[et_pb_section admin_label=”Section” background_image=”http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/catalyst\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/TerryArmstrong_bison.jpg” transparent_background=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off” fullwidth=”on” specialty=”off” custom_css_main_element=”height: 100vh;” disabled=”off”][et_pb_fullwidth_header admin_label=”Bison-fullwidth-header” title=”Roaming the range: Is climate change forcing one Canadian bison herd to leave its sanctuary?” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” header_fullscreen=”off” header_scroll_down=”off” scroll_down_icon_color=”#d37400″ title_font_color=”#ffffff” subhead_font_color=”#e09900″ content_font_color=”#ffffff” background_color=”rgba(51,51,51,0.6)” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” content_orientation=”center” image_orientation=”center” title_font=”|on|||” title_font_size=”52px” subhead_font_size=”30px” custom_button_one=”off” button_one_letter_spacing=”0″ button_one_use_icon=”default” button_one_icon_placement=”right” button_one_on_hover=”on” button_one_letter_spacing_hover=”0″ custom_button_two=”off” button_two_letter_spacing=”0″ button_two_use_icon=”default” button_two_icon_placement=”right” button_two_on_hover=”on” button_two_letter_spacing_hover=”0″ custom_css_main_element=”top: 465px;||padding: 25px;” disabled=”off”]<\/p>\n
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By Bianca Chan and Lindsay Campbell<\/strong><\/span> [\/et_pb_fullwidth_header][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label=”Section” transparent_background=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off” fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” disabled=”off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” use_custom_gutter=”off” gutter_width=”3″ allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” make_equal=”off” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”on” parallax_2=”off” parallax_method_2=”on” parallax_3=”off” parallax_method_3=”on” parallax_4=”off” parallax_method_4=”on” disabled=”off”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text1″ background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_style=”solid” disabled=”off” border_color=”#ffffff”]<\/p>\n Rising waters linked\u00a0to\u00a0climate change are having an unforeseen\u00a0impact on Canada’s largest land mammal\u00a0\u2014 not the gaunt, perpetually-swimming polar bear, but the grazing giant of the boreal forest, the wood bison.<\/p>\n In the Northwest Territories, one population of wood bison, struggles to find food in its core habitat as the landscape experiences unprecedented flooding.<\/p>\n As small\u00a0lakes in the protected region continue to grow in surface area\u00a0\u2014\u00a0in one case\u00a0by more than\u00a0eight times since1986\u00a0\u2014\u00a0the Mackenzie wood bison herd has found itself forced out of its best habitat in pursuit of other less suitable places to live and graze.\u00a0It\u00a0is Canada\u2019s only remaining genetically-pure and tuberculosis-free bison\u00a0herd\u00a0and its survival is\u00a0considered vital for the recovery and conservation of the entire\u00a0species.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image2″ src=”http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/catalyst\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/1BISON-NEW.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” sticky=”off” align=”center” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” disabled=”off” animation=”bottom”]<\/p>\n .” animation=”left”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Image-Cutline” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text3″ background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_style=”solid” disabled=”off” border_color=”#ffffff”]<\/p>\n The at-risk herd inhabits a sanctuary of approximately 20,000 square kilometres that ranges from the Mackenzie River on its southwestern edge to the community of Behchoko to the north and Yellowknife to the east. According to a study published in the journal Nature Communications<\/em> in February, the proportion of land covered by water in the the Great Slave Plains and lowlands ecoregion of southern N.W.T., where the Mackenzie sanctuary is, has doubled since 1986. This prompted the team to suspect climate change as a main driver behind the extensive flooding.<\/p>\n She says that water levels are intuitively connected to precipitation and temperature, \u201cbut again it does seem to be something beyond that\u2026some hydrological aspect that isn\u2019t captured when you look at temperature and precipitation alone.\u201d<\/p>\n Terry Armstrong, a bison biologist with the N.W.T. Department of Environment and Natural Resources says the Mackenzie herd is critical in maintaining and growing bison populations in Canada. \u201cThere are relatively few bison left in the world and the Mackenzie population is one of those,\u201d he said. “We really can\u2019t afford to lose any wood bison populations if we\u2019re going to try to recover the species,” Armstrong continued.<\/p>\n The Mackenzie herd makes up a critical share, nearly 20 percent, of the approximately 4,200 free-ranging, disease-free wood bison in Canada, according an Environment Canada wood bison recovery strategy document released last year. Wood bison are dominant grazers and through their eating habits, they create spaces for other species to live, Armstrong said. \u201cThey are good at transferring energy from plants to animals to predators.\u201d<\/p>\n As far as recovery goes, Armstrong said, the Mackenzie herd was the first that was re-established in an effort to recover and conserve wood bison populations in Canada. At one point it was the largest free-ranging, disease-free wood bison herd. Wood bison are especially prone to endemic diseases including bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis. \u201cThis is largest threat to wood bison recovery today,\u201d Greg Wilson, a government wildlife biologist, wrote in an email.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Timeline4″ background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_style=”solid” disabled=”off”]<\/p>\n
\nAs the lakes in northwestern Canada mysteriously drown the surrounding vegetation, a critical herd of wood bison remain at risk.<\/span><\/p>\nGrazing is one of the wood bison’s ecological contributions to its ecosystems [Photo courtesy of ENR, GNWT\/Terry Armstrong \u00a9].<\/h6>\n
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\u201cWe’re talking about a landscape that is undergoing rapid changes as a result of climate warming.\u201d <\/strong>\u2013 Jennifer Korosi, environmental scientist<\/h4>\n<\/blockquote>\n
A history of fluctuation<\/h3>\n