FWR Student Reports | BCIT Institutional Repository

FWR Student Reports

Description

In Year Two of BCIT's Fish, Wildlife & Recreation program students participate in a year-long project related to renewable resources. Students conduct a supervised research project in fish, wildlife or recreation. Many of these projects are requested and sponsored by resource management agencies., All reports in this series are available on-line in PDF format.

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Biological inventory of Still Creek, Burnaby
Report submitted to Doug B. Ransome and Robyn Wark, City of Burnaby. Report submitted by Laura Sampson and Marnie Watson in May 2004. The riparian corridor of Still Creek in Burnaby, BC was inventoried for relative abundance data on small mammals, birds and vegetation from September 2003 to April 2004. This study was conducted to assess differences in biodiversity along the corridor based on land use and buffer size, and to establish baseline data to monitor trends as restoration work takes place.
Brunette watershed fish sampling study 2003-2004
Report submitted to: the City of Burnaby as part of the Burnaby Lake Systems Project (BLSP). Report prepared by: Cole Smith & Manny Johnson. The project was designed to determine if there is a presence of fish species within selected streams in the Brunette River Basin. Three systems were selected to study: (1) Guichon Creek; (2) Chub Creek; (3) Darnley Creek. Catch methods consisted of deploying juvenile salmonid traps in selected reaches of each system. Traps were checked and maintained daily. Fish enumeration results are organized in the report by species, length, system, and reach, using tables and graphs. In addition, problems and concerns related to the study are also included throughout the report.
Bull trout (salvelinus confluentus) presence/not detected study in six streams between Whistler & Pemberton, British Columbia
Report submitted to: FWR instructor Rob Gunn & Iain Lunn, for the Ministry of Water Land and Air Protection. Submitted by: Jen Carter & Zac Semeniuk. Bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) populations are at presumed conservation risk levels in the southwestern corner of British Columbia. Their habitat is threatened by urban development, poaching, and over fishing. Since the Resort Municipality of Whistler, and the surrounding area, is used extensively for recreational purposes, it is important to determine bull trout presence in order to aid in planning processes, to ensure that fish populations and habitat are not drastically compromised. The purpose of this study was to determine the presence of bull trout in selected streams between Whistler and Pemberton British Columbia.
Burnaby Lake squirrel project
Report submitted to Doug B. Ransome and Bob Gunn. Report submitted by Cameron Stooshnoff and Andrew Klassen May 12, 2004. The eastern grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) population has been increasing in the lower Fraser Valley, as far east as Abbotsford. Few studies have examined the relationships between the native northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus) and Douglas squirrels (Tamiasciurus douglasii), and the introduced eastern grey squirrels, in the Lower Mainland. The purpose of this project was to determine; if Douglas squirrels and northern flying squirrels were abundant in the Park; and if they have been negatively influenced by the increase in abundance of eastern grey squirrels.
Chum salmon escapement enumeration, 1999
Report written by Deanna Hamilton, Len Moreside, and George Nohr. Report prepared for Scott Resource Services Inc. Mission, BC. The 1999 chum salmon enumeration project is a continuation of the 1998 study completed by Scott Resource Services Inc. and FWR students. From October 1 to December 1 1999, Scott Resource Services Inc., the Katzie First Nation, and FWR students, Len Moreside, George Nohr and Deanna Hamilton, conducted a Curlock mark and recapture survey on the South Alouette River.
The Deer Lake recreational fishery ; an angling study
Report written by Peter Mathews. This project involved a study of the recreational fishery at Deer Lake in Burnaby, British Columbia. The purpose of this study was to assess if the current fisheries management strategies are appropriate for Deer Lake and its tributaries and to create some management recommendations for improving the current recreational fishery. The primary objectives were to assess the distribution and abundance of salmonids throughout the system and the public's opinion of the recreational fishery in Deer Lake.
Delta basin winter raptor habitat preference survey 2003-2004
Report submitted to: Doug Ransome, Wildlife Management Instructor, and Markus Merkens, Wildlife Biologist, Delta Farmland and Nature Trust, Ladner, BC. Prepared by: Benjamin Crook, Blair Reilly and Gord Gadsden on May 12, 2004. Objectives in this study were to monitor raptor use of our study area and to determine the habitat type each species preferred. Habitat in the study area was categorized into eight field types; tall grass, short grass, winter cover, berry crops, crop residue, corn stubble, bare field and other. Recorded are each individual raptor to species, age, sex, behavior and field it was using. This survey followed RISC road transect methodology modified slightly by adding five minute survey stations and a smaller crew size.
Habitat use and abundance trends of wintering raptors in the Fraser delta 2005 - 2006.
Report submitted to: Doug Ransome , Wildlife Ecology and Management Instructor and Markus Merkins Wildlife Biologist Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust, Delta, BC. Submitted by Carley Fairbrother, Josh Middler, and Lisa Waldie. The Fraser Delta is a critical habitat for raptors which migrate to the area to take advantage of the abundant food and temperate climate. In addition, raptors stay in the Fraser Delta year-round. Delta Farmland and Wildlife trust has implemented programs to enhance wildlife habitats, especially for wintering raptors, while promoting sustainable farming strategies. This report documented the abundance trends and use of different habitat types by wintering raptors in the farmland of Delta, B.C.
