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.

Wed, 15 Sep 2021

Now Accepting Conservation Grant Proposals for 2022-2023

Project #3-419 - Fraser River Bighorns Capture Disease Assessment and Herd Recovery

Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation is now accepting applications for Enhancement/Restoration & Stewardship (ERS) grants, and Caribou Habitat Restoration Fund (CHRF) grants. Applications must be submitted through HCTF’s online application system by 4:30pm on November 5th, 2021 (PST).

Please visit our FAQ page to find useful tips and guidance for the online Survey Apply system.

Before beginning your application on the Survey Apply system, we strongly recommend that you complete your application on the Word worksheets posted on our website (updated worksheets for the 2022-23 grant year are now posted). Once completed you can copy-and-paste your answers into the online form. The worksheets also provide a useful overview of the questions and information requirements. Please note that HCTF cannot accept applications submitted by email.

Each year, Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation provides approximately $6 million dollars in Enhancement and Restoration grants to help fund projects that support the conservation of British Columbia’s native freshwater fish, wildlife, and their habitats. Since the inception of our work in 1981, the Foundation and its predecessors have invested over $195 million in more than 3230 projects across BC.

HCTF continues to partner with the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) to meet shared conservation objectives through co-investments in conservation projects administered through HCTF.

For questions related to Enhancement/Restoration and Stewardship grants, please contact Lisa Wielinga at Lisa.Wielinga@hctf.ca or 250-940-9781.

For questions related to CHRF, please contact Karen Berry at Karen.Berry@hctf.ca or 250-940-9785

Wed, 11 Mar 2020

2020-21 Preliminary List of Approved Projects

Field research on mule deer in Southern BC (Project 8-408)

A preliminary list of HCTF approved projects for 2020-21 is now available.

Download the 2020-21 Preliminary Approved Projects List

Projects included on this preliminary list have been approved in principle but may have reduced budgets or funding conditions. Over the next few weeks, all applicants will receive official notification emails including HCTF Board and technical committee comments. For approved projects, these emails will include the grant amount and funding conditions (if applicable).

Proponents of approved projects will receive a Conditional Grant Agreement by mail. Please be aware that until both you and HCTF have reviewed, accepted and signed the Conditional Grant Agreement, there is no confirmation of funding and no legal commitment in place.

Congratulations to all successful proponents! To those applicants who were not funded this time, thank you for your interest. The next opportunity to apply for an HCTF Enhancement and Restoration, Stewardship or Caribou Habitat Restoration Grant will be Fall of 2020 (Deadline: Friday November 6, 2020).

How are Grant Applications Reviewed?

Each proposal goes through a multi-level, objective technical review process prior to final Board decisions. Proposals are assessed by a primary reviewer and evaluated by a technical committee prior to being sent to the HCTF Board for final funding decisions. For more information on what these reviewers look for when evaluating a proposal, see https://hctf.ca/grants/enhancement-grants/#review

Tue, 3 Dec 2019
Tags: Conservation Lands O&M / Fish & Wildlife / Stewardship

Fall Site Visits: Stewardship, Sheep and Salmonids

Staff visit to Salmon River Estuary Conservation Area; Jade Neilson, Karen Wipond, Tom Reid, Christina Waddle, Shawn Lukas (from left to right)

HCTF staff enjoyed some time out in the field this fall with visits to project sites around the province. Each year, HCTF undertakes project evaluations on a sample of projects to conduct a financial review, and to ensure conservation objectives are being met.

The first evaluation took place in September with the Nature Kids program, a Stewardship project which aims to engage children and their families with nature through hands-on learning, stewardship activities and citizen science projects. HCTF staff visited the program’s office in North Vancouver and one of the weekend events in Greater Victoria called “Hawkwatch”.

The Raptors live demonstration at Hawkwatch.

In October, staff travelled to the Kootenays and visited 2 project sites with Irene Teske, Wildlife Biologist with the Ministry of Forest, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development (FLNR). Staff got a first-hand look at areas being treated to control invasive plants such as Yellow Hawkweed and St. John’s Wort at Bull River and Wigwam Flats, both conservation areas in the East Kootenay region. For this project, HCTF Special Permits (Wild Sheep) funding is being used to restore native grasslands to improve winter forage for Bighorn Sheep.

2008 photo of the Bull River bighorn herd. Beginning in 2009, wildlife managers noticed a rapid spread of yellow hawkweed and other invasive plant species in this herd’s winter range.

The next visit was to a very different landscape on the east coast of Vancouver Island. HCTF visited three sites funded under the Conservation Lands Operations and Management (O&M) Funding Program: S’amanu Wildlife Management Area (WMA), Nanaimo River Estuary Conservation Area, and the Salmon River Estuary Conservation Area. This program provides $550,000 annually to FLNR for O&M costs on ministry-administered conservation lands across the province including lands leased from the Nature Trust of BC. Funding for this program is provided primarily through endowment funds provided to HCTF from the Province of BC.

HCTF staff and the FLNR Conservation Lands Specialist Karen Wipond received a tour hosted by the West Coast Conservation Land Management Program (WCCLMP) staff Tom Reid and Shawn Lukas, demonstrating how HCTF O&M funding is being used to maintain conservation values at the selected properties.

