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FRIENDS OF ECOLOGICAL RESERVES NEWSLETTER

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THE LOG FRIENDS OF ECOLOGICAL RESERVES NEWSLETTER SPRING 2009 1

Spring 2009

www.ecoreserves.bc.ca

President’sReport ( 2, 10 & 11

Sandhill Cranes of theNorth and CentralB.C. Coast 3, 4, 6, 8 & 9

Spilled Oil Caught asTruck Salvaged 5

Entangled Whale FreedAt Sea 7

Mount MaxwellDay Trip 9, 12 & 14

Victoria’s Owl-clover Foundon Trial IslandField Trip 13 & 14

Cont’d.)

President’s ReportBy Mike Fenger

Continued on page 2

Visit our website at:


The Annual General Meetingis a good opportunity to

reflect on our accomplishmentsand set some goals for thefuture. We were extremelyfortunate to have Briony Penn(one of the FER elders) andKrista Roessingh provide thepublic lecture at this year’sAGM. Krista has also written anarticle on her sandhill cranestudies .We were also fortunate this yearto have Eva Riccius from theMinistry of Environment attendand participate in our AGM.

What is the purpose ofEcological Reserves? TheEcological Reserves legislationstates that it is to protect exam-ples of representative andunique ecosystems of BritishColumbia and to have theseserve as natural benchmarks,research areas, educationalresources and repositories ofgenetic materials and geologicfeatures. The Ecological Reservesystem – in concert with otherelements of British Columbia’s

(see page 3 in this LOG)

protected areas system andresource management regimesupports protection, study andunderstanding of ecosystems,their resiliency, ecologicalprocesses and natural elements.

The Friends of EcologicalReserves is a three-decade oldvolunteer organization workingw i t h t h e M i n i s t r y o fEnvironment. Our Missionstatement is: to support therole of Ecological Reserves infurthering understanding ofnatural processes and humaninteractions in ecosystems”.

The FER Strategic Plan pro-vides a convenient frameworkfor a year in review and somethoughts for the year ahead.

To support the protec-tion and management of astrong Ecological ReserveSystem through

, systematic

“

FER activities March 2008 toMarch 2009 and possibledirections for 2009 - 2010

Goal 1:

a strong war-den program

THE LOG FRIENDS OF ECOLOGICAL RESERVES NEWSLETTER SPRING 20092

Spring 2009The LOG

The LOG

The LOG

is published 3 times a year by theFriends of Ecological Reserves to promote

the establishment, management andmaintenance of Ecological Reserves in

British Columbia. is distributed tomembers, volunteer wardens, affiliates,

supporters, government, friends and theenquiring public.

The views expressed in this newsletter arenot necessarily those of the Friends.

Articles for publication are invited. Thedeadline for submissions for the Autumn

issue of is September, 2008.

EditorLouise Beinhauer

Design and ProductionL.B. Word Works

DirectorsMike Fenger, President

Tom Gillespie, Treasurer and MembershipSecretary

Marilyn LambertMary Rannie

Stephen RuttanGarry FletcherWynne Miles

Don Eastman, Past President

Honorary DirectorsBristol Foster

Robert BatemanTrudy ChatwinVicky Husband

Josette Weir

Contributors to this issue:Mike Fenger, Marilyn Lambert, Stephen

Ruttan, Paul Linton and Krista Roessingh

Memberships are based on a calendar year.Individual: $20, Family/Institutions: $25

Students/Seniors: $15Charitable BIN # 118914597RR

FRIENDS OF ECOLOGICAL RESERVESPO BOX 8477 STN CENTRAL

VICTORIA, BC V8W 3S1Email: [email protected]

Website: http//www.ecoreserves.bc.ca

Canada Post Agreement No: 40020740

President’s Report (Cont’d.)

inventory and monitoring,timely assessment of reservesand an effective governmentpresence, especially where ERsare most at risk.

