Wed, 6 Feb 2019
Tags: Citizen Science / Stewardship

WANTED: Reports of dead bats and of bats flying during winter

Hibernating Little Brown Bats - Al Hicks

Pubic help needed to monitor for bat disease

BC bats are threatened by disease, and researchers are again asking for the public to help. White Nose Syndrome (WNS), a fungal disease responsible for the death of millions of bats in eastern North America, has moved to the west coast.

Confirmed in Washington State just 150 km south of the BC-US border, the presence of the fungus is very worrisome for the health of our bat populations. The disease has near 100% mortality for some species of bats exposed to the fungus, including the familiar Little Brown Myotis. Although devastating for bats, WNS does not affect humans.

The BC Community Bat Program in collaboration with the BC government is requesting the public’s help in monitoring the spread of this disease. “We believe that our bats hibernate in relatively small groups across the province” says Mandy Kellner. “Detecting WNS in our province will require many eyes on the ground”. The typical first sign of this disease is bats flying during the winter, an unusual sighting at a time of year when bats should be hibernating. Another sign of the presence of WNS is the appearance of dead bats outdoors as they succumb to the effects of WNS.

“We are encouraging the public to report dead bats or any sightings of winter bat activity to the Community Bat Project (CBP) toll-free phone number, website, or email below. Bat carcasses will be submitted for testing for White Nose Syndrome and would provide the earliest indication of the presence of the disease in BC” says Kellner. Reports of winter bat activity will help focus research, monitoring and protection efforts.

If you find a dead bat, report it to the CBP (1-855-922-2287 ext 24 or info@bcbats.ca) as soon as possible for further information. Never touch a dead bat with your bare hands. Please note that if you or your pet has been in direct contact with the bat you will need further information regarding the risk of rabies to you and your pet.

Currently there are no treatments for White Nose Syndrome. However, mitigating other threats to bat populations and preserving and restoring bat habitat may provide bat populations with the resilience to rebound. This is where the BC Community Bat Program and the general public can help.

Funded by the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, the Forest Enhancement Society of BC, the Province of BC, and the Habitat Stewardship Program, the BC Community Bat Program works with the government and others on public outreach activities, public reports of roosting bats in buildings, and our citizen-science bat monitoring program.

To contact the BC Community Bat Program, see www.bcbats.ca, email info@bcbats.ca or call 1-855-922-2287 ext. 24.

HCTF is providing funding for the BC Community Bat Program through grants to project 0-476, Got Bats? B.C. Community Outreach, Conservation and Citizen Science Project

Tue, 5 Feb 2019
Tags: Wildlife

Research paper from an HCTF funded project awarded top scientific paper of 2018 by the International Wildlife Society

 

 

Congratulations to lead author and HCTF project leader Clayton Lamb!
The article “Forbidden fruit: human settlement and abundant fruit create an ecological trap for an apex omnivore.” Clayton T. Lamb, Garth Mowat, Bruce McLellan, Scott E. Nielsen, Stan Boutin, came out of the ongoing HCTF-funded South Rockies Grizzly Bear Project.
Since 2006 this project has monitored grizzly population trend in some of the highest non-hunting mortality areas in BC, in the hopes of reducing risk to local grizzlies.

View an infographic overview of the article here.

Tue, 5 Feb 2019
Tags: Stewardship

Enhanced farmland benefits farmers and fowl!

Snow-Cackling-Geese-Grazing-sm
Snow & Cackling Geese grazing on winter cover crop in Richmond.

HCTF grant recipients Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust have been working with farming operations on the Fraser River delta to enhance farmland with winter cover crops of cereal grasses, forage grasses, clovers and legume mixtures. Not only does this enrich the fertility of the soil, it also provides much needed fuel for migrating waterfowl passing through the delta.

“This project directly supports Delta and Richmond farmers committed to land stewardship. These 18 farmers have established over 2,850 acres of winter cover crops on farmland for the 2018 project year.” says Program Manager Drew Bondar.

Thu, 10 Jan 2019
Tags: Fish & Wildlife / Wildlife

Meet the Neighbours!

Animal-quartet
photo credit Dr. Naidoo

The South Chilcotin Mountains in south-central British Columbia are well-recognized as a wildlife haven, and contain some of the province’s most iconic wilderness species. However, there is little understanding of how an increasing human footprint in this region impacts the diversity and abundance of species. There is little information available on the key factors that regulate the distribution & abundance of wildlife here, which is a critical knowledge gap as human activity is increasing in large parts of the region, with unknown consequences.

