Monthly Archives: September 2013

Metchosin’s Protected Trees

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METCHOSIN’S PROTECTED TREES

You can download this in a PDF:TREE BROCHURE print

ANY NATIVE TREE ONE METRE DBH AND ABOVE

DBH = diameter at breast height (1.3m)

Almost any native tree that is measured at one metre dbh will be at least 150 years of age. Large, old trees supply critical habitat for woodpeckers, bears, and many other species, and older trees have a crucial relationship with fungal root systems (mycorrhizae) that are critical to supporting forest health.

GARRY OAK

Poster child for our endangered Garry oak ecosystems and British Columbia’s only native oak tree, its calcium rich bark hosts abun- dant moss, lichen and insect communities.

PACIFIC DOGWOOD

BC’s provincial flower, its late spring floral display is breath-taking. The bright red clusters of berries are eaten by numerous birds including the blue-listed, band-tailed pigeon.

ARBUTUS

The only native, broadleaf evergreen tree in Canada, its white flowers are used by many pollinators and hummingbirds. Steller’s jays and others flock to its red or orange berries. ANY Arbutus tree 50 cm and above receives increased protection.

MANZANITA

This attractive bonsai-like shrub with red, peeling bark and ever- green leaves provides food for many bees, butterflies, humming- birds and other animals.

CASCARA

Over-harvested as a natural laxative, only the occasional young tree can still be found. Leaves turn a beautiful clear yellow in fall. Grouse and songbirds harvest the berries.

WESTERN YEW

Slow growing, it is the original source of taxol, a cancer-fighting drug. Many birds eat the bright red fruit (poisonous to humans) and the leaves supply food for black-tailed deer.

SEASIDE JUNIPER

Very rare, tree-sized juniper that has recently been recognised as a new species; appearance is similar to Rocky Mt. juniper.

TREMBLING ASPEN

Uncommon on Vancouver Island, although common in the BC Interior, there is a healthy population that shows a beautiful, yellow, fall colour at Witty’s Lagoon.

OREGON ASH

A red-listed, species-at-risk typically found in poorly drained, humus rich soil, in swamps, estuaries and seasonally flooded habitats.

Please contact Metchosin District staff with any questions on the amended Tree Management Bylaw. 250-474-3167 or email www.metchosin.ca

Forage Fish in Metchosin

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All articles and posts on the MetchosinCoastal website under the title Forage Fish may be found here:

In 2008 and in  2013, Ramona de Graaf, a biologist with the Public Education Program at the Bamfield Marine Station gave presentations on Forage Fish on our beaches  and the need to Document their occurrence. In 2008 on the Saturday after the presentation, we rejoined for a walk and a session on the process involved in sampling for Forage Fish on Taylor Beach. Ramona is also the principal and founding marine scientist of Emerald Sea Research and Consulting.

Our thanks from the Blue-Green Spaces committee to Ramona and Wen-Ling for this informative session on the importance of monitoring and preserving forage fish habitat.

See also the post: Overhanging Vegetation, Invertebrates and Forage fish

See also Forage Fish of Metchosin and Beyond by Moralea Milne with an article by Briony Penn : The herring, the Chinook and the Orca…At the Brink.  Moralea also documents a second training session by Ramona on Taylor Beach in March of 2009. Inclued is an article she wrote for the January Issue of The Metchosin Muse.

Throughout the Strait of Georgia, fish stocks have dramatically declined. Lingcod, rockfish and some Pacific salmon species are only some of the major commercial fish species in decline. Seabird populations throughout British Columbia and Washington State are also decreasing. As well, marine species such as the southern resident killer whale, dependent on salmon runs, have been listed as endangered. Many of these species depend on bait or ?forage? fishes as prey. Spawning habitat of forage fishes is located in nearshore marine environments, an environment heavily impacted by human development.

            Documenting and protecting forage fish spawning habitats must be a priority for the Metchosin Coastline.