FER has set as a long termgoal to have a volunteerwarden for each of the 147Ecological Reserves. Therehave been some recentrecruitment of wardens bythe Ministry of Environment.Volunteers from the RockyMountain Naturalists havetaken on warden duties for

MountSabine ER 19, Ram Creek ER26, Gilnockie ER 104 andthey will be working with BCParks staff Brett Yeats (seeSpring 2008 LOG). This is anextremely good way tosupplement MOE staff, asthere are quite a few volun-teers within the Naturalistclub and thereby they aremore likely to providenumerous site visits andreports to MOE. We hope aclub approach is used inother ERs.The Board met with ScottB e n t o n , B r i a nBawtinheimer and EvaRiccius of Parks, which led toimprovements to the MOEweb page on the process forWarden Recruitment (seeWinter LOG 2009). We areclearly supporting MOE butnot leading. Eva Riccius hasbeen identified as the FERcontact person in headquar-ters. We are very pleased tohave someone identified tohelp coordinate our effortswithin the Ministry.FER maintains a data base of

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Columbia Lake ER 20,

ER wardens and membersfor the purposes of mailingout the LOG. The FER boardencourages wardens toprovide reports that can beadded to FER web pages aswell as help build a corpo-rate FER data base. Thankyou Malcolm Martin forsupplying information onthe 1988 survey of VanceCreek ER 30 and also ecosys-tem maps of the CougarCanyon ER 108. We knowthere is a great deal moreinformation in the heads andfiles of wardens and westrongly encourage them tosend this to us (TomGillespie our web manager).We will add your data to theFER data base and make thisinformation web available.We rely on MOE for informa-tion on warden recruitmentand changes in wardens.This means the FER wardenlist is sometimes not up todate. Improvements areplanned.

Work more closely with EvaRiccius to ensure there isexcellent communicationwhich is critical for coordina-tion of wardens and sharingof information.Information received fromwardens is being posted byTom Gillespie who has takenon the duties of web master.Wardens, please send usyour information. In addi-tion to your warden’s

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Possible directions for 2009 -2010 (Subject to Board

discussions)

Continued on page 10


Continued on page 4

Sandhill Cranes of the North and Central B.C. Coast:

Some Natural HistoryBy Krista Roessingh

Imagine paddling along a calminlet with rocky beaches

covered in golden rockweed,where lichen-shrouded hemlock,spruce, and cedar lean theirboughs over the shore. The air ismisty wet, the sky hung low withclouds, and the smell of cold,clean seawater drips from yourpaddle blades onto your clothes.

Coming around a bend theshoreline opens up at a smallestuary. There is a creek runningout from the forest and over anancient fish trap, with sedgesand silverweed blanketing itsbanks. Some days you might seea wolf or a black bear and hercub here among the sedges.

Today on the far shore of thecreek, two red and white headspop up from the little meadow,already watching you. After amoment, one long grey neckgoes down and pecks atsomething, and then the other,as they continue to feedin the rockweed.

Eventually the current carriesyou too close, and the large birdsturn their grey bustles towardthe forest edge and move stifflyup the beach. Above the high-tide line, they blend perfectlywith greyed driftwood cedarlogs and boulders while theywait and watch, occasionallynibbling a salal berry from theoverhanging forest.

Suddenly, from somewherebeyond the forest you hear aprimordial call. An echoingrattling bugle sound breaks the

warily

stillness of the scene and comescloser until you see a line of foursandhill cranes with necksoutstretched, their wingtipsarcing with graceful quickupbeats. They circle over thewater and glide down to thebeach with legs dangling,landing noisily on the other sideof the creek from the pair ofcranes, who respond with loud,perturbed calls.

These cranes are part of a smallpopulation that mainly breeds andsummers in the archipelago of theHecate Lowlands Ecosection, onthe central and north coasts ofBritish Columbia and on thesoutheast coast of Alaska. Theyoccur in low densities, clustered inareas where there is a confluenceof productive estuaries andsheltered beaches, upland bogwith small pools, and old-growth

forest in between. They arethought to belong to thesubspecies, which is intermediatein size between the lesser( ) and greater ( )migratory sandhill cranes.

Based on recent telemetrystudies conducted by Gary Iveyof the International CraneFoundation and others, manycoastal breeding cranes stage inthe Lower Columbia River area,and winter in the Central Valleyof California with other cranesf rom the Pac i f i c F lywayPopulat ion. Most cranesbelonging to this largerpopulation (approximately25,000 cranes) actually use aninterior route through northernB.C. on their way to their borealand tundra breeding grounds.

Prior to 2006, there was very

rowani

canadensis tabida

Sandhill crane. Photo by Ingmar Lee, 2007


CALENDAR

July 16 - 18, 2009

2009 Botany BC

September 20 – 10:00 amto 1:00 pm

FER Field Trip to RaceRocks

This year’s Botany BC iscentered out of Muncho Lake inthe northeast corner of B.C. For

information on the programand registration, visit:

www/ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/ben/

Meet at the Pearson Collegedock at 10:00 am.

