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Interactions with coyotes are a growing management concern in urban North America. We conducted a content analysis of 453 articles addressing coyote events reported in the Canadian print media between 1995 and 2010. There were 119 articles about human–coyote interactions: 32 involved a coyote biting (26) or attempting to bite (6) a person. The first record of a coyote-caused human mortality in Canada occurred in 2009. Ninety-one incidents involved dogs, including 38 cases of coyote-caused dog mortality, of which 34 were small dogs. Eighteen small dogs were attacked in yards and eight attacks were preempted if a person intervened. Dogs were off leash in 92.3% of encounters; larger dogs were most frequently attacked while chasing coyotes. There were 32 reports of attacks on cats, and all were fatal. Avoiding food conditioning of coyotes, educating the public, and managing human behavior are discussed as means to facilitate coexistence with urban coyotes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Above-ground pipelines for in situ oil sands development are potentially significant vectors of habitat fragmentation for large mammals. We evaluated the use of elevated pipeline clearances (distance between the ground and the bottom of the pipeline) and pipeline crossing structures, the two primary methods of mitigating the barrier effect of above-ground pipelines on large mammals, with a particular emphasis on moose (Alces alces), in northern Alberta, Canada. Winter snow tracking and remote cameras were employed for one year to monitor large mammal interactions with a 5.5km stretch of pipeline mitigated with five pipeline crossing structures and a 1.6km control area of unmitigated pipeline. A minimum threshold pipeline clearance of 140cm was critical in allowing adult moose to cross underneath the pipeline. Pipeline crossing structures facilitated movement across the pipeline and were used more than sections of elevated pipelines by all species. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this article, the authors highlight the benefits and challenges of offering cross-border, interdisciplinary academic experiences for students and faculty. The enterprise of interdisciplinary environmental management is largely an act of transcending boundaries. In particular, the authors focus on lessons learned from an annual transboundary field course offered jointly to Canadian and U.S. students from Alberta and Montana. They offer reflections based on their experiences with the aim of promoting further collaboration and the development of similar initiatives.

Instream habitat structures are often employed by fisheries managers to enhance habitat quality. The effectiveness of instream habitat structures, however, is hindered by a lack of critical and systematic assessment of their success, especially in winter conditions. This study tested the use of underwater video as a method to evaluate the use of instream habitat structures (V-weirs) by overwintering salmonids in the Crowsnest River of southwestern Alberta, Canada. The use of readily available and relatively inexpensive video equipment was shown to be effective in documenting salmonid use of winter habitat both under the ice and in open water. This technique may be particularly appropriate in areas where sampling mortality is a concern and where other methods are impractical or dangerous (e.g., small, ice-covered streams or rivers). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]