Tag: Wetlands

Wetlands Institute 2014 — East Vancouver Island

In 2014, the BC Wildlife Federation’s Wetlands Institute brought 30 passionate participants to Vancouver Island for a seven-day, hands-on workshop that spanned Duncan, Nanaimo, and Courtenay. Throughout the week, participants learned practical skills to restore and build wetlands in their own communities. By the end of the training, four existing wetlands had been restored and…
Species Profile — Western Red-Backed Salamander

Camouflaged among dead leaves and humus, the Western Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon vehiculum) is perfectly suited to the shaded, damp environments of British Columbia’s forests. Its rusty dorsal stripe blends seamlessly into the forest floor, making it a challenge to spot unless you’re looking closely. This small terrestrial amphibian ranges from B.C. to southern Oregon and…
Species Profile — Long-tailed Duck

Waterfowl are perhaps the most interesting animals on the planet. From high north to the deep south, and from desert to wetlands, you can find waterfowl almost anywhere. One of our favorites of all, however, is a rather hard-to-find resident of British Columbia’s coast: the Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis). As can be seen in the…
Species Profile — Trumpeter Swan

There’s no denying it: wetlands play a critical role in providing habitats for a variety of life. Studies have found that over 900 species require wetlands, with 64% of all endangered and threatened animal species needing access to them during some point in their life. In Canada, approximately 45 of the 95 species classified as…
Species Profile — Six-Spotted Fishing Spider

There are over 43,000 species of spiders across the globe, about 3,400 of which are found in North America, and 729 confirmed to be found in B.C. Spiders are one of the smallest creatures to instil such great amounts of fear in people. The species of nursery web spider that will be the focus of…
Building a Schoolyard Wetland: Kinnaird Elementary, Castlegar

The BCWF’s Wetlands Education Program headed to the West Kootenays to build a schoolyard wetland at Kinnaird Elementary in Castlegar. With the help of the Grade 7 students, we constructed a liner wetland over two sunny days last week! There were several steps involved in building a liner wetland: The Kinnaird Elementary students and teachers…
Species Profile — Coastal Tailed Frog

The Coastal Tailed Frog (Ascaphus truei) is very unique species whose range extends from northern B.C. to California. Tadpoles may grow to about 3 centimeters in length and may be greyish brown, reddish brown, and black in colour. Mature coastal tailed frogs grows to about 3 centimeters in length and may be light brown, greyish…
Wetlandkeepers With a Twist of BioBlitz

It’s always a privilege to learn from passionate biologists—and we were incredibly fortunate to have nine of them attend our Wetlandkeepers course in New Denver! The Slocan Valley has been identified as a priority area by the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program’s Riparian & Wetland Action Plan, making it an ideal location to host this…
Species Profile — Round-Leaved Sundew

For those who grew up with a Venus flytrap on the windowsill, the BogBlog’s first-ever plant feature in the Species Profile series may spark a familiar fascination—the insectivorous round-leaved sundew! Round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) is found widely across the circumboreal region of the northern hemisphere. Common throughout British Columbia, these voracious little plants can often…
Harrop Wetland — A Family Connection

Having the blood of Ernest Harrop himself flowing through her veins, Jennifer Dehnel has a long-time connection with the Harrop area. Like a storybook romance, Jenn’s husband Kurt grew up on the opposite side of Kootenay Lake, leading to their eventual meeting in their early teens. Being in the area for most of their lives…