Fee: FER Members, $15.00,Non-Members, $30.00

Seniors/Students, $25.00(Fee includes a one-year

membership to FER)Contact: Mary Rannie at (250)478-8936 to reserve your spot.

little knowledge of cranehabitats in this area. The innerand outer islands of the centraland north coast are mostlyunroaded and uninhabited,accessible only by water or by air.

Biologist Ian McTaggart-Cowan and naturalist/collectorTom McCabe observed sandhillcranes on the outer islands ofthe central coast in 1928, andnoted their unusual use of foresttrails and bog nesting habitat.

F r o m 2 0 0 6 - 2 0 0 8 , w econducted helicopter surveys

,, in May,

when cranes are nesting. Thesesurveys were guided by localknowledge of crane localesgathered from mariners andnaturalists.

In 2007 we followed up onaerial crane sightings by boatand on foot in order to identifymore nest and roost sites, and in2008 we conducted nest habitatand diet studies using a subsetof these sites.

Over three field seasons, welocated 29 nest sites on 14different islands and onemainland peninsula, as well as

ofhigh probability habitat mainlyon the central coast

several beach foraging areas andbog roost sites. I , theaverage nest density was0.044/km2, and the averagecrane density was 0.22/km2 forthe nests and cranes locatedover an area of 430 km2. Nestand roost sites were foundwithin 1.25 km of the shoreline,on the inner and outer islandsbetween 51°50' and 54°00'Nwhere blanket mire complexesoccur. It is very likely that cranenests occur further inland, butour survey transects generallycovered a 1 km strip along thecoastline because most of thesightings we knew of were madefrom the water.

The nests were typically insmall (under 2.0 ha) pools insmall basins dotted with mossyislets that provide perfect nestplatforms, safe from floodingand terrestrial predators. Waterin these nest pools was anaverage of 0.63 m (+/- 0.056 m)deep and mucky. The pools areformed by decomposing peatmoss in ombotrophic peatlands,and are part of the coastalblanket mire complex.

The blanket mire complex is a

n 2008

mosaic of bog woodland, openbog, drier forest and scrub forestsite series. The vegetationaround most nest sites isdominated by shore pine, redand yellow cedar, sweet gale,Labrador tea, coastal reindeerlichen, and mosses.

Most nests were not wellconcealed by vegetation; itseems more important forincubating cranes to be able tosee approaching danger than tobe hidden. However the averagenest pool was within 100 m offorest cover over 10 m high,providing both isolation andcover for nesting cranes andtheir young.

The diet of 5 pairs of breeding

Sphagnum

Continued on page 6

Two sandhill cranes forage along the beach. Photo by Krista Roessingh, 2008


Spilled Oil Caught as Truck SalvagedBy Judith Lavoie

Excerpted from the May 22, 2009 edition of the Times Colonist

A specially designed metaljacket wrapped around a

fuel truck that has sat on theocean floor for almost two yearsin an environmentally sensitivearea is believed to have capturedalmost all of the oil that spilledas the truck was lifted this week.

“It was entirely anticipatedthat would happen and that’swhy the jacket was there,” saidRandy Alexander, environmen-tal protection manager for theEnvironment Ministry.

Oil is lighter than water, so itfloated to the top of the deep-water-recovery container belong-ing to Netherlands-based MomoetSalvage B.V., which conducted thesalvage of the tanker truck and ametal cube containing barrels ofhydraulic oil.

They are among 11 pieces ofequipment that slipped off a bargeinto Robson Bight EcologicalReserve in August 2007.

The container, fuel truck andoil cube were returned to NewWestminster, where the amountof oil that escaped into thejacket will be assessed. The fueland hydraulic oil will then bepumped into a vacuum truckand recycled.

The day before the recovery,when the truck wheels werepulled out of the mud 350metres below the surface, asmall amount of oil leaked out,but most was caught by boomsand absorbent mats. “It was aburp of a couple of litres and itwas collected on the surface,”Alexander said.

But it was a scary moment forobservers who saw fuel rise tothe surface and wondered if thetanker, carrying up to 10,000litres of diesel, had ruptured,said Oonagh O’Connor of theLiving Oceans Society.

It’s now believed the fuelmight have come from thetruck’s fuel tanks, she said. “Ifthat’s the only incident, that’samazing.”

Living Oceans is askingTransport Canada for rulechanges to make barge trafficsafer, and for an immediate haltto commercial shipping throughthe fragile ecological reserve,said O’Connor, adding bargecargo should be tied down. “Wehave 100,000 barge movementson the B.C. coast each year andno requirement for tying down.You get substances like barrelsof hydrochloric acid just sittingon barges.”

