UNews - Lorraine Nicol

Examining the impact of Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils

caroline.zentner — Wed, 16 Jun 2021 15:25:38 +0000

A first-of-its-kind ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge study has found that the effectiveness of Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils in enhancing land stewardship and water management is closely link to how well they are connected to and engaged with municipal governments.

Alberta’s Water for Life strategy, launched in 2003, provided a blueprint for managing the province’s water resources and paved the way for the establishment of 11 Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils (WPACs), each representing a major river basin. WPACs are independent, non-profit organizations responsible for planning at the watershed or basin level. They report on watershed health and lead collaborative planning among their stakeholders, which include municipal governments.

“Because municipal governments have a significant bearing on the management of land and water, they play a crucial role in the WPACs’ ability to fulfill their mandate,” says Dr. Lorraine Nicol (MA '05, PhD '13), senior research associate in the Department of Economics at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. “An effective working relationship between WPACs and municipalities is vital. However, no one has evaluated the impact of WPAC initiatives on municipal land and water management and planning.”

Nicol and her husband, Dr. Chris Nicol, professor of economics, conducted a study to determine the effectiveness of WPAC initiatives, identify barriers and develop recommendations. With funding from the Alberta Real Estate Foundation, they conducted a study which looked at four WPACs — Battle River Watershed Alliance, Milk River Watershed Council Canada, North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance and Oldman Watershed Council — and surveyed the municipalities located within these watersheds.

Results show municipalities have relatively high levels of awareness of WPACs and their work, and over 80 per cent of survey respondents felt it was important their municipality work with their WPAC. They reported the greatest benefits of working with a WPAC were increases in knowledge, awareness, education, expertise and information. Some municipalities reported a lack of awareness of WPAC planning exercises and the results were mixed in terms of impact on municipalities in making more informed decisions and developing statutory documents.

“WPACs are making an impact, but the degree of impact varied from a high of 69 per cent to a low of 41 per cent, depending on the WPAC,” says Chris.

In general, the percentage of those surveyed who said WPACs increased awareness for municipalities in broad subject areas — such as the relationship between land-use planning and watershed health and water quality and quantity — varied between 80 per cent and 40 per cent.

“These mixed results point to the degree of effectiveness of WPAC communications with municipalities,” says Lorraine. “For some councils, poor communications are limiting the full benefit of information sharing and expertise on land and water management and planning. While WPACs have a lot to offer, not all municipalities are maximizing the benefits.”

Municipalities identified making connections, engaging and communicating as the greatest challenges and they most often recommended increasing engagement through presentations to decision makers, either in person or virtually to allow multiple municipalities to attend. WPACs can also collaborate together in communicating with municipalities, especially about government initiatives or policies that affect all watershed.

“In the end, improving the effectiveness of WPACs will enhance land stewardship and water management for sustainable communities, which affects property values and impacts all citizens,” says Chris.

U of L study the first to examine the use of precision agriculture in irrigation farming in Alberta

caroline.zentner — Mon, 14 Jan 2019 15:22:52 +0000

Given the importance of irrigation to the southern Alberta economy, two ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge economists wanted to know if agricultural producers who irrigate are using precision agriculture technologies.

Dr. Lorraine Nicol

Drs. Lorraine (MA '05, PhD '13) and Chris Nicol have conducted the first study in Alberta examining the adoption of precision agriculture in irrigation farming. Their survey shows users are reducing farm inputs and seeing positive economic benefits as a result.

Last fall, they conducted a survey of irrigators in the Taber Irrigation District (TID) to find out the extent to which precision agriculture technologies are being adopted, the types of tools being used and the satisfaction with the technologies. They also looked at those who didn’t use precision agriculture technologies and their reasons for not adopting. Twenty-seven per cent of irrigators in the TID participated in the survey.

“Based on the data collected, 81 per cent of irrigators have adopted some form of precision agriculture, at an average of five technologies per irrigator. Overall, those who have adopted are very satisfied with the technologies and almost all plan on using even more technologies in the future,” says Lorraine. “Among non-adopters, most said their operations were too small to justify the high investment costs.”

