks are designated as endangered in Alberta. A lack of nesting sites is one of the reasons the hawk’s population has declined dramatically in Alberta.
