Road Watch in the Pass

Old News Items

Road Watch expanding it's impact (December 2009)

We are often asked to expand Road Watch in the Pass into British Columbia along Highway 3 from the provincial border to Elko. As a first step to document wildlife movement Tracy and Rob met with a number of local experts from the Cranbrook region to identify mortality hotspots and areas where winter ranges intersect with the Highway 3 Transportation Corridor. The report is posted on the results page of the RW website or you view the report by clicking here.

In the News (December 2009)

Road Watch was quoted in an article by Debbie Houghtaling on Driving and Wildlife Safety in the Pincher Creek Echo. Check out the article by clicking here.

Road Watch Presentation at ICOET (September 2009)

Tracy will be presenting Road Watch in the Pass as a model for engaging citizens in monitoring wildlife movement around highways at the International Conference on Transportation and Ecology (ICOET) in Duluth, Minnesota September 13-17 2009. For more information check out the conference website at http://www.icoet.net/ICOET2009.asp

Community Map (April 2009)

Road Watch in the Pass has released a map of high collision zones for large mammal species along Highway 3. The map was developed using observational data from the Road Watch project and mortality data reported by Volker Stevins staff. If you would like a copy of the map please contact Rob at 403-564-4833. To view the map click here.

New Elk Sign (February 2009)

On January 31, 2009 a number of volunteers showed up to assist Road Watch in repairing the elk sign out by Crowsnest Lakes near the Alberta British Columbia Border. As you can see the weather was not great but we all enjoyed hot chocolate, coffee and donuts. Thanks to all of you who came to help and to Shaw Cable for providing a lift truck to make replacing the elk sign much easier and to Fish and Wildlife staff for providing the elk template to cut the new sign and for enhancing our safety on site. This summer we plan to give both elk signs new coats of paint, I'll let you all know a date later.

Volunteers needed this Saturday (January, 2009)

Hi everyone. As you can see from this picture, the “Animals on Road” sign out by Crowsnest Lake isn’t looking too good these days. This Saturday, Jan 31, we will be doing some repairs. The repair work will begin about 1:00 PM. If anyone has some time and would like to volunteer for a few hours we would really appreciate the help.
Refreshments will be supplied, and the weather is supposed to be good so hopefully we’ll see you on Saturday.

Otto Driving Companion Survey (January, 2009)

We need to evaluate the effectiveness of using the Otto Driving Companions to collect data, if you are using one of the units, please take the time to answer a few questions through our on-line survey. We apologize to those of you who have provided us with feedback but it is important that we can report back to the Otto developer and funders about the success and challenges of this component of Road Watch program. In addition we hope to address challenges to improve data collection.

Please click here to access the survey.

Damaged Elk Sign (January, 2009)

We need your help repairing the Wildlife Crossing Elk sign out by Crowsnest Lake. It’s missing an antler! It will be a two day project (one day to climb up, make a template, and make the new antlers, and a second day to install the new antlers on the other sign) but only a couple of hours each day. We are planning on Sat Jan 24 and Sat Jan 31. We will need a few volunteers, so if you feel like helping out please give me a call or e-mail (I’ll supply the coffee and snacks).

American Wildlands - Safe Passages E-Bulletin (December, 2008)

American Wildlands Safe Passages E-Bulletin is designed to promote best practices for wildlife movement across the Northern US Rockies. It presents summaries of the latest research for monitoring wildlife movement across highways as well as highlighting successful mitigation efforts. In this latest installment they highlight two citizen science projects from Colorado and Montana. Spy on the Pass, on I90 in Montana was inspired by Road Watch in the Pass. Check out a description of this project and the E-Bulletin here.

Road Watch is please to announce two new supporters (October, 2008)

Thank you Wilburforce Foundation and TransWild Alliance for your support. The Wilburforce Foundation is a private, philanthropic foundation that funds environmental issues in the Western U.S. and Western Canada. One of their focus areas is the Crown of the Continent and they have a conservation science program area. Road Watch also received a TransWild Alliance mini grant to enable an assessment of expanding the Road Watch program into British Columbia. The TransWild Alliance is made up of several conservation organizations who are working to protect wildlife and natural resources from the impacts of highways and associated development. The TransWild Alliance provides the means for these groups to communicate, coordinate and support one another through this partnership. This is the first year the Alliance has offered a mini grant program.

Road Watch presents at a Strategies Workshop on the Reduction of Animal Vehicle Collisions on Alberta’s Roadways (July, 2008)

The Strategies Workshop on the Reduction of Animal Vehicle Collisions on Alberta’s Roadways was hosted by Alberta Transportation (AT), Western Transportation Institute (WTI) and Red Deer College from June 26-27 2008. The purpose of the workshop was to present the most current science and technology used to manage highways for safe and efficient transport while reducing transportation conflicts with rural wildlife populations. The workshop was well attended by Alberta Transportation staff. Road Watch was presented by Tracy as an innovative model for engaging citizens in data collection and wildlife and transportation issues.

Road Watch attends Washington Wildlife Crossing Field Course (July, 2008)

Road Watch local coordinator, Rob Schaufele, attended the Washington Wildlife Crossings Field Course at the beginning of June. This 3 day course was held in Roslyn Washington, near the Snoqualmie pass, on Interstate # I-90, in the Cascade Mountains. It included 2 days of presentations from leading experts on wildlife and highway mitigation and a full day field trip to Interstate 90 near Snoqualmie Pass where a highway upgrade project is currently underway. The case study highlighted important lessons that could be applied to Highway 3 in the Crowsnest Pass. For more information please read Robs submitted article in the Crowsnest Promoter.

Road Watch presents at the Wildlife and Transportation Workshop held May 28^th in the Pass (June 24, 2008)

The Crowsnest Conservation Society held a Wildlife and Transportation Community Workshop on May 28^th in the Crowsnest Pass. The workshop aimed to provide information on the highway planning process, local initiatives in the region and to foster community discussion on the wildlife and transportation issues. Guest speakers included Don Snider from Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation and Rob Schaufele - our local project coordinator. For more information on the workshop, please read the article published in the Pass Herald by Nathan Gallagher.

New Participant Update (June 24, 2008)

For up to date news on the Road Watch program, check out the latest participant update by clicking here.

Road Watch Driving Survey (May 8, 2008)

Our NEW OTTO GPS UNITS are here. We are meeting with key participants and setting up the Systematic Driving Survey over the next few weeks (May 12-16). The units are simple to use and will make recording wildlife extremely easy. Anyone interested in learning more about the Systematic driving Surveys and the OTTO units can call Rob at 564-4833 or e-mail. We are very exited to get the program up and running. The data from the Systematic Survey will be very important for the Road Watch project. More information on this component of Road Watch can be found on the driving survey page of this website.

Road Watch Poster Contest (May 8, 2008)

Congratulations to Andrew Gustavson. Andrew has won a beautiful framed photo of Bighorn Sheep, donated by Road Watch participant Bob Pisko. Andrew's name was randomly drawn from the collection of names of people who came to our "Celebrating 3 Years of Road Watch" exhibit at the Public Art Gallery in Frank. The exhibit was a great success and very well attended. Thanks to all who were involved. The winning posters can be viewed on the Road Watch website on the contest page.

A very special thank you goes out to Belinda from Allied Arts for donating space at the gallery, the staff and students at Horace Allen and Livingstone schools for creating very artistic posters, as well as Jan Brigan and Loretta Schaufele for judging the posters and helping organize the open house.

Road Watch Project Coordinator to attend Road Ecology course (April 7, 2008)

Rob will be attending the Washington Wildlife Crossing Course in Roslyn, Washington in June 2-5 2008. This Field Course will draw on the vast range of expertise from biologists, engineers, planners, and others engaged in creating successful wildlife crossings. Rather than providing an introduction to wildlife crossings, this advanced-level course will tackle the more complex issues that each of us faces in the planning, design, funding and monitoring of wildlife crossings.

The course location, the Snoqualmie Pass – is the site of a major planned transportation and wildlife crossings project on Interstate 90 – providing an exceptional opportunity to learn from a project that is currently underway. By using this project as a case study and the focus of a field trip on the second day of the course, participants will have the opportunity to experience first-hand the hurdles as well as the achievements that have resulted in a comprehensive proposal to construct a suite of wildlife crossings along this stretch of interstate, For more information see the workshop website.