There is little information on the current extent and health of the spawning habitats of herring and no information on the spawning habitat of surf smelt and Pacific sand lance. Surf smelt and sand lance spawn in gravel/sand beach habitats in the upper one third of the intertidal zone (Figure 1). Current spawning habitats of surf smelt and sand lance have been documented throughout the US coasts of the Juan de Fuca Strait, San Juan Islands, and Puget Sound (Penttila 2000, 2001). In Canada, eelgrass beds are protected as critical fish habitat under Fisheries and Oceans Canada ?no-net? loss policy (Federal Fisheries Act). Protecting forage fish spawning and rearing habitats will have positive benefits by protecting a vital food source for numerous marine predators. Fisheries and Oceans Canada recognizes the need to obtain information on the habitat requirements of forage fishes in Coastal areas.

intertidalzone

 

Intertidal zone spawning locations.
WHAT ARE WE CONCERNED ABOUT WITH METCHOSIN’S BEACHES?

Diversion of sediment-bearing streams through culverts, and the backshore and intertidal placement of seawalls, outfall pipes and riprap armouring interrupt natural coastal processes (such as erosion) that supply terrestrially-borne gravel sediments to beaches crucial to spawning surf smelt and Pacific sand lance. Seawalls are physical barriers that block the seaward transport of eroding gravels from feeder bluffs. Impediment of the long-shore transport of sediments by groins, outflow pipes, piers, boat ramps and docks have all contributed to the sediment-starved state of some beach faces. In general, the placement of seawalls and riprap armouring in the backshore and in the intertidal continues the process of sediment deprivation due to the action of wave scouring. Wave scouring can result in the loss of fine sands and gravels (appropriate for spawning) and the dominance of coarser (larger) gravels and cobble beaches inappropriate for use as spawning gravels for both surf smelt and Pacific sand lance. Seawalls such as those onPreliminary Habitat Assessment for suitability of intertidally spawning forage fish species, Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes hexapterus) and surf smelt (Hypomesus pretiosus) Esquimalt Lagoon, Colwood , British Columbia and Tower Point are often placed in the backshore, supralittoral and high intertidal zones (the uppermost portion of the high tide range) which can result in the loss of spawning habitat area, a decrease in beach elevation, an increase in beach slope, interruption of the sediment-transport drift cell, and the loss of sediment retaining logs. Not only are these ?hard? approaches to storm protection negatively impacting forage fish populations, but they can fail to deliver the protection intended. Around the world and locally, there are growing incidences of seawalls and other armouring failing to protect land owners. Modern engineering approaches, or ?soft? approaches work with coastal processes to provide safety for human populations and industries as well as maintaining marine ecological functions. While this report will not address this topic in detail, several informative websites and consultants include http://www.greenshores.ca, http://www.coastalgeo.com, and http:// www.sanjuans.org.
The presence of overhanging vegetation in marine riparian zones is important for the ecological function of nearshore marine habitats (Levings and Jamieson 2001; Brennan and Culverwell 2004) including having a positive effect on surf smelt spawn survival (Penttila 2001). The loss of overhanging vegetation (due to shoreline hardening measures) in the marine riparian zone has several ecological implications not only for marine fish and invertebrates, but the loss of shade cover increases the mortality of incubating surf smelt eggs (Penttila 2001, Rice 2006). Summer beach sediment temperatures are moderated by overhanging vegetation. Surf smelt eggs are typically anchored to surface gravels but are also buried between interstitial spaces within sediments layers (Penttila 2001). Surf smelt eggs deposited in summer months likely encounter high mortalities on the surface but eggs buried deeper in spawning substrates can avoid extreme surface temperatures and drying resulting in an increased survival rate (Penttila 2001). The loss of shading, however, increases thermal stress and desiccation to incubating eggs as temperatures within the sediments rise resulting in increased mortality of even buried eggs (Penttila 2001, Rice 2006). Vegetation buffers the drying effect of winds, and where beaches have lost riparian zones, eggs can also suffer a higher mortality than ?natural? due to wind-induced desiccation effects.In Washington State, sand lance, surf smelt and other forage fish species such as anchovy are protected due to their importance to upper trophic levels of the food chain to support commercial fisheries (such as salmon, rockfish, ling god) and for ecosystem function (as advocated in WDFW principles of ecosystem management).
In general, surf smelt and Pacific sand lance depend on healthy nearshore and beach habitat, and they are vulnerable to impacts from shoreline development. Beaches with natural erosion processes supplying appropriate sized gravels and extant riparian zones are an optimal state for spawning surf smelt and sand lance. Winter spawning stocks of surf smelt may avoid desiccation stress and may have evolved to exploit beaches lacking overhanging vegetation (D. Penttila, pers. comm. 2007). Of primary importance for spawning is the mixture of gravels with a sand base. Cobbling beaches for heavy equipment operation, bulkheads, seawalls, outflow pipes and structures impeding sediment-transport drift cells are threats to maintaining these crucial spawning beaches.
The content of this report summarizes the data acquired from July 2006 to June 2007 (with mention of spawning results to September 07).The above was ADAPTED FROM RAMONA de GRAAF’S reference materials and the Forage Fish Report The photos above come from the Power Point presentation of Emerald Sea Research and Consulting. FORAGE FISH REPORT  The Boundary Bay intertidal forage fish spawning habitat report. Please contact Ramona and Wen-Ling of Forage Fish Matter! at emeraldsearesearch(use the at sign)hotmail.com or rdegraaf(use the at sign)bms.bc.ca for more information, talks or training!

