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White Goat Wilderness Area
The White Goat Wilderness Area is a provincially designated wilderness area in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta. It was established in 1961 and it, as one of the three wilderness areas of Alberta, has the strictest form of government protection available in Canada. All development is forbidden and only travel by foot is permitted. Hunting and fishing are not allowed. The other two wilderness areas are Ghost River Wilderness Area and Siffleur Wilderness Area and together the three areas total . White Goat is located near the west end and north side of Canadian Highway 11 and slightly north of the Siffleur Wilderness area. It is near the north end of Banff National Park, the south end of Jasper National Park, and east of the Columbia Icefield. Mountains rise to over . The area has rugged mountains, glacier-carved valleys, mountain lakes, waterfalls, and alpine meadows. There are two distinct vegetation zones. Above , the tree line, are grasses, sedges and wildflowers. Below that a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alberta Tourism, Parks And Recreation
The Ministry of Environment and Protected Areas of Alberta (also commonly called Alberta Environment and Protected Areas) is the Alberta provincial ministry of the Executive Council of Alberta responsible for environmental issues and policy as well as some, but not all, parks and protected areas in Alberta. Ministers The first Minister of the Enviroment was Jim Henderson, appointed by Premier Harry Strom in 1971. He was succeeded by William Yurko from 1971 to 1977. Ian Reid was the minister in 1988 and 1989 Ralph Klein was the minister from 1989 to 1992. The ministry was renamed Environment and Parks on May 24, 2015. On June 28, 2022, Whitney Issik was appointed Environment and Parks Minister, replacing Jason Nixon. Acts * Natural Resources Conservation Board Act (NRCBA) Natural resource refers to "the subsurface, land surface, water, fauna and flora resources of Alberta, but does not include an energy resource as defined in the Responsible Energy Development Act." E ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American Black Bear
The American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), also called simply a black bear or sometimes a baribal, is a medium-sized bear endemic to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most widely distributed bear species. American black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but will leave forests in search of food, and are sometimes attracted to human communities due to the immediate availability of food. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the American black bear as a least-concern species, due to its widespread distribution and a large population estimated to be twice that of all other bear species combined. Along with the brown bear (''Ursus arctos''), it is one of only two modern bear species not considered by the IUCN to be globally threatened with extinction. Taxonomy and evolution Despite living in North America, American black bears are not ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shore Lark
The horned lark or shore lark (''Eremophila alpestris'') is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found across the northern hemisphere. It is known as "horned lark" in North America and "shore lark" in Europe. Taxonomy, evolution and systematics The specific ''alpestris'' is Latin and means "of the high mountains", from ''Alpes'', the Alps. The horned lark was originally classified in the genus ''Alauda''. The horned lark is suggested to have diverged from Temminck's lark (''E. bilopha'') around the Early-Middle Pleistocene, according to genomic divergence estimates. The horned lark is known from around a dozen localities of Late Pleistocene age, including those in Italy, Russia, The United Kingdom and the United States. The earliest known fossil is from the Calabrian of Spain, around 1–0.8 million years old. In 2020, a 46,000 year old frozen specimen was described from the Russian Far East. Recent genetic analysis has suggested that the species consists of six clades t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Water Pipit
The water pipit (''Anthus spinoletta'') is a small passerine bird which breeds in the mountains of Southern Europe and the Palearctic eastwards to China. It is a short-distance migrant; many birds move to lower altitudes or wet open lowlands in winter. The water pipit in breeding plumage has greyish-brown upperparts, weakly streaked with darker brown, and pale pink-buff underparts fading to whitish on the lower belly. The head is grey with a broad white supercilium ("eyebrow"), and the outer tail feathers are white. In winter, the head is grey-brown, the supercilium is duller, the upperparts are more streaked, and the underparts are white, streaked lightly with brown on the breast and flanks. There are only minor differences among the three subspecies, the sexes are almost identical, and young birds resemble adults. The water pipit's song is delivered from a perch or in flight, and consists of four or five blocks, each consisting of about six repetitions of a different short n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grey-crowned Rosy Finch
The gray-crowned rosy finch or gray-crowned rosy-finch (''Leucosticte tephrocotis'') is a species of passerine bird in the family Fringillidae native to Alaska, western Canada, and the north-western United States. Due to its remote and rocky alpine tundra, alpine habitat it is rarely seen. There are currently six recognized subspecies. It is one of four species of rosy finches. Taxonomy The gray-crowned rosy finch was first classified by English ornithologist William John Swainson in 1832. This bird has been thought to form a superspecies with three other mountain finch, rosy finches (also known as mountain finch): black rosy finch ''(L. atrata)'' and the brown-capped rosy finch ''(L. australis)'', all of which were classified as the same species as the Asian rosy finch ''(L. arctoa)'' from 1983–1993. Recent mitochondrial DNA evidence shows the rosy finches are all indeed very closely related and can be easily confused with one another. Along with one Asian rosy finch and two ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
White-tailed Ptarmigan
