Innovation Anthology #545:

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One of the major objectives of the WHEC study on Wildlife Habitat Effectiveness and Connectivity is to find out how wolves move through the oil sands region of northern Alberta, and how development might impede this movement.

WHEC Project Coordinator Holger Bohm says that preliminary data indicates the wolves travel along rivers or through river habitat about one quarter of the time.

Snow cover also affects how wolves travel and hunt.

HOLGER BOHM: So right now actually we have a team in the field and we are measuring snow depth because we want to relate wolf travel speed to the snow conditions. We expect in deeper snow the wolves will have a harder time moving. Then we expect that to change drastically when it starts melting and the surface of the snow will actually freeze, because then wolves are actually known for being on top of the snow. Which really gives them an advantage over ungulates, with their comparably small feet They will be crushing through the snow and that frozen surface and then getting stuck almost. And then the wolves really have really good time. It’s the peak time for wolves as far as hunting goes.

As Holger Bohm presented at the recent CONRAD Symposium, findings from the WHEC study will help oil sands companies make better decisions in the development and reclamation of their projects.

Thanks today to Syncrude.

I’M CHERYL CROUCHER

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Syncrude

Program Date: 2013-03-26