Shelley has conducted field-based and GIS studies of large carnivore ecology and human-wildlife conflict in the Canadian Rockies since 1990. She specialized in wolves and coyotes, beginning her career as a field technician for the Banff Wolf Project, tracking and studying behaviour of recolonizing wolves. Shelley also worked as an animal handler for the Dalhousie University’s Animal Research Station, Nova Scotia, where she studied wolf pack behavior, hand raised coyote pups and examined the effectiveness of non-lethal deterrents to stop coyotes depredating sheep. Her doctoral research addressed road fragmentation effects on 13 mammal species in Banff and Kananaskis Country, Alberta. Using extensive snow tracking and Geographic Information Systems, she examined habitat relationships, species co-occurrence, the barrier effect of roads by traffic volume, and identified optimal sites for wildlife crossing structures. Since 2001, she has worked as a faculty member for the Department of Geography and the Master’s of GIS Program, University of Calgary. Shelley has published in a variety of peer reviewed journals ranging from the Canadian Geographer, to Transportation Research, the Wildlife Society Bulletin, Biogeography and Human Dimensions of Wildlife. Presently, she is the Principal Investigator on the Calgary Coyote Project, and a Collaborator on several projects including: The Waterton Biosphere Carnivore Project, the Swift Fox Critical Habitat Project, and the Calakmul Biosphere Carnivore-Road Effects Project in Yucatan, MX.

Recent Publications

Journal Manuscripts

1. Alexander, S.M. and M. S. Quinn. 2011. Coyote (Canis latrans) Interactions with Humans and Pets Reported in the Canadian Print Media (1995–2010). Human Dimensions of Wildlife. 16: 345-359.

2. Quinn, M., S.M. Alexander, N. Heck, and G. Chernoff. 2011. Bird collision hotspots on transmission power lines in Alberta: an expert-based Geographic Information System (GIS) approach. Evironmental Informatics. 18(1):12-21.

3. Lukasik, V. and S.M. Alexander (2011) Human-coyote interactions in Calgary, Alberta. Human Dimensions of Wildlife. 16(2):114-127.

4. Kang, H. and S.M. Alexander (2009) Relative accuracy of spatial predictive models for lynx (Lynx Canadensis) derived using logistic regression-AIC, multiple criteria evaluation and Bayesian approaches.Current Zoology. 55(1): 28-40.

5. Alexander, S.M. (2008) Snow-tracking and GIS: using multiple species-environment models to determine optimal wildlife crossing sites and evaluate highway mitigation plans on the Trans-Canada highway. Canadian Geographer. 52(2): 169-187.

6. Etherington, T.R. and S.M. Alexander. (2008) Identifying radio-telemetry sampling bias using Geographic Information System viewsheds. Journal of Wildlife Management 72(4): 1043-1046.

7. Alexander, S. M., Logan, T.B. and Paquet, P.C. (2006) Spatio-temporal co-occurrence of cougars (Felis concolor), wolves (Canis lupus) and their prey during winter: a comparison of two analytical methods. Journal of Biogeography 33:2001-2012.

8. Alexander, S.M., Duro, D. and Benitez, J.A. (2006) Habitat Fragmentation and Water Quality in the Candelaria Watershed, Mexico. Jaina en linea, Boletin Informativo. Vol. especial: 34-36.

9. Alexander, S. M., Paquet, P.C., Logan, T.B. and Saher, D.J. (2005) Snow-tracking versus radiotelemetry for predicting wolf–environment relationships in the Rocky Mountains of Canada. Wildlife Society Bulletin 33(4):1-9.

10. Alexander, S. M., Waters, N.M. and Paquet, P.C. (2005) Traffic Volume and Highway Permeability for a Mammalian Community in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Canadian Geographer. 49(4):321-331.

11. Paquet, P. C. and S. M. Alexander. (2005) Banff National Park: how helpful is highway mitigation? Wild Earth Fall/Winter: 70-71.

12. Wilkie, K.J., Tyler, M.E. and S. M. Alexander. (2003) Conserving Habitat and Biodiversity in Urban Landscapes. Environmental Informatics Archives. 1:190-196.

13. Alexander, S.M. and Waters, N.M. (2000) GIS-T and the Effects of Highway Transportation Corridors on Wildlife. Transportation Research, Part C. Pergamon. 8(2000):307-320.

14. Alexander, S.M. (in press) GIS Applications in Wildlife and Road Ecology in Western Canada; Case Studies. Jaina en linea, Boletin Informative On-line. Vol. especial.

15. Typhenn A. Brichieri-Colombi, Patrick A. Leighton, S.M. Alexander and Donald D. Kramer. (in press) Spatio-Temporal Co-occurrences and den use in home ranges of female small Asian mongooses . Jaina en linea, Boletin Informative On-line. Vol. especial.

Refereed Book Chapters

1. Alexander, S.M., M.S. Quinn, S.A. Kennett, B. Stelfox, and M.E. Tyler (in press) Consequence and Management of Alberta’s Energy Infrastructure. Chapter in Political Ecology in Alberta, eds. L. Adkin and B. Miller. University of Toronto Press. Toronto, ON.

2. Paquet, P.C., Alexander, S.M., Donelon, S, and C. Callaghan. (2010) Influence of Anthropogenically Modified Snow Conditions on Movements and Predatory Behaviour of Gray Wolves. A New Era for Wolves, Volume II, Management and Conservation. University of Calgary Press.