Safe passages newsletter features Road Watch (April 7, 2008)

Thursday, February 21, 2008 Systematic Driving Survey Meeting (February 19, 2008)

We have received a grant to purchase some new specialized GPS units that will allow us to record not only location coordinates, but also the specific wildlife species observed. Different species are preprogrammed into the units so with the touch of a button each species observed will be recorded. We will be setting up a Systematic Survey with some key participants. We are looking for participant who are interested in being assigned a portion of Highway #3 within our study area to drive regular transects.

We are having a meeting for interested participants to design the survey methods on Thursday Feb. 21 2008 at 6:00pm, in the Provincial building in Blairmore. We plan to discuss the logistics and methods for the systematic drives. We want to make this as efficient and easy as possible. We are very exited about using the OTTO GPS units and are hoping to get some great data from them!

For more information about the GPS units or the systematic surveys feel free to call Rob at 564-4833 or e-mail us.

Road Watch turns 3, come and celebrate with us! (February 6, 2008)

2007 was another successful year for Road Watch in the Pass and we would like to say a big “Thank You” for everyone’s input. Participants kept the wildlife sightings, and great ideas coming in. We are gearing up for another busy and exciting year, and have a number of interesting things planned for 2008!

One of the first events coming up this year is our, “Celebrating 3 Years of Road Watch Exhibit,” at the Allied Arts Gallery, in Frank Alberta. The exhibit will run for the month of February. The display includes information about Road Watch, and winning entries from our photo and poster contests. You will be able to view fantastic photos from some of our local participants, and wonderful hand created posters by local students, depicting safe ways for wildlife to cross our busy highway. We are having a Wine and Cheese event on Sat Feb. 23, from 2:00 – 5:00 pm. Tracy and Rob will be there to answer any questions you might have. The local media will be on hand and we will be awarding prizes for the winning Wildlife Crossing Posters. Everyone is welcome, so stop by sometime during the month and check it out. Come in on the 23rd and enjoy some refreshments, learn more about Road Watch in the Pass, meet other participants, and see some local youth get prizes for their artistic creations.

Update on Highway 3 Workshop (February, 6 2008)

Already in 2008, we have attended the “Highway #3 Transportation Corridor Workshop” in Fernie, on Jan 28 – 29. The purpose of the workshop was to identify how best to maintain and restore ecological connectivity within the southern Canadian Rockies with specific focus on the Crowsnest Pass transportation corridor. To inform efforts to minimize and mitigate adverse road and rail impacts on wildlife populations, and to develop a better understanding of the various ongoing wildlife research projects in the region. A gathering of Scientists, Transportation Planners, the local ENGO community, and allied interests were all there. Tracy and Danah were in attendance despite the weather. Road Watch results were presented and will be part of a science synthesis where wildlife movement hotspots will be identified based on numerous research projects in the Pass. For more info on the workshop go to: http://www.rockies.ca/crossroads/ - abstracts and a workshop summary will be posted shortly.

Keep an eye on this website for more updates and notice of future events.

Highway 3 Transportation Corridor Workshop (January 10, 2008)

Road Watch information will be presented at an upcoming workshop that will bring together researchers and transportation planners to discuss how best to maintain and restore ecological connectivity within the southern Canadian Rockies with a specific focus on the Crowsnest Pass transportation corridor. The workshop hopes to inform efforts to minimize and mitigate adverse road and rail impacts on wildlife populations, and to develop a better understanding of the various ongoing wildlife research projects in the region. The workshop will take place from January 28-29, 2008 in Fernie, B.C. Both Rob and Tracy will be attending the workshop on behave of Road Watch, if you have questions or want to learn more, please call Rob. A summary of this workshop will be made available to you in the future.

Further Support (January 10, 2008)

Road Watch has received core grants from both Alberta Ecotrust Foundation and the Woodcock Foundation for 2008. These grants enable us to retain a local project coordinator (Rob) and promote Road Watch as a successful community based monitoring project through-out the region. The core support from the Alberta Ecotrust Foundation and the Woodcock Foundation enable Road Watch to continue to develop and succeed. Thank you.

Thank you Mountain Equipment Co-op (January 10, 2008)

Road Watch has received funding from MEC for 2008 to fund the implementation of a systematic (assigning participants to section of the highway) participant survey along Highway 3 using the Otto Driving Companion (a GPS Unit that includes a key pad to mark different species). This component of Road Watch will also be citizen based and has been designed to complement current data collection methods. If you are interested in being apart of this new component of Road Watch please contact Rob Schaufele (rob.roadwatch@shaw.ca) or call at 564-4833. Stay tuned for announcement of a meeting in February where we plan to develop this new survey method with interested participants.

Participant survey completed (Dec 6, 2007)

Road Watch received 43 responses to the Road Watch on-line participant survey, thank you, this is fantastic. We will be analyzing the results shortly and then they will be posted on the results page of the website for you all to have a look.

Wildlife Crossing Poster Contest (November 14, 2007)

All of the entries for the latest Road Watch in the Pass Poster Contest are in. The participation was fantastic and we received almost 50 entries. We are in the process of judging; a difficult endeavor with so many interesting and artistic entries. The ideas that the local Crowsnest pass kids have about ways for wildlife to safely cross our highways are amazing, and their artistic abilities are 2nd to none. The winning entries will be framed and put on display at the local art Gallery in Frank, and lots of great prizes will be given out. A big thank you to all the schools and students that participated. Road Watch will be setting up an exhibit at the art gallery in conjunction with the winning posters display. We will notify everyone via the website and the local media of the date. All Road Watch participants and the public are invited.

We have started to make presentations at local schools educating children about Road Watch and encouraging their participation and involvement. Classrooms can be registered on the website so when kids see wildlife near the highway they can enter their sightings at school. Call 564-4833 and leave a message, Rob will get back to you with more information about how to get your classroom set up.

Another Great Wildlife and Roads Resource (November 14, 2007)

For a new resource about wildlife crossings and pictures go to this website. If you have come across a resource about wildlife and roads that you think other Road Watch participants would be interested in please contact Rob.

NEW - Road Watch participant survey (October, 25 2007)

Are you a Road Watch participant? Please take the time to fill out our participant survey. You should have received an email from Rob with a link to our Survey. If you have not please contact Rob at rob.roadwatch@shaw.ca or call 564-4833. If you have already filled in your survey, thank you.

Road Watch presentation in Revelstoke, BC (October, 25 2007)

Road Watch was invited to present at the “Managing Environmental Impacts of Linear Corridors and Infrastructure Conference” to be held in Revelstoke , British Columbia on November 7-8, 2007 . For more information on this conference please click here: http://www.cmiae.org/conferences.htm#Linear_Corridors.

"Watch out for Wildlife" has been Launched by Defenders of Wildlife (October, 25 2007)

Defenders of Wildlife have just launched, "Watch Out for Wildlife (WOW)", in an effort to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions. The WOW webpage provides drivers with important, life-saving tips on how to protect themselves when driving in wildlife areas. You can check out this new resource at: http://www.WatchOutforWildlife.org.

Participate in our Kids Poster Contest (October 2, 2007)

Road Watch in the Pass is having a poster contest for local and area children. At the present time when wildlife need to cross Highway 3, they just walk or run across (sometimes they don’t even look both ways first). We all know what happens; animals get injured or killed, vehicles get damaged, and sometimes people are also injured. There are places where protective measures have been implemented to aid wildlife in safely crossing highways. The Wildlife Crossing Structures in Banff National park are some examples. We are inviting kids to make and submit posters to us showing different things that could be done or made to assist wildlife in safely crossing Highway 3, or showing us why animals need to cross the highway. Road Watch wants to see your ideas. There will be prizes for the best posters in different age groups, and for each category (how to cross the highway).The contest closes Oct 12, 2007 . The winning posters will be on display at the Allied Arts Gallery in Frank, and the winners’ names will be put in the local newspapers. Kids use your imagination and have fun. For more information or details feel free to contact Road Watch in The Pass at rob.roadwatch@shaw.ca or call 564-4833.