Living Oceans also wantsmandatory inspections of bargesto ensure they are seaworthy.

The recovery inadvertentlyoffered a window into theworkings of the provincialgovernment’s Public AffairsBureau when a news releaseincluded an e-mail between twocommunicat ions sta f fers .“Think the background infoshould be simplified and notmention the leak of some oil —raises new questions. Shouldjust offer the basics — how itwas lifted, that it was successfuland next steps. Not budgeteither — they can call about

those details if they chose (sic),”it says.

Environment Ministry spokes-woman Kate Thompson said theinclusion of the e-mail wasinadvertent, but none of theinformation was secret.

The budget for the recoveryoperation was set at $2.5 mil-lion, but will probably come inat about $2 million, she said.

Government is still hoping torecoup some of the operation’scost from Ted LeRoy Trucking ofChemainus, which owns theequipment, but the companyhas declared bankruptcy.

Charges have been laidagainst LeRoy Trucking andGowlland Towing of CampbellRiver.

Paul Cottrell, the DFO acting

marine mammal coordinator was in

Robson Bight ensuring there were

no whales around as salvage crews

recovered the sunken fuel truck.

Coincidentally, a humpback whale

in distress was reported just 45

minutes away. Please see story on

page 7.




cranes in the Bella Bella area(from fecal analysis) wascomposed mainly of perwinklesand small mussels foraged fromthe rockweed zone of the lowerintertidal, sedges from theupper intertidal and saltmarshes, and crowberries fromthe bog woodland and openbog.

This year we watched a pair ofn e s t i n g c r a n e s w i t h a nunmanned remote camerasystem. Footage was transmittedto a receiving computer over 3km away, from where wecontrolled the camera with pan,zoom and record functions. Thepair took turns caring for theirtwo eggs, switching off at leasttwice a day but never leaving theeggs unattended for more than afew moments. The incubationperiod is 28-32 days.

This pair nested in exactly thesame spot last year; a 3 m2

tussock of andlichens in a larger pool dottedwith approximately 70 islets ofvarying sizes, in a rolling bogcomplex on a small island nearBella Bella. In 2006 and 2007,they nested in a smaller pool inthe same complex.

Cranes mate for life, but donot breed successfully until theyare 2-7 years old. They may lay 1-3 eggs each year (normally two)but usually only one chick willsurvive to fledging.

We witnessed both eggshatching via the remote camera,the first one on the evening ofJune 2nd and the second one onthe following morning. Beforethe chicks could even holdthemselves erect the oldersibling was attacking theyounger one. Both parents were

Sphagnum

present for the hatching of thes e c o n d e g g , a n d s o o nafterwards the female led theolder chick away to the edge ofthe pool. Only 18 hours old, thetawny little chick could alreadyswim! Within another two hoursthe male left the nest to join theothers at the pool edge, onlyabout 3 m from the nest islet.The second chick was not strongenough yet to swim the distanceand we did not see it again.

The family roosted and

brooded in another part of thepool overnight but left the nextmorning and did not return thenext night. The remote cameraproject provides a fascinatingwindow into nesting behaviour,which we have been able toshare with students at localschools.

Over the next 3 months, thechick must grow large andstrong enough to fly south withi t s parent s . Dur ing the

Continued on page 8

“Sandhill Cranes”.....continued from page 4

Crane nest after hatching. Photo by Ingmar Lee, 2008


Gladys LakeER

Entangled Whale Freed at SeaHumpback gets rare reprieve as marine mammal expert nearby

By Lindsay KinesExcerpted from the May 20, 2009 edition of the Times Colonist

Whales don’t catch manybreaks these days. They

face a threatened food supply,pesky boat traffic and the build-up of PCBs and other toxins intheir bodies.

So it’s worth noting that onewhale received a rare reprieveth i s week a f t e r g e t t ingentangled in another man-madehazard – prawn traps in KnightInlet just east of Port McNeill.

By chance, a Department ofFisheries and Oceans officialwith training in how todisentangle whales from netsand other gear happened to bejust 45 minutes away.

P a u l C o t t r e l l , t h edepartment’s acting marinemammal co-ordinator, was inRobson Bight, ensuring therewere no whales around assalvage crews tried to recover asunken fuel truck with 10,000litres of diesel aboard. (see storyon page 5)

“It’s incredible we were onthe water, we had the expertisethere,” he said. “So it was a littlebit fortuitous.”

