The Southern headwaters at risk project : a multi-species conservation strategy for the headwaters of the Oldman River.

The headwaters of the Oldman River Basin flow through a highly variable landscape containing a rich diversity of habitats and species.It is home to a large number of species at risk (At Risk, May be at Risk, and Sensitive designations) and is a critical habitat linkage between the mountain, foothill, and boreal areas to the north, and the Columbian and Yellowstone ecosystems to the west and south.This diverse landscape is also reflected in the diversity of land use in the area.Increasing demand for natural resources, agriculture, development, and recreational activities are increasing pressure on the landscape.Following their experience for the Milk River Basin (Quinlan et al. 2003), a multispecies conservation approach was initiated by the Alberta Fish and Wildlife Division and the Alberta Conservation Association in an attempt to ensure the long-term sustainability of species at risk in the Southern Headwaters At Risk Project (SHARP) area.This volume introduces the SHARP project and presents the most important natural processes and their ecological functions in the area.Past major geomorphological processes such as mountain orogeny, erosion, sedimentation, and glaciations were responsible for creating much of the landscape found in the SHARP area today.The Grassland natural region to the east has been maintained through time by natural processes such as flooding, drought, wind, fire, and grazing.Flooding and drought conditions affect plant species differently and create communities adapted to their regime and intensity.Fire plays an important role in recycling nutrients but also prevents succession from advancing.Since the European arrival in the area, fire has been relatively controlled and the large herbivores that once roamed the plains and grazed the grasslands are now either extirpated, or have been displaced into the mountains.Domestic cattle are partly carrying out their ecological role, but the structure and composition of many grassland plant and animal communities have been greatly modified.The cooler and moister Rocky Mountain natural region to the west has allowed forests to become established and to develop as a patchy mosaic of variable size, age, and composition under various flooding, drought, wind, fire, insect and disease outbreaks, and avalanche regimes.Predator-prey interactions are also a fundamental part of the SHARP landscape.The gray wolf, coyote, cougar, grizzly and black bear, are all major predators on ungulate populations, while wolverine scavenges on carrion in winter or preys on small manunals, birds, and insects in summer.Natural processes are fundamental in maintaining the ecological integrity and ensuring the long-term survival of species at risk populations in the SHARP landscape.

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