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Forest Restoration on Haida Gwaii: Implications for Goshawk Habitat
No full textHaida Gwaii, a remote group of islands off the northwest coast of British Columbia, is home to an endemic species of Northern Goshawks (Accipiter gentilis laingi), at imminent risk of extirpation. The loss of old growth habitat due to industrial logging is the principal reason for the decline of goshawk populations on Haida Gwaii. The survival of the raptor is dependent on the abundance and accessibility of prey (such as red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) and red-breasted sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus ruber)) which are closely tied to the composition of the forest. Structurally complex forests with widely spaced trees and variable canopy heights, critical attributes for goshawk foraging, have been replaced by monocrop, over-dense conifer plantations that are not accessible to goshawks. In the spring of 2020, a silvicultural thinning treatment was completed to improve the accessibility of second growth stands along the Yakoun River for goshawk foraging. The treatment, part of a multi-year project, reduced the stand density of a 70.6-hectare area from 905 to 531 stems per hectare, while retaining standing dead trees for wildlife habitat. Plot data was collected to quantify the effectiveness of silvicultural treatments in mimicking the conditions of the forest structure and prey resource availability that support existing goshawk forage territory. Results from the 2020 treatment showed that the stand density was successfully reduced to the specifications outlined in the project prescription and that red squirrels were preferentially feeding around large diameter Sitka spruce trees. Results from the old growth control sites showed a lower stem density than the 2020 and 2019 treatment sites and a relatively higher abundance of red squirrels than red-breasted sapsuckers. Plot data from the 2019 treatment site showed a relatively higher abundance of red-breasted-sapsucker compared to red squirrels. Goshawk prey are present in the 2019 and 2020 treatment areas, and by improving the accessibility of the stand through thinning treatments, these forests may develop the necessary conditions for goshawk foraging. This initial field study has highlighted the need for rigorous scientific monitoring before and after thinning treatments to inform the location and implementation of future restoration projects, and to evaluate whether silvicultural treatments are effective in recruiting new goshawk foraging territory
“Wiinge chi-baapinizi geniin ode: It really makes my heart laugh”: Language, culture, identity, and urban language revitalization
No full textBas Umali, Pangayaw and Decolonizing Resistance: Anarchism in the Philippines (Gabriel Kuhn Ed.)
No full textClaudia C. Lodia specializes in teaching queer of color critique, post(de)coloniality, queer Asian diaspora studies, activist ethnography, and critical race theory. Currently, Claudia is working on a collaborative writing project that explores social justice research methodologies and examines the disciplined construction of knowledge
DAM CATCHMENT RESTORATION EROSION PREVENTION AND RESPONSE
No full textSiandwazi Village, located in southern Zambia, is a community of smallholder farmers who rely on a community dam for dry season water supply and food production. Gully erosion is occurring on the dam spillway and in its watershed due to the dam’s influence on stream gradient and agricultural land-conversion. A community-led, volunteer erosion control program was conducted throughout the 2019/20 rain season to protect the dam from erosion-derived failure and re-establish natural hydrological regimes. Erosion control efforts on the spillway reduced annual gully and rill erosion from 10.5 to 2m3/yr through the placement of rock, sand-filled sacs, and vetiver grass (Vetiveria zizanioides). Erosion prevention and control efforts in the watershed were planned but never proceeded due to labour constraints and drought-derived socioeconomic challenges, therefore erosion increased from 12 to 14.5m3/yr. Construction on a flood-mitigating check dam was initiated and a baseline run-off coefficient was established to allow for specific watershed objective-setting moving forwards into next rain season
Riparian Restoration and Erosion Stabilization of a Road Crossing near Richmond Lake Recreation Site
No full textIn the interior of British Columbia, road crossings are the single largest contributor to stream sedimentation (Beaudry & Associates, 2007; Elliot et al., 1996; Fisheries Target Committee, 1996) and when a new forest service road was constructed to access the Richmond Lake Recreation Site in north-central BC, significant concerns around soil erosion and sedimentation around a small stream crossing arose. Ecological restoration activities in areas developed for recreation must consider other values in addition to ensuring a functioning ecosystem: the safety of recreation users, their enjoyment of the area and community interest play a role in restoration (Govt of BC, 2020a). This project looked at how to balance the interests of people using the area while managing impacts to the ecosystem from road construction
Can you feel your language? An exploration of Indigenous urban language learning and the restorative possibilities for mind, body, and spirit
No full textDecision Making Under Chronic Stress and Anxiety: State and Trait Anxiety Impact Contextual Updating but not Feedback Learning
No full textStress may alter executive functioning by causing structural and functional changes to the brain. Sub-optimal decisions made under high levels of stress and anxiety may act as a mediator for stress-related health effects. We examined the effect of three personality traits–chronic stress, state anxiety, and trait anxiety–on updating working memory and feedback learning across 330 participants, using electroencephalography (EEG). We hypothesized a decrease in P300 (updating working memory) and reward positivity (feedback learning) amplitudes with increasing chronic stress and anxiety scores. The three personality traits were not correlated with reward positivity amplitudes. Additionally, chronic stress had no effect on P300 amplitudes. However, state and trait anxiety were negatively correlated with P300 amplitudes. Anxiety appears to impact working memory processes, and this effect was amplified with decreasing anxiety score quantiles to reflect the tails of the distribution. Our results are evidence of the beginnings of a correlation between anxiety and the neural correlates of decision-making, offering insight into anxiety-related adverse health outcomes
