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The status of turtle populations in Point Pelee National Park: a 20 year update
No full textLong-lived species such as turtles may appear to have healthy persistent
populations if adults are consistently observed; however, study of size structures can
reveal declining populations left vulnerable by limited juvenile recruitment. Longterm
studies can provide insight into community and population structure changes
as well as test the efficacy of previously implemented mitigation measures. Two
intensive turtle studies that included trapping occurred in Point Pelee National Park
(PPNP) prior to my work: Rivard and Smith (1973) and Browne (2003). Browne
(2003) studied the populations, capturing six species, and started the PPNP nest
protection program to mitigate heavy nest predation causing limited juvenile
recruitment in Snapping and Blanding’s Turtle populations.
I captured 1834 individuals of five native and one introduced turtle species in
2022–2023 and compared my results with the results from Rivard and Smith (1973)
and Browne (2003). The objective of my thesis was to estimate population sizes and
compare community structure, relative abundance, sex ratios, and size structures
from 2022–2023 with 1972–1973 and 2001–2002 to determine the status of PPNP
turtle populations and the efficacy of the nest protection program. A total of 882
nests were protected between 2001–2021; 480 Snapping Turtle nests and 33
Blanding’s Turtle nests. I found an increased catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) and a
more evenly distributed size structure with a significantly lower median MCL (mm)
than Browne (2003) for Snapping Turtles. I found a decreased CPUE and a size
structure with no significant changes since Browne (2003) for Blanding’s Turtles. [...
Wetlands as filters of heavy metals: A study in temperate fens of Central Ontario
Get PDFHeavy metal concentrations (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) were investigated in water, peat, and macrophytes across three fens in Central Ontario in relation to the water parameters and peat properties to elucidate the interactions between plant sequestration and heavy metal concentrations in the overlying water systems. The water parameters monitored include pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, total dissolved solids, salinity, nutrients, chlorophyll a, and dissolved organic matter. The peat properties studied included bulk density, volumetric porosity, and humification, and the plant properties studied included root length and the development of root plaques. In addition, all samples were analyzed for heavy metals. The fens were categorized from poor to rich depending on their water chemistry and plant community. Surface water samples were collected from the inlet, outlet and midpoint of the fens in the spring, summer, and fall of 2023. Porewater samples were collected from the midpoints of the fens using in situ pore water sampling device. In situ pore water sampling devices were deployed in the peat, and the porewater samples were collected from 10, 20 and 30 cm below the peat surface. Peat cores were also collected in fall 2023 from the inlet and the midpoints of the fens to analyze the peat properties and heavy metal concentrations at three different depths (10, 20, and 30 cm below the peat surface). Additionally, 13 plant species were collected in fall 2023 from the fens' midpoints and divided into upper and lower biomass for heavy metal analysis. [...
Futurities in Anishinaabe arts practices: beading as decolonial praxis
Get PDFThis dissertation explores ways of knowing, being, and doing that are made present and
possible through Anishinaabe creative practice and the role and value of beadwork as decolonial
praxis. This study draws upon framings of desire and theoretical constructs of the future
imaginary to de-link learning from schooling and the wider world of educational policy and
research that seek solutions within settler colonial institutions and structures. Inspired by
concepts of generative refusal, fugitivity, and futurity, this study is guided by three main
questions: 1) How might Indigenous creative practice, as a site of learning, offer new
possibilities for decolonial thought and action?; 2) How do Anishinaabe art-makers imagine,
create, or conceptualize “otherwise” worlds through their work?; and 3) What learning is made
present through beadwork?
Using Indigenous methodologies informed by visiting and storywork, and conversation,
arts elicitation, and beading circles as methods, this study engaged the experiences and
perspectives of eight beadworkers from Northwestern Ontario, Canada. Topics elicited from
discussion with participants about their beadwork included relationships to beadwork practices,
motivations for learning, material knowledges, socio-cultural and political aspects of beadwork,
visions of success, and hopes for the future. Motifs that illuminate the knowledges and learning
that occurs within spaces of Anishinaabe creative practice include: art from an Anishinaabe
perspective does not conform to the conventions of Western aesthetics; beadwork is an
inherently relational practice that reflects Anishinaabe onto-epistemologies; learning is not
centered solely on the transmission and receiving of information and is a lifelong process; and
beadwork is an intimate practice of care for ourselves, our families, and our communities.
