Alberta Conservation Association (ACA), Chair in Fisheries & Wildlife and Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Alberta
Mark Boyce's position is endowed by the Alberta Conservation Association, which manages funds from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses in Alberta. Research in his lab focuses on projects of interest to Alberta hunters and anglers. He has a large laboratory with students and postdocs conducting research on black bears, grizzly bears, cougars, marten, otters, mink, muskrats, wolves, elk, caribou, mule deer, ring-necked pheasants and sage grouse. These projects are designed to help improve the management of wildlife resources in Alberta.
Although the ACA is the main funding agency, additional sponsors for these projects come from many sources including: Alberta Ingenuity, Alberta Pacific, Alberta Professional Outfitters Society, Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, Boone and Crockett Club, Canadian Foundation for Innovation, Ducks Unlimited, Foothills Model Forest, National Geographic Society, NSERC, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Safari Club International, Wilburforce Foundation, Camp Fire Club and Wildlife Habitat Canada.
Wildlife conservation and management depends on habitat preservation and remediation. Therefore, a number of Boyce's students are studying habitat models that can be used to anticipate the consequences of industrial development in Alberta. Roads, oil and gas pipelines, seismic lines and other linear features influence wildlife by increasing human access and by displacing animals from habitats.
In addition to the Elk Study, Boyce's team has developed a way to anticipate how habitat alteration will negatively affect (to extinction) at-risk species including sage grouse, caribou, and grizzly bears. The team also researches the role of predator-prey interactions in the management of wildlife populations and has demonstrated that the presence of wolves shape movement and habitat-selection patterns by elk. They have also developed models for optimal harvest policies to ensure sustainable harvesting strategies for wildlife populations.
Professor, University of Calgary, Faculty of Environmental Design
I am an Associate Professor with the Faculties of Environmental Design and Veterinary Medicine (Joint appointment), University of Calgary. The Postdoctoral fellows, and the PhD and Master students in my lab have a strong focus on landscape ecology, genetics and conservation biology. Recently, with some students (e.g. Carly in this project) I am also focusing on human dimensions in wildlife management issues. With other students, I am studying wildlife movements and their reaction to people using multi-agent models. I am participate in a number of projects with hundreds of GPS collars deployed on elk, caribou, moose, wolves and other wildlife species throughout the Rocky Mountains and Foothills regions of Canada. All such projects are focused on impact assessment, mainly of forestry and oil and gas development. I also act as a consultant for the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (to protect livestock from wolves).
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary
Dr. Karin Orsel joined the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM) in February 2008 as assistant professor in Epidemiology, with a main focus on Infectious Diseases of Cattle and Wildlife. She completed her DVM at the Utrecht University in 1996 and she started to work as a veterinarian in several veterinary practices in The Netherlands. She obtained a MSc degree in veterinary epidemiology and economics in 2004 and a PhD in 2006. At UCVM, Karin is teaching in numerous DVM and epidemiology focused courses. She is supervising 6 graduate students with a focus on epidemiology; studying the dynamics of diseases which is especially interesting at the Livestock – Wildlife interface.