Cottrell said a fishermancalled Monday to report a whalein distress, so the marinemammal expert zipped over tothe remote inlet along withfisheries officers, the crew of theCanadian Coast Guard vesselSooke Post, and members of theC e t u s R e s e a r c h a n dC o n s e r v a t i o n S o c i e t y ’ s

Straitwatch program. Oncethere, the rescuers found anentangled juvenile humpbackwhale, which is a threatenedspecies in Canada.

D o u g S a n d i l a n d s o fStraitwatch said the whale likelygot a rope stuck in its mouthSunday evening or early Mondayand was dragging about a dozenprawn traps. “Once it’s in itsmouth it is really hard for it,” hesaid. “It almost never comes outon its own.”

Rescuers attached a buoy tothe whale to slow it down andused special dis-entanglementgear — flown in by float plane —to remove all but two of thetraps before nightfall.

Cottrell and some of the teamthen spent a restless nightaboard the Sooke Post, hopingthey’d be able to find the whaleagain in the morning.

“If an animal has just a little bitof line... in its mouth, it can staythere for years and rub and ruband cause infection and damageto the animal and eventually killthe animal,” he said.

Cottrell and the team were upat 4 a.m. yesterday and on thewater before light. They finallyspotted the whale at 7:30 a.m. —18 nautical miles from wherethey had last left it — andmanaged to cut away theremaining rope and traps.

“It was,” Cottrell said, “ane x h i l a r a t i n g f e e l i n g . ”Sandilands said the humpbackwill likely live a normal life now.

“It was really fortunate thatthe fisherman called in soquickly, he said. “That was reallygreat of him to do that.Sometimes the fishermen feelbad about it and don’t report itto the coast guard. The fact thatthis guy did saved that whale’slife probably.”

Anyone spotting whales orother marine mammals indistress can call 1-800-465-4336.

A juvenile humpback whale was entangled in prawn traps in Knight Inlet before being freedby rescuers.




i n c u b a t i o n p e r i o d , w ewitnessed crows and Stellar’sjays divebombing the cranes onthe nest, but no other predationattempts. Now the chick is muchmore susceptible to predation.Both parents will stay close toguard it, leading it on footthrough the forest to a nearbymarsh and to the beach to feed.Potential predators in this areainclude mink, eagles, ravens andwolves.

Other dangers threateningthis population of cranesinclude massive wind farmdevelopments proposed forseveral outer coastal islandswhere they nest, logging, andpotential oil spills from passingtankers. Although wind farmsare considered a form of greenenergy, they have a largefootprint and their impacts tobirds and to bogs can bedetrimental.

Overland transmission linesalso pose a threat to birds. Theouter coastal locations where thewindfarms are planned have seenlittle or no human developmentand are home to large intactestuary and lagoon systems,salmon runs, elusive coastalwolves, and the unique floraassociated with the coastalblanket mire complex. The windfarm proposal that is in the lateststage of development is for thenorthwest end of Banks Island onthe north coast, inside a newlydesignated conservancy area.

All the nest sites and severalroost sites we located on crownland not in conservancy orprotected areas, have beenproposed for Wildlife HabitatAreas, under the IdentifiedWildlife Management Strategy

(IWMS) for sandhill cranes. Eachof these WHAs can include amaximum of 20 ha of operabletimber, and are protected fromlogging and range activities butnot from other forms ofindustrial activity.

The IWMS calls for researchon the impact of logging onbreeding sandhill cranes, andt h e d e t e r m i n a t i o n o fappropriate buffer widths fornest sites, however we have notfound any nests close to logging.

The largest threat to all wildlifeand ecosystems connected to thecoast is the potential for an oilspill, especially if the plannedEnbridge Gateway pipelineproject proceeds. This massiveproject will deliver crude oil fromAlberta’s tarsands to Kitimat’sport, and condensate arriving ontankers from Asia will flow theother way in a twin pipeline.There is no way to mitigate an oilspill, and this wild and rockycoast poses some of the mostc h a l l e n g i n g n a v i g a t i o n

conditions in the world for shipsboth large and small.

The cranes ’ w in te r inggrounds in the western U.S.,w h i c h a r e m o s t l y w e tagricultural areas, are underpressure due to conversion offarmland from grain crops tovineyards and orchard fruit, andfrom water diversion projects.

