Blog Post 1
DATE: 27/09/2023
TIME: 1-2pm
LOCATION: Riverside Rd, Cowichan Station, BC
COORDINATES: 48’41’51”N, 123’39’09”W
ELEVATION: 121 m
TOPOGRAPHY: flat from road to watercourse at 121m, and steady incline up a grassy meadow to the east. Flat to the south, north and west.
WEATHER: Cloudy, 14C, light rain on and off
SITE DESCRIPTION: This focus of the study site is a human-dug ephemeral wetland on a residential property. It is typically dry during the summer months until fall rains arrive. Primarily native plant species are growing in its riparian areas and the riparian zone is expanding its reach each year into a cleared grassy meadow adjacent to the wetland. Across the driveways, there are forested areas at the edges of grassy fields. There is another, likely natural, ephemeral wetland about 58m SSW from this one on the same property, surrounded by forested areas close to the road.
APPROX SIZE OF AREA: The wetland and its riparian areas are approximately 23m by 31m (approx 700 square meters).
FOCUS OF STUDY: Is expanding vegetative health indicative of good wetland health all around? How would this wetland rate with various health assessment tools? The Pacific Treefrog is hard to miss here due to its spring chorus…but what other amphibians call this wetland home? Is the endangered Northern Red-Legged Frog here? I would like to learn about the ecology and the community of species that this wetland supports to better understand the workings of this ecosystem, how it is evolving over time, and how healthy, resistant and resilient it may be. Currently, the riparian areas seem to be naturally expanding each year with native species (after land clearing and pond digging approximately 12-15 years ago).
RESEARCH QUESTION: Is this a ‘healthy’ wetland as defined by leading government and environmental organizations in BC and Alberta? Which native amphibian species is it supporting and how well is it meeting their needs? (Focus may just be on native frog species, but possibly also salamanders and newts)
HYPOTHESIS: The rich native plant species diversity developing and expanding the riparian zone of this ephemeral human-dug wetland over the course of 12-15 years, along with the lack of invasive species presence to the end of the riparian zone, is indicative of good wetland ‘health’ as defined by leading government and environmental organizations in BC and Alberta, and indicative that this habitat can adequately support native amphibian/frog species.
NULL HYPOTHESIS: The rich native plant species diversity on this is not indicative of a healthy wetland that can adequately support native amphibian/frog species.
METHODS:
-Define ‘Rich Species Diversity’
-Define ‘health’ for wetlands from various perspectives. Define ‘resistance’ and ‘resilience’.
-Vegetative Assessment of wetland
-Non-vegetative species assessment (if possible): Macroinvertebrate analysis, observation/monitoring for other species, larvae, eggs by sight and sound. What does their presence indicate about health, if anything?
-Complete Alberta Cow and Fish Riparian Health Assessment form.
-Complete Government of BC’s Wetland Health Assessment tool.
-Classify wetland, analyze soil profile
-What are the habitat requirements of native amphibians/frogs? Which of these components does this wetland contain?
-Ideally, take water samples each month as wetland fills up this fall and test for nutrients (N,P,K), dissolved oxygen, pH, dissolved solids, turbidity, e-coli, heavy metals, and other tests relevant to the quality of drinking water or stream habitat.
-Ideally, test soil samples for nutrients and heavy metals.