topic:"Wildlife" found 3 records - Research Collections - Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies

Abstract: A collection of essays highlighting the splendour and diversity of the landscape of southern Alberta. Streams of Consequence weaves together a bit of “ecology for dummies,” a cross-section of stories and essays on Alberta’s biodiversity riches and treasured landscapes, and a backdrop of selections on conservation issues. These are stories of the land and of Alberta’s plants, fish, and wildlife told through the voice of a biologist with decades of experience on the front lines of conservation efforts. Through stories, metaphor, and allegory, basic ecological principles are made clear, ecosystems are described, and our human role in stewarding these natural treasures is revealed. Infused in these “dispatches from the conservation world” is the special magic of biology, taking mute organisms at a variety of scales and understanding their lives and habitats so that they have meaning and a connection to us. The role, the unstated objective of biologists, is to remind us, unceasingly, that it is only in our minds that we live apart from the natural world. These stories have power to engage and educate, to help create and sustain an ecologically literate constituency that knows and cares about Alberta’s wilder side. Readers can look back on the changes, weigh their significance, and think about where we came from, where we are today, and where the trend might take us if we choose one road or another. There are some rocks heaved at our economy-centred, consumer-driven world. Scattered between them are the acts of altruism, of caring, of forethought, and of stewardship. These are rays of hope amid dark clouds threatening our very existence. -- From publisher

ISBN: 9781771606691

Accession Number: P2023.25

Call Number: 04 F55s

Collection: Archives Library

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Caribou rainforest : from heartbreak to hope

https://archives.whyte.org/en/permalink/catalogue25061

Medium: Library - Book (including soft-cover and pamphlets)

Published Date: 2018

Author: Moskowitz, David

Publisher: Seattle, WA : Braided River, the conservation imprint of Mountaineers Books

Call Number: 04.2 M85c

1 website

Author: Moskowitz, David

Publisher: Seattle, WA : Braided River, the conservation imprint of Mountaineers Books

Published Date: 2018

Physical Description: 204 pages : color illustrations, color maps

Medium: Library - Book (including soft-cover and pamphlets)

Subjects: Caribou; Wildlife; Conservation; Alberta; Rocky Mountains

Abstract: In a North American rainforest, that few people even know exists, about a dozen dwindling herds of caribou are struggling to survive. Caribou Rainforest doesn’t tell an easy story, ask easy questions, or pretend that there are easy solutions to the possible extinction of the last mountain caribou herds found in Canada and the United States. There are fewer than twenty animals left in the last US herd. Yet what Caribou Rainforest does—with photographs, words, and science—is explain why this is happening, so that as a community we don’t repeat our mistakes, even when our intentions are good. Author and photographer David Moskowitz has studied and photographed these caribou extensively in order to understand their plight. He hasn’t found villains, but rather climate change, predators, recreationists, settler colonialism, industrial logging, mineral extraction, and a perfect confluence of factors that have worked against this fragile species and the fragile environment upon which it relies. The story of this iconic animal and stunning landscape provides an example of shifting conservation challenges and tactics in the twenty-first century. Mountain caribou have been identified as an “umbrella species” by conservationists, meaning that protecting their habitat also helps preserve many other species who depend on the same ecosystem. The discussion topics are controversial and wrenching—upending the forestry economy of the region, exterminating wolves (who also struggle to survive) to protect the caribou, limiting recreational access to critical habitat, respecting the rights of indigenous peoples. The issues are contentious, but the opportunity to craft solutions still exists. If we do in fact lose the caribou, the task then pivots to how can we protect what remains of this rare rainforest ecosystem. In Caribou Rainforest, the author searches for lessons that can turn despair into hope: their story can become the inspiration and catalyst for committed change. (from Caribou Rainforest website)

Contents: North America's hidden rainforest. Map: Mountain caribou range : historical and current -- The mountains : our playground, their last refuge. Map: Overview of the Caribou Rainforest -- The Caribou Rainforest : a forest like none other. Map: Northwest inland temperate rainforest -- Mountain caribou : ghosts of the rainforest. Map: Historical and current caribou populations -- Wildlife of these mountains : a laboratory of evolution -- Human dimensions : the language of a landscape -- The path ahead : reflections on grief and hope -- Acknowledgments -- Source notes -- Selected bibliography -- Photographer's notes -- Get involved.

Notes: Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival finalist for Mountain Environment and Natural History

ISBN: 9781680511284

Accession Number: P2020-1

Call Number: 04.2 M85c

Location: Reading Room

Collection: Archives Library

URL Notes: Website for Caribou Rainforest project

Websites

https://caribourainforest.org/the-book

This material is presented as originally created; it may contain outdated cultural descriptions and potentially offensive content. Read more.

Report on the Western Canada conservation representative program

https://archives.whyte.org/en/permalink/catalogue14712

Medium: Library - Book (including soft-cover and pamphlets)

Published Date: 1973

Author: Western Canada Conservation Representative

Publisher: Victoria B.C. ; Calgary Alta. : Western Canada Conservation Representative

Call Number: 04 W52r Pam

Author: Western Canada Conservation Representative

Publisher: Victoria B.C. ; Calgary Alta. : Western Canada Conservation Representative

Published Date: 1973

Physical Description: 14 pages

Medium: Library - Book (including soft-cover and pamphlets)

Subjects: Alberta; British Columbia; Wildlife

Notes: Original typed report

Call Number: 04 W52r Pam

Collection: Archives Library

This material is presented as originally created; it may contain outdated cultural descriptions and potentially offensive content. Read more.