At the S’amanu WMA, we viewed and discussed the restoration work and new interpretive signage at Ye’yumnuts, a sacred ancestral place of the Cowichan people. We also discussed invasive species management supporting species at risk on the site, and agricultural activities to enhance forage for wintering waterfowl.

After leaving S’amanu, we travelled north to the Nanaimo Estuary, the largest estuary on Vancouver Island, with riparian, marsh, and intertidal ecosystems including eelgrass beds, supporting thousands of over-wintering birds and juvenile salmonids. We viewed some restoration work in action while program staff and partners tested nets in the estuary to monitor juvenile salmonids in the coming spring. HCTF funding is also being used to develop improved elevation and vegetation mapping in the estuary which will help support management decisions and plan future restoration and enhancement projects.

Nanaimo Estuary including split rail fencing used to control access and direct visitors.

The third site we visited with WCCLMP staff was the Salmon River Estuary Conservation Area near the Village of Sayward. An HCTF Enhancement and Restoration Grant was used for habitat enhancement work for Roosevelt Elk and other species on the property purchased in 2015, the acquisition of which was also supported by HCTF. This restoration project included thinning the alder forest and planting to improve forage for Roosevelt elk, removing Scotch Broom and replanting with native species, and creating shallow wetland habitat with wood structures to improve habitat for amphibians.

Enhanced wetland habitat at the Salmon River Estuary Conservation Area.

HCTF staff appreciated the opportunity to see the great work funded across the province. The HCTF evaluation process provides an additional check and balance in addition to our rigorous proposal review process to ensure conservation objectives are realized and we see a positive difference for fish and wildlife and their habitats, as intended by our various contributors.

Thu, 5 Sep 2019
Tags: Stewardship

Stewardship Tools to Help Forest Professionals Conserve Fisher Habitat

The elusive fisher. Photo: Rich Weir

 

By J. Scott Yaeger, MSc, RPBio with contributions from Rich Weir, MSc, RPBio

This article originally appeared in the September/October edition of BC Forest Professional Magazine (republished with permission).

Pungent vanilla. Two words that I wrote in my field notebook twenty-four years ago to describe the subtle aroma on my hands after handling my first fisher (Pekania pennanti). Even now, those two words bring back the vivid memory of the day I caught this beautiful and elusive predator to attach a radio transmitter as part of a research study to learn more about how fishers use their forested habitats.

This housecat-sized member of the weasel family is difficult to study because they’re rarely seen by people, even those who work daily within the forests they inhabit. In fact, there are fewer fishers (less than 2,8001) than grizzly bears (about 17,0002) in British Columbia — and grizzly bear sightings don’t happen all that often. You might never see a fisher, but you are soon likely to hear more about this species because they’re becoming rarer in British Columbia. Research indicates that in areas where habitat is modified faster than it can re-grow, the ability of these landscapes to be occupied by fishers is “gravely” affected.3

Forestry professionals may soon be under increasing pressure to incorporate this rare animal’s needs into their forest development plans since fishers have specific habitat requirements (see Fisher Habitat 101 below). Because fishers have an association with late-successional forests, they’re sometimes perceived to be at odds with forestry objectives. It is true that timber harvest can dramatically impact the ability of the forest landscape to support fishers. But it doesn’t have to!

With financial support from the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, the Forest Enhancement Society of British Columbia, and the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program – Peace, the BC Fisher Habitat Working Group works closely with forest industry partners to develop stewardship tools meant to help forest professionals include fisher habitat essentials into their forest development. Using data from 25 years of on-the-ground research, these tools help identify fisher habitat and provide specific guidance to support forest management decision-making.

As an example, GIS planning tools are available throughout the range of fishers to help planning foresters evaluate fisher habitat condition surrounding a proposed cutblock and provide detailed retention target recommendations for site-planning considerations. At a smaller scale, being able to identify fisher habitat on-the-ground (a single reproductive den tree for example) is crucial to reduce longer-term impacts of harvest operations. To this end, fine-scale tools (such as photo guides) are available to identify specific fisher habitats for retention and even how to build important habitat features within cutblocks.

Fisher kits in a den. Fisher dens need to be a minimum of 30 cm in internal diameter. Photo credit: Inge-Jean Hansen

How can forest professionals, or anyone interested in fisher habitat, get their hands on these tools to help inform decisions regarding fisher habitat stewardship? Visit the BC Fisher Habitat and Forestry Web Module where job-specific tools are available for forest industry personnel form planners to feller-bunchers. There’s also a helpful six-minute video that provides an overview of what’s available.

These tools help make it easier for forest professionals to include fisher habitat considerations into forest development projects. For more info and to request support for your specific operational requirements or to schedule one of the free training sessions regularly offered to forestry operations throughout the range of fishers in BC, please get in touch with Scott Yaeger or Rich Weir.

