Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)
University of Northern British Columbia
$28,303.00
Facilitating multi-plot trials to quantify habitat alteration on vertebrate bioindicators: snowmobile and ATV
EF 2007-08
Résumé
This application outlines the need to acquire one two-seat ATV with equipment wagon and one two-seat, wide-track snowmobile for research on the impact of habitat alteration on river otters, chickadee species, moose and deer. This work is conducted at the John Prince Research Forest (JPRF), Fort St. James, BC, a 13,000 ha working forest co-managed by UNBC and the Tl'atzt'en First Nation for sustainable logging. The JPRF is funded through logging revenues, and has acquired a fishing resort to serve as a centrally-located field station. The research forest contains a large mosaic of forest types and stand ages which are used for testing the interaction between resource management and the ecology of a number of bio-indicator wildlife species. The goal of this combined work is to determine the relative impact of human activities on the life-histories and ecology of a range of vertebrates. By understanding how resource extraction affects resident species, we can better refine the land-management practices to achieve ecological sustainability. The work we conduct requires travel to plots throughout the research forest, some of which are accessible by the limited number of logging roads in the region, but many of which are accessible only through trail or over-lake access. Sites are separated by more than 10km in many circumstances, and the research requires visiting multiple sites per day. We request all-terrain vehicles that can safely accommodate two researchers each in the winter (one snowmobile) and summer (one ATV). Similar existing vehicles at the station are inadequate (single-passenger vehicles only) and are greater than 10 years old. These vehicles are currently subject to frequent breakdown, and have significantly hampered our research in the past several years. The requested infrastructure would be used to replace these vehicles, and would be actively utilized between three non-overlapping research projects that span more than 10 months of the year.
Programme
Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)
Bénéficiaire
Emplacement
British Columbia, Canada
Type de bénéficiaire
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
Tel que publié
Application id
359279-2008
Name nom
Otter, Kenneth
Department département
Biology
Organization id
3
Institution établissement
University of Northern British Columbia
Province en
British Columbia
Province fr
Colombie-Britannique
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2007
Competition year année de concours
2008
Award amount
28303
Program id
EQPEQ
Program name en
Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)
Program name fr
Outils et instruments de recherche - catégorie 1 (<150 000$)
Group en
Discovery grants programs
Group fr
Programmes de subventions à la découverte
Committee code
18
Committee name en
Evolution & Ecology
Committee name fr
Évolution et écologie
Area of application code
400
Area of application group en
Environment
Area of application group fr
Environnement
Area of application en
Environment
Area of application fr
Environnement
Research subject code
4703
Research subject group en
Evolution and ecology
Research subject group fr
Évolution et écologie
Research subject en
Behaviour
Research subject fr
Comportement
Partie
1
Nb partie
1
Application title
Facilitating multi-plot trials to quantify habitat alteration on vertebrate bioindicators: snowmobile and ATV
Keyword
NA
Application summary
This application outlines the need to acquire one two-seat ATV with equipment wagon and one two-seat, wide-track snowmobile for research on the impact of habitat alteration on river otters, chickadee species, moose and deer. This work is conducted at the John Prince Research Forest (JPRF), Fort St. James, BC, a 13,000 ha working forest co-managed by UNBC and the Tl'atzt'en First Nation for sustainable logging. The JPRF is funded through logging revenues, and has acquired a fishing resort to serve as a centrally-located field station. The research forest contains a large mosaic of forest types and stand ages which are used for testing the interaction between resource management and the ecology of a number of bio-indicator wildlife species. The goal of this combined work is to determine the relative impact of human activities on the life-histories and ecology of a range of vertebrates. By understanding how resource extraction affects resident species, we can better refine the land-management practices to achieve ecological sustainability. The work we conduct requires travel to plots throughout the research forest, some of which are accessible by the limited number of logging roads in the region, but many of which are accessible only through trail or over-lake access. Sites are separated by more than 10km in many circumstances, and the research requires visiting multiple sites per day. We request all-terrain vehicles that can safely accommodate two researchers each in the winter (one snowmobile) and summer (one ATV). Similar existing vehicles at the station are inadequate (single-passenger vehicles only) and are greater than 10 years old. These vehicles are currently subject to frequent breakdown, and have significantly hampered our research in the past several years. The requested infrastructure would be used to replace these vehicles, and would be actively utilized between three non-overlapping research projects that span more than 10 months of the year.
