Projects to which the FEIS has made contributions include:

Beaver Surveys

The landscape of Elk Island National Park is characterised by 'knob and kettle' topography. However the riparian (wetland) habitat on which almost all of the Park's species ultimately depend is created and maintained by beaver. In other words the beaver is a 'keystone' species in the Park.

Elk Island has suffered the worst drought in almost 140 years. Every three years Parks Canada fly an aerial survey of beaver lodges and dams in an effort to maintain accurate statistics regarding beaver populations. The last two surveys were flown in 1999, at the start of the drought, and again in 2002 when water levels were at their lowest for 137 years. The near 'normal' rainfall of 2003 presents a one-time opportunity to research and document the recovery of the beaver population following severe drought. This information is of immense significance to Elk Island and is unprecedented in the research

The Friends of Elk Island Society is enabling the 2003 survey to take place by funding two days of helicopter flying time.

Trumpeter Swan Reintroduction

By the early 1900s the Trumpeter Swan, the largest of our swan species, was nearly extinct due to over-hunting and loss of habitat. Today only 3500 trumpeters survive east of the Rocky Mountains with the largest flock in Canada residing in the Grande Prairie area. In 1982, Alberta Fish and Wildlife identified human disturbance and habitat loss in the Grande Prairie area as a threat to the general long-term survival of this flock. In 1987, Elk Island National Park was selected for a trumpeter swan transplant program.

As part of this program, cygnets from Grande Prairie are relocated onto EINP lakes. The cygnets ‘foster ’ to non-breeding adult or sub-adult birds in the Park, leaving with the adults in autumn to return to their wintering areas. All those cygnets and adults that survive the hazards of winter and migration return to the EINP area each subsequent spring.

It takes 4-6 years for a female Trumpeter Swan to reach maturity so this is definitely a long-term project. However as of 2002 there were 27 birds in the Park including cygnets, breeding birds, and non-breeding sub-adults.

The FEIS contribute extensively to this project by funding aerial surveys, by paying for birds to be transported to the Park from Grande Prairie and by providing volunteers to monitor the swans during the breeding season.

The Friends of Elk Island Society wishes to acknowledge Robert Bateman whose support has enabled us to fund this project.