Latest news with #AlbertaConservationAssociation
CTV News
2 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Here's how you can follow along as peregrine falcon chicks grow up in Edmonton
A peregrine falcon can be seen feeding its four chicks at the Bell Tower nesting site. (Photo: YouTube/Alberta Conservation Association) The first public peregrine falcon chicks are hatching in Alberta. A brood of four chicks can be seen at the Bell Tower on the Alberta Conservation Association's (ACA) live cameras. The feeds are set up at five nest sites in the Edmonton area, allowing viewers to keep 24-hour tabs on families during nesting season. Pairs started laying eggs in April, and the first on-camera chicks hatched at the end of May. Viewers will be able to watch them grow until the fall when the young will fledge. Bell Tower peregrine falcon chicks Four peregrine falcon chicks can be seen at a nesting site at Bell Tower. (Photo: YouTube/Alberta Conservation Association) Peregrine falcons – the fastest animals on earth with diving speeds of more than 320 km/hour – were endangered in Alberta until 1999, a result of steep population declines caused by pesticide use in the 1950s and 60s. The province reports just three pairs, and only one reproductive pair, were found in 1970. To protect the species, those birds were taken into captivity to breed. peregrine falcon Shell Scotford A peregrine falcon can be seen with four eggs at the Shell Scotford nesting site. (Photo: YouTube/Alberta Conservation Association) Thanks to recovery efforts, peregrine falcons were reclassified as a threatened species in Alberta in 2000. Only the Bell Tower nest had chicks as of Wednesday, but both the Genesee and Shell Scotford nests had eggs expected to hatch any day. The peregrine pair at the University of Alberta nest had no eggs because the female is a yearling and not ready to lay. However, the ACA said there is still lots to see as the couple hunt, eat and she undergoes her moult into adult plumage. U of A peregrine falcons A male (left) and female peregrine falcon can be seen eating at the University of Alberta nesting site. (Photo: YouTube/Alberta Conservation Association) The ACA said not to be alarmed should a few chicks disappear during the season. Due to high fledgling mortality in urban centres, two or three chicks are removed for conservation purposes. Those chicks will be raised by captive adult falcons (who have a hard time telling the difference between their own young and other chicks) and will be released into the Pembina and North Saskatchewan River valleys. 'The results are difficult to ignore,' the ACA says on its website. 'The peregrine population in Alberta has gone from one productive pair in 1970 to an estimated 80 pairs today. In southern Canada, the species has gone from three productive pairs in 1975 to several hundred.'
CBC
30-01-2025
- Business
- CBC
Bighorn sheep hunting licence nets record-setting $400K US bid in Alberta hunting auction
The right to hunt a single bighorn sheep, Alberta's official mammal, has netted the province $400,000 US at auction. The Alberta government says it's a record-setting price and hopefully a sign of what's to come when seven more provincially issued special licences are auctioned next month at a hunting expo in Salt Lake City. "Based on the recent record setting sale in Reno, Nev., for the 2025 Minister's Special Licence for bighorn sheep, our government is confident the province will see an increase in funding raised this year," said Alexandru Cioban, the press secretary for Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen. The special licences grant hunters with the highest bid the opportunity to hunt year-round for a specific animal. Each licence is valid for one year. The hunt must take place in designated wildlife management areas that permit hunting for the animal, but seasonal rules in the areas don't apply. The highest bidders The licences are not limited to Albertans or even Canadians. The province awards similar licences each year for Alberta residents only through raffles, Cioban said. The remaining 2025 licences up for auction in February are for hunting a cougar, pronghorn antelope, moose, elk, wild turkey and two species of deer. Cioban said licences last year for mule deer, moose, pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep and more sold for a combined $1.2 million Cdn at auction and through raffles. The bighorn sheep licence was the most coveted, selling for $320,000 US, while a licence for hunting a wild turkey fetched the least at $4,750 US. The 2024 mule deer licence was the second most expensive, selling for $160,000 US, followed by $55,000 US for elk and $45,000 US for moose. Earmarked for conservation Cioban said the money raised through auction is given to the Alberta Professional Outfitters Society, which is responsible for licensing hunting