Working with Nature
Working with Nature
Harnessing the power of natural infrastructure to increase municipalities’ flood and drought resiliency
The Issue / Idea
Every municipality has “natural infrastructure,” but what is it, where is it, and how does it relate to flood and drought risk?
The Project
The Working With Nature toolkit was created to help municipalities catalogue their natural infrastructure, and then develop a prioritized plan for better using it to mitigate flood and drought risk. A Primer document was developed to provide a starting point for municipalities to understand the type of information, data, and programs available to inform and support flood and drought mitigation planning.
This free toolkit provides the materials and directions for a municipality to self-navigate through workshops, worksheets, and ultimately a living Workbook. In the process, a municipality will address Goals and Principles, Risks and Hazards, Natural Infrastructure, Actions, and Policy Development.
Working with Nature Toolkit Website
Working with Nature Webinar Slide Deck
Municipal Flood and Drought Action Planning Primer
Adapting to Flooding: An Adapt-action Summary Report
Adapting to Water Scarcity: An Adapt-action Summary Report
Organization
This project was undertaken by
The Miistakis Institute
Status
Project was completed in
2019
Supporters
Government of Alberta’s Watershed Resiliency and Restoration Program
Town of Cochrane
Urban Wetland Connectivity
Urban Wetland Connectivity
A project to help maintain amphibian diversity and increase amphibian abundance in the urban environment
The Issue / Idea
How can municipalities support urban amphibian populations?
The Project
The goal of this project was to provide information to The City of Calgary to help maintain amphibian diversity and increase amphibian abundance in the urban environment. Three amphibian species, wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus), boreal chorus frog (Pseudacris maculata) and tiger salamander (Ambystoma mavortium) currently make Calgary their home. Key concerns for amphibians in Calgary are the impacts of wetland loss, wetland degradation, and fragmentation of the wetland network. We sought to understand which wetlands support amphibians and where amphibians are moving between wetlands in Calgary.
The modelling products include habitat suitability indices, connectivity models, and centrality and barrier maps designed to inform planning, management and restoration of the wetland network to support amphibians in Calgary. For this project, natural wetlands, modified wetlands and stormwater ponds were all included in modelling and are referred to in this report generically as wetlands.
Amphibians at Risk: An analysis of wetland habitat and corridors needed to secure amphibian populations in Calgary
Amphibians At Risk In Calgary: Infographic
Organization
This project was undertaken by
The Miistakis Institute
The City of Calgary
The Calgary Zoo
The University of Saskatchewan
Status
Completed in
July 2020
Supporters
Alberta Innovates
Putting Beavers to Work for Watershed Resiliency and Restoration
Putting Beavers to Work for Watershed Resiliency and Restoration
A collaborative multi-year project that is focused on facilitating coexistence with beavers so their benefits as a watershed resiliency and restoration tool are realized.
The Issue / Idea
How can municipalities coexist with beavers for their watershed benefits?
The Project
Beavers, Canada’s national animal, provide many valuable ecosystem services including storage of water during droughts and flooding, creation of habitat for a variety of species, and improvement of water quality. These benefits allow for the increased watershed resiliency and restoration across the landscape. Land owners, including municipalities, can come into conflict with beavers as they can cause damage by flooding roads, plugging culverts or taking down prized trees, which can result in the removal of beavers from the landscape.
This project is a partnership between the Miistakis Institute and Cows and Fish Alberta Riparian Habitat Management Society and aims to increase the coexistence of humans and beavers. By engaging with land owners and land managers this project strives to decrease conflict with beavers, foster social tolerance, and heighten understanding of the benefits that beavers provide us and the ecosystem as a whole. The project aims to achieve these goals by researching new coexistence tools, hosting hands-on coexistence workshops, and creating information materials and videos to increase awareness.
Below is a selection of resources specific to municipalities.
Webinar: Understanding Beavers as a Natural Infrastructure Solution
Slide Deck: Understanding Beavers as a Natural Infrastructure Solution
Beaver Coexistence Tools
Cost Benefit Analysis of Beaver Coexistence Tools
Putting Beavers to Work Website
Coexisting with Beavers Part 1: Municipal District of Foothills
Organization
These assessments were undertaken by
The Miistakis Institute
Cows and Fish – Alberta Riparian Habitat Management Society
Status
Began in 2012
2012 – on-going
Supporters
Alberta Environment and Parks’ Watershed Resiliency and Restoration Program (WRRP)
The Calgary Foundation
Alberta Ecotrust Foundation
Municipal EcoToolkit: Tools for Maintaining your Natural Systems
Municipal EcoToolkit: Tools for Maintaining your Natural Systems
A resource for Alberta municipalities seeking to maintain their natural infrastructure systems
The Issue / Idea
How can a municipality maintain their natural infrastructure?
