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Milk River Natural Area
Milk River Natural Area is a provincially designated protected area in the southeastern corner of the province of Alberta, Canada, approximately 160 km south of the city of Medicine Hat. It lies primarily in the County of Forty Mile with a small portion in southwest Cypress County. On the Alberta Township System (ATS) grid it is located in portions of Township 1, Range 5 and 6, and Township 2, Range 6, west of the Fourth Meridian.
At 5,344 ha (13,205 acres), Milk River was designated in June 1987 as an Order-in-Council Natural Area for conservation purposes under the Wilderness Areas, Ecological Reserves, Natural Areas and Heritage Rangelands Act and is Alberta's 100th Natural Area. It is owned by the provincial government as Public Land and administered by the Cypress District Office of Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation. Milk River Natural Area sits on the international border with the United States with Montana to the south, and is adjacent to the Kennedy Coulee Ecological Reserve to the west, with Pinhorn Provincial Grazing Reserve just beyond Kennedy Coulee. Other protected areas nearby include the Onefour Heritage Rangeland, Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, and Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park. Access to Milk River Natural Area is challenging due to its remoteness and weather conditions: local roads and trails are impassable during or after wet weather, there is little to no cell phone coverage, and permission must be obtained when crossing grazing lease areas. However, this has helped maintain the area's relatively undisturbed condition and protected it from significant human impact. Canoes, kayaks, and inflatable rafts on float trips occasionally ply the waters of the Milk River through the Natural Area. While "no-trace" camping is permitted, it is not encouraged, and there are no visitor facilities provided.
Geologically, the Milk River Natural Area is part of the Oldman and Foremost Formations, consisting of sandstone, siltstone, and carbonaceous shale, with isolated occurrences of igneous Sweetgrass Hills intrusives. The most prominent feature of the natural area is the Milk River Canyon. At up to 1,500 meters wide and 150 meters deep, it is the deepest in the Canadian plains. One of only five exposed igneous dikes in the Canadian plains, nicknamed the "Rooster Comb" for its distinctive size and shape, lies in the natural area. The Milk River itself is the only river in Alberta that flows to the Gulf of Mexico, joining the Missouri River near Nashua, Montana. Throughout the region lie a multitude of Cretaceous-era dinosaur fossils, as well as many archaeological sites, a legacy of the Blackfoot indigenous people who hunted, gathered, and camped in the area prior to European contact. Findings of projectile points indicate the area has likely been sporadically inhabited since the end of the last glaciation.
The Milk River Natural Area is part of the Grasslands Natural Region, one of six natural regions in Alberta. Within the Grasslands Region, it is part of the Dry Mixedgrass Natural Subregion, characterized by the most arid conditions in Alberta, with hot summers, cold winters with little snow cover, and high evaporation leaving a large moisture deficit in the growing season. Annual precipitation averages less than 300mm (12 inches). Soils of the area are primarily solonetzic and brown chernozemic. At the next sub-level, it is part of the Northwestern Glaciated Plains Ecoregion, the predominant ecoregion throughout the Milk River watershed. With its diverse landscape of grasslands, shrubs, badlands, wetlands, and riparian woodlands, the Milk River Natural Area supports a large number of rare, threatened, and endangered species in a relatively small amount of space. Overall, 80% of Alberta's species at risk are concentrated in the Milk River Watershed area as a whole. Fire is a significant ecological process, with the last large wildfire having occurred in August 2007. It was caused by a lightning strike in Montana and crossed the international border, but was quickly suppressed after burning 125 hectares of the natural area and 38 hectares in neighboring Kennedy Coulee Ecological Reserve. As a relatively large and undisturbed representation of natural mixedgrass containing rare or unique landforms, habitat for focal species, and intact riparian areas, it has been identified as an Environmentally Significant Area (ESA) with national significance.
