Operation Grassland Community
Report to the Loggerhead Shrike Recovery Team
October 23, 1996
Lloydminister, Alberta Canada
The Western Loggerhead Shrike Recovery Team meets once a year and is made up of scientists, researchers and invited guests from across western Canada. The Recovery Team is the working arm of Recovery of Nationally Endangered Wildlife (RENEW) which responds to status reports commissioned by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Operation Grassland Community is an invited guest at the meetings and provides input as to our activities during the previous year.
working with Ducks Unlimited and North American Waterfowl Mnagement Plan as lead partners, initiated the Loggerhead Shrike Trail that
involved the planting of 1000 Thorny Buffaloberry "seedlings" within the CP Railway mainline Right of Way
between Brooks and Bassano, AB
1000 shrubs have been ordered for the 1997 segment that will planted along a 50 km stretch East
from Brooks
the Loggerhead Shrike Trail will eventually cover the CPR mainline from Bassano to the
Saskatchewan border
survivorship will be checked in summer of 1997 along stretch planted in 1996
preliminary survivorship results as follows;
Area
# "seedlings planted
# (%) with leaves
Date Checked
Brooks Rifle Range
17
8 (47)
August 1996
Millicent Buck for Wildlife
47
32 (68)
July 1996
assisted Doug Collister and Hank Kiliaan in census of "Shrike Alley", the CPR Bassano Subdivision rail line.
Media/PR/Networking
OGC interviewed for articles on Furadan ban in Alberta Report and Leader Post
new display purchased and set up at Alberta Fish & Game Association (AFGA) Annual Conference, Edmonton and Calgary
Sportsman Shows, Brooks Environment Week, The Wildlife Society (TWS) Northwest Section Conference in Banff
public/slide presentations at TWS Northwest Section Conference in Banff, Grassland Naturalists,
U of C Biogeography course
attended meetings Prairie Biome Delivery Committee and Prairie Conservation Forum
copies of 1995 Final Report sent out to all partners and Recovery Team members
marketed OGC shirts and caps as fundraising initiative
Pipelines
representing AFGA on Express Pipeline Environmental Advisory Committee
representing AFGA on Palliser Pipeline Round Table
Contracted by Express Pipeline, Tera Environmental Consultants, Harbour Petroleum, and
NOVA for various wildlife surveys, burrowing owl monitoring project and nest box installation which
have become an unexpected source of funding for OGC.
Other
added herptiles as profile species of OGC, promoting Alberta Environmental Protection's (AEP)
Amphibian Monitoring Project, attend DAPCAN/WGARCC conference in Calgary
received endorsement from AFGA Executive that the association supports the continuation of
OGC for next 5 years (1997-2001) and that D. Scobie will remain as coordinator, dependent on
the availability of funding.