Wildlife crossing presentations at the Orpheum Theater (September 18, 2007)

On September 12th Road watch took part in a series of presentations exploring wildlife and transportation issues at the Orpheum Theater in Blairmore. The program included a screening of “Shooting the Gap,” a short video highlighting the mitigation of the Tran-Canada Highway for wildlife movement, a presentation by Dr. Tony Clevenger on his crossing structure research in Banff National Park, a presentation by Road Watch on how to get involved locally and by Fish and Wildlife on their Karelian bear dog program. It was interesting to hear about the success of the crossing structures and fencing in Banff National Park in safely assisting wildlife in moving across the TransCanada. However, it was also clear that the situation in the Crowsnest Pass is very different, as there is a mixture of private and public land and zones of high human use. Hopefully the evening created some discussion on what it will take to ensure the safe movement of wildlife across Highway 3 in the Pass. Thanks to all those who attended the evening.

What does it take to get wildlife safely across Highway 3? (August 31, 2007)

Join us on Wednesday, September 12th at 7:30 pm at the Orpheum Theater in Blairmore for an evening where we explore some of the successful methods for assisting wildlife in moving safely across highways. The program includes a screening of “Shooting the Gap,” a short video highlighting the mitigation of the Tran-Canada Highway for wildlife movement and presentations by Dr. Tony Clevenger (Canada’s leading wildlife and transportation specialist), Road Watch (how you can get involved locally) and Fish and Wildlife (highlight some of there current methods to keep wildlife off the highway). This is a rare opportunity for the public to ask Dr. Tony Clevenger questions and discuss what it will take to ensure wildlife and human safety along Highway 3. Doors open at 7pm , we hope to see you there.

Latest Prize Draw Winner (July 30, 2007)

Congratulations to Lanny Amos, winner of the latest Road Watch prize draw. Lanny won a set of binoculars. Thanks for your ongoing support! Every time you enter a wildlife sighting, your name gets entered in the random prize draw, so keep those observations coming! Be sure to encourage friends and family interested in wildlife to enter their wildlife sightings on the website, or to call them in to the ROAD WATCH HOTLINE at 403 564-4833!

The Southwest Alberta Montane Elk Study (July 30, 2007)

As elk are an important wildlife resource in southern Alberta, maintaining their habitat and reducing disturbance, especially during critical seasons of their life cycle, is important for sustaining viable elk herds in the region. A five year elk study, initiated by the Alberta Government and industry partners, is being carried out with the help and collaboration of four graduate students. Each student (one from the University of Alberta, two from the University of Calgary, and another representing Oregon State University) are monitoring up to 48 elk using Global Positioning System (GPS) collars that use satellite link technology. Each Ph.D student is studying a different aspect of elk behavior in the area. They will evaluate whether human activity causes a top-down trophic cascade, which affects organisms higher on the food chain than elk, or if it affects organisms that are lower in the food chain than elk. This will help determine how human activity is impacting the entire ecosystem using elk movement and behavior as an indicator. They will monitor and examine how human disturbances like roads and pipelines influence wildlife. These disturbances increase human access to natural habitat and displace animals from land that might be suitable territory otherwise. Predator-prey relationships between wolves and elk in Alberta, British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon ecosystems will be monitored. It will be investigated how a top-level food chain predator, in this case wolves, influences population size and behavior of large herbivore prey, like elk. Data from the collars in the Waterton elk herds will be used to model elk movements in a heterogeneous landscape and to examine how wolf/elk dynamics and predation risk might affect resource selection.

Dale Patton, a supporter of the Road Watch program in the Pass, is playing an active role in the Southwest Alberta Montane Elk study. The study, and information obtained from the results will be of great interest and significance to the Road Watch Project. Good luck with the study Dale. For more information on this study check here.

Participant Update on Bighorn Sheep (July 9, 2007)

The latest participant update highlights where and when you should be looking for bighorn sheep along Highway 3. It also features some of the efforts of local Fish and Wildlife staff to reduce bighorn sheep vehicle collisions. If you have an idea for the next participant update, please contact Rob at rob.roadwatch@shaw.ca or by phoning 564-4833.

Thanks Calgary Foundation (July 9, 2007)

Road Watch has received a community grant from the Calgary Foundation. The Calgary Foundation (TCF) is a registered charity under the Income Tax Act that was established by a group of community-minded citizens to meet a wide variety of social, cultural, educational, health, environmental, and community charitable needs in Calgary and the surrounding area. The Foundation undertakes this work through the distribution of income from endowments and other funds established by our donors. To find out more about the Calgary Foundation check out their website here.

New Road Watch Local Project Coordinator (June 7, 2007)

We are very pleased to announce Rob Schaufele as the new Road Watch Project Coordinator. Rob has been an active participant in the Road Watch program since 2004, he was also the Road Watch field technician responsible for data collection for the wildlife systematic driving survey. Jan and Rob will be working together for the month of June to hand over duties. We are very pleased to have Rob on board; Rob can be contacted at rob.roadwatch@shaw.ca or by phoning 564-4833.

Safe passages newsletter (June 7, 2007)

The Montana office of American Wildlands, has just released a new Safe Passages E-Bulletin: A Resource for Practitioners Using the Latest Applied Science and Best Management Practices for Wildlife Safe Passages Across Highways. The objective is to provide you with a quarterly bulletin of information that helps increase your effectiveness in making highways safer for wildlife and people. This E-bulletin provides coverage of successful highway research and mitigation projects occurring in the United States.

Bye Janet, we will miss you (June 1, 2007)

We are very sad to announce that Janet Quinn, our local project coordinator is moving on. Janet was instrumental in the development and implementation of Road Watch in the Pass and has continued to play an important role over the last three years in coordinating Road Watch. We will all miss you Jan and wish you the best of luck in your new town and home.

Wildlife Crossing Exhibit (June 1, 2007)

In the late summer, Road Watch in the Pass is going to be part of a Wildlife Crossing Exhibit, hosted by the Crowsnest Conservation Society (CCS) at the Chamber of Commerce building in downtown Blairmore. The Wildlife Crossing Exhibit, originally hosted in the Banff Whyte Museum, highlights the successes of wildlife mitigation along the Tran Canada Highway through Banff National Park. Road Watch will post the date and time of the official launch in the near future. Anyone interested in assisting with the launch or the exhibit please contact Road Watch at 403-564-4833.

Graduate Thesis on Road Watch (June 1, 2007)

Tracy Lee completed her graduate thesis on Road Watch in January 2007. Her thesis highlights the value of citizen science and local knowledge in providing information on where wildlife are moving across Highway 3. Three independent datasets are compared, the Road Watch dataset, wildlife traffic mortality data collected by Volker Stevin and wildlife movement zones generated through interviews with 25 local community members. Tracy's thesis is posted on the results page of the Road Watch website. Stay tuned, Tracy will be creating a community report to highlight the results of her work in the near future. It will be much shorter than her thesis.

Canadian Geographic (May 22, 2007)

Road Watch was featured in the Discovery Section of the Canadian Geographic May/June 2007 Annual Environmental Issue. If you read Canadian Geographic check-out page 22.

Prize Draw Winner (May 10, 2007)

Congratulations to Randy Cater, winner of the most recent Road Watch prize draw!! Randy wins dinner for two at River Ridge Restaurant. All participants are entered in a prize draw every time they enter a wildlife sighting on the website or on the phone-in line, and winner names are randomly drawn. New participants are welcome and are automatically entered in the prize draw! Next prize draw on June 1, 2007.

Road Watch is looking for photos of wildlife in the area of Highway 3! (April 23, 2007)

If you have any local wildlife photos that you would like to display on the Road Watch website, please send them to Janet at jcquin@telus.net, or call 564- 4833. These can aid others in identifying wildlife, and give everyone a chance to enjoy some of the beautiful wildlife found in the Crowsnest Pass!

Changes to the wildlife Observation Form (April 23, 3007)

Based on participant requests, changes have been made to the wildlife observation form. There is now an option to identify wildlife observations on or beside the railway line. Additionally the group size category has been changed to allow for a more accurate count of large groups of animals. Please contact Janet Quinn if you have suggests for any aspect of the Road Watch project (jcquin@telus.net, or call 564- 4833).

Road Watch Committee Meeting (April 12, 2007)

Thanks to those who attended the Road Watch Committee meeting on April 4, 2007. There were so many great suggestions about how to improve the project, thank you. If you were not able to attend, check out the minutes here. Comments or further suggestions can be directed to Janet Quinn at 564-4833, or jcquin@telus.net. A special thanks to the Cedar Inn in Blairmore for providing us with a fantastic meeting room.