M o s t p o p u l a t i o n s o fmigratory sandhill cranes inNorth America have recovereddramatically from overhuntingin the 19th and early 20thcenturies, which saw theirn u m b e r s d e c i m a t e d b yapproximately 95%. However,little is known about the statusand distribution of cranes inB.C., and much of theirbreeding habitat remainsunprotected. Therefore it seemsstrange they have recently beendown-listed from vulnerable tonot-at -r isk status by theConservation Data Centre. Thec o a s t a l p o p u l a t i o n i sspeculatively estimated to

“Sandhill Cranes”.....continued from page 6

Sandhill crane chick. Photo by Krista Roessingh, 2008


number 4,000 birds, making itone of the smallest populationsof migratory sandhill cranes onthe continent.

For visitors to the coast, thesight of sandhill cranes foragingon beaches is amazing. Theirsize and wariness during thebreeding season make themfascinating to observe. Smallflocks of non-breeders gather onbeaches and in estuaries,occasionally squabbling orchatting in low rattle calls.

Breeding cranes bring theiryoung chicks down to the shoreto feed and to practice flying,hiding them in the tall sedgeswhen approached. The nestsremain isolated and unknownto most people, as the uplandbogs, hidden behind a fringe oftangled forest cloaking theshoreline, are rarely visited.

We feel it is important tocontinue inventory work on thecoastal cranes and we continueto advocate for protection ofecosystems included in theirbreeding habitat, which is hometo many other species as well.

The Coastal Sandhill Crane Projectwas initiated by the RaincoastConservation Foundation and theNorth American Crane WorkingGroup of the International CraneFoundation, and has receivedsupport from the National Scienceand Engineer ing ResearchC o u n c i l , t h e M i n i s t r y o fEnvironment Ecosystems Branch,and MITACS ACCELERATE BCIndustrial Internship Program.The remote camera project is aninitiative of Pacific Wild. For moreinformation, photos, and footage,please see:www.rainforestsandhillcrane.wordpress.com and www.pacificwild.org.

On May 3 three of the FERBoard visited Paul Linton

and the Mount Maxwell ER.

In 1972, a 65-hectare parcel ofland was preserved under the

establish-ing Mount Maxwell EcologicalReserve. In 2001, The NatureTrust [TNT] acquired 280 hect-ares of land adjacent to MountMaxwell Ecological Reserve, andleased it to the province. The TNTland and an additional 45 hect-ares of land were added to theecological reserve in 2004 in-creasing the size to 390 hectares.

rd

Background

Ecological Reserve Act

A map and legend of the ecosys-tems of Mount Maxwell can beaccessed at:www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/planning/mgmtplns/saltspring/mt_max_er.pdf

Extensive opportunities forresearch in the ecological reservehave been identified. Prioritizingand scoping financial require-ments for implementing manage-ment activities (e.g. undertakinginvasive species removal, main-taining Garry oak meadow,eliminating grazing by feral

Issues of Concern

Mount Maxwell Day TripBy Mike Fenger, Marilyn Lambert, Stephen Ruttan

and Paul Linton


View from upper elevations of ER towards Sansum Narrows.


reports, we also welcomeinformation from regionaloffices thatwould help add to theinformation already assem-bled for ecological/biologicalbaselines.

To support thereserves that builds

understanding of ecosystemresiliency, ecological processesand natural elements.

We provided bridge financ-ing for the Vicky HusbandScholarship which is nowset up as a trust.As an NGO, FER providestax receipts to third partieswho support natural areasresearch.We received one request forresearch funding. Wereviewed the request andsince it was not directlyrelated to ERs, declined therequest.

Consolidate the existinginformation on specificERs.Continue to seek funding tosupport research in ERs andto advocate academicinstitutions and students’focus on ERs in order tobuild knowledge.

To support the develop-ment of a resilient and

.A potential new ER withinthe Spatsizi Park and nearGladys Lake ER has beenrecommended to theRegional Manager inSkeena and appears one

on specific ERs

Goal 2.


discussions)

Goal 3.

study ofecological

endur-ing science-based ecologicalreserve system

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“President’s Report”.....continued from page 2

step closer to formationafter a three-year process.We featured this proposalin the Autumn 2007 and theSpring 2008 LOG. The areaidentified is a much-usedlow elevation mineral lickand is well suited to the ERdesignation. Support fromarea residents, guideoutfitters and FER meansthis ER proposal has beenrecommended and is nowwith the Parks regionalmanager.Potential options for a newER in honour of Bert Brinkwere pursued. The Ministryof Environment designated915 hectares of importantfish and wildlife habitatlocated just west ofChilliwack and a further 71hectares in south Surrey asa wildlife management areanamed after Bert Brink;also a fitting tribute.

