Collecting samples Lisa Tymensen says wildlife plays a surprising role when water is contaminated with the bacteria
MILK RIVER, Alta. — You are what you eat, as the saying goes. But you are also what you excrete, as researcher Lisa Tymensen knows. The researcher with Alberta Agriculture’s irrigation and farm water division is collecting fecal samples from livestock and wildlife to compile a microbial database of E. coli. These fecal indicator bacteria […] Read more
Barb Glen
Stories by Barb Glen
Beetle threatens iconic symbol
Decline continues | Rose stem girdler is killing wild roses in Alberta and Saskatchewan
Wild Rose Country without wild roses is just country. And the Wildrose Party without wild roses is just a party. Neither Alberta’s licence plates nor its political opposition party is likely to change the motto or name, but they will have to make do with fewer of the iconic wild roses in the province. So […] Read moreLimited water supply will curb development
Decline in water table | Alberta needs a long-term plan to prevent water shortages
Sufficient water is not generally considered a problem in Alberta’s northwest region surrounding Grande Prairie, but it could become a limiting factor for future development. Walter Paszkowski, economic development officer for the County of Grande Prairie, said declining river flows and a lower water table are cause for concern in a region where a 40 […] Read moreAlta. looking at water storage sites
Off-stream storage advantages:
A $250,000 study is underway to assess potential water storage sites on and near the Oldman, Bow and Red Deer rivers. It will build upon an earlier engineering study that identified 35 sites on the Bow, 39 sites on the Oldman and 33 sites on the Red Deer that could serve as on-stream or off-stream […] Read moreWater programs see changes under Growing Forward 2
Growing Forward 2 has various options for farmers seeking to upgrade water systems. Jamie Wuite, head of Alberta Agriculture’s farm water supply branch, said three water-related programs replace those in the previous Growing Forward program, which expired at the end of March. They involve on-farm water management, irrigation efficiency and regional water projects. “Like Growing […] Read more
Grass fire may have hiked water phosphorus
MILK RIVER, Alta. — The effects of a large grass fire can be significant and long lasting. Last year’s 2012 prairie fire near Milk River is now a site for studying those effects. Kevin Bladon, a research associate in renewable resources at the University of Alberta, is part of a team collecting data on how […] Read more
Climate change effects already here: researcher
Global warming | Former skeptic says changing temperatures will challenge traditional crops on the Prairies
There are 109,352,783 cropped acres on the Canadian Prairies and in Montana and North Dakota. What will happen to them as the climate warms? Tom Jensen, northern Great Plains director for the International Plant Nutrition Institute, said changes are already occurring. “I believe in global warming,” he told the April 16-17 water, agriculture and the […] Read moreClimatologist finds problems with climate change evidence
Climate change challenge | Tim Ball tells producers that effects of human activity are over analyzed
Climatologist Tim Ball started the April 16-17 water, agriculture and environment conference by questioning the veracity of global warming. It is well-trodden ground for Ball, who speaks frequently on his views that while climate change is constant, the Earth is in a cooling period rather than a warming one. “It’s starting to look like global […] Read more
Battle underway to delay mussels’ westward march
Prairie effort | Officials mobilize to prevent the entry of invasive species into prairie waters
MILK RIVER, Alta. — Photos of zebra mussels show the mollusks blocking pipes and clinging to infrastructure. It isn’t a great mental leap to imagine them clogging Alberta’s irrigation pipes, pivots and canals or wreaking havoc in Saskatchewan and Manitoba rivers, lakes and municipal water systems. “Once they’re here, they’re impossible to eradicate,” said Bill […] Read moreAlberta needs to consider sales tax: former finance minister
The Alberta government has missed an opportunity to discuss a revised provincial tax structure, including a provincial sales tax, says a former finance minister. Ron Liepert told an April 25 meeting of the Southern Alberta Council of Public Affairs that Albertans are more willing than government to consider taxes that would allow savings for the […] Read more
