BioBlitz project coming to Lanark and Leeds Counties
Posted Jul 29, 2010 By EMC News
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Tweet ThisEMC Events - Thanks to funding from the Species at Risk Stewardship Fund and the Community Fish and Wildlife Incentive Fund (CFWIF), the Centre for Sustainable Watersheds in partnership with the Community Stewardship Council of Lanark County and Leeds County Stewardship Council will be planning a number of BioBlitzes in Leeds and Lanark Counties on private properties.
Expert-guided walks, small mammal trapping, seine netting, insect catching, and interactive displays are all examples of community learning activities that might be offered at a BioBlitz event. The BioBlitz concept has been rapidly gaining popularity over the past decade. The main objective of a BioBlitz is to produce a volunteer-based biological inventory. Typically, these events run for 12 to 24 hours with a group of volunteer experts, naturalists, and enthusiasts counting the total number of plant and animal species in a specified area. "Organizing and hosting a BioBlitz is a fun and interactive way for communities to come together to learn about biodiversity, stewardship, and natural heritage values right in their own neighbourhoods," says Meaghan McDonald who is the BioBlitz intern working on the project.
The events generate a comprehensive list of species per property, the data is then provided to the Ministry of Natural Resources. "This type of information is highly valuable to biologists, conservationists and land management experts as very little inventory work has been completed in Eastern Ontario due to the high percentage of privately owned property," says Barbara King who is the Program Manager for the project.
Additionally, as part of the funding requirements, we have partnered with the Eastern Ontario Model Forest and St Lawrence Islands National Park (Parks Canada) to carry out habitat suitability modeling on the properties. Habitat modeling is a tool to predict the potential for species occurrence based on a set of habitat variables. The relationship between habitat variables is mapped in a Geographic Information System. Habitat variables considered may include the species' food, cover, reproduction, habitat area and landscape configuration requirements. "It is important to recognize that the models represent a tool for assessing an area's ability to support wildlife species, and not whether the species is actually present at a given location," says Erin Neaves, biologist with the Eastern Ontario Model Forest.
The first BioBlitz is planned on a 1,000 acre property near Almonte owned by Gerry Lee on Friday, Aug. 13 - Saturday, Aug. 14. "The management of my forest property is focused on forest wildlife. As such, the more information I can get regarding the plant and animal makeup and their ecological connections, the better I can manage and understand my forest. The BioBlitz represents a real opportunity to generate much of that information, in a hurry," says Gerry about hosting a BioBlitz on his land.
Two more BioBlitz's are planned later in August and early September on two properties in Leeds County. For more information contact Meaghan McDonald at 613-267-4200 ext. 3194, BioBlitzintern@gmail.com.
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