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Linda
Gammon
The
Alberta
pronghorn
antelope
is
a
regal
reminder
of
the
free
prairie,
an
icon
of
grace
and
mobility
in
one
of
the
last
open
areas
of
southern
Alberta.
“For
a
lot
of
people,
the
pronghorn
is
a
symbol
of
the
natural
history
of
our
prairies,”
says
Paul
Jones,
wildlife
biologist
with
the
Alberta
Conservation
Association
(ACA).
“Not
many
people
alive
today
can
remember
the
bison
roaming
the
prairies,
but
they
really
identify
with
the
antelope.”
Reminiscent
of
that
old
western
tune,
ACA
and
partners
are
striving
to
ensure
that
the
deer
and
the
antelope
continue
to
play
in
Alberta’s
prairies.
They’re
conducting
important
research
to
learn
more
about
the
province’s
pronghorn
antelope,
its
ecology
and
habitat.
In
Alberta,
the
pronghorn
population
can
fluctuate
widely,
from
an
estimated
population
of
4,000
in
1949
to
32,000
in
1984.
It’s
suspected
that
this
fluctuation
is
due
to
the
fact
that
herds
drift
long
distances
to
find
food
sources
during
severe
winters,
or
because
of
the
mortality
of
their
fawns.
“We
have
good
population
counts
on
the
Alberta
pronghorn
antelope,”
says
Jones,
“but
we
are
unsure
about
the
environmental
factors
that
are
affecting
their
use
of
the
landscape,
survival
and
rebirth
rates.”
Since
the
last
big
die-off
between
1995
and
1997,
the
pronghorn
has
not
rebounded
as
quickly
as
expected
and
that
sent
up
a
warning
flag
for
provincial
wildlife
biologists.
While
it’s
not
to
the
point
that
the
antelope
will
go
the
way
of
the
buffalo,
their
numbers
are
certainly
a
concern.
It
has
prompted
ACA,
the
University
of
Calgary
and
Alberta
Fish
and
Wildlife
–
plus
other
partner
organizations
like
the
Alberta
Professional
Outfitters
Society,
Alberta
Fish
and
Game
Association
and
the
Canadian
Forces
Base
Suffield
–
to
look
into
the
state
of
the
pronghorn
population.
The
research
will
shed
light
on
a
definition
and
comparison
of
the
types
of
habitat
the
antelope
are
using,
movement
patterns
between
summer
and
winter
rangelands,
how
man-made
or
natural
barriers
are
affecting
the
movements
of
the
antelope
population
and
factors
affecting
reproduction.
In
Alberta,
pronghorn
antelope
are
at
the
northern
limit
of
their
range.
They
depend
on
open
grasslands
for
their
survival
and
are
an
ideal
candidate
for
research
because
they
are
fairly
common,
broadly
distributed
and
sensitive
to
environmental
change.
Jones
says
one
example
of
an
environmental
factor
that
affects
pronghorn
antelope
in
Alberta
is
severe
winter
weather.
Extended
cold
periods
with
heavy
snow
can
send
them
out
of
the
province
in
search
of
food
and
they
may
never
return.
He
also
says
other
factors
such
as
fences
and
roads
can
provide
barriers
to
movement
for
this
migratory
antelope,
and
cultivated
farmland
can
seduce
them
into
staying
in
one
place
and
feeding
on
a
too-rich
diet.
In
this
first
major
study
on
pronghorns
in
30
years
in
Alberta,
ACAinitially
interviewed
200
landowners
on
historical
sightings
of
pronghorns
to
determine
the
best
locations
for
field
research.
The
second
phase
is
now
underway
with
the
capturing
and
collaring
of
72
female
pronghorn
antelope
–
24
per
year
until
2006
–
to
monitor
their
movements
and
habitat
use.
“We’re
using
state-of-the-art
technology
with
Global
Positioning
Satellite
(GPS)
collars
that
log
information
six
times
a
day,”
says
Jones.
“The
collars
stay
on
for
a
year,
then
a
self-timed
device
splits
the
collar
so
it
can
fall
off,
and
a
VHF
radio
signal
tells
us
where
we
can
pick
it
up.”
Once
retrieved,
the
GPS
information
is
downloaded
to
computer
and
information
with
over
2,000
latitude
and
longitude
points
are
then
transferred
to
a
master
map.
Already
in
a
few
short
months,
ACAhas
traced
a
few
pronghorn
into
Montana
and
Saskatchewan,
and
have
been
made
aware
of
a
few
mortalities.
“One
mortality
this
year
was
from
a
vehicle
accident,”
Jones
says.
“In
our
landowner
survey,
that
hardly
ever
came
up.
Although
it’s
too
early
to
draw
any
conclusions,
these
collars
give
us
very
precise
information
that
will
really
flesh
out
a
much
more
detailed
picture
on
how
the
pronghorn
live
and
die.”
Once
the
study
is
done,
government
resource
managers
can
enhance
their
management
of
pronghorns
based
on
real
information,
not
just
assumptions.
Management
options
could
include
such
things
as
hunting
licence
modifications,
making
agricultural
fences
slightly
higher
so
pronghorns
can
go
under,
or
protection
of
critical
winter
habitat
and
spring
fawning
grounds.
“Wildlife
on
the
prairies
is
all
interconnected,
and
we
feel
the
pronghorn
has
a
lot
to
teach
us
about
the
evolution
of
the
prairie
habitat.
We
hope
that
improving
habitat
for
antelope
will
also
improve
habitat
for
smaller
species
like
the
swift
fox,
which
is
endangered
in
Alberta,”
Jones
says.
The
Alberta
Conservation
Association
is
a
non-profit,
non-government
association
working
to
conserve
and
enhance
Alberta’s
wildlife,
fish
and
habitat
through
the
generous
support
of
hunters,
anglers
and
other
conservationists.
For
more
information,
visit
ACA’s
website
at
www.ab-conservation.com.
Information
about
pronghorn
research
can
be
found
at
www.albertapronghorn.com.
Linda
Gammon
is
a
wildlife
biologist
with
the
Alberta
Conservation
Association
in
Medicine
Hat.
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