New flythrough video (April 12, 2007)

A new video highlighting Road Watch data has been posted on the results page. In the video Road Watch data is displayed as the number of wildlife observations within 100 m of the highway per 250m segment. Therefore the higher yellow bars represent a higher number of observation. The observations per sedment include crossing, mortality and adjacent observations for all species.

Road Ecology Workshop in Bozeman, Montana (April 12, 2007)

Road Watch was presented at a Road Ecology Workshop in Bozeman, Montana hosted by the Western Transportation Institute, American Wildlands, Wildlife Conservation Society, and the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative. The workshop was designed to share the latest in highway mitigation science, the successes of public-private partnerships, and recent innovations in road ecology. A number of successful mitigation projects were presented where State Transportation departments worked with a variety of stakeholders, including local citizens, conservation groups and state biologists to mitigate for wildlife movement. It was very inspiring to see people working together who traditionally have not and successfully implement mitigation projects. If you are interested in learning more about these initiatives, please contact Tracy at 403-220-8968. Road Watch was presented as an innovative tool for data collection to assist in the mitigation of wildlife and highways.

Upcoming Road Watch Committee Meeting (March 12, 2007)

Mark your calendar for Wednesday, April 4th for the rescheduled Road Watch committee meeting. All new and old members are encouraged to come out and share ideas!! An informal sharing and discussion session on future plans, ideas and directions for Road Watch will take place, as well as taking a look at results to date.

Meet at the Cedar Inn in Blairmore(BCMI)from 5:00 to 6:30 . Snacks and refreshments will be served! Please contact Janet for more information at 564-4833, or jcquin@telus.net.

Road Watch Press Release (February 2, 2007)

The latest Road Watch press release was printed in the Crowsnest Promoter and Pass Hearld, thanks to both papers for their continued support of the Road Watch project.

Add your observations and win a Prize Draw (February 2, 2007)

Congratulations to Melissa Neumeier of the Crowsnest Pass, winner of the January prize draw for Road Watch. A huge thank-you to Melissa and all other participants for your wildlife observations and ongoing support of Road Watch.

Community Report Highlights Wildlife Movement Zones Based on Local Knowledge (January 25, 2007)

A community report displaying large mammal movement zones across Highway 3 based on community input has been posted in the publications section on the results page. In the summer of 2005, a graduate student (Tracy) interviewed 26 individuals from communities along Highway 3 from the Crowsnest Pass to Lundbreck, about their knowledge on large mammal movement across Highway 3. The purpose of this research was to increase the knowledge base on where large mammals are crossing Highway 3 as well as highlight the value of local knowledge to the community and it decision makers. This information provides a nice complement to the Road watch data generated through your observations. Eventually, we plan to post these results on the Road watch mapping tool so you can interact with different spatial datasets on wildlife movement across Highway 3.

Road Watch in the Calgary Sun (January 22, 2007)

The University of Calgary releases short news items highlighting the work of University professors, last week they released a news item on Dr. M. Quinn, Miistakis research director, and the Road Watch program. The Calgary Sun printed this article in Sundays newspaper. Road watch continues to receive local, national and international attention as a model for engaging citizen volunteers in research. Thanks to all of you whom have contributed to Road Watch and continue to made it a success.

New Participant Update (January 22, 2007)

Click here to view the latest participant update. This feature displays a map of carnivore observations from the Road Watch database. If you have a suggestion of a map you would like to see on our next participant update please contact Jan. Please continue to enter your records into Road Watch, the information you are providing is invaluable to the understanding on where wildlife are crossing Highway 3.

Remember to contribute to Road Watch this Christmas (December 12th, 2006)

Well it’s that time of year when things get busy, including wildlife activity on the highway. Road Watch is currently experiencing a drop in observations; please enter your wildlife observations as this is a crucial time of year for wildlife and for us to understand their movement across Highway 3. You can add your wildlife observations through the on-line mapping tool or by calling and leaving a message on the Road Watch call in phone service at 564-4833. Stay tuned for a committee meeting announcement in January 2007. Have a great Christmas everyone and drive safely.

Thanks ASRPWF for your support (December 12th, 2006)

The Alberta Sport Recreation Parks and Wildlife Foundation (ASRPWF) has generously provided project support to Road Watch. These funds will be used to assist us in evaluating the benefits of Road Watch to the local community. This means we will be asking you your opinion in the near future about Road Watch in the Pass. Road Watch appreciates the generous funding support it has received from the Woodcock Foundation, Alberta Ecotrust Foundation, Alberta Conservation Association, Shell Environment Fund, Devon Energy, TD Friends of the Environment and Alberta Sport Recreation Parks and Wildlife Foundation.

Road Watch was presented at the EMAN National Science Meeting (December 4th, 2006)

The Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network (EMAN) hosted its annual science meeting in Winnipeg from November 20-25, 2006 . There conference this year focused on “data to outcomes, What have we learned? Who did we tell? What difference did it make?” EMAN hosts and runs the National Nature Watch programs where citizens can enter their observations into Plant Watch, Worm Watch, Ice Watch, Frog Watch and in the near future Butterfly Watch – check out their website (http://www.eman-rese.ca/eman/naturewatch.html) for more information on these opportunities. Road Watch was invited to present in the community based monitoring session and was very well received. For more information on this conference please contact Tracy Lee at Miistakis.

Road Watch at the Moonlight Madness November 16th (November 14, 2006)

Be sure to stop by the Crowsnest Conservation table and display in the Elks Hall during Moonlight Madness on November 16th, 2006 to say hi to Janet, enter wildlife sightings, view some NEW and exciting carnivore maps of Road Watch observations, and check out other wildlife information and events happening around the Crowsnest Pass. Everyone is welcome!

Photo Contest Results (October 25, 2006)

Landscapes and Wildlife of the Crowsnest Pass Photo contest winners are displayed on the new Photos page of the website! Congratulations to all photo contest winners, and a big thank-you to all participants for making the photo contest a success! A special thank-you to Judy and Denise Bradley at the Blairmore Library for collecting photos and helping to distribute prizes, Amy Ramford and the photography students at Crowsnest Consolidated High school for the difficult task of judging photos, and local businesses who supplied prizes and displayed posters; a great community effort celebrating the natural beauty of the Crowsnest Pass!

Road Ecology film features a segment on Road Watch (October 16, 2006)

On Wednesday, October 11th, TERRA film was in the Crowsnest Pass to film a segment of a new “Road Ecology” film jointly produced by the Western Transportation Institute and the Graduate Program in Science & Natural History Filmmaking at Montana State University. Film makers obtained “ride-along” footage of a Road Watch participant obtaining data while driving on Highway 3, and talked with local coordinator Janet Quinn about the project. On October 12th the TERRA crew interviewed Tracy Lee at Miistakis Institute about Road Watch and the science behind it. In December 2006, elements of the Road Ecology film will be aired via Internet on the soon-to-be-launched TERRAPOD show – a youth-science literacy initiative. A full-length Road Ecology film will premier in late 2007 on Montana PBS as well as online on the TERRA: The Nature of Our World podcast (http://terravideos.blogspot.com).

Local Support from Devon Energy (October 1, 2006)

Thank you Devon Energy for showing your support for Road Watch by providing a local project grant. Road Watch is gratefully funded by the Woodcock Foundation, Alberta Ecotrust Foundation, Alberta Conservation Association, TD Friends of the Environment, Shell Environmental Fund and Devon Energy.

New Participant Update Released (Oct 1, 2006)

Road Watch has released its 11th participant update. This issue reports on news from the summer and includes a map of key Moose crossing locations. Click here to view this update.

Road Watch Invited to Carnivore Conference (September 25, 2006)

Road Watch has been invited to present at the Defenders of Wildlife 6th Annual Carnivore Conference in St. Petersburg , Florida in November this year. Dr. Quinn of the Miistakis Institute will present Road Watch in a session focused on citizen science. An invitation to present at this conference suggests an increase in awareness of the role citizens can play in science as well as recognizing Road Watch as a successful model for citizen science. Thank you to all Road Watch supporters and participants for making this project a success.

