Yellowhead Ecosystem Group Secretariat

An Introduction to the Foothills Research Institute

January 21st, 2009 – Edmonton, Alberta

Tom Archibald

General Manager

tom.archibald@gov.ab.ca

www.foothillsresearchinstitute.ca

Our Mission:

The Foothills Research Institute is a unique

community of partners tied to the land and

its people through a common concern for

the welfare of the land and its resources.

What We Do:

• Applied research

• Generate knowledge

• Develop management tools

• Communications and Extension

How We Do It:

• Partnerships

• Relevant

• Sound Governance

• Strong Administration

• Safe Data Management

Core Study Area: • Strategically located for YEG

• Tangible demonstration of representatives

of various jurisdictions working together.

Sponsoring Partners:

We Are Networked:

Canadian Model Forest Network • Includes Canada’s 14 Model Forests.

• Brings together hundreds of partners

International Model Forest Network • Includes more than a dozen countries

• Canadian invention, established in 1995.

Key Success Drivers: • Core shareholders

• Corporate structure

• Trust and common interest based partnerships

• Expanding partnerships

• Delivering world class research knowledge and tools

• Demonstration inside and beyond our borders

• Communications and Extension

• Influence without advocacy

• Staff development and retention

Research Programs: Current 1. Aboriginal Involvement

2. Adaptive Forest Management

3. Grizzly Bear Research

4. Natural Disturbance

5. Foothills Growth and Yield Assoc.

6. Foothills Stream Crossing Assoc.

7. Fish and Watershed

8. Foothills Land Management Forum

9. Social Science

10. Local Level Indicators

11. Communications and Extension

12. Geographic Information Systems

13. Mountain Pine Beetle Ecology

New Programs 1. Climate Change

2. Water, Quantity and Quality

3. Mountain Pine Beetle Ecology

4. Circumboreal Initiative

5. Yellowhead Ecosystem Group

Our Value: • Strategic location.

• Scientific support.

• Breadth and depth of understanding of broad

ecosystem-based issues that would be shared by YEG.

• Availability of advanced tools and models.

• Existing and broad supportive partnership dedicated

to sustainable resource management.

Our Value (2): • Research, development, and application of world

class mapping technologies.

• Direct research expertise to address matters of

concern.

• Evaluate newly aligned policies before adoption.

• Facilitate information and data sharing.

• Maintain shared databases.

Our Value (3): • Develop resource-specific task groups.

• Monitoring, feedback, and progress reporting.

• Ensure indicators are easy to interpret and publicly

comprehensible.

• A flexible and nimble secretariat.

• Build trust.

Jasper National Park, 1915

1997

A Partnership That Produces Results!

Thank you… any questions?