3. Quinn, M.S., and Alexander, S.M. (2007) Information Technology and the Protection of Biodiversity in Protected Areas. Transforming Parks: Protected Areas Policy and Governance in a Changing World edited by Kevin Hanna, Douglas Clark and Scott Slocombe. Taylor & Francis Books Ltd.

4. Alexander, S.M., Pavelka, M.S.M. and Bywater, N.H. (2006) Quantifying Fragmentation of Black Howler (Alouatta pigra) Habitat after Hurricane Iris (2001), Southern Belize, Pages 539-559 IN New Perspectives in the Study of Mesoamerican Primates: Distribution, Ecology, Behavior and Conservation. Eds. A. Estrada, P. Garber, M. Pavelka, and L. Luecke. New York: Kluwer Academic Press. 600pp.

5. Paquet, P.C., Alexander, S. M., Swan, P.L. and Darimont, C.T. (2006) The Influence of Natural Landscape Fragmentation and Resource Availability on Connectivity and Distribution of Marine Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) Populations on Central Coast, BC. IN Connectivity Conservation. Eds. Kevin Crooks and M.A. Sanjayan. Cambridge University Press.

6. Benitez, J.A. and Alexander, S.M. (2006) A GIS Analysis of Watershed Change in the Candelaria River Basin, Mexico. Pages 107-116 IN Highlighting the impacts of North-South research collaboration among Canadian and southern higher education partners. Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, June, 2006. 150pp.

7. Alexander, S.M., Waters, N.M. and Paquet, P.C. (2004) A Probability-based GIS Model for Identifying Focal Species Linkage Zones across Highways in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Pages 233-255 IN Applied GIS and Spatial Modelling. Eds. Graham Clarke and John Stillwell, University of Leeds, United Kingdom. 406pp.

8. Alexander, S.M. and Waters, N.M. (2000) GIS-T and the Effects of Highway Transportation Corridors on Wildlife Pages 307-320 IN GIS and Environmental Modelling, Ed., Dr. J.C. Thill. Elsevier Science Ltd. 450pp.

Current Research

PROJECT 1) Calgary Coyote Project, Alberta

This research examines multiple aspects of urban coyote ecology and human-coyote conflict. This work examines issues in Calgary and across Canada. The research is particularly relevant and timely for Calgary, where there has been an attack by coyotes on two children (2005) and where rapid urban expansion into the rural fringe of Calgary has created situations where people, their pets and coyotes regularly interact. This necessitates understanding the role that humans, their pets and coyotes play in the development of conflict, such that we can learn to design an urban ecosystem and manage coyote and human behaviour in a way that allows coexistence.

This project includes an ongoing study of the spatial and temporal aspects of coyote diet across the City of Calgary, which has recently expanded to examine rural coyote diet. In addition, the occurrence/prevalence of parasites in both urban and rural coyote populations is under investigation.

We have also evaluated conflict with coyotes reported by Calgarians to the 311 Coyote Hotline and developed an understanding of the spatial and temporal patterns of conflict, and mapped these patterns for use in management strategies.

The project also includes a content analysis of the past 10 years of newspaper articles about coyote incidents across Canada. This portion of the research explores the frequency, causes and resulting affects of coyote-human and coyote-pet events in Canada, examines attitudes and values in response to these events, and profiles management responses.

Lastly, Dr. Alexander has led the development of an educational website with an on-line citizen science mapping tool that is designed to involve Calgarians in tracking observations of coyotes (www.rockies.ca/coyotes/). In addition to the mapping tool, the Living with Coyotes website provides a forum for coyote reserach results to be immediately available to the public, for the dissemination of educational and scholarly materials about coyotes, a method for citizens to have contact with researchers, and allows the public to track our reserach and topical matters through social networking (twitter and facebook).

Following the conclusion of the diet and parasite reserach, the project will continue to explore more avenues of the media content analyses, and expand to a comprehensive examination of coyote management efforts in Canada and societal attitudes and values towards coyotes.

PROJECT 2) Habitat Fragmentation and wildlife in the Candelaria River Basin and Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, Mexico

This is a collaborative effort with Dr. Jorge Benitez and Dr. Typhenn Bricheiri-Colombi, through the Autonomous University of Campeche (AUC), Mexico. The Candelaria watershed is a critical hydrological region that is bisected by the political boundary demarcating Mexico from Guatamala. The basin supports some of the highest biodiversity in the world and is largely unprotected, with the exception of parts of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve and the Flora and Fauna Protected Area of Terminos Lagoon (Mexico). Calakmul (723 185 ha) is a component of a system of protected corridors of 2 million ha, stretching from central Yucatán to the forests of Belize. These areas are the natural habitat for rare and endangered mammals such as jaguars (Panthera onca goldmani), howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra), spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) and tapir (Tapirus bairdii) (Alexander and Benitez, 2005). The Flora and Fauna Protected Area, Terminos Lagoon (2500 km²) on the Gulf of Mexico is the most important ecological coast of Mesoamerica. It is the home of 1468 species of vertebrates (terrestrial and aquatic) and accounts for 90% of the commercial catch per year (Alexander and Benitez, 2005).

The reserach examines the effects of highway expansion in the Calakmul on the distribution of multiple carnivores and their prey. The study examines the road effect zone and contrasts multiple non-invasive approaches to identifying critical use areas for sensitive carnviores. The project employs remote triggered cameras, track identification and community mapping techniques to explore this complex problem. The relationships between carnivores, people and conservation in this region is explored through interviews with locals. The work represents the first of its kind in the region and has acquired some of the first documentation of many rare carnivores. Our research team is one of the first international groups to be able to document wildlife in this region.