High Country News monthly contributions
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Re-Imagining Bragg Creek; Past – Present – Future: A presentation by Dr. Brad Stelfox
The full video presentation is available on Bragg Creek Wild’s YouTube channel.
August 2024
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The Original Tree Huggers
Whether we hug trees or not (and many of us love to), for so many reasons, we need to act to preserve the health of our forests.
July 2024
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Re-Imagining Bragg Creek: Moving Beyond Sustainability Towards Regeneration
With its breathtaking surroundings, Bragg Creek forms a magnificent foothills landscape that attracts growing numbers of Albertans as both a tranquil residential community and one of Calgary’s most coveted recreational destinations.
May 2024
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Planning for Spring Wild-Safe Way
....there are practical resilience measures we can take to ensure wildlife and people flourish in the Spring season of new life and regrowth.
April 2024
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How to Support Our Avian Friends: Practical Steps for Bird Conservation
Yet, beyond mere entertainment to humans, birds play essential roles in maintaining ecological balance and biodiversity.
March 2024
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NEWS FROM THE WILD
February 2024
2023 was a busy year with several initiatives launched to tackle critical wildlife-human conflicts. The efforts continue into 2024. Here’s a brief overview.
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Room to Roam – Rewilding A Fragmented Habitat
January 2024
Healthy and productive wild lands are important to people and animals. We can get there by undertaking useful practices in our own backyards.
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Celebrating Responsibly: Ensuring Wildlife-Friendly Christmas Decorations
December 2023
The twinkling lights, vibrant baubles, and festive garlands adorning our homes during the holiday season bring about a sense of joy and celebration. However, amidst the cheer, it’s essential to pause and consider the unintended consequences our decorations might have on the wildlife around us.
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Rutting Season – Wildlife’s Deadliest Time of the Year
November 2023
In the month of November, a reported 80% of wildlife-vehicle collisions involve deer. According to the AMA, the average the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions is more than double that of any other month in the year.
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We don’t know what we don’t know!
October 2023
The Alps and Europe were once home to Brown Bears, Grey Wolves, Lynx and Golden Eagles. None exist there today.
As we continue to develop, change and generally impact the land we share with our wild neighbours, we need to -Think Wild.
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Why Biodiversity Matters
September 2023
Beginning in 1995 and by the end of 1996, wildlife biologists re-located 31 wolves from Jasper National Park in Alberta to the northern range of Yellowstone National Park. Their mission? To reintroduce these wolves to the park in hopes of restoring the long-lost biodiversity…
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FED means DEAD
August 2023
Managing bear attractants around your home.
Limiting access to food attractants and garbage is a logical first step. Some Bragg Creek Wild volunteers are working on a bylaw proposal to be presented to Rocky View County in the near future.
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Helping Injured Wildlife
July 2023
We have come upon an injured owl or perhaps we have collided with a deer. What steps should we take to help ourselves and/or the wildlife?
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The importance of Habitat Connectivity
June 2023
One of the principal factors to the success of nature’s timeless renewal process rests on accessing sufficient spaces safely. Habitat connectivity is considered a cornerstone of a healthy ecosystem. Without it, Wildlife, plants and, ultimately, humans cannot thrive.
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Wild & Wise – Tips for Safe and Respectful Wilderness Exploration
May 2023
When heading out into the wilderness, be mindful of the wildlife and take steps to prevent encounters that can be dangerous to both humans and animals. Following these straightforward tips will ensure you’ll have a safe, pleasant and respectful outdoor experience.
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Be a Wild Gardener - Working With What Belong Here
April 2023
As a gardener from a very different climate, I’ve had some notable failures trying to cultivate some old favourites here. But I’ve also had some “aha” moments.
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Looking After and Monitoring Our Own Little Patch
March 2023
But as we watch the March and April snow come down, we can still contemplate the different elements we enjoy around our homes later in the year. I’m definitely thinking about how my yard can provide what I want, while impacting the local wildlife as little as possible
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Where We Live - A Very Precious Resource
February 2023
Maybe you caught reports before the holidays about the United Nations COP15* in Montreal, which finished on 19th December. The 195 member nations agreed to protect and restore at least 30% of Earth’s land and water by 2030.
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Living With Wildlife in Our Alberta Winter
January 2023
Many of our wild neighbours have disappeared from our lives for a few months, some hibernating, some in a state of “torpor”.
But there are still lots of them around, and unfortunately the ones who stay put can come to be seen as a nuisance in winter.
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Lighting Up the Darkest Time of Year
December 2022
It may be dark, but it can be beautiful at this time of year. We’re privileged that we can enjoy the night sky in a way not many people around the world can.
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It’s that time of year again
Rutting Season is upon us.
November 2022
Have you seen some “Rutting Season” signs around recently? Yes, it’s that time of year again, when the white-tail deer and then – a bit later – the mule deer go into rut. The shorter days trigger this “photo- period”.
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A New Milestone for Bragg Creek Wild!
September 2022
In mid-August this year we became officially incorporated as a not-for-profit Society with a clear mission and structure. We’ve structured our grassroots organization to be simple, nimble and effective.
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Bragg Creek Wild goes to Council
August 2022
This spring we received an invitation to present our group and our work to Rocky View Council, and spread the message further.
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Banded Peak Art Walk and Auction
July 2022
Local artists and students express their love for nature with an art walk on Highway 22 and a Silent Auction.
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Spring Into Wildlife: BCW Hosts Alberta Parks
June 2022
The second in our ongoing series of seasonal presentations from Alberta Parks in partnership with Bragg Creek Wild.
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Introducing the Wild Questionnaire
May 2022
12 questions, the same for everybody. We’ll post people’s responses regularly on our website and share them in our newsletter. To participate, get in touch at info.braggcreekwild@gmail.com
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Bringhing Data Science To Bragg Creek Wild
April 2022
Bragg Creek Wild wondered about the application of data analytics to help us in our mission of improving human-wildlife interactions.
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The Kids Nailed It!
March 2022
Local school science project collaborates with BCW. The more time we spend with our youth, the more hopeful we are about a bright future for beautiful Bragg Creek.
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Living with our Bear Neighbours
October 2022
In late August, a black bear sow was euthanized in Bragg Creek, orphaning three cubs. Unfortunately, she’d become habituated to humans and human waste/ food. Bragg Creek Wild believes there’s much we can do to prevent this happening in future, and promote co-existence with bears.
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Cougars in the Creek
January 2022
It’s definitely worth being aware of cougars in the area, and of their characteristics and behaviour, particularly given that – unlike some of our other wild neighbours – they don’t hibernate.
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In a Rut - Road Safety in Autumn
November 2021
As summer warmth gives way to autumn, big changes are underway in deer movements and behaviours.
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What's Going On With Bragg Creek Wild?
August 2021
Some of our aims are to develop positive and collaborative relationships with other groups and individuals in the community and to keep you informed of what we’re doing.
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Animal-Vehicle Collision Hit Close to Home
About the beginning of the Bragg Creek and Area Wildlife Corridor Initiative – an initiative that aims at finding a balance between human activities and habitat vitality.
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Fawning Season is Here
June 2021
Sadly, fawning season, from late May through June, is the second highest period for wildlife-vehicle collisions in Alberta. Did you know that up to 90%+ of reported wildlife collisions in Alberta can involve ungulates – mostly deer?*