scholarly journals Reconnecting Amphibian Habitat through Small Pond Construction and Enhancement, South Okanagan River Valley, British Columbia, Canada

Diversity ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Ashpole ◽  
Christine Bishop ◽  
Stephen Murphy

The arid south Okanagan River Valley, British Columbia is a highly-modified landscape; where wetland and riparian habitat loss exceeds 85%, and 88% of remaining wetlands experience at least one harmful anthropogenic stressor. This multi-stressor landscape for amphibian species at risk led to a collaborative stakeholder approach for habitat restoration and species recovery. The main project goal was to increase the quantity and quality of lowland wetland habitat by reconnecting known amphibian-breeding sites with constructed and/or enhanced small ponds. Long-term amphibian monitoring data were used to determine strategic locations for wetland construction and/or enhancement. Habitat enhancement outcomes (Ntotal = 21 sites) since 2006 include 10 newly constructed ponds, enhancement of eight re-contoured ponds after historic infilling, and invasive predatory species removal at three sites. Project ponds were monitored annually (2007 to 2014) for calling frogs, the presence of eggs, and metamorphic emergence. Early signs of colonization and metamorphic success for Great Basin Spadefoot (Spea intermontana) (N = 13 sites) and Pacific treefrog (Pseudacris regilla) (N = 7 sites) populations have been observed, however no records of Blotched tiger salamanders (Ambystoma mavortium) colonization has been detected. Wetland habitat construction and enhancement have doubled the number of available fishless ponds to support breeding within the study area and engaged landowners through voluntary stewardship. Whether constructed or enhanced ponds have aided species recovery is unclear, though the colonization and successful metamorphosis of some species provides early supporting evidence that it will.

2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (7) ◽  
pp. 1122-1128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong-Bi Fu ◽  
Don Thompson

Bluebunch wheatgrass ( Pseudoroegneria spicata (Pursh) A. Löve) is a cool-season perennial grass native to semi-arid regions of western North America and has been used for habitat restoration. However, the genetic diversity of this species is poorly understood. A total of 172 expressed sequence tag-derived simple sequence repeat (eSSR) primer pairs that had been developed for wheat were characterized for genetic diversity studies of bluebunch wheatgrass. Of these, 12 eSSR primer pairs were found to be informative and were applied to screen 216 plants collected from six locations with two different elevations in the Thompson River valley of British Columbia. These analyses revealed a total of 106 eSSR polymorphic alleles (or bands) scorable for each sample. The number of polymorphic bands per primer pair ranged from 2 to 17 with a mean of 8.8. The frequencies of these bands ranged from 0.005 to 0.995 and averaged 0.146. Most (92.6%) of the eSSR variation detected was present within the 12 populations assessed. The between-population eSSR variability was significantly associated with their geographic distances, but not with their elevations. These findings are useful for genetic diversity and genetic mapping studies of this grass species and should facilitate the sampling and development of bluebunch wheatgrass germplasm for germplasm conservation and habitat restoration.


2001 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 889-900 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corey R Froese ◽  
David M Cruden

Slopes in weakly cemented glaciolacustrine sediments in the Morkill River valley in the Canadian Rocky Mountains stand at up to 70°. Based on field and laboratory observations it appears that a contributing factor to instability is the softening of the soils by frost action and the leaching of calcite cement. Field density profiles demonstrated increased density and carbonate content with an increase in depth. Laboratory tests of carbonate content indicated a positive correlation between calcium carbonate and density in the glaciolacustrine sediments. The relationship was strongest in sands, in which leaching and dissolution were important components of softening. In clays, frost action was the dominant component of softening. Freeze-thaw tests showed a 50% decrease in strength after one cycle of freeze and thaw in the silts and clays.Key words: landslide, cemented, glaciolacustrine sediments, British Columbia.


2018 ◽  
Vol 132 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dana M. Eye ◽  
Jared R. Maida ◽  
Owain M. McKibbin ◽  
Karl W. Larsen ◽  
Christine A. Bishop

We report on snake mortalities along exclusion fencing in southern British Columbia, showing Western Yellow-bellied Racer (Coluber constrictor mormon) deaths were disproportionately higher than our encounter rates with the species within the snake community. This suggests racers were susceptible to fence mortality more so than Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes (Crotalus o. oreganus) or Great Basin Gophersnakes (Pituouphis catenifer deserticola). Datalogger recordings revealed temperatures under cover boards were well above the tolerable temperatures of the three snake species, although the boards appeared to temper ambient heat more efficiently than natural vegetation. We caution that the effects of fencing and cover boards may vary across ecosystems and snake species.


