Pelicans, Garter Snakes and Game Boys

Editor's Note: Thanks again to wildlife photographer Rick Andrews for this guest blog postwith his stunning images! I had the privilege of having lunch with Rick recently. Our conversation quickly turned to our mutual love of the watershed - and well ... kids these days. Specifically, our own! How, we wonder, can the watershed be protected for future generations when many kids aren't given the opportunity to be out there, without electronics and understand what it means to slow down to Nature's pace - in order to be actually take notice and cherish the little things that need protection?

Pelicans and Garter Snakes text and images by Rick Andrews

The sound of a wing slap on the water startles me and I look up from my camera’s LCD screen just in time to get splashed in the face. The guilty culprits, about a dozen American White Pelicans are quickly swimming away while glancing back over their shoulders like mischievous children wanting to be chased. While I usually allow wildlife to establish their own comfort zone by approaching me, I wonder if they’re telling me I’m perhaps a bit too close, so I back up and give them a little more room, just in case.

I’m spending the morning down at the weir photographing some of my favorite wildlife subjects. People often assume that to photograph wildlife you need to go “somewhere,” but here in Lethbridge we’re fortunate, we don’t have to go anywhere, wildlife is all around us.

The weir is a small dam built by the city to create a deeper body of water, making it easier to divert river water into the water treatment plant. But like a lot of dams that have no fish ladders to aid fish swimming upstream, it traps thousands of minnows that are now easy pickings for hungry predators.

I watch the pelicans as they swim back to the edge of the weir driving the minnows into deeper water where they readily scoop them up. Yesterday I watched from the other side of the river as a group of pelicans drove minnows into shallow water. Then turning their heads and bills sideways, they scooped up the minnows with their bill pouches. Clever birds these pelicans.

But pelicans are not the only hunters here today - there are others that are neither bird nor mammal. Reptiles have come to feed on the minnows too, and the pelicans are unwittingly helping them by driving some of the minnows into the shallows.

Wandering garter snakes, a subspecies of the western terrestrial garter snake, are very skilled swimmers and hunters, and I watch as they slip silently into the water. In the shallows I can see them darting about, and it doesn’t take long before they return with a fish in their mouths.

Given their numbers today, I wonder if I’m not sitting on top of their hibernaculum, especially when I see them climb back up the river bank before disappearing into its numerous cracks and crevices all around me.

A sure sign of a healthy ecosystem!

A few days later I return, this time bringing local naturalist and snake expert Ken Moore with me. Ken tells me that wandering garter snakes can be found throughout the Oldman River valley, and though they are the least common of Alberta’s three species of garter snakes, in Lethbridge they are the most common. But its a very hot day, perhaps too hot for reptiles, and so we see only one. But that could also have something do with the red-tailed hawk we just saw sitting in a nearby tree as we approached. Along with other raptors such as osprey and owls, herons, weasels, raccoons, foxes and coyotes are all known to prey upon garter snakes too, but today its the garter snake that is the predator.

Snakes smell and hear ... like us ... only they smell through their tongues and have no ears!

 I also learn that on land it finds its prey by smell together with a chemical sensory system known as the Jacobson's organ. During this process garter snakes flick their tongues, sweeping the air for scent molecules, before inserting their now scent enriched tongue tip into two tiny pits in the roof of its mouth. Once their prey species has been located, the actual attack happens very quickly.

Ken also tells me it’s doubtful this is their hibernaculum as its most likely located at least halfway up the coulee - well above the waterline. Besides, their hibernaculum is where they typically den during the winter months, then after mating in the spring, they head out, sometimes traveling as far as 25 km to spend their summers alone. Adults can grow to about a meter in length, but the one we see today is much smaller, so its perhaps a juvenile or maybe a young adult male.

Out on the water, the pelicans continue to feed and are soon joined by others that have been spending their day fishing elsewhere up river. But its getting really hot now and after making its way back up the riverbank, our garter snake disappears into one of the many crevices to cool off. Taking a cue from this little wanderer, we too wander back up the coulee before heading over to Tim’s for a little air-conditioned comfort and a nice cold Iced Capp.

Ya gotta love summer in Lethbridge.

To see more of Rick's images check out his website at www.rickandrewsphotography.com

GRASSY MOUNTAIN VS. COAL

EDITOR'S NOTE: The OWC is proud to feature Guest Posts from all community members and does not endorse any one particular political party. 

by Romy S. Tittel

I was invited by a number of concerned landowners to come out and see Grassy Mountain. This mountain is the proposed site of the Benga Mining/Riversdale Resources open-pit coal mine north of Blairmore.

I had already been made aware of this project when I had a booth in the Coleman Lifestyle Show back in April of this year. Our booth happened to be situated directly across from the Riversdale Resource booth. Their booth hosted a number of large pictures of alpine meadows and blue skies all very idyllic except for the part of removing a mountain to get to the coal seam.

This mine had already been worked back in the 1950’s and had since been abandoned, the scars still evident these many decades later. The group of landowners took me for a tour of their properties at the foot of this mountain. Then they showed me Gold stream, part of the watershed that formed part of the habitat for an endangered westslope Cutthroat trout species, native to this part of southern Alberta. I had just posted a couple of articles announcing the closure of many fishing spots in the area due to low water levels and the heat stressing the fish.

