Details

On June 22nd from 10am to 12pm, we will be hosting an online community meeting over Zoom led by Wildlife Biologist & Wetland Ecologist Thomas Biebighauser to discuss the progress of our Harrop Wetland Monitoring Project, and what we are hoping to do moving forward!

History & Background

The Harrop Wetland is what is known as an ephemeral wetland. An ephemeral wetland is a depressional wetland, meaning it holds water in spring and early summer, but by mid-to-late summer all of the water usually dries up. The wetland usually fills as a result of freshet and the melting of the snowpack come spring.

The Harrop Wetland is one of very few ephemeral wetlands remaining on Kootenay Lake.

The pools that form in spring and early summer are crucial to the breeding cycle of the western toad, and are also relied upon by many birds, reptiles, mammals and arthropods.

Since 2013, we have been working to create an environment where the western toad is able to successfully breed and thrive. The toad offspring were dying because they could not escape the pools before they dried in summer. The pools were actually decreasing population numbers rather than increase them.

We have taken on many projects since 2013 in an effort to optimize this habitat for the western toad and other species. We have relied heavily on the dedication and work of volunteers and Harrop-area residents to assist us in monitoring and improving this wetland environment.

Discussion Topics

We will cover many topics starting with the history of our Harrop Wetland Monitoring Project. We will also talk about our monitoring goals for this year and the investigation into enhancing water pools at the wetlands to allow the pools to hold water for more of the year. This will hopefully provide more habitat for the western toad.

This workshop will be directed towards Harrop residents or anyone who lives around the Harrop wetland. Whether you visit the site to watch birds, walk your dog or catch up with friends we want you to know what monitoring work is being done to assess previous restoration work that was done 5 years ago! You can find out report from 2015 here: FWCP_FinalReport_HarropWetland_May2015_V2.

The zoom link will be sent out to those who are interested!

Thank you to Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program and Columbia Power for continuing to support this program!