Field Notes
Notes, insights & learning from the field.
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Let’s talk about mouse sperm: how the environment influences reproduction
As you may know, mice are some of the most studied animals in modern science. But did you know there’s a world of insight to be found in mouse testicles? AJM\’s Environmental Scientist, Misha Lavoie, explains the secrets found in mouse sperm and what it has to do with environmental consulting!
Why Did the Pipeline Cross the Wetland?
Wetlands are critical ecosystems. They provide valuable freshwater to our planet and habitats for migratory and breeding waterfowl, amphibians, and many diverse plant species. Wetlands also play an important role in mitigating floods and droughts. Each year, on February 2nd, the importance of these critical land areas are highlighted on World Wetlands Day to raise awareness about the vital role of wetlands for people and our planet. Many of AJM’s clients have developments in and around critical wetland areas and AJM has a team of Wetland Specialists to help guide our clients through conserving, restoring and protecting Alberta’s wetlands. In honour of World Wetlands Day, take a read through our latest Field Notes blog post to learn what to do if your pipeline development encounters a wetland. No pipeline? No problem! Read on for more useful information and resources.
A Benthic Bug’s Life
All life depends on water. Monitoring the health of water bodies, such as streams and lakes, is extremely important to ensure we manage this vital resource effectively. We can assess aquatic communities with a suite of biological, chemical, and physical measurements to form a picture of overall aquatic health. To test for chemicals, water samples can be used to provide a snapshot of nutrients, trace metals and alkalinity in the water at a specific point in time (when the sample was taken), while monitoring of physical measurements, like benthic macroinvertebrates, provides an assessment of chronic effects over time. Collecting both chemical and physical data provides a comprehensive approach for evaluating aquatic health and are complements to Benthic Biomonitoring.
Drip, Drip… Who’s There?
Invisible genetic codes in streams and lakes reveal what species are present!
Finding certain species in aquatic environments can be challenging. Accurately and precisely mapping where they are can be time consuming and costly. Environmental DNA (eDNA) is a rapidly growing technology that’s use is skyrocketing to monitor fish and amphibians in complex environments. Learn more about this ‘go to’ approach and why industry, government and environmental professionals are using it to address various challenges.
Your Eye in the Sky
Technology has changed the face of resource management and one tool in particular has gained popularity as a resource for visualizing diverse landscapes. Drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are an incredible tool to capture both large and fine scale aerial imagery of anything from tracts of wilderness to large infrastructure projects. Learn more about this technology and how it can be used as a cost-effective tool to help navigate environmental regulations.