The white-tailed ptarmigan (''Lagopus leucura''), also known as the snow quail, is the smallest bird in the grouse family. It is a permanent resident of high altitudes on or above the tree line and is native to Alaska and the mountainous parts of Canada and the western United States. Its plumage is cryptic and varies at different times of the year. In the summer it is speckled in gray, brown and white whereas in winter it is wholly white. At all times of year the wings, belly and tail are white. The white-tailed ptarmigan has a diet of buds, leaves, flowers and seeds. The nest is a simple depression in the ground in which up to eight eggs are laid. After hatching, the chicks soon leave the nest. At first they eat insects but later move on to an adult diet, their mother using vocalisations to help them find suitable plant food. The population seems to be stable and the IUCN lists this species as being of "Least Concern". Taxonomy and etymology The white-tailed ptarmigan was giv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American Pika
The American pika (''Ochotona princeps''), a diurnality, diurnal species of pika, is found in the mountains of western North America, usually in boulder fields at or above the tree line. They are herbivorous, smaller relatives of rabbits and hares. Pikas have two different ways of foraging; they either directly consume food or they cache food in piles for the winter (haying). Pikas are vocal, using both calls and songs to warn when predators are nearby and during the Estrous cycle, breeding season. Predators of the pika include eagles, hawks, coyotes, bobcats, foxes, and weasels. Recent studies suggest some populations are declining due to habitat loss and global warming. They generally cannot tolerate temperatures above . Currently the American pika is considered a species of least concern. Description American pikas, known in the 19th century as "little Chief hares", have a small, round, ovate body. Their body lengths range from . Their hind feet range from 25 to 35 mm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hoary Marmot
The hoary marmot (''Marmota caligata'') is a species of marmot that inhabits the mountains of northwest North America. Hoary marmots live near the tree line on slopes with grasses and forbs to eat and rocky areas for cover. It is the largest North American ground squirrel and is often nicknamed "the whistler" for its high-pitched warning issued to alert other members of the colony to possible danger. The animals are sometimes called "whistle pigs". Whistler, British Columbia, originally ''London Mountain'' because of its heavy fogs and rain, was renamed after these animals to help make it more marketable as a resort. The closest relatives of the species are the yellow-bellied, Olympic, and Vancouver Island marmots, although the exact relationships are unclear. Description The hoary marmot is a large, bulky, ground squirrel, with short, heavy limbs, and a broad head. Adults range from in total length, including a tail. The species is sexually dimorphic, with males being signi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mountain Goat
The mountain goat (''Oreamnos americanus''), also known as the Rocky Mountain goat, is a hoofed mammal endemic to mountainous areas of western North America. A subalpine to alpine species, it is a sure-footed climber commonly seen on cliffs and ice. Despite its vernacular name and both genera being in the same subfamily (Caprinae), the mountain goat is not a member of ''Capra'', the genus that includes all other goats, such as the wild goat (''Capra aegagrus''), from which the domestic goat is derived. Instead, it is more closely allied with the takins (''Budorcas'') and chamois (''Rupicapra''). Classification and evolution The mountain goat is an even-toed ungulate of the order Artiodactyla and the family Bovidae (along with antelopes, gazelles, and cattle). It belongs to the subfamily Caprinae, along with true goats, wild sheep, the chamois, the muskox and other species. The takins of the Himalayan region, while not a sister lineage of the mountain goat, are nonetheless ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bighorn Sheep
The bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis'') is a species of sheep native to North America. It is named for its large horns. A pair of horns might weigh up to ; the sheep typically weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates three distinct subspecies of ''Ovis canadensis'', one of which is endangered: ''O. c. sierrae''. Sheep originally crossed to North America over the Bering Land Bridge from Siberia; the population in North America peaked in the millions, and the bighorn sheep entered into the mythology of Native Americans. By 1900, the population had crashed to several thousand, due to diseases introduced through European livestock and overhunting. Taxonomy and genetics ''Ovis canadensis'' is one of two species of mountain sheep in North America; the other species being ''O. dalli'', the Dall sheep. Wild sheep crossed the Bering land bridge from Siberia into Alaska during the Pleistocene (about 750,000 years ago) and subsequently spread through western North America as far s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel
The golden-mantled ground squirrel (''Callospermophilus lateralis'') is a ground squirrel native to western North America. It is distributed in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia and Alberta, and through much of the western United States. Description This ground squirrel is generally about in length. The weight range for adults is between 120 and 394 grams (0.26 to 0.86 lbs.) It has whitish or yellow-gray underparts. The tail is brown to black with buff edges and a yellowish to reddish underside. It has pale rings around the eyes. The "mantle" across the shoulders is tawny to reddish, with males having a deeper reddish tinge. This species is distinguished from similar ground squirrels by a black-bordered white stripe down each side of the back and is distinguished from similar looking chipmunks by its lack of facial stripes.Bartels, M. A. and D. P. Thompson''Spermophilus lateralis''. ''In'': Wilson, D. E. & D. M. Reeder (Eds). 2005. ''Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wolverine
The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for "gluttony, glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscular carnivore and a solitary animal. The wolverine has a reputation for ferocity and strength out of proportion to its size, with the documented ability to kill prey many times larger than itself. The wolverine is found primarily in remote reaches of the Northern Taiga, boreal forests and subarctic and alpine tundra of the Northern Hemisphere, with the greatest numbers in Northern Canada, the U.S. state of Alaska, the mainland Nordic countries of Europe, and throughout western Russia and Siberia. Its population has steadily declined since the 19th century owing to animal trapping, trapping, range reduction and habitat fragmentation. The wolverine is now essentially absent from the southern end of its range in both Europe and North ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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