Russian Thistle (Salsola tragusL.) Control on Bighorn Sheep Winter Ranges in Jasper National Park

Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis) wintering in the lower Athabasca River valley of Jasper National Park, Alberta, were monitored from 1981 to 2010 by recording maximum band sizes per annum on two traditional but separate sheep ranges. In study area #1, the ram band declined significantly from a 20-year mean of 18 in the period 1981-2001 to a 5-year mean of 11 in the period 2001-2006, with a slight recovery in 2006-2010. Ewes in area #1 dwindled from a mean of 20 in the period 1981-1995 to zero in the period 1995-2010. In area #2, the ewe band dropped significantly from a mean of 40 in the period 1981-2001 to 24 in the period 2001-2010. The declines in area #1 coincided with an invasion of Russian Thistle (Salsola kali). Range conditions in area #2 deteriorated following four years with lower than average annual precipitation. The mean lamb:ewe ratio in area #2, pooled for 29 years, was 22:100 (n = 646). The sheep were protected from hunting, but were subject to a full range of indigenous carnivores. However, predation did not appear to be the primary cause of the declines, nor was competition for forage with American Elk (Cervus elaphus).

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"Culturing Wilderness in Jasper National Park: Studies in Two Centuries of Human History in the Upper Athabasca River Watershed" edited by I. MacLaren 2007. [book review]

The Canadian Field-Naturalist ◽

10.22621/cfn.v122i3.594 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 122 (3) ◽

pp. 285

Author(s):

Cyndi M. Smith

Keyword(s):

National Park ◽

Human History ◽

Athabasca River ◽

River Watershed ◽

Jasper National Park

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Eighty years of change: vegetation in the montane ecoregion of Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x02-112 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 32 (11) ◽

pp. 2010-2021 ◽

Cited By ~ 48

Author(s):

Jeanine M Rhemtulla ◽

Ronald J Hall ◽

Eric S Higgs ◽

S Ellen Macdonald

Keyword(s):

National Park ◽

Vegetation Change ◽

Fire Regime ◽

Reference Conditions ◽

Habitat Diversity ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Aerial Photographs ◽

Contributing Factors ◽

Jasper National Park ◽

Closed Canopy

Repeat ground photographs (taken in 1915 and 1997) from a series of topographical survey stations and repeat aerial photographs (flown in 1949 and 1991) were analysed to assess changes in vegetation composition and distribution in the montane ecoregion of Jasper National Park, in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Canada. A quantitative approach for assessing relative vegetation change in repeat ground photographs was developed and tested. The results indicated a shift towards late-successional vegetation types and an increase in crown closure in coniferous stands. Grasslands, shrub, juvenile forest, and open forests decreased in extent, and closed-canopy forests became more prevalent. The majority of forest stands succeeded to dominance by coniferous species. Changes in vegetation patterns were likely largely attributable to shifts in the fire regime over the last century, although climatic conditions and human activity may also have been contributing factors. Implications of observed changes include decreased habitat diversity, increased possibility of insect outbreaks, and potential for future high-intensity fire events. Results of the study increase knowledge of historical reference conditions and may help to establish restoration goals for the montane ecoregion of the park.

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Holocene palaeoenvironmental record preserved in a paraglacial alluvial fan, Sunwapta Pass, Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada

CATENA ◽

10.1016/0341-8162(94)90004-3 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 22 (3) ◽

pp. 227-248 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Alwynne B. Beaudoin ◽

Roger H. King

Keyword(s):

National Park ◽

Alluvial Fan ◽

Jasper National Park

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Using discriminant function analysis to identify Holocene tephras based on magnetite composition: a case study from the Sunwapta Pass area, Jasper National Park

Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences ◽

10.1139/e86-082 ◽

1986 ◽

Vol 23 (6) ◽

pp. 804-812 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

A. B. Beaudoin ◽

R. H. King

Keyword(s):

National Parks ◽

Discriminant Function ◽

Discriminant Function Analysis ◽

National Park ◽

Function Analysis ◽

Classification Schemes ◽

Jasper National Park ◽

Multivariate Method ◽

Reference Samples

The magnetite composition from three sets of samples of Mazama, St. Helens set Y, and Bridge River tephras from Jasper and Banff national parks are used to test whether discriminant function analysis can unambiguously distinguish these tephras. The multivariate method is found to be very sensitive to the change in reference samples. St. Helens set Y tephra is clearly distinguished. However, discrimination between Mazama and Bridge River tephras is less distinct. A set of unknown tephras from the Sunwapta Pass area was used to test the classification schemes. Unknown tephras are assigned to different tephra types depending on which reference tephra set is used in the discriminant function analysis.

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