This section includes research that has not
been carried out at the QRRC, but that is in the Quesnel River
watershed. Our aim is to provide
community members and researchers with an inclusive database of research that is
going on in the area. If you would like
to be added to our QRRC research database please contact us.
Wind-driven Summertime Upwelling in a Fjord-type
Lake and its Impact on Downstream River
Conditions: Quesnel Lake and River,
British Columbia, Canada
In: Journal
of Great Lakes Research 34(1):189-203. 2008
Bernard E. Laval, John Morrison, Dan J. Potts, Eddy C.
Carmack, Svein Vagle, Christina James, Fiona A. McLaughlin, and Michael Foreman
Abstract
Observations
and modeling results are presented to explore the response of a
multi-basin, fjord-type lake to episodic wind forcing. Field
observations show that abrupt cooling and warming events (magnitude
greater than 5°C d-1) lasting 3–6 days in a large, salmon-bearing river
(Quesnel River) are due to upwelling in its upstream lake (Quesnel Lake)
during the summer, stratified season. Within the lake, vertical
displacement of isotherms in the vicinity of the river mouth associated
with this upwelling is shown to be forced by wind events longer than one
quarter of the fundamental seiche period and of sufficient magnitude
that the Wedderburn number approaches one. Upwelling occurs
nearly-simultaneously throughout a smaller basin adjacent to the outflow
(West Basin) that is separated from the Main Basin of Quesnel Lake by a
sill and contraction. Wind-driven water fluxes across the sill are
estimated using a conceptual model based on volume and heat budgets. These estimates provide an upper bound for flow across the sill and
suggest that exchange flow may at times be internally hydraulically
controlled, with epilimnetic velocities of up to ~25 cm/s. Computed
fluxes suggest the West Basin hypolimnion has a residence time of 6–8
weeks during the summer stratified period with each upwelling episode
irreversibly exchanging 25–30% of the hypolimnetic volume with the rest
of the lake. Implications of such events are profound for salmon bearing
rivers wherein the thermal habitat is critical to migration success.
List of area research for the Horsefly River watershed.
This is a list of reports that have been written about the Horsefly River watershed. This list includes reports on: moose, caribou, grizzly bear, goshawk, bats and fish.
Abstract
Global climate change is impacting watershed hydrology and our use of
water-related resources particularly in snow and glacier-fed drainage
basins. The dominant trend is that most glaciers are out of equilibrium
with the current climate and they are slowly adjusting to seasonal changes
in precipitation and higher temperatures by showing negative mass balance,
significant volume loss and retreat in most areas. In terms of landscape
evolution, this widespread and rapid retreat of mountain glaciers is
revealing new expanses of fresh glacial debris and changing the stability, dynamics and potential fluvial transport of the systems.
This tourism plan was created for the
community of Likely and reflects the vision, goals and ideals that the
community residents, businesses, and organizations have with respect to future
development. Several strategies are outlined that will help achieve the tourism
vision and core guiding principles are identified based on input from community
members during the Community Planning Process held in October of 2007.
The plan was developed by five senior level
students at Vancouver Island
University, formerly
Malaspina University-College, as a project for the Tourism Research Innovation
Project (TRIP). The plan is an outcome of the relationship built between
community residents in Likely and the TRIP team where initial contact was made
on the 2007 extension tour, with follow-up visits by the central regional
liaison Randy Love and a week long community planning process by the Malaspina
students as part of their policy and planning course.
Community Forests as a New Model
for Forest Management in British
Columbia.
Evelyn Pinkerton
epinkert@sfu.ca
Research on community-based management,
ecosystem-based management, and co-management of natural resources has not
previously attempted an interdisciplinary analysis of such a complex issue
within a specific and compelling political, economic, ecological, and cultural
context. Research results will contribute to forest policy reform in BC, likely
helping to reverse the proportion of forests managed by large integrated firms
versus small producers serving regional markets, which is more characteristic
of successful situations in the US, Europe, and Chile. BC, because of its innovative community
forests and natural endowments, has the potential to surpass the achievements
of other jurisdictions if well-informed policies are adopted.
Understanding the spatial and quality
attributes of culturally important non-timber forest product species in
mountain pine beetle affected areas of the Cariboo-Chilcotin
Wendy Cocksedge
Wendy.Cocksedge@RoyalRoads.ca
This three-year project will look at the
effects of mountain pine beetle on selected understory plant species which are
of high cultural importance and priority to the T'exelc and Xats’ull First
Nations.