Harlequin duck winter ecology study - White Rock, BC
Report written by: Natasha Dickinson, Natalie Martens and Caresse Ollenberger. Report was written for Dr. Sean Boyd, Biologist, Canadian Wildlife Service and Daniel J. Catt, Wildlife Management Instructor for BCIT's Project Course (RENR 3230 and 4230) for the Fish, Wildlife and Recreation program. The study focused on collecting behavioural data for the western population of Harlequin Ducks found along the five-kilometre shoreline between White Rock and Crescent Beach, BC.
Hayward Lake Reservoir recreation area vegetation and wildlife use survey
Report written by: Dianne Ramage, Chris Tietze and Julie Volk. This study was done to provide BC Hydro with baseline data on the vegetation and wildlife found during the winter period at Hayward Lake. A winter vegetation inventory and presence/not detected wildlife use survey was completed of BC Hydro's Hayward Lake Reservoir Recreation Area from October 1999 to March 2000. Presented to D.J. Catt, Wildlife Instructor.
Inventory of two salmonid enhancement sites within the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve
Report submitted to FWR instructor Bob Gunn. Submitted by Angela Negenman and Kathleen Churcher. The Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD), in partnership with the Seymour Salmonid Society, has created four off-channel salmonid enhancement sites of over 45 000m2 of habitat within the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve (LSCR) located in North Vancouver in the Seymour River watershed. Little data have been available to date on the productivity of the enhancement habitat, as it has yet to be regularly monitored. This poses a problem for the GVRD and Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) in evaluating their projects and planning future enhancement in this watershed. In order to rectify this deficiency, from September 2004 to January 2005 two of the four enhancement sites were assessed for abundance of juvenile fish, adult salmon escapement and water quality. May 2005.
Management of invasive plant species in Jericho Beach Park, Vancouver
Report submitted to FWR instructor Danny Catt and Mike Mackintosh, Fish and Wildlife, Vancouver Parks and Recreation. Submitted by: Carlo Acuña and Janusz Kruszewski. This report was prepared for the Jericho Stewardship Group . The objectives of this project were to:1) Conduct a literature review of the major invasive plant species in Jericho Beach Park to document: i) Identification features, ii) Ecology and reproduction, iii) Control options, 2) Survey and map the locations of invasive plant species in Jericho Beach Park, and 3) Provide recommendations for a management plan to systematically remove invasive plant species from Jericho Beach Park.
Mount Richardson Provincial Park background report
Report written by Chris Davy and Jake Filusz for the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks BC Parks Garibaldi/Sunshine Coast District.
Mountain beaver abundance in young and mature forest stands
Report submitted to: FWR instructor Doug Ransome and Doug Wilson, Manager, Parks Department Fraser Valley Regional District, Chilliwack, BC. Submitted by: Michelle Knaggs, Stephanie Wall, Eric Brownrigg. Under Canada's Species at Risk Act (SARA) mountain beavers (Aplodontia rufa rufa) are designated as a species of Special Concern, and in the province of British Columbia are a red-listed species because of its limited distribution in BC. Because little is known about the mountain beaver's habitat, the purpose of this project was to compare relative abundance of mountain beavers, using burrow counts, in young and mature forests. This study was done on Sumas Mountain, the western edge of their distribution from October 2004 to March 2005. Mountain beavers were only found in young stands. There was no evidence of mountain beaver activity in the mature stands, which suggests that mountain beavers are an early seral stage species.
Pacific water shrew survey 2003 - 2004
Report submitted to Doug Ransome, Wildlife Management Instructor, and Ross Vennesland, Species at Risk Recovery Biologist, BC Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, Regional Headquarters, Surrey, BC. Report submitted by Nick Dykshoorn, Kenji Miyazaki and Dave Driediger. The Pacific water shrew (Sorex bendirii) is red listed by British Columbia provincial government and considered threatened by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. The Pacific water shrew (PWS) is considered rare throughout its range and is very difficult to capture. Past studies have positively identified only nine specimens within BC. Habitat loss, limited distribution, and specialized habitat requirements continue to threaten British Columbia's PWS population. The objective of this study was to determine if the presence of PWS can be efficiently detected through identification of aquatic invertebrate parts and exoskeletons found within collected scats. Further intentions were to (1) assess the feasibility of using bait tubes as a method of determining the presence of PWS and; (2) to determine whether PWS are present in BC's Fraser Valley. May 2004.
Phyllis Creek watershed coast tailed frog survey
Report submitted to Doug Ransome, Wildlife Management Instructor, and David Marquis, R.P.F., Planning and Environment Forester Terminal Forest Products Ltd Richmond, BC. Report submitted by Leah Proske and Jess Urquhart on May 16, 2004. Terminal Forest Products Ltd. has initiated an inventory for coast tailed frogs (Ascaphus truei) in the Phyllis creek watershed from October 2003 to May 2004. The objective of this study was to establish the presence of tailed frogs in the Phyllis creek watershed.

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