Thu, 24 Mar 2022

Project Profile: Yellow Flag Iris, Enabling Stewardship and Habitat Conservation through Technology Transfer

Yellow Flag Iris on the Waterfront

Scanning the edge of wetlands, streams, lake shorelines, and shallow ponds you may notice a plant with dark green sword-like leaves and beautiful yellow flowers. But underneath the spring blooms and rich foliage Yellow Flag Iris forms an extensive thick mat of interconnected roots (rhizomes) which damage wildlife habitat, reduce water flow, and crowd out native vegetation. The plant is also poisonous to livestock if ingested and causes skin irritation in humans. It can be found in the lower mainland of BC and Vancouver Island, extending to the Southern Interior of BC through to North Thompson, Shuswap, Central Cariboo, into Similkameen Valley and Christina Lake as well as in the West Kootenays.

First introduced to North America in the 1800’s as an ornamental plant, like many invasive species this noxious weed reproduces quickly through seed dispersal, in addition to fragmentation of its horizontal root system. Seed pods can remain afloat for extended periods and may spread long distances through watercourses. The plant may take many years to (3-5) to produce the signature yellow flowers, so identification by leaves is important.

So how can this aggressive invasive species be managed? In 2020, HCTF began funding a project to provide education and training on the treatment and eradication of Yellow Flag Iris. Dr. Catherine Tarasoff of Agrowest Consulting has found that successful treatment of Yellow Flag Iris can be achieved with benthic barriers (aquatic barriers) and deep water cutting; however, land managers and stewards need to be properly trained in this method or Yellow Flag Iris will persist. Dr. Tarasoff set out to do just that; train stewards through the delivery of hands-on workshops across the province to put the tools in the hands of those closest to the problem.

Those that attended the workshops learned all about the plants’ ecology, to better understand the effectiveness of treatment. Yellow Flag Iris have large carbohydrate-rich rhizomes allowing them to feed off energy stores, even in less than ideal conditions. When Yellow Flag Iris is growing in an upland terrestrial site, it uses aerobic respiration in the presence of oxygen to generate energy; however, in saturated aquatic habitats (where it is mostly found in BC), anaerobic respiration is utilized, and the byproduct is toxic gases released from the leaves. When the leaves are clipped and removed and the patch is covered in a benthic barrier, the plant continues to use up food resources from its rhizomes and expels toxic gases which cannot escape. Under the covering, the gases emitted from the plant bounce around like free radicals further destroying the plant and speeding up the process of eradication.

Despite challenges with COVID-19, the team has trained 174 participants through 19 workshops in the southern portion of the province. These participants went on to train several more staff and/or volunteers and treated approximately 3,900 m sq of Yellow Flag Iris! The team also made a short series of educational videos to help reinforce the information learned in the workshops.

Short Instructional Video Gallery

Dr. Tarasoff has found through trial and error, it is recommended to treat smaller areas thoroughly, rather than tackling large areas less intensively. With proper application of the benthic barrier, enough time (at least a full year), and proper monitoring of rhizomes, treatment success is very high, and native plants will begin to colonize the treated area from dormant bulbs, rhizomes, and tubers.

The team plans to continue delivery of their workshops across the province to train more local land managers and stewards on this method for management of yellow flag iris so they too, in turn, can educate and train others. This is a great example of how local expertise can be shared province-wide to create stewards with the knowledge and tools to tackle this invasive species and improve habitat for fish and wildlife in their own backyards.

Other funding partners include Wildlife Habitat Canada.

Fri, 11 Feb 2022
Tags: CESI / Indigenous led

Better together: How collaboration has furthered conservation efforts along Lower Otter Creek

Restoration of Lower Otter Creek will secure important habitat for species like Arctic Grayling

The Lower Otter Creek Wetland Restoration Project showcases the strength of working together to achieve conservation goals across the province. From Leadership to funding, partnerships have been key to the project’s success.

