PROJECT PARTNERS
Alberta Conservation Association
Miistakis Institute
Canadian Wildlife Federation
PROJECT FUNDERS
This project was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada through the federal Department of Environment and Climate Change. Ce projet a été réalisé avec l'appui financier du gouvernement du Canada agissant par l'entremise du ministère fédéral de l'Environnement et du Changement climatique.
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
with support from the Bezos Earth Fund, Burger King, Capri Holdings, and Cargill
Parks Canada’s National Program for Ecological Corridors
PROJECT COLLABORATORS
- Alberta Environment and Protected Areas
- Alberta Ministry of Forestry and Parks
- Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors
- Dialogue
- Nature Conservancy of Canada
- Saskatchewan Government Insurance
- Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment
- Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways
PHOTOS
Unless otherwise indicated all photo's are curteousy of the Alberta Conservation Association.
We aim to improve animal movement in the Northern Sagebrush Steppe (Canadian Prairies) by advancing conservation for pronghorn and other large mammal species. Specifically, we aim to inform decisions around addressing linear infrastructure barriers with a specific focus on roads and associated fences. Pronghorn are native to North America's grasslands and are known for their extensive migratory patterns. However, human-made barriers such as fences and roads have disrupted these natural movements, limiting access to essential habitats and resources. Studies have shown that pronghorn encounter fences approximately 244 times annually, with a portion of these interactions leading to altered or trapped movements. Additionally, high-traffic roads such as the Trans-Canada Highway (TCH) pose risks of vehicle collisions and pronghorn exhibit avoidance behaviour, further impeding pronghorn ability to move around the landscape.
- To create awareness, at multiple levels, for the need to construct road crossing structures across the TCH in Alberta and Saskatchewan to maintain the ecological functionality of the pronghorn migration corridors and the safe movement of other grasslands species.
- Enhance our understanding of the areas around TCH proposed mitigation sites for a suite of species such as grassland birds, snakes, and badgers. This will allow us to understand the additional benefits and inform crossing design elements of each site in maintaining the pronghorn migration corridor for a suite of species.
- To gain an understanding of pronghorn movement and migrations from protected areas in southern Saskatchewan to central Alberta and whether we have lost migration due to anthropogenic landscape disturbances since we first modelled connectivity in 2011. In order to achieve this objective, ACA will initiate a 7-year satellite GPS collar study.
PROJECT HISTORY
The Pronghorn Xing project started in 2017 as a citizen science initiative focused on pronghorn conservation in the Northern Sagebrush Steppe. The program engaged the public in reporting sightings of pronghorn and other wildlife near roads—whether crossing, adjacent, or involved in collisions—using smartphone technology and an online mapping tool. This data, in combination with four other scientific assessments, has contributed to understanding how connectivity can be improved in the Canadian Northern Sagebrush Steppe for pronghorn and other grassland species. We have identified six potential pronghorn road mitigation sites along the Trans Canada Highway where road mitigation (e.g., overpasses, underpasses, fencing) would benefit pronghorn migration and grassland connectivity. For more information on our approach, please visit the About page.
As of October 2024, Pronghorn Xing is in the engagement and outreach phase of the project where we will connect with key audiences to promote implementation of a road mitigation system between Brooks, Alberta and Swift Current, Saskatchewan, to both protect grassland species and deliver regional wildlife conservation and public safety.