Dr. Chris Nicol

Precision agriculture involves parsing fields into small parcels based on variability, allowing more precise application of irrigation water, fertilizer, chemicals and seed compared to conventional methods. The study identified 20 technologies including auto-steering equipment, variable rate fertilizer and irrigation application, soil-moisture monitoring, terrain mapping and analysis, unmanned aerial vehicle mapping, satellite imagery and various data management tools, for example.

“Precision agriculture has fundamentally changed the way farming is done and it has the potential to reduce costs and increase profits for farmers. Precision agriculture is also critical for sustainable agriculture. Using less fertilizer and less irrigation water, for example, helps lessen run-off and conserve water, so it’s also better for the environment,” says Chris.

The TID, one of 13 irrigation districts in the region, has one of the highest concentrations of specialty crops, including potatoes, sugar beets, canola seed, beans, peas, corn, sunflowers and onions. These inputs are vital to processing industries as well as the confined feedlot industry in the region. The TID consists of 115 to 120 irrigation producers who irrigate more than 80,000 acres. Its irrigation infrastructure also supplies water to several communities and many individuals.

The survey showed that, under precision agriculture, crop yields have increased an average 20 per cent and yearly crop quality has increased by an average of 16 per cent. Yearly reductions in irrigation water, fertilizer, herbicides and pesticides have ranged between 14 and 24 per cent.

Non-adopters consist entirely of farms of less than 2,000 acres. Those irrigators generally cited the smaller size of their operations, high investment costs and incompatibility of machines as the main reasons for not adopting.

“These results suggest irrigators are embracing precision agriculture and experiencing the benefits,” says Lorraine. “This also has positive implications for economic and community development, as well as environmental stewardship.”

The study was funded by a grant from the Alberta Real Estate Foundation. The full paper can be viewed here.

Graduate student research award winners

trevor.kenney — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:29:04 +0000

Following are the 2010 Student Research Awards for graduate students. Please note that some awards might not be listed because the granting agency has not yet given the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ permission to publicly release the information.

SSHRC
(Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council)

Kent Aardse, English (literature, American – literary movements) $17,500
Jeffrey Doherty, Arts & Science (environmental history) $17,500
Deanna Forrester, Psychology & Neuroscience (sexology) $17,500
Michael Frank, Native American Studies (interdisciplinary studies) $17,500
Lindsey Garner-Knapp, Anthropology (interdisciplinary studies) $17,500
Vanessa Hanel, Management (marketing) $17,500
Ainslee Kimmel, Education (psychology) $17,500
Danille Lazzaretto-Green, Education (counselling) $17,500
Kasey-Leigh Martin, Management (management-business-administrative Studies) $17,500
Michelle Morris, History (natural resources geography) $17,500
Patrick O'Sullivan, Management (business ethics) $17,500
Kelly Pasolli, Political Science (political science) $17,500
James Stanger, Anthropology (cultural anthropology) $17,500
Lorraine Nicol, Geography (resource management) $35,000 (3 years)

AIF
(Alberta Ingenuity Fund)

Chad Laing, Chemistry & Biochemistry (molecular biology) $7,000 (3 years)
Cassandra Churchill, Chemistry & Biochemistry (physical chemistry) $7,000
Kimberley Dohm, Biological Sciences (biological sciences) $26,000 (3 years)

AIHS
(Alberta Innovates: Health Solutions)

Jenni Karl, Neuroscience (neuroscience) $20,000
Daniela Schwindel, Neuroscience (neuroscience) $20,000
Fraser Sparks, Neuroscience (neuroscience) $20,000

NSERC
(Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada)