Landscapes and Wildlife of the Crowsnest Pass Photo Contest Ends (September 19, 2006)

The September 15th deadline of the Road Watch photo contest has come and gone. Thank-you very much to all participants. Entries are varied and offer a wonderful view of the Crowsnest Pass! Photos will be judged in two age categories; Adult and Youth (16 and under) by photography students at Crowsnest Consolidated High School. Winners will be contacted shortly and winning photos displayed on the Road Watch website!

Road Watch Hires Field Technician (August 11, 2006)

Congratulations to Rob Schaufele who has been hired by Road Watch as the local field technician. Rob will be responsible for driving wildlife transects along Highway 3 approximately 25 times a month to systematically observe wildlife. Rob will record information about the wildlife species observed adjacent to or crossing the highway. This information will be incorporated into the research undertaken by Kylie Paul , a graduate student with the University of Montana , in conjunction with the Road Watch project. For more information contact Janet at 564-4833 or jcquin@telus.net.

View details of “Your Observations” (July 28, 2006)

Simply log-in and look for a new link on the bottom of the mapping tool entitled “View your Record Summary”. This new page highlights the total number of records you have entered into Road Watch including a break down of the species as well as a table displaying the details of each individual record. It is also possible to download this table as a text file for further manipulation if you are interested. Your record summary is updated whenever you enter a new record into Road Watch ensuring real time display of the information.

New Species Legend (July 20, 2006)

Ken has reprogrammed the “All Observations” and “Your Observations” legends on the mapping tool - each species is now represented by as a colored symbol. This has greatly enhanced the visual display of species locations enabling you to more easily see concentrated areas of movement. These layers are still programmed to update as you add in your records- providing real time results. Stay tuned for more changes in the near future - as we plan to display the mortality data collected by Volker Stevins and the local knowledge zones of movement, based on interviews undertaken by Tracy in July 2005 with 26 Pass residents.

Road Watch presented at National Stewardship Conference (July 14, 2005)

Danah Duke presented Road Watch at the third National Stewardship Conference held in Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador in early July. Held every three years in Canada this conference attracts participants from federal, provincial, regional and municipal government, non-profit organizations, industry, aboriginal groups, youth, educational institutions and individuals from across Canada and beyond. Road Watch was presented in the Community Based Monitoring (CBM) session. Attendance at this meeting enables us to learn about other CBM initiatives in Canada.

Road Watch Paints Elk Signs (July 13, 2006)

Road Watch started painting the elk signs located along Highway 3 to warn drivers about wildlife crossing. Click here for an update and to see pictures of the event.

Road Watch Community Action Event! (July 5 2006)

Volunteers Needed! Come and join us to help repaint the 2 elk signs posted along Highway 3. Meet at the Volker Stevin yard near Coleman at 10:00 on Sunday, July 9th. Everyone welcome! Snacks provided! For more information, call Janet at 564-4833, or jcquin@telus.net.

Road Watch Seeking Field Technician (June 28, 2006)

We are looking for a part time field technician to work with Kylie on the wildlife driving transects. Please click here to find out more about this exciting job opportunity and how to apply.

New Participant Update Released (June 28, 2006)

This issue highlights the importance of Road Watch data in provinding new information on where wildlife are moving across Highway 3. It also highlights recent successes and some fun Road Watch summer activities. Click here to learn more.

ASRD, Fish and Wildlife provide Vehicle (June 14, 2006)

Road Watch would like to thank ASRD, Fish and Wildlife for providing Kylie with a vehicle and petrol to undertake wildlife driving surveys along Highway 3. Some of you may have met Kylie or seen her driving Highway 3 to record wildlife observations. Kylie has joined the Road Watch project as a graduate student to assist us in validating Road Watch data by generating an independent data set to compare with. We plan to hire a Road Watch field assistance to help Kylie on this project in mid-August. Stay tuned for more details in the near future. Please continue to add your observations to Road Watch to help us strengthen the knowledge base on where wildlife is crossing Highway 3. The information you provide is extremely valuable.

Road Watch at GeoAlberta 2006 (June 13 2006)

Road Watch in the Pass was recently presented at GeoAlberta 2006 in Edmonton by Ken Sanderson (Miistakis programmer) as an example of a web-based GIS (the mapping tool) using open source (OS) software. OS software indicates that the source code is freely distributed and accessible allowing individuals to access, use and modify the programming code to meet their specific needs (i.e. customization of Road watch mapping tool such as the "add an observation button"). Using OS software has many advantages including our ability to share and easily provide tools like Road Watch to other communities or projects.

Road Watch at ISSRM (June 13, 2006)

Dr. Quinn presented Road Watch in the Pass as an example of community based monitoring at the 12 th International Symposium on Society and Resource Management in Vancouver, British Columbia in early June. The ISSRM is the largest gathering of social scientists and managers in resource management worldwide, this was the first time it was held in Canada. If you are interested in learning more click here for a link to the website. This was a great opportunity to share and discuss ideas with people from around the world interested in working with local citizens to better understand local conservation issues.

Road Watch Participates in Birding Festival (June 3,2006)

Road Watch was proud to be a participant in the weekend birding festival presented by Crowsnest Conservation. Local citizens and visitors stopped by to visit with Jan and Kylie at the Road Watch display, to learn about Road Watch initiatives and projects, and take a look at results to date. Congratulations to Crowsnest Conservation for their organization of this excellent community event!

Landscapes and Wildlife of the Crowsnest Pass Photography Contest (June, 5 2006)

Please note that the contest deadline has been extended to September 15th, 2005. Enter original photos of the Crowsnest pass by emailing jcquin@telus.net, call 564- 4833, or drop photos off at the local libraries. Prizes in children's and adult categories; we'd love to see your favorite wildlife and landscape photos! A huge thank-you to local businesses that are displaying Road Watch posters and supporting the project!

Changes to the wildlife observation form (May, 31 2006)

At our last committee meeting we discussed the 'time of day' field on the wildlife observation form that you fill in after marking your observation point on the map. Many participants had expressed concern about the dusk, dawn, day and night selection criteria. At the committee meeting it was proposed that the 'time of day' field be changed to one hour intervals to reduce the possibility of different interpretations of dusk and dawn. This change has now been implemented, so be sure to remember and record the time of your wildlife observation as accurately as possible. Thank-you to participants and volunteers for your ongoing feedback.

Wildlife Observers needed from the Crowsnest Pass to Lundbreck (May, 12 2006)

The area of Highway 3 between Leitch Collieries and Lundbreck seems to be underrepresented in collected data and wildlife observations. Anyone who travels this stretch of road is strongly encouraged to enter observations on Road Watch! If you have friends or family that travel this stretch of highway, please pass along this request on behalf of Road Watch as well! Be sure to be careful of wildlife on and alongside the road as you travel through, and enter online or use the voice mail service at 564-4833 to record observations.

Continued Support from the Alberta Ecotrust Foundation (May, 12 2006)

Thank you Alberta Ecotrust for continuing to support Road Watch in the Pass. Alberta Ecotrust was established in 1991 by visionary individuals in the corporate and environmental NGO sector, it was developed to bring together progressive corporations and pragmatic environmental organizations in the common cause of catalyzing and supporting grassroots community-based action to protect and preserve the environment. The provide support to a number of community based initiatives across Alberta.

New Volunteer Opportunities (May, 5 2006)

For information on volunteer opportunities click on How To Participate. This page highlights ways to become more involved in Road Watch. Each opportunity includes a brief description and an estimated time commitment. If you are interested in any of these opportunities or in volunteering in any way with Road Watch, please contact Janet Quinn at 564-4833, or jcquin@telus.net. Our volunteers are extremely valuable and appreciated!

Landscape and Wildlife of the Crowsnest Pass Photography Contest (April, 27 2006)

Contest runs May 1st-July 15th 2006. Enter your original photos! There are two age categories; Adult and Children (ages 16 and under). Photos will be judged by local photographers, prizes will be awarded and winning photos will be displayed on the Road Watch website. Photographs may be dropped off at the local libraries or contact Janet at 564-4833 or jcquin@telus.net. Everyone welcome to enter!

