Fruitful or futile: Legacy effects of oil and gas well pad reclamation

Dr. Randi Corrine Lupardus
Recent Joint Post-Doctoral Fellow
Environmental Monitoring and Science Division and
University of Alberta Department of Renewable Resources

The Ecological Recovery Monitoring (ERM) Program at Environment and Parks, Canada, began in 2013 with two goals: 1. Monitor, evaluate, and report to Albertans regarding the science of potential long term impacts of human disturbance on landscape, soil and vegetation; and, 2. Better inform Albertans on the rate, magnitude, direction, and extent of ecological recovery at reclaimed and certified industrial sites in Alberta and to support government evaluation of current reclamation policies and practices. I was brought on to the ERM project in January 2018 to analyze data collected on 73 reclaimed oil and gas well pads across grassland, cultivated, and forested lands in Alberta. I will share results and take-home messages from each of my post-doc projects and manuscripts. The ERM peer reviewed publications and protocols will provide regulators with data to guide future policy and management of human disturbed landscapes.  

Everyone is welcome to join the seminar via Zoom and links will be distributed every Friday/Monday in the E-Nouncements/Seminar Series listserv.