Jessica Erickson, Biological Sciences (genetics)
Andrew Hudson, Biological sciences (molecular biology) $17,500
Cassandra Churchill, Chemistry & Biochemistry (physical chemistry) $25,000
Benjamin Ireland, Chemistry & Biochemistry (inorganic chemistry) $35,000 (3 years)
Chad Laing, Chemistry & Biochemistry (molecular biology) $21,000 (3 years)
Evan Mercier, Chemistry & Biochemistry (biochemistry) $35,000 (2 years)
Jennifer Przybylski, Chemistry & Biochemistry (physical chemistry) $21,000 (3 years)
Anthony Schmieder, Mathematics & Computer Science (information technology) $17,500
Mark Thom, Mathematics & Computer Science (pure mathematics) $17,500
Gregory Christie, Neuroscience (cognitive science, fundamental) $17,500 (3 years)
Erin Zelinski, Neuroscience (neurophysiology) $21,000 (3 years)
April Dawn Takahashi, Psychology (psychology) $17,500

NSERC IPS

Will Warnock

Steinhauer

Cassandra Churchill, Chemistry & Biochemistry (physical chemistry) $15,000
Linda Lait, Biological Sciences (biological sciences) $15,000
Sandeep Mishra, Evolution & Behaviour (evolution and behaviour) $20,000
Douglas Vanderlaan, Evolution & Behaviour (evolution and behaviour) $20,000

2010 student research awards (graduate)

trevor.kenney — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 21:34:40 +0000

SSHRC
(Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council)

AIF
(Alberta Ingenuity Fund)

AIHS
(Alberta Innovates: Health Solutions)

Jenni Karl, Neuroscience (neuroscience) $20,000
Daniela Schwindel, Neuroscience (neuroscience) $20,000
Fraser Sparks, Neuroscience (neuroscience) $20,000

NSERC
(Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada)

NSERC IPS

Will Warnock

Steinhauer

U of L researchers to present report

trevor.kenney — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 22:05:17 +0000

Water is the lifeblood of agriculture in southern Alberta and learning how to best manage water is key to sustaining the industry.

A group of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Economics researchers have prepared an in-depth report on water issues for the members and stakeholders of the SouthGrow Regional Initiative to help support the economic well being of the area.

"Water is a vital resource and it impacts greatly on the economic health and the quality of life of this region considerably," said Sandra Nelson, a Stirling, Alta resident and the Chair of SouthGrow.

"This report provides our members with insight into the current state activities surrounding the issues of sound water management. It also identifies and provides recommendations about the role SouthGrow could play in ensuring a sustainable water supply for investment, economic development and the long term vision of this region."

The report, entitled "Water for Economic Development in the SouthGrow Region of Alberta" was prepared by Research Associate Lorraine Nicol, Dr. Henning Bjornlund and Dr. Kurt Klein. It highlights unique opportunities as well as significant challenges to managing water issues now, and in the future.

The researchers will release and discuss the report in Lethbridge at an information session hosted by SouthGrow that takes place Thursday, Mar. 19, beginning at 11 a.m. at the Lethbridge Lodge Hotel and Conference Centre, 320 Scenic Drive S.

The event includes a presentation by the researchers and a moderated discussion period for stakeholders.

There are several important constraints to water availability in southern Alberta. The first (and most important) is the restriction on the issuing of new water licenses within the two river basins.

Second, certain procedures impede the operation of water markets.

Third, there are potential long-run negative effects on water supply from such factors as climate change.

Fourth, several policy and legislative uncertainties remain, including how implementation of the Water for Life strategy will unfold, especially with the possibility of implementation of economic instruments; whether, given the recent announcement of the review of the water allocation system, that system will remain intact; whether the watershed planning and advisory councils will be able to achieve their objectives; and the outcome of the International Joint Commission response on apportionment of flows of the St. Mary and Milk Rivers between Canada and the United States.

Finally, as water becomes more scarce and valuable in Alberta, a cultural and political divide seems to be intensifying between urban, agricultural and conservation interests in Alberta that recently were manifested in an outcry over amendments to irrigation district licenses and the sale of an irrigation water license to an urban development.

These topics are likely to invoke a lively discussion. All are invited to attend.

UNews - Lorraine Nicol

Examining the impact of Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils

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U of L study the first to examine the use of precision agriculture in irrigation farming in Alberta

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