Q: What is Montane?

A: Montane is terrain that has rolling hills with areas of grassland and forest. It is biologically diverse and an ideal habitat for elk and many other species.

Q: Will elk from just one area be studied?

A: We are capturing elk in seven different winter ranges in SW Alberta. No study of this extent has ever been done in this region.

Q: Will the animals be injured?

A: The research team is very careful when working with the wildlife in the field. Animal Care committees have approved methods and the animal handling crews are very experienced. We also have veterinarians as part of the field crew.

Q: What will the information be used for?

A: Industry and government agencies are interested in using the data to better plan their activities. There is increased human use of the foothills, and this project will enable us to conserve wildlife and manage human activities on the landscape.

Q: Why a seven-year study period?

A: This is a reasonable time to study long-term trends in elk movements and responses. A one-time "snap-shot" would not provide the kind of information we need.

Q: Why study elk?

A: Elk are an important species to study for many reasons. Twenty-five years ago the government defined land use zones in the area based on critical periods of elk wintering. Since then, time, technology and climate change have altered the industry in this area so it is important to update the information. Contributing positively to the sustainable development in the region is a priority. Elk are abundant, so a large number can be studied at once. This will increase the accuracy of our research findings. This elk study data fits into other independent research conducted on this area and contributes to the big picture of Southwest Alberta's ecosystem.

Q: Are just elk being studied?

A: Elk are the primary focus, however all wildlife is inextricably connected to each other. A number of students are researching wolves. For example, one student is researching the predator-prey relationship between wolves and elk and how it is affected by human disturbance. Another student is studying the effects of roads and road access management on grizzly bears.

Q: How many elk have been collared?

A: To date, there are over 100 elk wearing the GPS tracking devices. We plan to collar more elk once the funding becomes available.

Q: Are all the collared elk from the same herd?

A: We took a representative sample of elk from the seven herds in all seven capture areas. This will enable us to study leakage trends and other survival behaviours.

Q: What is Shell's involvement?

A: Shell is the research director as well as the primary manager and funding partner of the project.

Q: Why do this study in southwest Alberta?

A: Southwest Alberta has been an important oil and gas industry location for over 40 years. It is important to industry and government to understand their impact on the area to create a sustainable industry for years to come. Elk are a keystone species of this area and therefore this program will likely reveal important ecological information of the area.

Q: Wasn't there a similar study years ago?

A: Shell and many other sources contributed funding toward a study with similar objectives 15 years ago. The study ran out of money, so no conclusions were ever reported.