New wetlands provide habitat for birds, frogs, fish and more By Janice Jarvis

The southwest corner of Aldergrove Regional Park has been transformed into a wetland habitat for many species of amphibians, fish, birds and invertebrates – many of them endangered.

The Fraser Valley Conservancy and its many partners have worked for the last six years on the multi-phased project, which has converted nearly 20 hectares of fallow hay field and shrubs into a shallow marsh, pond and shrub swamp. Monitoring the wetlands has confirmed the presence of more than 100 bird, six fish, six amphibian and 20 dragonfly and damselfly species.

In 2017, the project received the Species and Ecosystems at Risk Local Government Working Group award for demonstrating exemplary work on “Conservation without Borders” for a species or ecosystem at risk initiative.

In October, the partners celebrated the completion of the last wetland complex and gave recognition to project funders and contributors, including:

• Langley Field Naturalists• Langley Environmental Partnership Society• Earth Rangers• Vancouver Aquarium• Fraser Valley Watersheds Coalition• Matsqui First Nation• Province of British Columbia• National Wetlands Conservation Fund• Pacific Parklands Foundation• Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation • Habitat Stewardship Program The Fraser Valley Conservancy raised more than half a million dollars for this project, which benefits the biodiversity of Aldergrove Regional Park.

Janice Jarvis is the Natural Resource Management Specialist for Regional Parks, East Area.

Stewardship NewsMetro Vancouver Regional Parks are important to people as places to connect with nature and get away from the pressures of the city. They’re also critical wildlife habitat, and provide ecosystem services such as cleaning the air and helping to control temperatures. Each year, staff, partners and volunteers invest time and effort to restore the health and beauty of these special places. Here are some recent highlights.

Spring 2019

Our Meetup.com group – Metro Vancouver Regional Parks Ecological Restoration Team – is the place to find out about stewardship events and become a volunteer. Interested in helping? Just join the group, lend a hand and help spread the word! www.meetup.com/Regional-Parks-Connect-Metro-Vancouver

Fraser Valley Conservancy members and partners celebrate new wetland habitat at Aldergrove Regional Park

REGIONAL PARKS

Wildlife cameras reveal springtime habitsBy Brian Titaro

Metro Vancouver Regional Parks uses wildlife monitoring cameras to better understand how wildlife use the natural resources within regional parks.

These photos, from our wildlife monitoring cameras, show a black bear rubbing against a marking tree. Bears rub on trees to help remove their winter coat, and leave their scent to communicate with other bears.

With spring around the corner, we can expect wildlife sightings in regional parks to increase. Hibernating black bears will soon start to emerge and explore our forests. While you may not see a bear, you may see some signs that they’ve been in the area.

These signs of bear activity can include tracks, which are easily seen if left in fresh mud, or scratches, left on trees, which are used to communicate their presence to other bears in the area.

If you do see signs of bear activity, remember there are things you can do to keep yourself safe and keep bears wild. Never approach or feed a bear. Pack out all food and garbage. And give wildlife respect and distance.

For more tips, go to www.metrovancouver.org and search “bears”

Brian Titaro is the Stewardship Technician for Regional Parks, Central Area.

Beavers are often called nature’s engineers.

Metro Vancouver Regional Parks Stewardship News Spring 2019

Purple martin nesting success at Brae IslandBy Roy Teo

A purple martin recovery project can often be an exercise in patience and perseverance. That was certainly the case at Brae Island Regional Park in the Township of Langley.

In 2012, Metro Vancouver Regional Parks, along with volunteers from the Langley Field Naturalists and Langley Environmental Partners Society installed 10 nest boxes on pilings along the Fraser River. Each subsequent summer, volunteers would battle through thick, oozy mud and bloodthirsty mosquitoes to monitor the boxes for purple martins – hopeful this would be the year that they would finally attract the elusive birds.

It took six long seasons, but eventually it happened. In 2018, three pairs of purple martins successfully nested at the site. This was an exciting result because Brae Island represents one of only a handful of freshwater colonies in BC. Until recently, most of the species recovery successes have centered on marine (seawater) sites. By expanding recovery efforts to freshwater locations, we are able to diversify nesting habitats available to purple martins, and enhance the resilience of the local population.