Both Nations continue to rely on
traditionally used forest botanical species for cultural, recreational,
subsistence and economic activities. Over the past several decades, the
commercial use and awareness of many forest resources has risen dramatically
due to various reasons such as increased global market demand, rural
communities requiring alternatives for economic diversification, increased
awareness of health and nutraceutical benefits, and a growing interest in
cultural revitalisation. The expansion of the sector has been beneficial for
many individuals and communities, but has also raised a number of concerns
around resource and access rights, over-harvesting, and stewardship of the
species and their ecosystems. There is currently no methodology developed for
incorporating non-timber forest products into conventional vegetation
inventories, and therefore it is difficult, if not impossible, to ensure
sustainability of this sector.
Overlaying this scenario is an increase of
disturbance within areas traditionally harvested, including logging, fires and,
recently, severe mountain pine beetle (MPB) outbreaks. The mountain pine
beetle, by effectively killing large portions of the pine forests, is
inevitably affecting the distribution, abundance and quality of the understory.
This in turn affects community access to and ability to use these species.
Understanding which species are important
to the communities and how to assess and incorporate the species quality (i.e.
whether it is sufficient for traditional/NTFP use) within vegetation
inventories is the first step necessary to ensure appropriate methods of study,
as currently there are no adequate methods available to incorporate quality
information within vegetation inventories. With these tools, it will then be
possible to look at the distribution, abundance and quality of the species
within MPB affected areas, compare with non-affected areas or historical data
in order to understand the effect of the MPB on the understory and therefore
help to address remediation of effects and possibly guide restoration efforts.
The Cross-Cultural Collaboration of the Community Forest
Erin Robinson
robinsoe@unbc.ca
Cross-cultural collaboration between First
Nations and non-First Nations people in the context of local resource management
has not been comprehensively documented in Canada. This thesis explores how two cultures are
collectively managing local land as equal partners. My research has been guided by the question:
How can First Nations and non-First Nations communities work together to manage
local land in a way that fosters meaningful cross-cultural partnerships and
builds sustainable communities? Data
about the case study, the Likely/Xats’ull Community Forest, was obtained
through ethnography, participant observation and semi-structured
interviews. I
will discuss the strategies and policies that
have been created by citizens at the local level to make this project a
success. First Nation citizens from the
Xats’ull Nation are collaborating with the non-First Nation community of Likely
to create a new social reality by collectively participating to manage a
community forest. Local people are
exemplifying what can be accomplished when decision-making over land management
is carried out at the grassroots level. By working
together, local citizens are focusing on similarities as well as common goals
and interests that can be improved through cross-cultural work; stabilizing
local control of the forest with all of its inherent values.
I am a community-based researcher with Simon
Fraser University
based in Williams
Lake. I am currently
conducting a multi-year research project in the Cariboo-Chilcotin. The
project focuses on the restructuring of our social and health services, other
government funded services and programming, and the restructuring of our
economy, local businesses and industry. The project looks at the processes
and impacts of the changes across these various sectors, how they are
interconnected, and how rural communities, women and households in the
region are affected by and responding to these conditions and changes.
Collaboration between UNBC, the University of
Basel and the University of Exeter
Dr.
Nikolaus J. Kuhn
Physical
Geography and Environmental Change
Departement of Environmental Science
University of Basel
Klingelbergstr. 27
4056 Basel
nikolaus.kuhn@unibas.ch
The collaboration between UNBC, the University of
Basel and the University of Exeter focuses on understanding the current, future
and past dynamics of carbon in boreal forest landscapes. Detailed inventories
of forest soil carbon are established through this project. The aim of
this collaborative research is twofold. First, geostatistically sound methods
of soil sampling in spatially diverse and dynamic environments are developed.
Second, the results of the inventories are used to assess the effects of
geology, topography, microclimate and forest age and history on soil carbon
storage. Initial results indicate that the spatial variability of soil carbon
is highly dependent on logging and reforestation history. Planted clear cuts
show low carbon stocks and spatial variability while selected harvesting with
natural regrowth contains more soil organic matter. The second line of
research focuses on the carbon storage history of boreal forests.
Reconstruction of the changes in landscape carbon stocks is based on sediment
analysis from Boswell Lake, near the town of Likely. First results show a
contrast of relatively stable environmental conditions throughout most of the
Holocene, followed by a recent dramatic change, indicated by a shift from
carbonatic sedimentation to deposition of organic and mineral material.
Currently, the role of recent land use (the 19th century Gold Rush) and land
cover change in sedimentation is examined. Six MSc. students and one PhD.
student are participating in this collaborative research at QRRC between UNBC
and the Universities of Basel and Exeter.
