Miistakis Institute

06/02/2026

This spring we worked with Sebastian, a 4th year student in a Mount Royal University Work-Integrated-Learning course to test our first iteration of wetland condition. Sebastian examined biodiversity patterns across 37 wetland sites in southern Alberta using data collected from Autonomous Recording Units (ARUs).

Two key metrics were assessed:
1. Species richness – the number of unique species, shown in green on the map (map 1) with a higher species richness in darker green.
2. Proportion of rare species – the percentage of detections designated as “At Risk” or “Sensitive” under the Alberta General Status classification system (Government of Alberta, 2022). These are shown in red (map 2), with darker red indicating a higher proportion of rare species.

Overall, biodiversity is not evenly distributed across sites, suggesting that habitat quality, connectivity, or levels of human disturbance may influence species composition and diversity. These patterns reinforce the need for robust tools to assess wetland condition. To that end, we have been working with Dr. Felix Nwashi from Mount Royal University to develop and apply a method to predict wetland condition based on GIS-based data that reflects hydrology and ecology, and ultimately predict wetland health.

Next steps: We will continue refining the wetland condition metric by testing and adjusting our methods. Sebastian’s findings provide encouraging early insights as we move this work forward.

We’re grateful to Sebastian for his outstanding contributions to this project.

05/26/2026

Tracking long-distance pronghorn movements helps researchers better understand how they interact with habitat, weather, seasonal conditions, and barriers across the Northern Sagebrush Steppe.
Every GPS collar tells part of the story.

Some pronghorn stay close to home. Others go on a journey. Here is the journey of P402.
P402 was captured and collared in December 2025 north of Sceptre and the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatchewan. By the end of December, she had already travelled west to an area north of Empress, Alberta, where she spent the winter.
From February to May 2026, P402 pushed north roughly 260 km (as the crow flies), eventually travelling farther north than Saskatoon. In total, she covered approximately 300 km in straight-line distance.
These long-distance movements help researchers better understand how pronghorn respond to seasonal conditions, habitat, weather, and barriers across the Northern Sagebrush Steppe.
Every collar helps tell another piece of the story.
Learn more: https://www.ab-conservation.com/featured-projects/wildlife/pronghorn-projects/
Pronghorn Xing team:

05/26/2026

From trail cameras to conservation: our project is documenting wildlife activity near animal-vehicle collision hotspots on highways in Rocky View and Foothills Counties. The data will support work to protect ecological connectivity in the region, and can inform road mitigation design to keep wildlife and people safe.

Thank you to participating private landowners and land trusts for hosting a trail cam on their properties! 📸🌲

05/19/2026

“Oh hey, fancy seeing you here” meets “I think I took a wrong turn” energy.

05/12/2026

Connected landscapes support healthy ecosystems 🌱 and communities 🏡. Our new summary shows how Miistakis helps municipalities to embed ecological connectivity into everyday planning tools and decisions.

Read it here:https://rockies.ca/files/reports/MIR_MunicipalPlanning_two-pager_FEB2026_v02.pdf

05/06/2026

05/05/2026

🚧 On the Road to Smarter Mitigation 🦌

Wildlife–vehicle collisions aren’t just inconvenient—they’re a serious safety issue for people and wildlife alike. In British Columbia, an estimated 12,000 collisions happen every year, involving deer, moose, elk, bears, and more.

So how do we decide where mitigation is needed most?

We estimated a BC-specific composite collision cost (~$120,500 per collision), a vital part of a benefit–cost analysis, to guide smarter investments in solutions like fencing, wildlife crossings, and detection systems.

This can be part of a broader decision-making framework that also considers wildlife and social values, helping ensure mitigation efforts are not only cost-effective, but also support connectivity and long-term conservation outcomes.

Thank you to the BC Ministry of Transportation, with contributions from Alberta Transportation & Economic Development and Biodiversity Pathways.

Read the full story in our recent newsletter: https://www.rockies.ca/newsletter/spring2026_moti.php

05/01/2026

Another update from the project, this one focuses on the travels of a female pronghorn nicknamed Hornet!

Meet Hornet (P353)—a pronghorn on the move.

Captured in December near the Saskatchewan border, she spent the entire winter on the move—crossing the Buffalo Trail, weaving through southern Alberta, and even dipping into the U.S.
North, south, east, west—Hornet covered it all. By February, she pushed north past Bain before looping back east once again.

Then, finally, after nearly 400 km of travel (~250 km straight-line), Hornet settled near Cressday, trading long-distance roaming for a smaller home range.

From constant motion to a place to call home.

Learn more: https://www.ab-conservation.com/featured-projects/wildlife/pronghorn-projects/

Pronghorn Xing team:

05/01/2026

During development of the Bow River Regional Wetland Datasets project, our advisory committee expressed a need to understand not only WHERE wetlands are, but HOW healthy they are. Over the past year, we have been working with Dr. Felix Nwashi from Mount Royal University to develop and apply a method to predict wetland condition based on GIS-based data that reflects hydrology and ecology.

This spring we worked with Joseph, a 4th year student in a Mount Royal University Work-Integrated-Learning course to test our first iteration of wetland condition. Joseph compared our predicted wetland condition to autonomous recording unit (ARU) data that captured amphibian, bird and mammal sounds at 34 wetlands within Calgary, Foothills County, or Rocky View County. Joseph’s three key findings were that:

1) Wetlands with a higher ecological score (more natural, less disturbance and road density) supported more species and more biodiversity; which supports Miistakis' original hypothesis.
2) Hydrological conditions (water availability, flooding patterns, surface connectivity) are the primary driver of habitat suitability for species at risk, independent of surrounding landscape condition.
3) The combined wetland condition rating showed significant correlations with species richness, bird detections, species at risk, and threatened species, making it the most consistently useful metric across multiple biodiversity dimensions.
Next steps: We will continue to refine the wetland condition metric by testing and adjusting our methods but we are encouraged by Joseph’s findings.

Many thanks to Joseph for his excellent work on this work-integrated learning project!

04/28/2026

The Rock Creek underpass is complete—and wildlife are already using it for safe passage! 🐾 This new crossing marks an important step toward more connected landscapes 🌿 and safer highways 🚗. Congratulations to Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors on this achievement and their continued work along Highway 3! 🎉

Read more in our newsletter: https://www.rockies.ca/newsletter/spring2026_rc.php