guides and outfitters on behalf of the government. The society's website says it gives wildlife presentations in schools, provides grants for animal conservation projects such as population surveys, and offers post-secondary scholarships to fish and wildlife management students. Jeana Schuurman, the society's managing director, said in an email that the society administers the funds on behalf of a committee with representatives from conservation organizations and post-secondary schools, as well as an Indigenous representative and a member of the public. She said committee members decide where to award the money in the form of grants for conservation projects. The committee is to meet in March to discuss this year's funding distribution and funding recipients will be announced in April, she said. Funds raised through raffle, which over the past two years have been significantly less than auction sales, are given to the Alberta Conservation Association, Cioban said. He said habitat enhancement, disease management in wild sheep and wildlife movement ecology studies are examples of conservation projects the licences have helped fund in the past. "While the funds raised vary from year to year, the Minister's Special Licence program provides a steady flow of funding to conservation projects," he said. Loewen flew to Germany on Tuesday to attend the Jagd and Hund Show, considered Europe's largest hunting exhibition, to promote the upcoming auction. The auction is set to take place Feb. 14 to 17.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Alberta holds auction, bidder ponies up US$400,000 to hunt one bighorn sheep
EDMONTON — The right to hunt a single bighorn sheep, Alberta's official mammal, has netted the province US$400,000 at auction. The Alberta government says it's a "record-setting" price and hopefully a sign of what's to come when seven more provincially issued special licences are auctioned next month at a hunting expo in Salt Lake City, Utah. 'Based on the recent record setting sale in Reno, Nev., for the 2025 Minister's Special Licence for bighorn sheep, our government is confident the province will see an increase in funding raised this year,' said Alexandru Cioban, Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen's press secretary. Minister's Special Licences grant hunters with the highest bid the opportunity to hunt year-round for one of the animals each licence is for. Each licence is valid for one year. The hunt must take place in designated wildlife management areas across the province that permit hunting for each animal, but seasonal rules in each area don't apply. The licences are not limited to Albertans or even Canadians, though the province also issues similar licences each year for Alberta residents only. The Alberta resident licences are awarded through raffles rather than sold at auction, Cioban said. The remaining 2025 licences up for auction in February are for hunting a cougar, pronghorn antelope, moose, elk, wild turkey and two species of deer. Cioban said the 2024 licences for mule deer, moose, pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep and more sold for $1.2 million combined at auction and through raffles. Last year's bighorn sheep licence was the most coveted, selling for US$320,000, while a licence for hunting a wild turkey fetched the least at US$4,750. The 2024 mule deer licence was the second most expensive, selling for US$160,000, followed by US$55,000 for the elk licence and US$45,000 for the moose licence. Cioban said the money raised through auction is given to the Alberta Professional Outfitters Society, which is responsible for licensing hunting guides on behalf of the government. The society's website says it gives wildlife presentations in schools, provides grants for animal conservation projects such as population surveys, and offers post-secondary scholarships to fish and wildlife management students. Funds raised through raffle, which over the past two years have been significantly less than auction sales, are given to the Alberta Conservation Association, Cioban said. He said habitat enhancement, disease management in wild sheep and wildlife movement ecology studies were all examples of conservation projects the special licences have helped fund in the past. "While the funds raised vary from year to year, the Minister's Special Licence program provides a steady flow of funding to conservation projects," he said. Loewen flew to Germany on Tuesday to attend the Jagd and Hund Show, considered Europe's largest hunting exhibition, to promote the upcoming auction. "I'm excited to promote our province as a 'must-see' destination for nature-based recreation,' Loewen said in a press release Monday. The auction will take place Feb. 14 to 17. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 29, 2025. Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press