The Taku River Tlingit First Nation (TRTFN) has led the project in close association with the BC Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation (EMLI), the community of Atlin, and consultants. The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy (MOE) provided funding through the Conservation Economic Stimulus Initiative for ecosystem and conservation initiatives. The placer mining industry also provided funding, exemplifying the power of partnerships across public, private, local, and provincial scales.

Thanks to hard work and collaboration, project proponents have successfully restored a historically altered creek and enhanced habitat around Lower Otter Creek and Surprise Lake—remote wetland areas roughly 20 km from Atlin, BC.

A joint effort

The Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation (HCTF) is responsible for the management and administration of a $700,000 grant provided by the MOE through the province’s Conservation Economic Stimulus Initiative (CESI)—an initiative designed to create conservation jobs for people who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

The project has also received additional funding and in-kind support from the placer mining industry, TRTFN, the provincial government, consultants, and the local community—a testament to the notion that all players truly have a “seat at the table”.

Jackie Caldwell, project lead and Mining Officer for TRTFN, has seen the power of partnerships first-hand and believes the project offers an opportunity to promote future collaboration within the community.

“It’s been really great to see that kind of collaboration coming together. I’m hoping that the project will showcase to the entire Atlin community, that if we put our minds together, we can achieve great things.”

About the project

The project began in 2017 and aims to restore a historically altered creek, stabilize the shoreline and improve water quality—all of which will benefit local wildlife, including Arctic grayling populations who have experienced notable declines over the past decade.

Several other species will also benefit from the project including bears, moose, and in the future, caribou. The area is currently a barrier for caribou migration, but project leads are hopeful that the new vegetation will expand the historic migration corridor that has been heavily fragmented by industrial development across northern BC.

“The goal of the project is essentially to take a non-productive portion of the stream and make it productive for wildlife use again,” explains Caldwell.

By diverting Lower Otter Creek into a more gently sloped path, the project has successfully turned a fast-flowing creek into a slow, meandering one. This change has allowed sediment from upstream mining activities and unstable slopes to settle out before entering Surprise Lake, improving both water quality and shoreline stability, and creating an environment conducive to vegetation growth.

To date, the engineering and construction work has been completed and additional plantings are scheduled for the spring of 2022.

Participation where it’s least expected

Due to a long history of placer mining in the region, the damage is considered a legacy disturbance, meaning there is no sole party that can be held responsible.

“It was a great starting point because it offered a project that we could all work on together,” says Caldwell.

Some of her favourite memories have involved collaboration with the community and she specifically recalls a time when an Atlin local volunteered to collect bear scat after posting the request on Facebook.

“One way to revegetate is to utilize natural seeds from the area like soapberry, crowberry, and Saskatoon berry,” explains Caldwell. However, to ensure successful germination, the seeds need to pass through the digestive tract of an animal.

Thanks to the support of an eager community member, Caldwell was able to collect more scat and has since distributed the native seeds throughout the site. “This was a great way to bring different people into the picture.”

Honouring Khustìyxh

By bringing multiple stakeholders together, the Lower Otter Creek Wetland Restoration Project has not only highlighted the power of partnerships, but it has also honoured the Tlingit ‘way of life’— khustìyxh.

“Khustìyxh is the concept that we’re not here to take from the land. The Tlingit are here to make sure the land prospers for future generations and everything we do should come back to that concept,” explains Caldwell.

The project has taken a historically disturbed area and given it new life, allowing future generations to both enjoy and live off the land.

 

The Conservation Economic Stimulus Initiative is funded by B.C.’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy which has allocated $10 million in funding for ecosystem and species conservation. As part of B.C.’s Economic Recovery Plan, this program will support B.C.’s economic recovery by investing in ecosystem and species restoration projects across the province. These projects will employ British Columbians, with a focus on demographics such as young adults, women, and Indigenous People who have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, by funding “shovel ready” conservation projects that will also help to protect and improve B.C.’s diverse ecosystems, wildlife, and freshwater fish species.

