#799: MAPS: Bird Research in Oil Sands Region
Syncrude is part of a consortium of 10 companies supporting research on birds in the oil sands area of northeastern Alberta.
Called MAPS, this is an acronym for Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship.
MAPS is an international program and the oil sands area accounts for 38 of 1000 songbird banding stations across North and South America.
Dr. Ken Foster is an ecologist with Owl Moon Environmental Inc which has run the program near Fort McMurray since 2011.
DR KEN FOSTER: Up in the Fort McMurray region we have adopted this protocol with an intent of using it to evaluate not only populations and our contribution here to the continental effort, but specifically to look at how songbirds are colonizing and using reclaimed areas in comparison to their colonization and use of natural areas. And these data then feed into the industrial effort to reclaim and improve reclamation practices.
Dr. Ken Foster says since 2011 his biologists have banded almost 30,000 birds which represents over 90 species.
Thanks today to SYNCRUDE.
FOR INNOVATION ANTHOLOGY
I’M CHERYL CROUCHER
Guest
,
, , , ,
Sponsor
Syncrude
Program Date: 2016-08-02