Road Watch Presented in Missoula, Montana (April, 20 2006)

On April 13, Danah presented the Road Watch project in Missoula at a workshop entitled “Wildlife Linkage Across the Northern U.S. Rockies Landscape”. The workshop was attended by 85 people from state transportation agencies, state fish and wildlife agencies, U.S. Forest Service, US National Park Service, conservation organizations, university professionals and local citizens. The goal of the workshop was to explore connections between wildlife populations and people by bringing together key players. There was a fantastic presentation by a group of local citizens that effectively worked with local politicians and the Montana Department of Transportation to build a wildlife underpass on a section of Highway that was being upgraded. The citizens were concerns about the high level of wildlife traffic mortality along a section of their local Highway and using local knowledge they presented their case to key decision makers through a series of field trips to the site. If you have any questions about this workshop or are interested in hearing more please contacted the Miistakis office at (403) 220-8968.

Meeting with Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation (April, 5 2006)

Miistakis met with representatives from Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation (AIT), McElhanney Consulting Services Ltd. and EBA Consulting Ltd in Edmonton last Friday. At this meeting we presented the Road Watch in the Pass project along with preliminary results of wildlife crossing hotspots along Highway 3. We also discussed how to ensure Road Watch information is included in the decision making process regarding Highway 3 and wildlife movement. We look forward to keeping these channels of contact open and working with AIT in the future.

ACA Funds Road Watch (April, 5 2006)

Thanks you Alberta Conservation Association (ACA) for funding Road Watch. ACA is a non-profit, non-government association working collaboratively to conserve and enhance Alberta’s wildlife, fisheries and habitat. Click here (http://www.ab-conservation.com/) to find out more information about ACA. Road Watch continues to be supported by a large number of dedicated volunteers in the Crowsnest Pass as well as the Woodcock Foundation, Alberta Ecotrust Foundation, TD Friends of the Environment, Shell Environmental Fund, University of Calgary and Miistakis Institute.

Congratulations Road Watch (April, 3 2006)

Road Watch was chosen as a finalist in the 2006 Stockholm Challenge. This international Information Communication Technology (ICT) award will be presented to the winner announced on May 10 2006 in Stockholm Sweden. Road Watch is one of 14 finalists in the Environment Category. We would like to thank the Alberta Ecotrust Foundation and other funders who came forward and provided the funds to send Ken Sanderson (Miistakis programmer) on behalf of Road Watch to Sweden for the workshop and award ceremony. The workshops provide ICT professionals with an opportunity to share knowledge from around the world. Click here to learn about the Stockholm challenge and other cool ICT projects from around the globe.

Graduate student joins Road Watch (March, 24 2006)

We would like to introduce Kylie Paul, a graduate student from the University of Montana associated with the University of Calgary/University of Montana Tranboundary Program. Kylie's research will focus on designing a systematic wildlife driving survey of Highway 3 through the Pass to document wildlife observations. This information differs from Road Watch only in that the entire length of the Pass will be driven at specified times of day throughout the year (equal sampling). This is an important component of Road Watch as it will allow us to assess the issue of sampling bias in Road Watch data. By sampling bias we are referring to the possibility that one section of the Highway may have more representation than another because it is being driven more frequently or by more drivers. Pending funding Kylie will be looking to hire a field assistant this summer from the Crowsnest Pass and will also be looking for Road Watch volunteers interested in assisting in these transects. For those interested in contributing, a training session will be provided as well as a GPS unit and vehicle mileage will be covered. More information on Kylie's research will be provided soon. If you have questions please contact Janet Quinn.

New Participant Update (March, 20 2006)

A new participant update has been released and is available on the results page of the website. This update features a special on elk, including where they have been observed by Road Watch participants crossing or close to the Highway 3, traffic mortality statistics collected by Volkers Stevins and other news about upcoming Road Watch activities.

Meeting with Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation (March, 20 2006)

Miistakis has a meeting scheduled with Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation, McElhaney Consulting Services Ltd. and EBA Engineering Consulting Ltd. on March, 31 2006 in Edmonton. At this meeting we plan to present the Road Watch in the Pass project and preliminary findings of wildlife crossing hotspots. Janet will be providing feedback to Road Watch participants on this meeting. If you have any comments or concerns that you would like expressed at this meeting in relation to Road watch please contact Janet Quinn at jcquin@telus.net or 564-4833.

Road Watch in Ecology and Society (March, 17 2006)

Miistakis recently published a journal article entitled “Citizens, Science, Highways, and Wildlife: Using a Web-based GIS to Engage Citizens in Collecting Wildlife Information” in the Journal of Ecology and Society. Click here to read the article: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol11/iss1/art11/. We feel it is important to publish the results of Road Watch in academic journals to highlight the value of citizen science to the academic community. The Journal of Ecology and Society “seeks papers that are novel, integrative and written in a way that is accessible to a wide audience that includes an array of disciplines from the natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities concerned with the relationship between society and the life-supporting ecosystems on which human wellbeing ultimately depends”.

Stories Page (March, 6 2006)

We are pleased to announce that Allan Wakaluk has given us permission to add a story he wrote for Bugle magazine to our stories page. Allan has lived in the area all his life and talks about his passion for elk in his story “What Elk in Our Valley Means to Me”. Road watch would like to thank the Bugle magazine and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation for permission to re-print Allan's story (http://www.rmef.org/bugle/). If you have a wildlife story you would like to share with us, please email your submission to Janet Quinn or drop it off at your local library.

Minutes for Committee Meeting (March, 2 2006)

The minutes for the first Road Watch Committee meeting can be viewed here. If you were not able to attend the meeting, please take the time to review the direction provided by other participants. As you can see we now have lots to keep us busy at Road Watch. If you have any comments, concerns or new ideas please contact Janet Quinn at jcquin@telus.net or 564-4833.

Presenting in Idaho (March, 2 2006)

Danah Duke has been invited to present Road Watch in the Pass at the Northwest Section of the Wildlife Society conference hosted by the Idaho Chapter of the Wildlife Society. At this three day meeting there is a special afternoon section on Highways and Wildlife. We were very pleased to be invited to do this presentation as it indicates that the road watch project has received international attention and that wildlife professionals are appreciating the value of data collected by citizens.

First Road Watch Committee Meeting (Feb 16, 2006)

On Monday, Feb. 13th the first Road Watch Committee meeting was held to discuss ideas and future directions for Road Watch in the Pass. We had a small turn-out but many excellent ideas and suggestions were generated. A huge thank-you to participants who came out to provide input and share ideas! We sincerely appreciate your time, effort and feedback.

One area of concern was human safety concerns associated with wildlife vehicle collisions, suggestions were made that Road Watch educate the public about safe highway travel, and publish maps and statistics gathered from Road Watch data to highlight exactly where people are seeing wildlife along Highway 3.

We discussed how to encourage people to keep entering observations on the Road Watch website or by phone, how to attract new users and volunteer opportunities within Road Watch. Also, we discussed how to begin disseminating the 15 months worth of Road Watch data within the community and to decision makers, and generated lists of groups to contact to provide Road Watch presentations. We plan to hold two committee meetings a year and will also provide a list of volunteer opportunities on the website in the near future. If you were unable to attend the meeting but want to know more please contact Janet at jcquin@telus.net or 564-4833 to provide any input or ideas.

Traffic Safety in Alberta (Feb, 15 2006)

Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation hosts a website about Traffic Safety in Alberta. Their January News Bulletin is about wildlife on Alberta's roads. In 2004, there were six fatalities and 293 injury collisions involving wildlife. For information on how to avoid a collision with an animal check out their news bulletin here.

New Press Release (Feb 1, 2006)

Watch out for the latest Road Watch Press release in local papers January 31st, 2006. Community updates on Road Watch data, information on the upcoming committee meeting scheduled Monday, February 13th, funding from the Shell Environmental fund and a reminder to all citizens of the 24 hour Wildlife Hotline are some of the topics in this latest Press Release.

Sharing Ideas about Road Watch (Jan 25, 2005)

Road Watch is holding its first committee meeting on Monday February 13th at 5:00 PM at the Blairmore Provincial Building. Road Watch needs community input on:

how to further promote Road Watch in the Pass,
types of analysis and presentation of results,
disseminating the results effectively, and
developing the interactive mapping tool

Anyone interested is invited to attend this meeting and contribute to the project. Road Watch would not exist with out your support and contributions. If you are interested in attending or for more information, please contact Janet Quinn at 564-4833 or email at jcquin@telus.net.