To address these issues, HCTF is funding Dr. Robin Naidoo’s study in the South Chilcotin mountains. So far, camera traps have turned up a wide variety of species including cougars, bears, moose, wolves, coyotes, wolverine, lynx, and many more.

“Although our camera trap grid has been running for less than a year, it has revealed that the abundance and diversity of wildlife that share trails with people in the South Chilcotins is truly remarkable,” says Dr. Naidoo

Mon, 7 Jan 2019
Tags: Habitat Acquisition

New Year, New Land

Park Rill Creek by Nick Burdock

HCTF is pleased to announce the acquisition of two new parcels of land in the Okanagan. A hotspot of biodiversity and of species at risk in Canada, the Okanagan has experienced significant conversion of wild land to other uses in recent decades.

The Park Rill Creek property was purchased by The Nature Trust of BC. Located in the White Lake Basin in the South Okanagan, this 32.2 hectare (80 acre) parcel is home to some of the most endangered and rare species in our province such as the endangered Half-moon Hairstreak butterfly and the rare Painted Turtle. The property is rich with vegetation including aromatic gray sagebrush, desert grassland and broadleaf woodlands.

The R.E. Taylor Conservation Property, is named in honour of Ron Taylor of Winfield, BC, whose dedication and commitment to wildlife conservation in BC has spanned more than half a century. Ron helped to create the Southern Interior Land Trust (SILT), the purchasers of this property.

The property is a gem of intact streamside Water Birch forest, one of very few remaining in the Okanagan-Similkameen. It provides habitat for at least five federally-listed species at risk, including the Yellow-breasted Chat, Western Screech Owl and Lewis’s Woodpecker. It is also good habitat for deer, bear, bobcat and badger that travel across the valley, and for rainbow trout in the creek.

Significant contributions from HCTF, along with other funders mean long-term protection for these valuable ecosystems.

Thu, 29 Nov 2018
Tags: Fish & Wildlife / Fisheries

Coquihalla River Rehabilitation Project Update

Crew working to break up boulder on Coquihalla River

HCTF is delighted to share an update from one of our more explosive recent projects, the Coquihalla River Summer Steelhead Migration Rehabilitation Project.

In the spring of 2014, an unfortunate combination of erosion, shifting of boulders and the settling of a failed bridge foundation introduced a new obstacle for summer steelhead attempting to access the upper 20 km of the Coquihalla River. The location of Othello Falls, combined with seasonal water levels, have always made this stretch very difficult to pass, but the 2014 events made this barrier almost fully impassable. Loss of access to the upper river threatened the long-term viability of this unique steelhead population. In response, a dedicated group of biologists, engineers, conservationists, and fisheries enthusiasts came together to make a plan.

Northwest Hydraulic Consultants was contracted to oversee modifications to the barrier. In September 2017, the team rappelled down the bridge at Othello Falls, drilled holes in the most problematic boulder, and used low-impact explosives to break the blockage into smaller pieces. Over the winter, high water flows redistributed the rocks, creating a more accessible passage for steelhead.

While it is still too early to assess the full impact of the rehabilitation work, preliminary results are encouraging, according to Mike Willcox, project leader and Fish Biologist with Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development for the South Coast Natural Resource Region. His team conducted snorkel surveys both up- and down-stream of the barrier in late summer 2018 to determine the percentage of summer steelhead that successfully traversed the blockage. “Our observations indicate the works were at least partly successful in improving access at the barrier,” says Willcox. “As well, anglers were pleased with the fishery upstream of the barrier this season. We will continue to monitor fish movement each year past the barrier to determine whether any further works are required.”

The Coquihalla River supports one of only two natural, coastal summer-run steelhead stocks on the lower Fraser River. This stretch of river provides a rare opportunity for artificial fly-only summer steelhead fishing. From both a conservation and recreation viewpoint, individuals and organizations from across BC are very keen to support this important piece of habitat. HCTF is keen to follow the monitoring updates from the talented and creative folks on the ground and in the water at the Coquihalla River.

This project was supported by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC, the Steelhead Society, Kingfisher Rod and Gun Club, the BC Conservation Foundation, BC Parks and the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development.