Our elk in the early 1900's were basically wiped out other than for a couple small heards in banff and jasper. Elk were then brought in from the states to replenish the population. The swift fox is another transplanted animal, leopard frogs, bison and perigain falcons as well as other birds and moving forward maybe our caribou herds will need help.

The swift fox and leopard frogs are a good example - lets use the Kit Fox to see if I can illustrate what I was getting at. Bear in mind a small predator is difficult to compare to a mountain dwelling ungulate.

Both occur in limited populations in the southern portion of the Province. They are at the northernmost perimeter of there natural habitat.

Kit Fox were extirpated approximately 75 years ago. The decision to bring them back was not fully thought out however. The fox was returned and has been doing relatively well. One large problem is that he seems to like to eat sage grouse. The sage grouse are also under supreme pressure (I was talking to a Biologist last year that figures they will be extirpated within the next few years). A real good example of how we should really get a handle on our populations before we start moving animals around. Is it entirely the foxes fault? Absolutely not - roads, oil and gas exploration and high commodity prices (plowing rangeland for agriculture) are all factors.

There has even been discussion about bringing transplant Sage grouse back to help bolster the population - but many folks who are looking at the big picture see the conversion and fragmentation of native rangeland as having altered the suitability of the area to sustain sage grouse.

Bingo... I agree show proof or fix probblem were there is a problem.

And what proof are you guys going to accept?? 
Any wildlife counts or studies ever done in Alberta have been bad mouthed and discredited by the sportsmen and women. So tell me what will ever change that? As soon as it affects outdoors people negativly then it's got to be wrong. And that has been proven a hundred times in this province!

So please inform us how that proof can be obtained so that even if negative people will accept it!

And you say fix problems where there is problems. I'd Luke to see the reaction of the users of the uncontrolled zones when limitations are put on just the problematic areas. Sheep hunters are going to hunt and they will floc to them uncontrolled areas and then the bitching will start when the hunter numbers in other zones double. As well the negative affect this will have on the populations in them areas. Throw a larger number if hunters in there and the population will take a larger hit and eventually numbers will be affected. There is a reason they are trying any changes on a large scale as zone by zone isn't a viable option.

Have any of the people looking for "proof" read the documents with the "BigHorn management plan"?

Here is a part:

Trophy Bighorn Sheep Management in Alberta
Bighorn Sheep Management
DRAFT -- Discussion Paper -- DRAFT
In response to stakeholder concerns of a decline in the quality and quantity of trophy rams available in some areas, SRD has completed an assessment of 35 years of trophy sheep registration and aerial survey data for bighorn sheep. The assessment indicates the harvest levels need to be adjusted to bring them into line with the management guidelines in the Management Plan for Bighorn Sheep in Alberta (1993). There are no immediate regulation changes planned, but we clearly need to work with provincial hunters and outfitter/guides to achieve a better balance with our objectives. To achieve that balance, we’re looking for discussion and input from stakeholders about the information contained in this discussion paper. Send your comments to Jim Allen, Head of Game Management, James.Allen@gov.ab.ca.


Looks to me like a statement that there were concerns from Non Government Organizations (NGOs) that there may be a problem.  Then 35 years of data from sheep registration was looked at and input from people was requested.

Then things progressed from there.