Develop a brochure and plant checklist for the Beaver Hills Biosphere, as a resource for the 2025 Botany Alberta hosted by the Alberta Native Plant Council (and Royal Alberta Museum). This will involve using a variety of resources and research using primary and secondary literature to complete a species checklist.

Project Details & Deliverables:

1)  Use various resources to complete a plant species checklist for the Beaver Hills Biosphere, both primary and secondary literature will be reviewed.

Some example resources:

·         Email and reach out to various associations including Parks Canada, Alberta Parks, Edmonton & Area Land Trust, Nature Conservancy, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Alberta Conservation Association.

·         iNaturalist lists including specific to bioshpere- https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/beaver-hills-biosphere

·         online floras and occurrence lists - https://data.canadensys.net/vascan/search; http://floranorthamerica.org/Main_Page; https://abmi.ca/abmi-home

·         Beaver Hills Biosphere website - https://www.beaverhills.ca/learn/environment

·         https://www.unesco.org/en/mab/beaver-hills

  2)  Use various online and printed floras, primary and secondary literature, to research information about a couple selected plants from the checklist, to highlight them in the brochure. Make sure to have a citation list to include as part of your completed project. Images can be provided by ANPC or other open source sites that have the correct species images. Potential opportunity for students to come and image seeds at the Royal Alberta Museum to use as part of the project. Information in the brochure can include but is not limited to:

·     Research and review plant checklists for parks, preserved areas, etc., in Edmonton and Area to get an understanding of general layout/format.

·     Complete a checklist style list of plants that occur in the biosphere – this may not include all species that occur, but should include dominant species, important species, and/or rare species in the biosphere.

·     Highlight 1-3 key species in the biosphere or rare species or interesting species from your checklist – highlight them in the brochure alongside the checklist with some facts & images

·     Highlight 1-2 key species seeds/fruit (museum work) and highlight dispersal, seed uses by people/animals, etc. – highlight them in the brochure alongside the checklist with some facts & images

·     Information about the Biosphere and the landscape/subregion habitat type

·     Indigenous Connections to the Biosphere

·     Conservation & Communities of the Biosphere

·     How do native plants help us (e.g., erosion control)? Help our province? Our world? The animals? 

·     What can people do to help native plants & the biosphere in Alberta?

3)  Design development using Adobe Illustrator or InDesign preferably and/or MS PowerPoint.

4)  OPTION Work with Diana at the museum to image seeds/fruit of the key species highlighted in brochure and to discuss ecology (e.g., dispersal mode), morphology, traditional uses, etc. of those seeds/fruit if applicable (1-2 days).

5)  Summarize your project methods, main findings, challenges and successes, and provide a list of all sources uses (citation).

6)  Deliverables should include developed templates (digital), final brochure (printed & digital), and the project summary document and/or any other requirements outlined for your course.

Project Support Supervisor:

Kristyn Mayner

Central Director, Alberta Native Plant Council (ANPC)

centraldirector@anpc.ab.ca