The trumpeter swan is no longer considered a threatened species in Alberta thanks to dedicated conservation and species recovery efforts. It is now classified as a “species of special concern” which means the bird’s population is vulnerable but not in immediate danger of regional extinction. It is still illegal to hunt them or disturb nests.
“The County of Grande Prairie is home to a large natural breeding ground and we worked closely with other stakeholders in the area to ensure guidelines and land-use plans were followed to protect them and their nesting areas” Grande Prairie County Reeve Leanne Beaupre said in a press release.
Alberta’s Environment and Sustainable Resource Development ministry says the trumpeter swan was nearly extinct in Alberta in the early 1900s and its recovery has been slow. Land development means the trumpeter swan still suffers a critical shortage of overwintering habitat.
While the trumpeter swan’s status has improved the province recently added the Athabasca Rainbow Trout Bull Trout Pygmy Whitefish and Western Grebe to its Species at Risk list.