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discussions)

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FER has relied on the Stateof ER report and worked toimplement recommenda-tions from this report overthe last three years. Climatechange has become a moresignificant factor in ourunderstanding and thereare questions as to thevulnerability of existingERs. FER will need to workclosely with MOE and otherNGOs to assess the vulnera-b i l i t y o f E c o l o g i c a lReserves.An ER vulnerability assess-ment would ideally includegaps and assessment of ERsthat were proposed but notdesignated while the ERprogram was in existence.The need for EcologicalReserves that maintain


Krista Roessingh (left) and Briony Penn – guest speakers at the FER 2009 AGM.


“President’s Report”.....continued from page 10

representative ecosystems,is still vitally important. Wewill continue to pressgovernment for representa-tive ecosystems such asthose identified in the“Susta inable ForestryBenchmarks for BritishColumbia”. This FORREXreport was supported bythe Friends’ Board and wasused as the basis for asubmission for funds toestablish a network ofnatural research water-sheds in BC. This publica-tion shows the current gapsand limitations of theecological reserve systemespecially in the interiorplateau, and links the needfor and for newreserves, to both climatechange and mountain pinebeetle forest disturbance.The proposal to initiateimplementation of recom-mendations for watershedlevel monitoring betweenprovincial and federalagencies was unsuccessful.Review and restructure theuse of our “Sc ienceAdvisory committee”.Expect that FER will need toadvocate and show supportfor Marine Protected Areaslinked initially to existingERs.

To raise ofthe value of ecological reservesamong targe ted groups ,including: local and provincialelected officials; public servants;neighbours of ecologicalreserves; and the conservationcommunity.

Being involved with other

monitoring

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Goal 4. awareness

underpinning them.Field trips,

were made.

Thanks to Garry Fletcher,Marilyn Lambert and MaryRannie for being the mainorganizers of these eventsMarilyn Lambert, StephenRuttan, and Mike Fengerspent a day with Paul Lintonon Mount Maxwell and gotbetter insight on manage-ment of this ER. See page 9in this Log.

Our major funders forresearch have indicatedthey are no longer able tosupport their selectedprojects. This leaves a verylimited scope supportingER research.We will look at ways toexpand membership toensure long term viabilityand cover operating costs.(See Budget below)

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open to thepublic and helpful to recruitnew members, toTrial Island and Race Rocks

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discussions)

like-minded organizationson protection and manage-ment of natural areas is seenas a real boost to this smallorganization. Never has theneed for strategic long-termthinking over natural areasbeen greater. This is espe-cially true in light of climatechange.

Seek partners and funding toestablish benchmarks whereneeded and to begin moni-toring of benchmarks withinthe protected areas system.Continue to participate withother like-minded NGOssuch as the Parks EldersCouncil and CPAWS on areasof mutual benefit.Advocate that MOE finish theGuide to ERs. This has beenunder internal assessmentfor over a year.

To sustain a nurturingand effective thatsupports the maintenance anddevelopment of ecologicalreserves and the concepts


discussions)

Goal 5

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organization

Projected Income 2009 Projected Expenses 2009

Membership 2,000.00 Office Expenses 200.00Donations 2,000.00 Admin 3,840.00

Interest from bank acct. 360.00 The Log 3,000.00Lichen Foundation Research Grants givenLuna Trust ScholarshipField Trips 300.00 Field Trips 150.00Placemat Sales 1,000.00 Website & Education 100.00Meadowlark Print Wardens’ meetingsUVic Scholarship GrantProvincial Gov’t.

Projected Short Fall 1,630.00

Total 5,660.00 Total 7,290.00

FER 2009 Budget


livestock, and impacts of longterm fire suppression) is required.

BC Parks has limited re-sources to undertake researchand management in thisReserve. BC Parks will seek toidentify partnerships to assist inthe completion of research andmonitoring projects over thenext 5-10 years. This might bestsuit participation by a post-secondary school, working withthe Garry Oak EcosystemRecovery Team and fundingorganizations.

Continue to minimize access:de-commission unsanctionedtrails; reroute trails that passperipherally through thereserve; monitor and enforce-ment along shoreline to control

Management Directions(from MOE web site)

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“Mt. Maxwell Field Trip”.....continued from page 9

Paul Linton, Mike Fenger, Marilynn Lambert and Stephen Ruttan (the crew)

camping in the reserve.

Establish clear informationfor reserve boundaries.Investigate options for

�

providing the public withopportunities to learn aboutthe reserve’s special values,e.g. videos, books, brochures,signs, viewpoints, etc.

