BSc in Environmental and Conservation Science,
University of Alberta, 1999
Currently in MSc program specializing in Ecology.

Current Research:

The cumulative effects of multiple resource users have impacted Alberta’s northeast landscape both in time and space. Areas once pristine are now marred by a patchwork of industrial disturbances, with the additional impacts of natural disturbances, and some areas more remote to civilization have escaped the degree of development that occurs closer to human settlement. These disturbances have altered habitat for many northern mammals. The loss and modification of those habitat components needed to ensure healthy populations, namely forage, protective cover and water, has significant implications for ungulate species in Alberta (Stelfox 1993).

No study has taken a historical look at the evolution of disturbance in Northeastern Alberta and its subsequent impacts on wildlife, despite the fact that historical data to support this inquiry has been gathered for decades. Alberta holds historical databases that document the densities of ungulates, derived from aerial wildlife surveys dating back to the 1960’s. As well, libraries of aerial photographs and historical maps provide indication of the change in landscape characteristics over time and across space. While most studies take a retrospective approach, the availability of this data makes it possible to consider cumulative effects in time, space and in time and space. These records have the potential to assess whether there is a correlation between habitat alteration and the density of wildlife. Relationships, thresholds, and trends derived from these datasets will be useful to landscape and wildlife managers in determining the measures needed to protect habitat and wildlife from the structural impacts of disturbance, as well as increased access and associated stressors.

Using these historical databases, I will determine the effects of cumulative impacts on ungulate numbers in northeastern Alberta. In particular, I propose to determine:

1. The attributes and capacity of the data for the purposes of this research

• Ascertain the strengths and weaknesses of each dataset and manage each accordingly

2. How ungulate populations have changed in Alberta

• Density through time and space

3. How disturbance has changed/developed in the Northeast region of Alberta

• Change through time and space
• Composition of disturbance

4. The correlation between disturbance and population data

• What aspect of disturbance drives density?

5. The predictive ability of historical data through modelling

• Can disturbance data be used to predict ungulate numbers?

I hypothesize that a significant correlation will emerge, linking disturbance characteristics to trends in ungulate densities. The direction of this relationship will depend on the species considered. This correlation will enable the prediction of ungulate population change based on change in levels of disturbance.