The diverse terrain and soils of the Milk River Natural Area lend themselves to a large variety of plant communities. In the protected area, aside from non-vegetated badlands, the primary vegetation cover is dry mixed grassland, with the dominant species being needle-and-thread (Hesperostipa comate) and blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis). Other grassland species associated with the area include northern wheat grass (Agropyron dasystachyum), western wheat grass (Pascopyrum smithii), prairie june grass (Koeleria macrantha), sandberg bluegrass (Poa sandbergii) and various sedge species. The flood plains surrounding the river contain large stands of plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides) and sagebrush flats. Moss phlox (Phlox subulata) and prairie selaginella (Selaginella densa) are common forbs. Complex but often sparse vegetation communities adjusted to harsh conditions exist at the border between coulees and grasslands and feature species such as mosses, lichens, black greasewood (Sarcobatus vermiculatus), rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus), long-leaved sage, sagebrush (Artemisia frigida), and povertyweed (Monolepis nuttalliana). The endangered in Alberta soapweed (Yucca glauca), mutually dependent upon the yucca moth (Tegeticula yuccasella), also occurs in the area.
With its combination of grassland, riparian habitat, coulees and badlands, the Milk River Natural Area and Kennedy Coulee Ecological Reserve host a variety of amphibians and reptiles, including rare northern leopard frogs (Rana pipiens), listed as threatened in Alberta and both a Canadian species at risk (SARA) and Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) species of special concern, as well as prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis), bullsnake (Pituophis catenifer sayi), western hognose snake (Heterodon nasicus), western painted turtle (Chrysemys picta), garter snake (Thamnophis radix), and the nationally and provincially endangered short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma douglassi), which is at the northern limit of its geographical range here. The northern leopard frog and prairie rattlesnake in particular are indicator species of the ecological health of the Milk River watershed.
The natural area, which has been named as an Important Bird Area, is studded with cliffs and eroded sandstone badlands that serve as important nesting and foraging habitat to the area's raptors. Important birds of prey are the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), ferruginous hawk (Buteo regalis), prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus), and burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia), of which the burrowing owl and ferruginous hawk are considered endangered in Alberta, and the prairie falcon, a species of special concern. Raptor populations have experienced rebounds since the 1970s when the insecticide DDT was outlawed, but new concerns about other pesticides and PCBs along with habitat degradation and land use conversion are contributing to the decline of species such as the burrowing owl. The prairie falcon is at its northern range limit in southern Alberta and although populations appear to be stable at present, loss of grasslands and subsequent decline in their prey of ground squirrels may lead to reduced numbers of falcons. Endemic to western North America, the ferruginous hawk is under threatened status nationally and appears to have been decreasing in numbers since at least 1987, possibly due to prey availability, or habitat or land use change; subsequently, nest poles have been erected to facilitate nesting. The Milk River is also home to many pond and wetland birds, and the grasslands are sharp-tailed grouse (Pedioecetes phasianellus) dancing grounds, or leks. Sharp-tailed grouse also appear to be declining in Alberta and are considered a sensitive species due to the increase of land-use conversion to agriculture.
Until the late 1800s, large herds of bison grazed the area until they were extirpated by human hunting, and cattle have — to a degree — taken their place as grazers, maintaining the grassland ecosystem in a mix of grazed and ungrazed patches. Pronghorn (Antilocapra Americana) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) are also present on the grasslands along with deer mice, voles, and Richardson's ground squirrel, an important food source for the ferruginous hawk and occasional burrow host to the burrowing owl. The formerly extirpated and subsequently reintroduced swift fox (Vulpes velox), currently listed as endangered provincially and downgraded to threatened nationally in 2009, is resident as well. Swift foxes were originally abundant across the prairies, but population declines caused by land use conversion, trapping, hunting, predation by domestic dogs, competition with coyotes, and rodent control programs led to their elimination from Alberta in 1938 and declared extirpated in 1978. The swift fox was reintroduced to Canada in 1983 from the progeny of a captive breeding program using Colorado and South Dakota stock, a controversial but relatively successful initiative. The current population is estimated at 647 foxes in Canada as of 2006, but predation by coyotes and golden eagles continues to be a limiting factor, with golden eagles causing 75% of the deaths of swift foxes in 1997. In addition, due to their small size and inability to see above tall vegetation, and their avoidance of agricultural lands and the associated chemical spraying which reduces their insect prey, swift foxes appear to be habitat specialists preferring shortgrass native prairie and land use conversion to agriculture is a continued threat. The area's woodland habitat is home to a herd of elk, along with porcupines, cottontail rabbits, and white-tailed deer. The badlands area of habitat in the Milk River Natural Area is host to bobcats (Lynx rufus), listed as sensitive, and scorpions (Paruroctonus boreus).