Continued removal of feralsheep.

Initiate a program for activeremoval of invasive species,with focus on the restorationof the Garry oak ecosystems.

We were met by Paul Linton,the long time ER warden in thisreserve. Paul was happy toreport that there have been noferal sheep observed in the ERover the last two years. This endsapproximately 136 years ofsheep grazing from these eco-systems. There are still 26 feralsheep affecting the Mount TuamER.

Spring was well underway atthe lower elevations and theoaks were in leaf in Victoria butnot in the upper portions of this

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�

Our Visit

Gray’s desert-parsley ( ) was likely protected by fencing as well as growingon a steep slope.

Lomatium grayi



Victoria’s Owl-clover Found on Trial Island Field TripBy Marilyn Lambert

Trial Islands Field Trip Participants enjoy sunshine and wild flowers.

After a night of howlingwinds, the day we picked

for this year’s Trial Island tripdawned bright, sunny and, mostimportantly, calm!

Our usual trip leaders, Adolfand Oluna Ceska, weren’tavailable this day, so we werefortunate to have Trial IslandEcological Reserve warden, MattFairbarns share his views on therare flora of this lovely islandwith us.

Over the years, Matt and hiscrew of invasive plant bashershave removed a ton of broom,ivy and other invaders from theisland. The result of all this workshowed in the wonderful fieldsof camas, some of which hadpreviously been covered inbroom.

Our old favourites, Goldenpaintbrush and Bearpaw sanicle

were in full bloom, as were lotsof other flowers too. We sawnaked broomrape poking theirpurple heads out from springgold. This plant parasitizesother plants such as stonecrop,but in places on Trial Island it isfound among the spring gold.Matt showed us an area wherevirtually nothing was growing asthe Canada Geese had moved in.It was quite a shock to see howdestructive these birds can be

on the vegetation.As we continued our journey

around the island, Matt regaledus with stories of his botanicalexploits, both on Trial Islandand other special places aroundsouthern Vancouver Island. Atone point he was very excited toshow us a special little plantcalled Victoria’s owl-clover thathe recently described as a newspecies. Matt says:

“Victoria’s owl-clover is asmall, annual wildflower ofvernal pools and seeps.Botanists first collectedspecimens of this plantover a century ago andstruggled to identify themuntil it was recently shownto be a unique undescribedspecies. It occurs nowherein the world apart from theVictoria area and the SanJuan Islands. It has disap-peared from some of the

Bearpaw sanicle ()

Saniculaarctopoides

Golden paintbrush ()

Castillejalevisecta



Trial Island ER warden, Matt Fairbarns holds up a sample of Victoria’sowl-clover.

sites where it had beencollected over the years andit is now known from onlythree places in the world.Almost the entire globalpopulation occurs on TrialIsland. There are severalother species of owl-cloverin Victoria. They are closelyrelated to Indian paint-brushes but have an annualrather than perennial lifehistory and tend to be

much smaller.”The Friends of Ecological

Reserves is fortunate to be ableto provide this annual outing tomembers so they can enjoy andlearn about the rare plants onTrial Island Ecological Reserve.We thank Matt for his passionateand interesting tour of theisland this year. Thanks also toPhil Lambert and Don Mais forproviding safe transportation tothe island.

“Trial Island Field Trip”.....continued from page 13

ER. This has been a late spring.There was a considerableamount of paint ball activity atthe upper edge of the reserveand evidence on the trees andon the ground. Paul has dis-cussed this with some of thelocal paint ball enthusiasts withmixed results.

We all owe a big thanks to PaulLinton who continues to be thewatchdog for this ER as well asMount Tuam ER. As this goes topress, Paul is heading to MountMaxwell ER to see if the recent 7hectare fire has affected the ER.

“Mt. Maxwell Field Trip”.....continued from page 12



This violet ( ) is sufferingfrom competition with rose campion( ) that is increasing in theMt. Maxwell Ecological Reserve. PaulLinton, the ER warden, has a few spots thathe is monitoring annually by markingindividual occurrences and counting thetotal.

Viola praemosa

Lychnis coronaria

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Just so you know....

Paul Linton, Mt. Maxwell ER warden, took this picture June 16, 2009.As you can see, the recent fire on Mount Maxwell did impact theEcological Reserve. This offers an excellent opportunity to carry out aregeneration study of this burn area.

Spring 2009 - ecoreserves.bc.caArticles for publication are invited. The deadline for submissions...

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