Come out for a coffee and to share ideas about the Road watch in the Pass!

New Prize Draw Winner (Jan 17, 2005)

Congratulations to David McIntyre, winner of the eighth Road Watch prize draw! Every time you enter a wildlife sighting, your name gets entered in the random prize draw, so keep those observations coming!! Be sure to encourage friends and family interested in wildlife to enter their wildlife sightings on the website, or to call them in to the ROAD WATCH HOTLINE at 564-4833!

Road Watch Hotline (Dec 22, 2005)

Wildlife observations can be entered 24 hours a day on the Road Watch hotline. Call 564-4833 to leave a message recording your wildlife sightings along Highway 3. Simply leave your own name and phone number and information about your wildlife sighting:

Species observed
Number of animals
Location (please be specific by using distance to local landmarks)
Time of day
Any other information you can provide

This is a fast and easy way to enter your wildlife observations if you don't have time to enter on the computer or you know someone who does not use a computer, just call 564-4833! Merry Christmas Everyone and we hope to see lots of you in the new year.

Wildlife Stories Contest (Dec 9, 2005)

Thank-you so much to everyone who entered stories in the Road Watch Wildlife Story contest. Your involvement is very much appreciated and stories will be enjoyed by many! Check out the winning entries and student participant stories on the Road Watch website, and watch for stories to be printed in upcoming editions of the Pass Promoter. Wildlife stories and poems can continue to be shared at Road Watch by calling Janet at 564-4833, or emailing stories to Janet at jcquin@telus.net, and we will post them on the website. Everyone is welcome to submit a story!!

Road Watch Anniversary Party (Dec 5, 2005)

It was lovely to see so many of you at the Road Watch Anniversary Party held December 1 at the provincial building in Blairmore. Please click here to see some of the pictures of the event. This was a great opportunity for us to meet one another and present the latest participant update and the video fly-over of the Pass with Road Watch data displayed along Highway 3. Both these items can be downloaded form the results page. Have a great Christmas.

First Anniversary of Road Watch (Nov 17, 2005)

Congratulations to the communities of Crowsnest Pass and Lundbreck! Together you have contributed over 700 wildlife observations along Highway 3! Come celebrate the First Year Anniversary of Road Watch: Thursday, December 1st from 4:30-6:30 pm at the Provincial building. Drop by for snacks, coffee and cake, see what's new at Road Watch, and enter to win a door prize! If you have any questions or require more information please contact Janet (564-4833 or jcquin@telus.net). Hope to see you there.

Road Watch on City TV (Nov 17, 2005)

Be sure to stay tuned this week to CITY TV Calgary News at 6:00 pm for Road Watch coverage! The City TV News crew was in the Crowsnest Pass on November 16th interviewing Fish and Wildlife, Volker Stevin and Janet with Road Watch about wildlife concerns and management along Highway 3, and the Road Watch project!

New Support (November 14, 2004)

Road Watch has received a grant from the Shell Environmental Fund (SEF). Thanks SEF, this grant will ensure we continue to promote Road Watch in the Pass and provide valuable feedback to our volunteers. Road Watch continues to be supported by a large number of dedicated volunteers in the Crowsnest Pass as well as the Woodcock Foundation, Alberta Ecotrust Foundation, TD Friends of the Environment, University of Calgary and Miistakis Institute.

Wildlife Story Contest (Nov 1, 2005)

Road Watch is launching a wildlife story contest! Any and all tales about wildlife and wildlife experiences in the Crowsnest Pass are encouraged. Stories will be divided into an adult category and an under twelve children's category. Stories will be read by volunteer tutors, and a winning entry chosen in each category for: Most Humorous story, Best Hunting story and Best Around-Town Wildlife story. Stories can be dropped off at Blairmore and Bellevue libraries, emailed to Janet at jcquin@telus.net, or call 564-4833. Deadline for entries is Friday, November 18th. This contest is for everyone; join in the fun!!

Stories Page (Oct 24, 2005)

The Road Watch Stories Page has received two stories for your reading pleasure. Thank you to Dave McIntyre and Lisa Beaubien. We welcome more and encourage you to please send in your stories about living with wildlife in the Pass to Janet Quinn at jcquin@telus.net. or drop them at your local library in Blairmore or Bellevue.

Prize Draw (Oct 3, 2005)

Congratulations to Percy Williamson, winner of the September Road Watch prize draw. Percy wins gift coins to the Stone's Throw Cafe in Blairmore, as well as a framed wildlife sketch by local artist Katie Pringle. Enter your own wildlife observations for a chance to be entered in the next prize draw.

Road Watch in San Diego (Sept 19 2005)

Miistakis presented Road Watch in the Pass at the International Conference on Ecology and Transportation (ICOET) held at the beginning of September in San Diego. Over 15 countries and 450 people attended the conference. Road Watch was highlighted at an afternoon poster presentation and received a lot of interest because of the use of innovative technology and the involvement of local volunteers. As Road Watch participants you are not only contributing to the development of a much needed local dataset but you are also contributing to the knowledge base for development of community based research at a national and international level. The proceedings from the conference will be posted on the ICOET website.

New 1 meter imagery added to Road Watch (Sept 7, 2005)

Road Watch is pleased to announce the addition of more 1 metre imagery to make data entry easier. The imagery was donated by Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, Public Lands & Forest Division. We now have 1 metre coverage from the Alberta/British Columbia border to the Junction of 507/North Burmis Road and Highway 3. We would like to thank Ian Dunk from the Blairmore office.

WVAPP website highlights Road Watch (August 22, 2005)

Road Watch was highlighted as a new project on the Wildlife-Vehicle Accident Prevention Program (WVAPP) website. This program is administered by the British Columbia Conservation Foundation in partnership with support from government agencies, private organizations and the public. WVAPP promotes a variety of accident mitigation techniques to sustain healthy wildlife populations and promote public safety. To learn more, visit their website here. Road Watch is highlighted in the New Projects section of the News page.

Crowsnest Pass Wildlife Mortality Report (August 18, 2005)

Miistakis has produced a report analyzing the mortality data collected by Volker Stevins along Highway 3 from 1997-2004. The report has been posted on the results page of Road Watch. This report provides some examples of how Road Watch data could be displayed and analyzed in the future. There are data limitations that readers should be aware of, the report only includes road kill that is picked up by Volker Stevins, it does not include information collected by Alberta Fish and Wildlife, animals that wonder off the road or that are picked up by the public. Entering your mortality observations into Road Watch will assist us in cross checking the records collected by Volker Stevins and can provide us with a more accurate assessment of mortality.

"Going Wild" in the Pass (August 2, 2005)

Road Watch was pleased to be apart of "Going Wild" in the Albert Stella Arena during Rum Runner days. Our display booth featured the interactive mapping tool as well as a video fly-through of where wildlife are commonly killed along Highway 3, identified through an analysis of the mortality data. Janet and Tracy would like to thank all our Road Watch participants who came by and introduced themselves. It was nice to meet you all and we appreciate the suggestions and advice on how to make Road Watch stronger. Thanks to John Clarke from Alberta Fish and Wildlife for inviting Road Watch to Participate. Click here and here to see pictures of the event.

ASRD facts sheet on Vehicle Wildlife collisions (August 2, 2005)

Alberta Sustainable Resource Development (ASRD) has produced a fact sheet on vehicle wildlife collisions in Alberta. Click here to view the fact sheet.

Prize Draw (July 15, 2005)

Congratulations to Lanny Amos, winner of the latest Road Watch prize draw, his name was randomly chosen from all Road Watch participants. Lanny won a book by local author Ron Montgomery and a gift certificate to the Cinnamon Bear. Next prize draw coming up in August. Watch for the next Participant update coming out in early August, with updated numbers and species of wildlife observations reported on Road Watch.

Sole Survivor Fun Run (July 13, 2005)

Road Watch has donated a wildlife book and game for a door prize to the Sole Survivor fun run taking place Friday, July 15th in conjunction with the Rum Runner weekend festivities. Good luck to all the runners!

Road Watch Article in Western Sportsman magazine (July 11, 2005)

A huge thank-you to Road Watch participant Percy Williamson for his recent article in Western Sportsman magazine, May/June issue.