 

Googlethe PDF : Preliminary Habitat Assessment for suitability of intertidally spawning forage fish species, Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes hexapterus) and surf smelt (Hypomesus pretiosus) Esquimalt Lagoon, Colwood , British Columbia

ALSO RAMONA HAS DONE A BEACH SPAWNING REPORT

 

Overhanging Vegetation, Invertebrates and Forage fish

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Development along shorelines can very easily destroy or alter the natural coastal ecosystems so that the food supply and habitat maintenance of Forage Fish is affected negatively. Ramona de Graff has made several presentations on the importance of Forage Fish and has encouraged local residents to join in the documentation of occurrence of eggs on beaches.
From The Islands Trust “Sharing our Shorelines”
page 6: Shorelines Connect – Linking The Land And The Sea
Marine Riparian Vegetation
What is marine riparian vegetation?
The term “marine riparian” vegetation refers to grasses, shrubs, trees and logs lining marine shorelines. Marine riparian zones link the land and the sea through the exchange of water, sediments and nutrients.
Where is marine riparian vegetation located?
Vegetation above the high water mark, within “backshore” areas such as
private shoreline properties, on bluff tops and slopes form the marine
riparian zone.
Why is marine riparian vegetation important?
Insects captured by the winds as “wind fall” from shoreline vegetation are critical
for young salmon growth. Removing overhanging shoreline vegetation from summer
surf smelt spawning beaches causes embryos to die. Vegetation removal reduces key prey for juvenilesalmon and can reduce surf smelt populations. Fish losses affect the entire food web. Vegetated buffer zones are a wildlife migratory corridor and leaf litter provides nutrients to stimulate marine plankton growth.
Maintaining shoreline vegetation is a net benefit to property owners as a free
“ecosystem service” limiting erosion and stabilizing slope soils. Trees and
shrubs absorb large volumes of rain water and filter pollutants. Vegetation
removal may cause large sediment loads to enter the ocean limiting light for eelgrass growth and clogging fish gills.
See also on this website: Land Plants of Coastal Metchosin.

The Link between Salmon and Forest Ecosystem Productivity

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In the past few years, Dr. Tom Reimchen of the University of Victoria and his students have established clear relationships between the health of Coastal forest ecosystems and the ocean through the food webs involving salmon.  Below are links from the publications of Dr. Tom Reimchen to  some of the research articles and papers they have published on this topic:

49.    Reimchen, T. E. 2000a.  Some ecological and evolutionary aspects of bear – salmon interactions in coastal British Columbia.  Can. J. Zool. 78: 448-457.  (.pdf version)

60.    Hocking, M. D. & T. E. Reimchen. 2002. Salmon-derived nitrogen in terrestrial invertebrates from coniferous forests of the Pacific Northwest. BioMedCentral Ecology 2:4-14. ( http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6785/2/4/qc ) (.pdf version)

63.    Reimchen, T. E.  D. Mathewson, M. D. Hocking, J. Moran and D. Harris. 2003. Isotopic evidence for enrichment of salmon-derived nutrients in vegetation, soil and  insects in riparian zones in coastal British Columbia. American Fisheries Society Symposium 34: 59-69. (.pdf version)