I had already posted an article detailing the United Church of Canada’s decision to divest from fossil fuels. This mirrored the decisions of many major institution over this past year, all coming to the same conclusion; the tide has turned on these forms of energy. The future lies in renewable resources and taking firm action on mitigating climate change by taking real steps towards lowering our carbon emissions.

This week also had me enjoying the company of two musicians, Ceslo Machado and William Beauvais, who had come to teach and perform at this year’s Mount Royal University’s Guitarfest West. It was at Ceslo’s performance that I had the chance to talk with one of the attendees, Jason Donev, about entering politics. It turn out he is a senior instructor at the University of Calgary and he and his students are writing an energy encyclopedia to help us navigate our way to the new energy future.

I also had confirmation this week that my name was going to be on the ballot in the upcoming Federal Election. It is issues such as this coal mine that have me excited to be part of the new parliament. We Canadians are standing at a crossroads with not only our energy future but our country’s future and our beautiful Earth’s future. Let us all stand together and bravely and confidently take the first steps towards our future.

Romy S. Tittel
Green Party Candidate/CEO Foothills EDA

Twitter: @romytittel
Facebook: www.facebook.com/romy.tittel.3

Sharing Stories of the Land

The task for the weekend seemed simple enough. Drive out to the headwaters and connect with the people out there…while not getting mauled by bears, beaten up, or lost in the wilds of Alberta's back-country. And so off we set, my fellow intern Adam and I, to see what we could see.

The drive to Dutch Creek is a nice one. The flat plains give way to rolling hills and steep valleys which then gradually rise to form the slopes of the headwaters. In the distance you can see the peaks of the Rockies shining in the sun. Having arrived in Coleman we turned on to the old forestry trunk road that wound itself up along dusty slopes into the wild. This was my first time in this part of the watershed and I couldn’t help but admire the beautiful landscape around us. After a good bit of dusty gravel road we finally reached Dutch Creek, which is a small thing this time of year, but nonetheless, it was a welcome sight.

It was going to be a while until we met up with volunteer and friend Cody, so Adam suggested we scout out the lay of the land. Just off the road was a small campsite with lots of trailers and tents, most of them abandoned, presumably in favour of the lush woods and cool streams in the area. From this last vestige of humanity there was a bumpy road that made its way further into the wild, which is where we headed. Adam’s Jeep might look like a blue rust bucket but it sure did the job getting us up that road alive and well. I am guessing about 234 potholes later we found ourselves in our main area of study for the next few weeks: Caesars Flats.

For those of you that have never been up there, let me paint a picture: from the crest of a hill you look down upon a wide open area covered in grass, withered in the sweltering heat. Surrounding the staging area, the forest marches on in every direction, clinging to sandy earth. To the south you can barely make out Dutch Creek winding its way through a steep valley. Periodically it is interrupted by a fallen tree or boulder or the occasional cow that has decided this would be the ideal spot for a nap. The edges of the creek flats are surrounded by trailers of varying shapes and sizes – from a one-man fold-out trailer to a five-star luxury edition. Deep gouges and tracks traverse the staging grounds, evidence of the many visitors within the area.

After this sobering first impression we managed to meet up with Cody and his dog Stony. We decided to approach the campground first and started with our survey work. We met a lot of very interesting people at that campground, from all walks of life. There was a retired attorney from Texas that told us about how this area looked when he young. There was an irrigation farmer from Lethbridge that had moved from the Netherlands. There was the famed scary, bear-chested old man (complete with beer can and cigarette) who turned out to be a very kind grandfather enjoying camping out with his grandkids.

Bolstered with renewed confidence we drove back up to Caesars Flats and continued our work. Now, I am not going to lie to you. All this talk about shotguns, bears and partying young men had me more than a bit uneasy. And the trailers configured like fortresses only compounded my apprehension.

But let me tell you: we met nothing but friendly, welcoming people out there. Most of the time we were offered a seat and a glass of water and they were more than eager, after initial introductions, to share their stories of the land and the time they spend there. In the end, we managed to get in about 25 surveys and many great stories, told from a stunning variety of people. We talked about the wildlife, the health of the river, woodcarving, septic dumping, high school science class, coffee, quad bridges and so much more. (To any of you folks that might be reading this, thank you for letting us into your camping life for a few moments.)

The three of us made camp at a beautiful spot near the river – but not too close to the river -- and cooked up some bison steak that Cody kindly provided. Cody is actually a bison farmer and, be warned, shameless plug coming your way: he has got some good stuff. Sweetgrass Bison. Check it out.

Winding down the day at the riverside it made me think of the things. In the end, we are all out here because of the same thing: we love our country and we love the wild. In our own way, we all care about the health and well-being of this watershed, whether we actively try to or not. As Albertans we recognize that it is a right and privilege to come out here and get away from our busy lives, be it with our kids, our grand kids our just ourselves. But everybody also realizes that as Albertans it is also our responsibility and our duty to respect the land and our impact on it. We are the watershed. We take care of it. It’s what we do, Alberta.

It was getting rather cold without the sun and even Cody’s dog, Stony, was getting ready for bed. We congratulated ourselves for a successful first day and got into our tents. I climbed into the musty sleeping bag I borrowed from my Aunt, found a comfy spot, and laid down. It was at that moment I realized: I forgot a pillow.

by Rowan Wolf Garleff

Outreach Assistant, Oldman Watershed Council p:587 257 0716 | e:rowan@oldmanwatershed.ca  www.oldmanwatershed.ca 

Time To Say Goodbye to Connie

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