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Legacy has Conservation Easements on a number of properties. This summer, as part of our stewardship and monitoring program, Legacy's Junior Environmental Conservationist Jordan Collin and I have been walking each property to get a snapshot of the land's health.
One of the ways we do this is though rangeland health assessments. Range health evaluates grasslands, forests and tame pastures on their key ecosystem's functions. This is done though using measurable, scoreable traits of the landscape.
By viewing the score card you will get a good sense of how to measure and improve the health of your rangelands and understand what qualities of land lend themselves ecological function.
We would like to thank our summer student Jordan Collin for spending the summer with us, working hard on our stewardship and monitoring program. At the end of this month he will be returning to Thompson Rivers University to continue his degree program. We wish him good luck in his upcoming school year.
Enjoy the newsletter!
Owen Rodger
Conservation Coordinator
Meadow Photo by Jayne Carlielle
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Welcome to Our New Board Members
We would like to welcome Legacy's two new board members: Doug Collister and Brad Misener.
Doug has always been passionate about conservation and nature. He has a diverse range of conservation experience and skills as a professional biologist and avid birder.
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He and his wife, Barb, have recently placed a conservation easement on their Owl Ridge property. If you visited our information booth at Neighbours Day in Sundre you might have met Doug there.
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A land agent for many years, Brad brings valuable oil and gas industry knowledge to our board. He has hit the ground running by visiting landowners as a part of our Water Quality and You program.
Brad truly believes in protecting important landscapes and would jump at the opportunity to take in beautiful landscapes (especially if he gets the chance to walk his dogs).
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We are thrilled that Doug and Brad have joined the board. Their expertise will be an asset as we continue to conserve lands that matter... forever.
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Bird Treats Workshop
Legacy is looking for 2 or 3 volunteers to offer nature programs.
First up is making suet balls for winter birds.
We'll provide the materials, do the registration and develop activity plans. You and a partner will help children and parents or grandparents make the suet balls.
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Future programs include making bluebird houses and bee hotels for mason and leafcutter bess.
If you'd like to help deliver these or other programs please contact us.
Common Redpoll by Brad Longeway
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2020 Calendar!
Veronica Reist's harvest shot is featured for September in this year's calendar.
Our new 2020 calendar goes to the printer in September.
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We'll be holding a launch party to celebrate the photographers whose work makes the calendar possible.
Once we've confirmed the date we'll let you know. We hope you'll join us to meet the photographers, enjoy refreshments and get your copy of this beautiful new calendar.
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Bee Smart
In the spring Legacy visited the grade seven classroom at Hugh Sutherland School in Carstairs to teach the students about native bees and their importance to the ecosystem.
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This project is part of our conservation community program which is focused on stewardship programs that can be implemented in a backyard such as bee hotels.
Part of the presentation recognized that we can can all play a role in protecting and creating habitat for solitary bees.
This project is financially supported by the Alberta Conservation Association (ACA).
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Spotlight on Crab Spiders
Can you spot the spider? This moth didn't.
Earlier this summer on one of Legacy’s conservation properties, a few volunteers noticed something fluorescent amongst the green vegetation along the Little Red Deer River.
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A small, eight-legged animal had taken a perch in the centre of a bright yellow Gaillardia flower. Its colour matched the petals almost perfectly.
It was Misumena vatia, commonly known as a Flower Crab Spider, the most common camouflaging spider in North America. Our curiousity with these vibrant arachnids persisted through the summer, as we heard reports of sightings in various locations around Mountain View County.
Most camouflagers in the wild change their colours in order to hide from predators or to attract mates. However, studies have not been able to determine these spiders’ motivation for doing so.
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Often these spiders will choose one colour and retain it for their whole life. Perhaps it has to do with the environment which they are born into – or could it be individual preference?
The shift from white to yellow for these crab spiders takes time. It's faster (and easier on the spider's body) to change from white to yellow than from yellow to white.
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Most of the North American varieties will be seen as a vivid goldenrod yellow or a ghostly white, and can be found active during the day, trying to feed on insects that visit flowers for nectar and pollen.
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Only female crab spiders change colour. The much smaller males, like the one shown here, never change.
Crab Spider photos by Sally Banks
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Join Us!
Wednesday, September 4 @ 9:00 AM
at the Mountain View County Office
We'll be updating Council on our programs and projects.
If you'd like to support Legacy's efforts you're welcome
to attend.
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