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Milk River Natural Area
Milk River Natural Area is a provincially designated protected area in the southeastern corner of the province of Alberta, Canada, approximately 160 km south of the city of Medicine Hat. It lies primarily in the County of Forty Mile with a small portion in southwest Cypress County. On the Alberta Township System (ATS) grid it is located in portions of Township 1, Range 5 and 6, and Township 2, Range 6, west of the Fourth Meridian.
At 5,344 ha (13,205 acres), Milk River was designated in June 1987 as an Order-in-Council Natural Area for conservation purposes under the Wilderness Areas, Ecological Reserves, Natural Areas and Heritage Rangelands Act and is Alberta's 100th Natural Area. It is owned by the provincial government as Public Land and administered by the Cypress District Office of Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation. Milk River Natural Area sits on the international border with the United States with Montana to the south, and is adjacent to the Kennedy Coulee Ecological Reserve to the west, with Pinhorn Provincial Grazing Reserve just beyond Kennedy Coulee. Other protected areas nearby include the Onefour Heritage Rangeland, Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, and Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park. Access to Milk River Natural Area is challenging due to its remoteness and weather conditions: local roads and trails are impassable during or after wet weather, there is little to no cell phone coverage, and permission must be obtained when crossing grazing lease areas. However, this has helped maintain the area's relatively undisturbed condition and protected it from significant human impact. Canoes, kayaks, and inflatable rafts on float trips occasionally ply the waters of the Milk River through the Natural Area. While "no-trace" camping is permitted, it is not encouraged, and there are no visitor facilities provided.
Geologically, the Milk River Natural Area is part of the Oldman and Foremost Formations, consisting of sandstone, siltstone, and carbonaceous shale, with isolated occurrences of igneous Sweetgrass Hills intrusives. The most prominent feature of the natural area is the Milk River Canyon. At up to 1,500 meters wide and 150 meters deep, it is the deepest in the Canadian plains. One of only five exposed igneous dikes in the Canadian plains, nicknamed the "Rooster Comb" for its distinctive size and shape, lies in the natural area. The Milk River itself is the only river in Alberta that flows to the Gulf of Mexico, joining the Missouri River near Nashua, Montana. Throughout the region lie a multitude of Cretaceous-era dinosaur fossils, as well as many archaeological sites, a legacy of the Blackfoot indigenous people who hunted, gathered, and camped in the area prior to European contact. Findings of projectile points indicate the area has likely been sporadically inhabited since the end of the last glaciation.
The Milk River Natural Area is part of the Grasslands Natural Region, one of six natural regions in Alberta. Within the Grasslands Region, it is part of the Dry Mixedgrass Natural Subregion, characterized by the most arid conditions in Alberta, with hot summers, cold winters with little snow cover, and high evaporation leaving a large moisture deficit in the growing season. Annual precipitation averages less than 300mm (12 inches). Soils of the area are primarily solonetzic and brown chernozemic. At the next sub-level, it is part of the Northwestern Glaciated Plains Ecoregion, the predominant ecoregion throughout the Milk River watershed. With its diverse landscape of grasslands, shrubs, badlands, wetlands, and riparian woodlands, the Milk River Natural Area supports a large number of rare, threatened, and endangered species in a relatively small amount of space. Overall, 80% of Alberta's species at risk are concentrated in the Milk River Watershed area as a whole. Fire is a significant ecological process, with the last large wildfire having occurred in August 2007. It was caused by a lightning strike in Montana and crossed the international border, but was quickly suppressed after burning 125 hectares of the natural area and 38 hectares in neighboring Kennedy Coulee Ecological Reserve. As a relatively large and undisturbed representation of natural mixedgrass containing rare or unique landforms, habitat for focal species, and intact riparian areas, it has been identified as an Environmentally Significant Area (ESA) with national significance.