Wed, 15 Dec 2021
Tags: Habitat Acquisition

Pickles Waterfall Wetland Purchased for Conservation

Pickles Waterfall Wetland - photo provided by the Denman Conservancy Association

Denman Conservancy Association (DCA) is delighted to announce that it has purchased two adjacent lots of maturing Coastal Douglas-fir forest ecosystems and valuable wetlands on Denman Island. The properties, traditionally occupied by various Coast Salish peoples, and unceded, were most recently held by Raven Forest Products Ltd. of Campbell River BC. Together they total 32.02 hectares (~80 acres).

The “Pickles Waterfall Wetland” properties are contiguous with Denman Island Provincial Park land and are across Pickles Road from the Inner Island Nature Reserve, held by Islands Trust Conservancy. The land also has a common boundary with DCA’s Settlement Lands. This new conservation area is home to the SARA listed Red-legged frog (Rana aurora) and contains habitat for many other species at risk recorded in adjacent conservation areas.

Securing this Conservation land rounds out a series of conservation campaigns and land acquisitions that spans the entire 30-year life of Denman Conservancy Association. Contiguous conservation lands now extend from DCA’s Central Park northward to Chickadee Lake and the main bulk of Denman Island Provincial Park.

“This is splendid news,” said Des Kennedy, a founding director of DCA who has been active in conservation initiatives since the 1970s. “The current DCA Board of Directors is to be applauded for stellar work in significantly expanding the Pickles preserved area through this most recent acquisition,” Kennedy said.

This project was made possible by the Government of Canada through the Natural Heritage Conservation Program, part of Canada’s Nature Fund, and the Provincial Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation’s Acquisition Grant, as well as DCA’s Acquisition Fund, a grant from Islands Trust Conservancy’s Opportunity Fund, in-kind support from Nature Conservancy of Canada and funds generously provided by DCA members and supporters including Denman Island Chocolate and the Denman Climate Action Network. The purchase was completed on September 29th 2021.

“By working with partners like the Denman Conservancy Association, we are protecting nature in British Columbia and across the country. Protecting and conserving more nature across the country is an important part of our plan to address the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. Through programs like the Natural Heritage Conservation Program, we are making progress towards our goal of conserving a quarter of Canada’s lands and a quarter of its oceans by 2025, working towards 30% by 2030.” – The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Denman Conservancy Association is a community-based volunteer organization and a registered charity formed to preserve, protect and enhance the quality of the human and natural environment of Denman Island. It is supported by about 240 members, most of whom are residents of the Island.

80 Acres of Precious Biodiverse Ecosystems Protected!

The newly protected Pickles Waterfall Wetland area features coastal Douglas-fir forest stands averaging from 30 to 50 years with select remnant old-growth Douglas-fir trees, and the majority of a 3.94 hectare wetland and its outflow which drains to Pickles Marsh and the Beadnell Creek salmon-bearing watershed. The property includes the crest of an east facing slope which makes up the northeastern boundary. Along the entirety of this slope down toward Pickles Marsh, adjacent to the newly purchased land is approximately 4 hectares of old growth Coastal Douglas-fir forest with significant stands of Western redcedar including a stand of culturally modified trees just 3m outside the northeast boundary of the land, in Denman Island Provincial Park. Denman Conservancy has been interested in the securement of these lands since at least 2004, but the funding has not been available to acquire them until now.

 

Further information:

DCA Land Manager Erika Bland

250-702-7773 email: dcalandmanager@gmail.com

DD Fuchs, DCA Director

250-335-1413 email: tdfuchs@telus.net

www.denman-conservancy.org

Wed, 7 Jul 2021
Tags: Caribou / Habitat / Indigenous led / Species-At-Risk

Project Profile: Amoco Road Restoration Project

The Amoco Road restoration site is a legacy oil and gas road that stretches from valley bottom to the alpine in the Klinse-Za caribou herd in northeastern BC. Twenty-two years after the road was installed, the site is still dominated by non-native grass species, which has prevented naturally re-seeded seedlings from establishing and growing. As a result, the road remains a large scar on the landscape and fragments the mature forest ecosystem. The road also creates an easy travel route for predators to access critical caribou habitat in the alpine, and large stretches of open road also enable predators to spot caribou further away, improving their hunting efficiency. Use of the road by snowmobiles during the winter allows wolves easy travel along the packed trails into the alpine, increasing risk of predation on caribou. To speed up forest recovery and reduce the use of the road by predators, the Nîkanêse Wah tzee Stewardship Society has undertaken steps to restore the road to a forested ecosystem, thereby restoring critical caribou habitat. Restoration activities such as the planting of seedlings and juvenile trees along the road and the falling of dead trees across the road surface were completed in Summer 2020. These restoration activities will speed up natural forest regeneration and limit the ability of predators to use the corridor to access critical caribou habitat. Moving forward, activities, such as tree regeneration surveys and wildlife use monitoring, will be continued to determine the success of the restoration activities.

This Caribou Habitat Restoration Fund project was undertaken with the financial support of the Province of British Columbia and the Government of Canada through the federal Department of Environment and Climate Change.

 

 

 

 

 

Amoco Road restoration helicopter

Juvenile hybrid spruce and lodgepole pine trees being transported onto Amoco Road restoration site, Summer 2020.

 

Crews planting juvenile hybrid spruce and lodgepole pine trees on Amoco Road.

Crews planting juvenile hybrid spruce and lodgepole pine trees on Amoco Road restoration site, Summer 2020.

Juvenile hybrid spruce and lodgepole pine trees planted on Amoco Road.

Juvenile hybrid spruce and lodgepole pine trees planted in theatre-style spacing on one of the seven planting sites on Amoco Road restoration site, Summer 2020.

Caribou detected on a camera trap on Amoco Road restoration site, Summer 2020.

Caribou detected on a camera trap on Amoco Road restoration site, Summer 2020.

 

Grizzly bear

Grizzly bear detected on a camera trap on Amoco Road restoration site, Fall 2020.

 

 

Tue, 6 Jul 2021
Tags: Habitat Acquisition

South Okanagan gains 151 acres of protected land to foster biodiversity and protect critical habitats

Park Rill Floodplain, Stewart Ranch (photo by Graham Osborne)

This land preserves habitats for species at risk including the Lewis’s Woodpecker, Peregrine Falcon, and Western Screech Owl

 

The Nature Trust of BC, a leading non-profit land conservation organization, announced today that, with the help of donations from conservation-minded individuals, 61 hectares (151 acres) of ecologically important land, known as the Park Rill Floodplain, will be added to the White Lake Basin Biodiversity Ranch conservation complex in the South Okanagan. Connectivity of habitats is critically important for fostering biodiversity, so the conservation of this property will add to the resilience of wildlife in the ecosystems all around.

The native grasslands of the South Okanagan are a hotspot for biodiversity, hosting a huge number of BC’s at-risk species. But, grasslands are also one of the rarest land cover types in BC covering less than 1% of BC’s land base, with few intact swaths of open plains remaining.

Located approximately 3 km northwest of the community of Willowbrook within the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, the Park Rill Floodplain property supports many species of conservation concern and provides critical habitat for federally listed species at risk. The Lewis’s Woodpecker (listed as threatened under SARA Schedule 1) is at-risk from the loss of its nesting habitat in Ponderosa Pine forests.

With its diversity of ecosystems, Park Rill Floodplain is home to many other birds that are a conservation concern, from the BC Red-listed Peregrine Falcons (SARA Schedule 1 – Special Concern) that stalk the daytime skies, to the Blue-listed Western Screech Owls (SARA Schedule 1 – Threatened) that hunt in the night.

“Through the ongoing support and generosity of our partners and donors, we are delighted that Park Rill Floodplain will be added to the White Lake Basin Biodiversity Ranch Complex. Park Rill Floodplain protects additional critical habitat for species at-risk and helps sustain a viable biodiversity ranching operation. Expanding this Nature Trust conservation complex will play a vital role in maintaining habitat connectivity and ecological resiliency.” says Nick Burdock, Okanagan Conservation Land Manager.