The Project
The Municipal EcoToolkit was created by the Miistakis Institute as a resource for Alberta municipalities seeking to maintain their natural infrastructure systems. It is not intended to be a prescriptive statement on what must be done. It is intended to help generate awareness, creativity, collaboration, and questions, and assist those people doing the challenging work of maintaining our natural systems.
To make this toolkit, we focused in such things as law/bylaws, policy directives, inventories or datasets, protective designations, maps, management constraints, proactive strategies, staff positions, guidelines, legal designations, education/communication resources, workshops, case studies, financial analyses, technologies, restorative actions, etc., etc. ..!
Municipal EcoToolkit Website
Organization
This project was undertaken by
The Miistakis Institute
Status
This research was completed in
2020
Supporters
Alberta Innovates
Environmental Law Centre
Alberta Low Impact Development Partnership
Informing Urban Ecosystem Management
Informing Urban Ecosystem Management
A literature review and case studies to inform urban ecosystem management, prepared for the City of Calgary, Urban Conservation
The Issue / Idea
How are cities using an urban ecosystem management approach?
The Project
The goal of this research is to support the revision of the City of Calgary’s Natural
Areas Management Plan (NAMP) with findings from relevant literature and case studies, based on the evolving nature of urban ecosystem management. Because the mandate of the Urban Conservation portfolio is city-wide, this research is also intended to support the development of an urban ecosystem management approach for the City of Calgary.
The authors identified two key goals and associated research objectives:
- Ensuring a scientific rationale exists to support an ‘urban ecosystem management’ approach for the City of Calgary; and
- Ensuring a basis exists for translating ecological management principles into asset management approaches.
For both, the research approach included reviews of peer-reviewed and grey literature, relevant case studies, analogous jurisdictions, and relevant organizations and resources. There was no intent at this stage to deeply analyze the research nor provide management recommendations.
Informing Urban Ecosystem Management: Literature Review and Case Studies
Organization
This project was undertaken by
The Miistakis Institute
Status
This research was completed in
December 2016
Supporters
City of Calgary
Climate Resilience for Local Communities
Climate Resilience for Local Communities
The Adapt-action Web Tool
The Issue / Idea
How do municipalities adapt to a changing climate? How can they become more climate resilient?
The Project
After extensive research to determine the best way to help municipalities, the Adapt-action tool was created – a web-based decision-support tool for municipalities seeking guidance in taking action regarding climate change adaptation.
Adapt-action guides you through the climate change issues of adapting to water scarcity and adapting to flooding. Each is outlined from the environmental changes you will see, to the implications for your community, through to the strategies you can employ to adapt and become more climate resilient.
As you navigate through each issue narrative, you will be able to view and collect information about: predicted climate change impacts and their effects; implications of these impacts on agriculture, health, recreation, infrastructure and biodiversity in your community; and what your municipality can do to prepare and adapt to these expected changes.
The research and tool development were undertaken as part of ABMI’s Biodiversity Management and Climate Change Adaptation project
Adapt-action Web Site
Adapt-action Overview
Research Reports – Year 1
Research Reports – Year 2
Research Reports – Year 3
(Did we miss something important? Let us know!)
Organization
This project was undertaken by
Status
This was a multi-pronged research project begun in 2012, culminating in the release of Adapt-action in
April 2014
Supporters
ABMI Biodiversity Management and Climate Change Adaptation Project
Municipal Management of Water Bodies
Municipal Management of Water Bodies
Part 2 of the Municipalities and Environmental Law Series
The Issue / Idea
Municipalities need to better understand what authority they have to regulate the water bodies within their boundaries.
The Project
Alberta’s water bodies are a precious resource, and their regulation and proper management is essential for, among other things, safe drinking water, healthy aquatic ecosystems, and watershed resiliency. This second publication in the Environmental Law Centre’s Municipalities and Environmental Law Series explores when and how municipalities can regulate the water bodies within their boundaries.
Report: Municipal Management of Water Bodies
Organization
This project was undertaken by
The Environmental Law Centre
Status
Development of this publication began with the Municipalities and Environmental Law information series in Fall of 2016, and was completed in
April 2018
Supporters
Max Bell Foundation
Anonymous Foundation