The diverse terrain and soils of the Milk River Natural Area lend themselves to a large variety of plant communities. In the protected area, aside from non-vegetated badlands, the primary vegetation cover is dry mixed grassland, with the dominant species being needle-and-thread (Hesperostipa comate) and blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis). Other grassland species associated with the area include northern wheat grass (Agropyron dasystachyum), western wheat grass (Pascopyrum smithii), prairie june grass (Koeleria macrantha), sandberg bluegrass (Poa sandbergii) and various sedge species. The flood plains surrounding the river contain large stands of plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides) and sagebrush flats. Moss phlox (Phlox subulata) and prairie selaginella (Selaginella densa) are common forbs. Complex but often sparse vegetation communities adjusted to harsh conditions exist at the border between coulees and grasslands and feature species such as mosses, lichens, black greasewood (Sarcobatus vermiculatus), rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus), long-leaved sage, sagebrush (Artemisia frigida), and povertyweed (Monolepis nuttalliana). The endangered in Alberta soapweed (Yucca glauca), mutually dependent upon the yucca moth (Tegeticula yuccasella), also occurs in the area.
With its combination of grassland, riparian habitat, coulees and badlands, the Milk River Natural Area and Kennedy Coulee Ecological Reserve host a variety of amphibians and reptiles, including rare northern leopard frogs (Rana pipiens), listed as threatened in Alberta and both a Canadian species at risk (SARA) and Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) species of special concern, as well as prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis), bullsnake (Pituophis catenifer sayi), western hognose snake (Heterodon nasicus), western painted turtle (Chrysemys picta), garter snake (Thamnophis radix), and the nationally and provincially endangered short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma douglassi), which is at the northern limit of its geographical range here. The northern leopard frog and prairie rattlesnake in particular are indicator species of the ecological health of the Milk River watershed.
The natural area, which has been named as an Important Bird Area, is studded with cliffs and eroded sandstone badlands that serve as important nesting and foraging habitat to the area's raptors. Important birds of prey are the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), ferruginous hawk (Buteo regalis), prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus), and burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia), of which the burrowing owl and ferruginous hawk are considered endangered in Alberta, and the prairie falcon, a species of special concern. Raptor populations have experienced rebounds since the 1970s when the insecticide DDT was outlawed, but new concerns about other pesticides and PCBs along with habitat degradation and land use conversion are contributing to the decline of species such as the burrowing owl. The prairie falcon is at its northern range limit in southern Alberta and although populations appear to be stable at present, loss of grasslands and subsequent decline in their prey of ground squirrels may lead to reduced numbers of falcons. Endemic to western North America, the ferruginous hawk is under threatened status nationally and appears to have been decreasing in numbers since at least 1987, possibly due to prey availability, or habitat or land use change; subsequently, nest poles have been erected to facilitate nesting. The Milk River is also home to many pond and wetland birds, and the grasslands are sharp-tailed grouse (Pedioecetes phasianellus) dancing grounds, or leks. Sharp-tailed grouse also appear to be declining in Alberta and are considered a sensitive species due to the increase of land-use conversion to agriculture.
Until the late 1800s, large herds of bison grazed the area until they were extirpated by human hunting, and cattle have — to a degree — taken their place as grazers, maintaining the grassland ecosystem in a mix of grazed and ungrazed patches. Pronghorn (Antilocapra Americana) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) are also present on the grasslands along with deer mice, voles, and Richardson's ground squirrel, an important food source for the ferruginous hawk and occasional burrow host to the burrowing owl. The formerly extirpated and subsequently reintroduced swift fox (Vulpes velox), currently listed as endangered provincially and downgraded to threatened nationally in 2009, is resident as well. Swift foxes were originally abundant across the prairies, but population declines caused by land use conversion, trapping, hunting, predation by domestic dogs, competition with coyotes, and rodent control programs led to their elimination from Alberta in 1938 and declared extirpated in 1978. The swift fox was reintroduced to Canada in 1983 from the progeny of a captive breeding program using Colorado and South Dakota stock, a controversial but relatively successful initiative. The current population is estimated at 647 foxes in Canada as of 2006, but predation by coyotes and golden eagles continues to be a limiting factor, with golden eagles causing 75% of the deaths of swift foxes in 1997. In addition, due to their small size and inability to see above tall vegetation, and their avoidance of agricultural lands and the associated chemical spraying which reduces their insect prey, swift foxes appear to be habitat specialists preferring shortgrass native prairie and land use conversion to agriculture is a continued threat. The area's woodland habitat is home to a herd of elk, along with porcupines, cottontail rabbits, and white-tailed deer. The badlands area of habitat in the Milk River Natural Area is host to bobcats (Lynx rufus), listed as sensitive, and scorpions (Paruroctonus boreus).