2011 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dariusz Bukaciński ◽  
Monika Bukacińska ◽  
Arkadiusz Buczyński

The inventory of birds was conducted in the years 2005-2010 on the Vistula River section between Dęblin (388 km of the river) and Podwierzbie (435 km of the river). The study area includes a southern section of the European Ecological Natura 2000 Site in Poland PLB140004 „Middle Vistula River Valley” (IBA, PL083). In most areas the Vistula flows here within unregulated or relatively little modified riverbed, having features of natural, lowland, braided river. Sandy islands and braid bars within the main channel, steep banks, and old riparian afforestation create the unique breeding habitats of the Vistula River Valley. Especially the river channel habitats provide suitable breeding sites for many rare bird species, constituting some of them the key-breeding sites. There are, however, fragments of several kilometers, where people transformed the Vistula River in a more visible way (Table 1). These are, among others: an urban section within Dęblin boundaries (km 388-393 of the river), a fragment adjacent to Kozienice Power Plant (km 421-426), and the area, where since 2007 gravel for the industry has been mining from the river bottom (km 426-431). The aim of this inventory was the comparison of richness and abundance of breeding bird species associated directly with the river channel on fragments mentioned above. It will allow us to estimate soberly how very the intensity of human utilization of the river affects the distribution of avifauna of the Vistula, determining the richness and abundance of valuable and/or endangered species breeding in a given area.


1979 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 488-496 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. H. Wade ◽  
H. Taylor

Deep test bleeder wells were installed in an artesian aquifer underlying the Bridge River No. 1 hydroelectric generating station in southern British Columbia to determine whether seasonal peak artesian pressures could be controlled.The Bridge River complex, built in the early 1950's, consists of two powerhouses located about a kilometre apart on the shore of Seton Lake, a system of power tunnels, and surface penstocks, which conduct water from the Carpenter Lake reservoir in Bridge River valley to the powerhouses. The No. 1 powerhouse is founded on consolidated deposits of clayey silt, underlain by sand and gravel. Shortly after the powerhouse was constructed, ground and powerhouse movements occurred. It was later determined that such movement was caused by high artesian pressures in the sand and gravel aquifer under the powerhouse.Attempts to install bleeder wells in 1952 were unsuccessful and an offshore fill was constructed as a toe weight, which functioned adequately until 1974 when additional ground cracking was observed. After further study and additional drilling at the site, test bleeder wells and piezometers were installed in 1976.Tests conducted to assess the effect of the bleeder wells indicated that control of excessive artesian pressures by a system of bleeder wells was feasible.


2005 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Selina Tribe

A map of reconstructed Eocene physiography and drainage directions is presented for the southern Interior Plateau region, British Columbia south of 53°N. Eocene landforms are inferred from the distribution and depositional paleoenvironment of Eocene rocks and from crosscutting relationships between regional-scale geomorphology and bedrock geology of known age. Eocene drainage directions are inferred from physiography, relief, and base level elevations of the sub-Eocene unconformity and the documented distribution, provenance, and paleocurrents of early Cenozoic fluvial sediments. The Eocene landscape of the southern Interior Plateau resembled its modern counterpart, with highlands, plains, and deeply incised drainages, except regional drainage was to the north. An anabranching valley system trending west and northwest from Quesnel and Shuswap Highlands, across the Cariboo Plateau to the Fraser River valley, contained north-flowing streams from Eocene to early Quaternary time. Other valleys dating back at least to Middle Eocene time include the North Thompson valley south of Clearwater, Thompson valley from Kamloops to Spences Bridge, the valley containing Nicola Lake, Bridge River valley, and Okanagan Lake valley. During the early Cenozoic, highlands existed where the Coast Mountains are today. Southward drainage along the modern Fraser, Chilcotin, and Thompson River valleys was established after the Late Miocene.


1932 ◽  
Vol 64 (11) ◽  
pp. 247-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Herbert H. Ross

This species has apparently been introduced in recent years and become established as a pest of the common native alder (Alnus rubra) on the west coast of Washington and British Columbia, particularly in the lower part of the Fraser River Valley. The earliest specimens I have at hand are a series of 15 females taken at White Rock, B. C., June 28, 1929, collected by Mr. G. Beall.


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