Innovation Anthology #467:
A second project of the WHEC research program follows radio-collared moose in the active oil sands region of northern Alberta.
WHEC is the Wildlife Habitat Effectiveness and Connectivity study.
Biologist Holger Spaedtke described its activities at the recent CONRAD symposium on oil sands reclamation research.
Spaedtke’s group has discovered these moose have very small home ranges. On average it’s 9.5 square kilometers near Fort McMurray compared to 170 square kilometers in the Northwest Territories.
HOLGER SPAEDTKE: Yes I do have a favorite story. We have a cow-calf pair of moose that actually sat in front of one of our cameras for a grand total of I believe four weeks. And those two just bedded down there, and got up every once in a while, had a bite to eat, turned around and bedded right back down. So again, anecdotally it may be an indication for how good the habitat is and how they really don’t have to move to find all they need.
Holger Spaedke says this one pair snapped over 5000 pictures on the remote camera in the spot where they bedded down.
The study will help industry design appropriate habitat for moose in its reclamation areas
Thanks today to SYNCRUDE
FOR INNOVATION ANTHOLOGY
I’M CHERYL CROUCHER
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Syncrude
Program Date: 2012-03-22