Projects

The Nicola Naturalist Society undertakes environmental stewardship and monitoring projects within the Merritt/Nicola area.

Merritt/Nicola Amphibian Monitoring Project
Our first project started in the spring of 2011. Click here to download a copy of this project’s first progress report (1.5 Mb): Nicola amphibian monitoring report, Dec 2011

The project has a dedicated e-mail address to contact the volunteer coordinator or leave messages for the project biologists:  nicola.amphibians@gmail.com

Under the guidance of Dr. Kristiina Ovaska, a herpetologist from Biolinx Environmental Research Ltd. in Victoria, the NNS is undertaking a multi-year amphibian monitoring project. The first phase of the project is to survey local wetlands (lakes, ponds, beaver dams, streams) to find the best places for long-term monitoring. After training by professional biologists, club members do regular sampling and counting of frogs, salamanders and their tadpoles to determine seasonal and annual variations in abundance and distribution.

The Merritt/Nicola area supports breeding populations of at least five amphibian species:

  • Great Basin Spadefoot Spea intermontana (listed as “Threatened” in Canada);
  • Western Toad Anaxyrus (formerly Bufo) boreas (listed as “Special Concern” in Canada);
  • Columbia Spotted Frog Rana luteiventris;
  • Pacific Chorus Frog (formerly known as Pacific Tree Frog) Pseudacris regilla;
  • Long-toed Salamander Ambystoma macrodactylum.

Western Toad Anaxyrus boreas (photo: Alan Burger)

The NNS has received a grant from the BC Public Conservation Assistance Fund to assist with the amphibian monitoring project. The Biolinx team has also received a grant from the BC Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation to participate in this project. Our project is part of the BC Frogwatch program.

To find out more about volunteering for this project click here to download a 2-page information sheet. NNS Amphibian handout Apr2011

The links below give more information on this project, allow you to download the data sheets needed for monitoring and reconnaissance, and give updates on the workshops and other events.

Data sheets for amphibian monitoring
Participants can download additional data sheets for monitoring here:
Click here to download the data sheet for surveying waterbodies: Nicola Amphibian Observation Form – version 19 May 2011
Click here to download the call survey form:  Amphibian Call Survey Data Form, 18 May 2011

Links for further information and events on the amphibian monitoring:

Click this link to see the Shaw TV video on the NNS amphibian monitoring project on YouTube:
Shaw TV video on the Nicola Naturalist Society amphibian monitoring

Comments are closed.