Spring 2025

Newsletter Archive

Wildlife Movement Tool Update

We have completed updates to our interactive Wildlife Movement Tool (formerly called Connectivity Risk Assessment), expanding the corridors to Pincher Creek.

The Wildlife Movement Tool is designed to provide insights into the impact a proposed development may have on the Southwestern Alberta Ecological Corridors' (consisting of the M.D.s of Crowsnest Pass and Pincher Creek) ability to maintain wildlife movement. The tool asks user to draw the proposed development footprint and answer a few simple questions. Once submitted, the tool creates a 1000 m buffer around the proposed development footprint and calculates how the development may or may not alter the ecological corridor. It considers factors such as how the proposed development will change important features of an ecological corridor including the minimum width of the corridor, flatness, human disturbance and loss of important elk and grizzly bear habitat. In addition to the inclusion of corridors in Pincher Creek, the website updates provide more clarity to the tool results. The wildlife movement tool helps the municipality understand if the proposed development will compromise a corridor, require mitigation or is of low impact. Results include mitigation suggestions specific to the proposed development that should be considered to ensure the ecological corridor remains functional for wildlife movement. The tool is designed to provide information for municipal staff and developers on how development can occur simultaneously with maintained wildlife movement in the area.

View the tool here: https://miistakis.shinyapps.io/cra_app/

Thank you to Wilburforce Foundation, Woodcock Foundation, Parks Canada's National Program for Ecological Corridors and Alberta Real Estate Foundation for their generous support of this project.