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STRATHMORE-CALGARY STUDY AREA'- ALBERTA 
(Area 2 of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service) 
George Freeman 
This is combined project with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. 
A transect 26 miles long (6.5 square miles) was laid out between Calgary and 
Strathmore. Ducks Unlimited did the ground transect work while the Fish and 
Wildlife Service mapped the area, established water gauges and made air to 
ground comparisons. The study area was laid out as a straight line transect to 
facilitate this comparison. 
The transect samples the more humid western section of the "short grass" 
plains of southern Alberta and includes both irrigated areas (with associated 
seepage affects) and dry land farming, as well as native grasslands, 
The results of this year's work are fully reported by Allen G. Smith of the 
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Alberta Ground Studies Section of this 
publication. 
CARON POTHOLE STUDY AREA - 1953 
W. G. Leitch 
The study area, 4 and 1/4 square miles in extent, is located in the mixed 
grass prairie of the Missouri Couteau approximately 15 miles west of Moose Jaw, 
Saskatchewan. Here the rugged nature of the Couteau results in typical knob and 
kettle topography. The area contains 261 small water.areas ranging from 1/16 to 
5 acres in size. With the exception of 1949, annual breeding pair and brood surveys 
have been carried out here since 1947. 
The 1953 breeding pair count was made May 23 to 26 and brood counts June 22 
to 27 and August 14 to 16. The breeding pair count was made by the writer alone, 
the June brood count with 3 assistants and the August count with 2 assistants. Due > 
to the topography it is possible to obtain a good count of breeding pairs from the hill- 
tops without disturbing the ducks enough to seriously affect the count. The brood 
counts were made using the beat-out method which, when enough men are available 
and the water areas small, is quite effective. 
The time of the breeding pair count on May 23, all ponds in the area were well 
filled with water, although somewhat reduced from last years record high, particularly 
in the southern part of the area. Heavy late May and June rains increases the water 
levels until by the brood count of June 23, they were as high as 1952. However, by 
the brood count on August 14 they were again reduced considerably below 1952 but 
almost all ponds still contained water. 