This research highlights the importance of beadwork (specifically) and creative practice (more
generally) as one strategy for building Indigenous futurities in the present, shifting conversations
away from learning as a neoliberal imperative towards learning as a pathway to personal growth
and the creation of vibrant Indigenous futures
Zhiitaa-ook waa-ni onj-kiijig: re-activating Anishinaabe gikendaasowin (knowledge) for caregiving at the end of life
Get PDFIndigenous peoples have long-standing cultural knowledge of caring for people who are
preparing to journey to the spirit world. Settler-colonialism, however, disrupted that continuous
intergenerational knowledge transfer by subjugating Indigenous communities to western
healthcare systems and invalidating Indigenous caregiving and knowledge practices that have
been effective for millennia. To improve more equitable and positive outcomes for Indigenous
peoples' health, Indigenous peoples must lead the way forward in decolonizing caregiving
practices and re-claiming their Indigenous Knowledges (IK) for caring for people at the end of
life.
This decolonial and resurgent Indigenous re-search addresses how Anishinaabe
gikendaasowin (knowledge) and caregiving practices can be re-activated and re-mobilized when
caring for community members preparing to journey to the spirit world. With six Anishinaabe
Elders and Knowledge Carriers from different communities, we engaged in storytelling and
circle sessions to re-ignite and re-vitalize Anishinaabe gikendaasowin as resurging practices in
communities. Indigenous wholistic theory guided the re-search through an Anishinaabe-centred
re-search paradigm situated in the principles of mino-bimaadiziwin (living a good life) and
adherence to both community (OCAP) and university (REB) ethical protocols.
The re-search findings underscore the transformative potential of re-activating
Indigenous Knowledges practices. This re-activation can empower Anishinaabe caregivers to re-
member and re-claim ways of assisting community members preparing to journey to the spirit
world. By challenging settler-colonial systems of healthcare, these approaches can reduce the
ongoing cultural and physical harms against Indigenous peoples. This re-search also provides a
culturally- and territorially specific account of Anishinaabe gikendaasowin and a community-
relevant framework for pursuing equitable and positive outcomes for Indigenous peoples as they
prepare to journey back to the spirit world. It amplifies the lived experiences and end-of-life
practices of Anishinaabe caregivers, articulating them in ways that can benefit more Indigenous
communities who aspire to re-vitalize, resurge, and apply this IK re-search to their own
community needs and contexts
Older age and poor health outcomes within Black communities: an assessment of risk during the COVID-19 pandemic
Get PDFTo assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on older adults within Black
communities in Canada, the study described self-reported health ratings before and during the
pandemic, across age groups and assessed how old age contributed to adverse changes in health
across three domains: physical health, mental health, and Quality of Life (QoL).
Methods:The study performed a cross-sectional, secondary analysis of data from a communitybased survey of English or French-speaking Canadian Black, African, and Caribbean persons
between November 2022 and May 2023. Bivariate analyses informed on age differences in selfreported physical and mental health, and QoL. Furthermore, a multivariate logistic regression
model was fitted for each domain to assess the effect of age and covariates on adverse outcomes
measured as any decrease in self-reported health status during the pandemic.
Results:
Older adults reported the highest proportion of fair physical health and smallest
proportion of other levels. Approximately 66.7% of them experienced adverse changes compared
to 58.3% overall. While no older adults reported very poor or poor mental health, 41.7%
experienced adverse changes in their mental health compared to 56.3% overall. 75.0% of older
adults reported an adverse change in their QOL compared to 66.0% overall. However, the small
sample of older adults may have contributed to the lack of statistical significance in many results.