66.    Mathewson, D.,  M.H. Hocking, and T. E. Reimchen . 2003.  Nitrogen uptake in riparian plant communities across a sharp ecological boundary of salmon density. BioMedCentral Ecology 2003:4. (.pdf version)

70.    Wilkinson, C. E., M. H. Hocking, T. E. Reimchen.  2005.  Uptake of salmon-derived nitrogen by mosses and liverworts in Coastal British Columbia. Oikos 108: 85-98.  (.pdf  version)

76. Hocking, M.D and Reimchen T.E. 2006. Consumption and distribution of salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) nutrients and energy by terrestrial flies Can. J. of Fish. and Aquatic Sciences 63: 2076-2086. (.pdf version)

87. Christie, K. S.,  M.D. Hocking, and T.E. Reimchen. 2008. Tracing salmon-derived nutrients in riparian foodwebs: isotopic evidence in a ground-foraging passerine.  Can. J. Zool. 86: 1317-1323.  (.pdf version).

98.  Hocking, M.D., R. A. Ring and T. E. Reimchen.  2009. The ecology of terrestrial invertebrates on Pacific salmon carcasses. Ecol. Res. (.pdf version)

102. Darimont. C.T.,  Bryan, H.,  Carlson, S.M.,  Hocking, M.D., MacDuffee, M.,  Paquet, P.C.,  Price, M.H.H.,  Reimchen, T. E.,  Reynolds, J.D., & Wilmers, C.C.  2010.  Salmon for terrestrial protected areas. Conservation Letters 3: 379-389. (.pdf version)

TR12. Reimchen, T. E. 2001. Salmon nutrients, nitrogen isotopes and coastal forests. Ecoforestry 16:13-17. (.pdf version)

TR15. Reimchen, T. E.  2004. Marine and terrestrial ecosystem linkages: the major role of salmon and bears to riparian communities.     Botanical Electronic News. BEN#328.    http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/ben/ben328.html

Crumia latifolia- wideleaf crumia moss

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Crumia latifolia was one of the six special species recorded on the 2013 Bioblitz. The following was written by Kem Luther for the Bioblitz 2013 website

entered on iNaturalist at https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/33786772

Team of Bryologists and Kem Luther examining habitat of Crumia sp.

Team of Bryologists and Kem Luther examining habitat of Crumia spp.

” The Bioblitz moss group, (l. to r.) Wynne Miles, Olivia Lee, Steve Joya, and Kem Luther, look at Crumia latifolia. Photo by Garry Fletcher.
Garry Fletcher found this moss on a morning seashore foray along the shores of Parry Bay, at a seepage area above a rock beach. When he brought the moss back to the BioBlitz headquarters for identification, Steve Joya recognized it. The moss team made a detour in the afternoon to see Crumia in situ. “We only have a handful of collections from B.C.,” says Steve, “and these are mainly from islands in the Strait of Georgia area plus one from Limestone Island in Haida Gwaii…. I am not aware of any modern collections from Vancouver Island proper, so the Metchosin record was interesting.
Wilf Schofield, the late doyen of BC mosses, extracted this moss from a motley classification group and moved it to its own genus, naming it after the famous moss biologist, Howard Crum.”
Habitat and ID:

Crumia latifolia normally occurs on seepy shaded calcareous outcrops. The location on the Taylor bluffs is not normally considered to be calcareous.. The seeps originate from a deep glacial till layer.

I returned in the summer and took more pictures of the site and a specimen closeup:
Crumia can be separated from Tortula, a similar species, by the row of swollen, orange colored marginal cells on the leaves.
The following taxonomy is from the ITIS database : www.itis.gov
Kingdom Plantae  – plantes, Planta, Vegetal, plants
Subkingdom:                Viridaeplantae – green plants
      Infrakingdom Streptophyta  – land plants
         Division Bryophyta  – hornworts, mosses, hépatiques, mousses, non-vascular land plants
            Subdivision Bryophytina  – mosses
               Class Bryopsida
                  Subclass Dicranidae
                     Order Pottiales
                        Family Pottiaceae
                           Genus Crumia Schof. – crumia moss
                              Species Crumia latifolia
(Kindb. in Mac.) Schof. – wideleaf crumia moss