Did you know?Numbering less than 10 pairs, the western purple martin (Progne subis arboricola) was provincially red-listed and nearly extirpated from BC in the 1980s. Through an artificial nest box program, the population has since recovered to over 1,000 pairs and is now provincially blue-listed.

Roy Teo is the Stewardship Technician for Regional Parks, East Area.

Researchers use drones to gather wildlife dataBy Brian Titaro and Sam Cousins

“The times they are a changing”, and the way we collect information on how wildlife use our parks is changing as well.

Professional consultants are using drones* to survey migratory winter waterfowl at Widgeon Marsh Regional Park Reserve for the second winter in a row. This area is used extensively by migratory waterfowl. The data collected here will guide decisions around when and how people will be allowed to access the marsh once it is opened as a park. The goal is to allow visitors to experience the birds, while minimizing the impact on them at this important time of the year.

Last year, students from BCIT also began testing drone use to locate invasive plants. Computer models process the high-resolution imagery, which can pick out the subtle colour differences of each plant species. As the computer models get better at identifying the colours of invasive plants, the accuracy will increase. The students hope that if the accuracy is reliable enough it will save many hours of field time searching for invasive plants.

*Note: In general, the public is not allowed to use drones in regional parks due to safety, privacy and wildlife disturbance issues. However, in some instances, drone use is permitted in regional parks under Transport Canada’s Special Flight Operator’s certificate.

Brian Titaro is the Stewardship Technician for Regional Parks, Central Area. Sam Cousins is the Stewardship Technician for Regional Parks, West Area.

Purple martin nestlings

A drone collects wildlife data at Widgeon Marsh Regional Park Reserve.

A Rocha

Aktion Club of Langley

Alouette Elementary - The Wheelhouse

BC BATS

BC Geocaching Association

British Columbia Institute of Technology

BC Wildlife Federation

Boundary Bay Park Association

Bowen Island Weed Warriors

Bruce Ott

Burnaby Lake Park Association

Cap Mappers

Catching the Spirit Youth Society

Colony Farm Park Association

Delta Naturalists

Doctors of BC

Derby Reach Brae Island Park Association

Evergreen

Fraser Valley Conservancy

Girl Guides Canada

Glen Valley Watersheds Society

Greg Michalowski

Holy Cross Regional School

Hope Lutheran Christian School

Kanaka Education and Environmental Partnership Society

Kim Montgomery

Langara Volts

Langley Christian School

Langley District Schools

Langley Environmental Partners Society

Langley Field Naturalists

Leo Club

Maple Ridge Christian School

Maple Ridge Parks and Leisure Services

Minnekada Park Association

Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society

Otter Home Learners Club

Pacific Academy

Pacific Spirit Park Society

Pinetree Secondary School

SAP Canada

Serpentine Enhancement Society

Scouts Canada

Simon Fraser University

South Coast Bat Conservation Society

Spanish Bank Streamkeepers

Surrey Christian School

Take A Hike Foundation

TD Bank

Telus Day of Giving

TUGO Travel

Turner Construction

University of British Columbia

University of the Fraser Valley

Vancouver Technical College

Vanguard Secondary School

West Coast Fish ‘n Chicks

WildResearch

WOW Fraser Academy

A big thank you to all the park associations, community groups, businesses and Metro Vancouver Ecological Restoration Team members who contributed to enhancing regional parks.

Stewardship by the NumbersIn 2018, many people came out to lend nature a helping hand. Some were part of a park association, community group or academic institution; others just jumped right in to a stewardship event.

People contributed 18,800 hours of their time removing invasive plants, planting native species, monitoring bird boxes and more to help regional parks. Here’s a look at the numbers from our biggest event of the year: EcoBlitz.

• Number of regional parks: 12• Number of work parties: 20• Number of volunteers: 518• Number of volunteer hours: 1,392• Kilograms of invasive plants removed: 900 • New native plants planted: 4,074A big thank you to everyone involved. You are helping to keep habitat healthier and regional parks beautiful.

SERVICES AND SOLUTIONS FOR A LIVABLE REGION