With your help, we can build approaches that work for both forestry and fishers and curb the decline of this species in British Columbia. By adopting these voluntary measures, you may be able to reduce the risk of additional regulatory requirement if BC fishers were to become federally listed. Please take a few moments of your time to visit the website, try out our tools, and get in touch with your ideas on how we can help you incorporate fisher habitat needs into your operations.

 

Fisher Habitat 101Fishers require specific forested habitats from individual trees to landscapes to fulfill their life requisites — namely reproductive denning, resting, foraging, and movement habitats. A good fisher home range (25 to 50 km² for females and much larger for males), includes a balanced mixture of forest ages and conditions that supply overhead cover, ample hunting opportunities, and large structures scattered throughout.Large-diameter live trees that are old, rotting, and deformed provide secure denning and resting locations that fishers need to survive and reproduce. Fishers are the largest animal in British Columbia that requires a tree cavity for successful reproduction, and big cavities — with a minimum of 30 cm internal diameter — are needed to house a mother and her two or three kits (photo). The trees that meet these conditions are generally old (more than 100 years) and large (greater than 40 cm dbh).Foraging habitat for fishers can be found in a variety of forest stands, including young forests if security cover is present. Fishers also require movement habitat to safely travel between important areas within their home range and to access new areas when dispersing. Movement habitat is supplied by dense tree and shrub cover, which provides protection from above and vertical escape opportunities.

Fun Fisher Facts:

Uncharacteristic of their name, fish are not a regular prey item for fishers. Fishers will eat anything they can catch, but primarily prey on snowshoe hares, squirrels, birds, and mice.Fishers are one of very few predators that actively seek out and prey upon porcupine. While most animals avoid porcupines due to their quills, fishers are quick enough to avoid the quills, nipping the porcupine in the face, and keep at it until the porcupine succumbs.Fishers are able to rotate their hind legs 180 degrees and climb down trees headfirst (a useful skill when pursuing a squirrel!)

 

 

REFERENCES

  1. Weir, R. D. 2003. Status of the fisher in British Columbia. Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management, Conservation Data Centre, and Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, Biodiversity Branch, Wildlife Bulletin Number B-105. Victoria, British Columbia.
  2. Hamilton, A.N., D.C. Heard, and M.A. Austin. 2004. British Columbia Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos) Population Estimate. B.C. Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, Victoria, BC. 7pp.
  3. Weir, R. D., and F. B. Corbould. 2010. Factors affecting landscape occupancy by fishers in north-central British Columbia. Journal of Wildlife Management 74:405-410.

 

 

Mon, 29 Jul 2019
Tags: Citizen Science / Stewardship

Nature Clubs Program Connects BC Families with the Outdoors

Learning about BC wildlife with nature mentor Jo Style. Photo credit H. Datoo.

More BC families will get outdoors to explore, learn and take action for nature, thanks to a $37,977 grant to NatureKids BC’s Nature Clubs program. The program’s network of more than 25 volunteer-led nature clubs encourages kids and their families to learn about BC’s wildlife, plants and wild spaces by connecting with the outdoors.

Sarah Lockman, Executive Director of NatureKids BC, says that strengthening the connection between people and the outdoors is more important than ever, as increasing numbers of British Columbians live in urban environments. Over the next year, more than 1,500 BC youth and their families will participate in over 2,500 outdoor adventures and projects through the Nature Clubs program. Activities include maintaining nest boxes, creating interpretive signage, bird counts and other citizen science projects.

The grant to support the Nature Clubs program was one of 170 provided by the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation (HCTF) this year for BC conservation projects.

“HCTF has been a core funder of NatureKids BC for more than 10 years and we are privileged to have them as a partner,” said Lockman. “Relationships like these are critical to creating the next generation of nature lovers and environmental stewards and to ensuring that families are supported to get in touch with nature in their own backyards.”

HCTF Chair Dr. Winifred Kessler agrees. “Getting youth involved in conservation helps them build a lifelong connection to nature and feel that they can make a difference,” said Dr. Kessler. “We fund Nature Clubs and other environmental education projects because we know how important it is to create stewards – people who understand, value and help conserve biodiversity in BC.”

NatureKids BC also publishes NatureWILD, a quarterly magazine for families and elementary school students. This year they have also launched a Citizen Science project focused on bat education and advocacy. For more information, or to find a Nature Club near you, visit https://www.naturekidsbc.ca/

Photo:

Bird banding. Photo credit: C. McQuillan

 

HCTF Contact:
Shannon West
Manager, Program Development
Shannon.west@hctf.ca
250 940-9789

 

NatureKids BC Contact:
Sarah Lockman
Executive Director, NatureKids BC
sarahlockman@naturekids.bc.ca
604 985-3059

Quick Facts:

  • The Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation (HCTF) began as an initiative of BC anglers, hunters, trappers and guide outfitters.
  • Since 1981, HCTF has provided over $180 million in grants for more than 2600 conservation projects across BC. This year, a total of $9 million has been awarded for projects in all regions of the province. You can find a complete list of HCTF-funded projects at https://hctf.ca/achievements/project-list/
  • Since 2000, more than 20,000 BC children aged 5-12 have participated in NatureKids BC Explorer Days and enjoyed NatureWILD magazine and other programs