Birds aren’t the only creatures to inhabit the natural landscape of Park Rill Floodplain. Endangered American Badgers burrow under the ground, while at dawn and dusk the Nuttall’s Cottontail can be seen through the underbrush. The smallest species of rabbit in BC, Nuttall’s Cottontail is a special conservation concern because of the loss of its grassland habitat. Black bears wander the rich meadows and in winter, Mule Deer migrate down from the heavier snow of higher elevations to feed on leaves, twigs, and shrubs in the low-lying grasslands of Park Rill Floodplain. Along with these mammals, there are at-risk amphibians and reptiles like the Western Tiger Salamander, Great Basin Spadefoot, Great Basin Gopher Snake, and Western Rattlesnake.

It is difficult to find low-land habitats unaffected by development, but three quarters of Park Rill Floodplain remains in a relatively natural state, allowing it to support six sensitive ecosystems: sagebrush steppe, open coniferous woodland, seasonally flooded fields, wet meadow, sparsely vegetated rocky outcrops, and importantly, grasslands. The remaining area is a cultivated floodplain surrounding Park Rill Creek, however with the conservation of this land by The Nature Trust of BC, it can be restored to a natural state.

“The diversity of species and habitats protected by this project exemplifies the importance of the native grasslands within the South Okanagan. The Nature Trust of BC has a sterling track record for protecting, managing and restoring these and other critical habitat types in BC. For that reason, the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation is a proud funding partner of the Nature Trust and of our shared goals of conserving fish, wildlife and their habitats through the protection and conservation of BC’s natural landscapes.” – Dan Buffett, CEO of the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation.

With the conservation of Park Rill Floodplain, the home of these species and many more are protected in perpetuity. Expanding the protected areas within Okanagan grasslands will serve to maintain its rich biodiversity for generations to come.

The Nature Trust thanks landowners and conservationists Ray and Jennifer Stewart who have cared for the land for 33 years.

This project was undertaken with the financial support of Environment Climate Change Canada, Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, George Galbraith and Family, Val and Dick Bradshaw, and many individual donors.

 

Contributed by The Nature Trust of British Columbia

Thu, 1 Jul 2021
Tags: Caribou / Habitat / Indigenous led / Species-At-Risk

Project Profile: Kotcho Lake Restoration Project

Aerial photo of caribou in Kotch Lake restoration area.

The Kotcho Lake Caribou Habitat Restoration Fund project is focused on restoring legacy seismic lines in core boreal caribou habitat located in the Snake Sahtenah range. Fort Nelson First Nation (FNFN) identified this area as a high priority for restoration due to the cultural importance of the area, the value of the area for caribou and other species, and the very high density of old seismic lines, which were not recovering on their own. Restoration work is conducted in the late summer, using light machinery to access intersections of old seismic lines and transplant “donor” mounds from areas beside the seismic lines. Donor mounds are then transplanted with black spruce seedlings, and trees are felled around the transplanted sites to block the lines until the mounds can establish. By treating in the summer, FNFN believe that restored sites will more closely resemble natural sites than areas treated in the winter. Summer treatments may also prove less expensive than winter work, which is currently the industry standard for restoring these sites. FNFN’s hypothesis is that the donor mounds will quickly establish on seismic lines and accelerate ecological recovery. By treating line intersections, they anticipate seeing reduced use of the untreated areas between the intersections by wolves and other predators. Overall, FNFN hope this approach (treating in the summer; hummock transplants and tree falling; focusing on intersections; and selecting key access routes) can result in effective restoration over a large area of the landscape. Monitoring of the vegetation response, the wildlife use of treated and untreated areas, and the overall cost of the treatments in comparison to winter work is ongoing to determine treatment effectiveness. You can read the full Year 2 technical report about this project here.

Katherine and Susan monitoring restoration works

Katherine and Susan monitoring restoration works

Tree growing like a boss in a transplanted hummock.

Tree growing in a transplanted hummock.

 

Woody vascular species also appear to be growing well on the hummocks.

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development for making this project possible.