Conclusion: Older Black adults appeared more likely to report worse physical health and QoL
outcomes and have their mental health concerns underreported during the pandemic. This may be
due to age and other risk factors related to race
Health and management of trees planted in tree pits in Thunder Bay’s downtown north core
Get PDFA survey of Thunder Bay’s downtown north core (formerly known as Port Arthur) examined 276
trees in an attempt to correlate the size and health condition of the trees with the size of the
planting site. The largest and most healthy of trees (e.g. silver maple. green ash) were planted in
medians located between sidewalks and streets. The smallest trees and often the ones in the
poorest health were planted in small planting pits located in sidewalks. The conclusion from this
study points to the importance of soil volume for rooting as well as the poor physical properties
of soil found in planting pits versus medians
Economic risk analysis of the Bronze Birch Borer on the Thunder Bay campus of Lakehead University
Get PDFUrban forests serve many purposes to a city, from parks to street trees to crown
cover in downtown cores. Trees in urban environments are more prone to stress and
pathogen due to the environment in which they live. Birch trees specifically make up a
percentage of the urban trees in Thunder Bay and are easily affected by the Bronze Birch
Borer. The Bronze Birch borer is a small beetle that can kill the tree by creating galleries
of eggs in the cambium. Each of these trees are associated with a value based on tree
quality and location factors, as well as their yearly contributions. The research done for
this paper will cover only the birch trees planted on the Lakehead University, to find the
most cost-effective solution to the effects of the Bronze Birch Borer. 65 birch trees were
inventoried with a total value of 732.54. A cost analysis between full treatment, partial treatment, and no treatment
management options was done for a 20-year management plan. The most cost-effective
option proved to be the partial treatment option, and the most expensive being the no
treatment option. No treatment was not only the most expensive due to the high price of
tree and stump removal, but the value of the trees is also completely lost
Digital twin-assisted multi-layer network: resource optimization for low-latency and energy-efficiency
Get PDFThe sixth-generation (6G) wireless networks are expected to provide ubiquitous connectivity, high
data rate, low latency, energy efficiency, and edge intelligence for Internet of Things (IoT) applications. However, effective resource scheduling and network configuration in 6G is challenging
due to the resource-constrained devices, high quality-of-service (QoS) requirement, and high density of heterogeneous devices. Multi-layer networks are potential candidates for addressing the
challenge of resource-constrained devices to meet their tasks’ QoS requirements. Still, there is the
challenge of resource scheduling and management of multi-layer networks. Digital twin technology is a promising solution to enable multi-layer wireless networks that incorporate IoT devices on
the ground, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as mobile edge computing (MEC) servers, and cloud
servers. Multi-layer processing can handle time-sensitive and computationally intensive tasks from
IoT devices. In this thesis, we propose a digital twin-assisted multi-layer network for low-latency
and energy-efficient communication and computation. We mathematically formulate an optimization problem to minimize task latency and energy consumption of IoT devices by optimizing their
association with the UAV-MECs, computation resources, communication resources, and offloading
portions of tasks. The formulated problem is a non-linear and non-convex optimization problem.
We propose a two-stage scheme based on the K-means method and the deep neural network approach to solve the above optimization problem. The K-means method is utilized for the optimal
placement of UAV-MECs in the first stage, and then we associate the IoT devices with UAV-MECs
for offloading tasks. In the second stage, the deep learning architecture is utilized to optimize network resources. We compare the proposed two-stage scheme with existing schemes to highlight
the scalability of the proposed solution. We perform extensive simulations by varying the number
of UAV-MECs and IoT devices in the network to look at the impact on task latency and energy
consumption by IoT devices. Fixed offloading portioning is compared with optimized offloading
portioning to highlight the usefulness of optimization in terms of latency and energy minimization.
Simulation results demonstrate the usefulness of the multi-layer network in achieving low latency
and energy-efficient computation and communication
Effects of silvicultural intensity on jack pine density and quality 20 years post harvest
Get PDFRising global timber demand necessitates exploring intensive silvicultural practices in Canada. This thesis investigated how different silvicultural intensities affect jack pine stand density and quality at the Sioux Lookout site of the NEBIE network. 20 year post-treatment growth and yield data were analyzed to assess the impact of five silvicultural treatments (Natural, Extensive, Basic, Intensive, and Elite) on stand density and timber quality. While statistically significant differences in stand density weren't observed, a general trend emerged in the data where stand density decreased while silvicultural intensity increased. Conversely, timber quality generally improved with increasing intensity. These findings suggest potential benefits of intensive silviculture for future timber production, particularly as stands mature and treatments to improve stand quality and production are applied. However, further research in 20 years may reveal a more pronounced effect of intensity as stands approach harvest age. Overall, this study highlights the need for continued investigation into intensive silviculture to optimize Canadian forest management practices for both timber production and ecological sustainability
Evaluating the application of LiDAR to measure wildland fire depth of burn In the Canadian boreal forest.
Get PDFThis study evaluates the accuracy of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR)
technology in measuring the depth of burn (DoB) resulting from wildland fires in the
Canadian boreal forest. An analysis of the correlation between LiDAR and ground truth
DoB measurements was conducted to determine the accuracy of the LiDAR
measurements. Initial results revealed errors within the spatial alignment of the pre- and
post-burn LiDAR data. Adjustments for spatial discrepancies using an offset approach
were implemented; however, a poor correlation between measurements persisted. These
findings indicate LiDAR is not an effective method for measuring the DoB in complex
landscapes such as the boreal forest.
Despite these findings, the study strongly advocates for the continuation of
research in this area to increase confidence in these results. Recommendations for future
research include increasing the number and diversity of sampling locations and refining
ground sampling and LiDAR data processing techniques to enhance measurement
accuracy in complex forest landscapes