Alberta Highway # 3 Wildlife Watch - By W.P.Williamson - A new program has cropped up with regards to the proposed, future twinning of this very busy Rocky Mountains, pass highway ‘The Crowsnest Pass’ Highway #3. This important program is called “Road watch in the Pass”. People who use this highway regularly are asked to report all sighting of wildlife they encounter, crossing the highway. One must first go to the website at http://www.rockies.ca/roadwatch/. And pre-register with the site. The participants will then be assigned a username, with which to report sighting. It’s very simple once on the website to report your sightings, the user will select from the menu “submit observations” a map will pop up that covers the Pass, from Lundbreck, Alberta to the BC border to the west. One can very accurately pin point any wildlife observations. It is important that these vital big game crossings be identified and safety measures incorporated onto the overall plan IE: underpasses and overpasses at these crossing sites. Data collected suggests that about 200 big game animals are killed in vehicle collisions every year on this stretch of highway. The “Miistakis Institute” a non-profit group in affiliation with the University of Calgary designed the project. If you should have any questions about the program or wish to get involved you can contact the local project coordinator Janet Quinn in the Crowsnest Pass at phone # 403-564-4833 or E-mail her at jquin@telus.net. As for me, I travel this road from Blairmore to BC to work ½ the days of the year and so plan, to be a major contributor to the program.

Volunteers Needed! (July 7, 2005)

Road Watch participants are asked for their help on Saturday, July 16th at the "Going Wild" Wildlife and Fish exhibition during Rum Runner Days. Road Watch will have a table set up at the exhibition and are looking for volunteers to help Tracy and Janet display and explain the Road Watch project and website. If you would like to volunteer one hour between noon and 5:00, please let Janet know. Call 563-4833 or email jcquin@telus.net. Your help and support is appreciated!

Graduate Student needs your help (June 30, 2005)

Tracy Lee is a masters student from the University of Calgary working on identifying where wildlife cross Highway 3 using local knowledge. Part of this research includes interviewing residents of the Pass about where they have observed wildlife crossing Highway 3 (historical and recent). Tracy will be living in the Pass for the month of July and is looking for people to interview. Anyone willing to be interviewed please contact Janet at 564-4833.

Share your Wildlife Stories (June 29, 2005)

Road Watch would like to develop a stories page where citizens can share their experience about living with wildlife in the Pass. We are looking for stories from you about your experiences of sharing your backyards (the Pass) with wildlife, from salamanders to bears. It could be about a sighting, an encounter or about everyday experiences. You can drop off stories at your local libraries or email them to Janet at jcquin@telus.net. They will be poster on the Road Watch website. Thanks to Judy Bradley at Blairmore library and Doreen Glavin at Bellevue library for their help in collecting stories.

Birding Festival (June 16, 2005)

Road Watch was pleased to be a part of the Crowsnest Pass Birding Festival on June 4th, and had a display table at the festival banquet, highlighting the interactive website, as well as donating a door prize. Adults and children alike tried out the mapping tool and took home Road Watch magnets and participant reports showing where wildlife have been observed and entered on the Road Watch website. Click here to see a photo of the event.

ICOET International Conference (June 17, 2005)

Road Watch was accepted as a poster presentation (including a live demo of the mapping tool) at the next International Conference on Ecology and Transportation (ICOET) in San Diego at the end of August 2005. This is a wonderful opportunity to highlight Road Watch to an international audience as an innovative community project. Over 15 countries are participating and 400 attendees. To view the agenda for the conference please click here.

Mapping your Observations (June 10, 2005)

Ken (Miistakis Programmer), has added NEW functionality to the mapping tool. There are two new spatial layers in the legend entitled "Your Observations" and "All Observations". The "Your Observations" spatial layer is a point layer of the observations you personally have entered into Road Watch. This information is restricted to your username and will only display in the legend when you are logged in. The "All Observations" spatial layer can be viewed by everyone and represents all the observations entered into Road Watch. As you zoom in, species labels for each point are displayed.

New Support (May 17, 2004)

Road Watch just received a grant from TD Friends of the Environment Foundation. Thanks TD, this grant will ensure we continue to upgrade the website and provide valuable feedback to our volunteers. Road Watch contnues to be supported by a large number of dedicated volunteers in the Crowsnenst Pass as well as the Woodcock Foundation, Alberta Ecostrust Foundation, Univeristy of Calgary and Miistakis Institue.

Participant Update Release (May 5, 2005)

Road Watch is pleased to release the fourth participant update (see results page to download). We are just thrilled with the recent increase in participation and observations being entered into road watch. We have also received some excellent suggestions from some of our new participants on how to improve the website. Look out for improvements coming soon. Thanks to all our participants for your continued support.

Road Watch Magnets (May 5, 2005)

The Road Watch magnets are here, thanks to Chad at Public Image. You can pick one up at the libraries or contact Janet by phone (564-4833) or email (jcquin@telus.net).

Janet in Arizona (May 5, 2005)

Janet was featured in the Crowsnest Promoter and Crowsnest Herald about her trip to Arizona where she attended a Rockies Wildlife Crossing Field Course. Click here to read the story and see pictures.

Rockies Wildlife Crossing Field Course (April 6, 2005)

Janet, the Project Coordinator for Road Watch will be attending the Rockies Wildlife Crossing Field Course this April in Arizona. The course will provide Jan with background information on how others are monitoring wildlife crossings and developing mitigation measures to reduce vehicle wildlife collisions. Thanks to the Woodcock Foundation and the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative for providing funds for Jan to attend this field course.

Prize Draw (March 31, 2005)

William Sygutek won the second Road Watch prize draw, a framed moose picture and a gift certificate to the Stone’s Throw Cafe. Thanks William, for your participation in Road Watch.

Critter Crossing (March 16, 2005)

The US Department of Transportation hosts a website called Critter Crossing which provides a great overview of issues related to highways and wildlife. It also highlights some of the mitigation measures used to reduce wildlife vehicle collisions. You can review this website here.

Local Support (March 10, 2005)

Road Watch has been added as a link to a number of websites in the Pass: Crowsnest Promoter (http://www.crowsnestpasspromoter.com), Crowsnest Guide (http://www.crowsnestguide.com and Treadsoftly http://www.treadsoftlycanada.com). Thanks for your support. We would also like to thank the Pass Herald for printing the participant update in their March 8 edition of the paper. Check out the back page.

Next Prize Draw (March 10, 2005)

Road Watch would like to thank Rob Schaufele for generously donating a framed Moose photograph for our next prize draw. We will be selecting a winner for the next prize draw in the third week of March. Good luck to all our participants.

Participant Update (March 4, 2005)

A new participant update has been added to the Road Watch results page. There are currently 22 people using Road Watch and together they have entered 77 records. Thank you for your participation.

Press Release (February 23, 2005)

Road Watch has just issued a new press release to update the community on it's progress. Click here to view the Pdf of the press release.

EMAN Newsletter (February 23, 2005)

Road Watch was featured in the Ecological Monitoring and Assessment (EMAN) Monitor. Click here to view the newsletter and read about other great projects across Canada.

Prize Draw (February 23, 2005)

Rob Schaufele of Bellevue was the first winner of the Road Watch prize draw. Rob won a Birding Guide to the Rockies and a certificate to the Cinnamon Bear. Thanks for your contributions to Road Watch Rob.

Citizen Science Web Site (Jan. 27, 2005)

Road Watch has been added to the citizen science web site (www.citizenscience.ca). The citizen science website has a directory of projects across Canada where communities collect baseline information. Check it out, Road Watch can be found in the directory.

Results Page (Jan. 27, 2005)

Road Watch has added a new page to the website to highlight the results of your efforts. Regular updates will be posted on this page to keep you informed of progress for the Road Watch project.

Wildlife Primer (Dec. 20, 2004)

Please help us with the wildlife primer, we need pictures to assist people in wildlife identification. If you have a photo you would like to contribute please contact Jan at jcquin@telus.net. Photo credit will be given and you will be entered into a prize draw.

Marking your Observations (Dec. 20, 2004)

Check out the NEW one metre air photo mosaic as a background image while marking your observations. The image was donated to the project by the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass and covers an area from Leitch Collieries to the Crowsnest Lakes. It greatly increases your ability to locate local landmarks and therefore the accuracy of marking your observation. You may even be able to find your house.