For 10,000 years, plains bison ran wild in Alberta’s Banff area. European settlers nearly eradicated the species due to overhunting, causing the extinction of bison in Banff National Park for the past 170 years. Last summer, 31 plains bison were released into a section of the park as part of a pilot re-introduction project. One year later, the herd has grown and is thriving. The herd’s effects on the environment can already be seen: they…

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Mountains make up one-quarter of Canada’s land-mass, and most are in British Columbia (BC). As our population continues to grow, mountain ecosystems face unprecedented threats to their sustainability, including climate change impacts, biodiversity loss and lack of water. All relate to human impacts and our relationship to the natural environment. What will our mountains look like 100 years from now? Vancouver Island University researchers are studying both past data and future projections over 100 years…

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University of Alberta biologist Rolf Vinebrooke and postdoctoral fellow and former Canadian Mountain Network (CMN) intern Charlie Loewen are studying impacts of climate change on mountain lakes across North America. This new article details their research on zooplankton as indicators of the health of mountain lakes and the effects of climate change on aquatic ecosystems. Zooplankton Vinebrooke and Loewen conducted statistical analyses on 30 years’ worth of complex, fine-scale environmental data from more than 1,200 lakes…

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Canadian Mountain Network Co-Research Director Norma Kassi is helping indigenous communities ensure they are actively involved in scientific research in Canada’s North. In her recent interview in Up Here Magazine, she states, “Now our approach is: nothing about us will be without us.” Norma was raised in Old Crow, the northernmost community in Yukon. As a member of the Vuntut Gwich’in First Nation and the Wolf Clan, local traditional knowledge was passed down to her from a…

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The Canadian Parks Collective for Innovation and Leadership (CPCIL) and the Canadian Committee for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (CCIUCN) organized a webinar on July 4th, 2019 to present the 2021-2024 IUCN Draft Programme entitled, “One Nature, One Future”. The IUCN Programme is a framework for planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating conservation work undertaken by all components of IUCN, commissions and secretariat (on behalf of IUCN members). The Programme is developed through a nine-month…

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Stan Boutin CMN Co-Research Director Dr. Stan Boutin is a true leader in the world of mammal population ecology. Dr. Boutin was presented with the 2018 Merriam Award at the 99th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists in Washington, D.C. this past weekend. His decades of research have illuminated many important factors driving the evolution and dynamics of wildlife populations. His work also encompasses his roles as Professor of Biological Sciences at the…

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Mountain ecosystems and their local populations provide important resources, such as fresh water and timber, to more than half the world’s population. Mountains also resemble islands, where diverse species and human communities live in relative isolation to the surrounding landscape. An incredible shift in the diversity of climate, vegetation, hydrology, species and populations occurs as one ascends a mountain. These unique characteristics are part of the reasons why mountain systems face unique and unprecedented threats…

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On April 16th, 2019, Minister of Science Kirsty Duncan announced that the Canadian Mountain Network (CMN) will receive $18.3 million in funding over five years (2019–2024) through the Networks of Centres of Excellence program. With this new funding, CMN will act as a catalyst for improving Canada’s ability to identify and respond to changing conditions in its vast mountainous regions. Collaboration will be a key component of this initiative, with the aim of identifying critical…

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AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD NOW! On December 11, 2018, the Canadian Mountain Network hosted a panel discussion on how #MountainsMatter for Water as a part of the University of Alberta’s 2018 Mountain Festival. Mountains are ‘water towers’ for the world, providing 60 and 80 percent of all freshwater resources. However, all available records indicate that glaciers in mountain ranges around the world are retreating and disappearing due to climate change. At least 600 glaciers have disappeared…

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Dear Friends of the Canadian Mountain Network, We are pleased to announce Matthew Berry as CMN’s Acting Executive Director. Many of you will already know Matthew through his role as the Network’s Director of Partnership Development since 2016. Christy Urban has left CMN to pursue another opportunity and we look forward to Matthew’s continued leadership in this exciting and growing initiative. His bio is included below.  If you have any questions please feel free to…

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