Innovation Anthology #465:
Oil sands activity takes place where boreal animals like moose, wolves and other species live.
At the recent CONRAD symposium on reclamation research, Holger Spaedtke described a study he and University of Alberta ecologist Dr. Stan Boutin are conducting. It’s called WHEC.
HOLGER SPAEDTKE: WHEC stands for the Wildlife Habitat Effectiveness and Connectivity Program. So that is a program that looks into habitat along the Athabasca River in the Alberta oil sands.
The study area covers 150 square kilometers north of Fort McMurray where oil sands mining is active.
HOLGER SPAEDTKE: We’re trying to find out how animals, in particular moose in the one project, are dealing with the oil sands development in the area. Are they avoiding the area? Are they feeling at home there still? Have they maybe changed their behavior, their movement patterns? In particular, are they using the river valleys? It’s been said or known before that that river could be very important to animals in the area.
According to Holger Spaedtke, the WHEC team is using remote cameras and radio collars to capture data for the study’s two projects.
Thanks today to Syncrude
FOR INNOVATION ANTHOLOGY
I’M CHERYL CROUCHER
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Syncrude
Program Date: 2012-03-15