| Abstract/Description or Keywords |
The BC Conservation Data Centre (CDC) currently tracks only 20 occurrences of species-at-risk in the Slocan Watershed. One of the occurrences, crested woodfern (Dryopteris cristata), was observed and submitted during the 2014 SWAMP field program. Eight of the 20 records are over 30 years old and their current condition and viability is unknown. Through this project, which was largely a desktop exercise, we have confirmed 47 species-at-risk in the Slocan Watershed in 154 locations, and have identified an additional 11 species that have a high potential to occur. The species include vertebrates, invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians, vascular plants and non-vascular plants. This represents a considerable increase in the number of species-at-risk known to exist in the watershed, although several species on the list are well documented, but are not tracked, or do not show up on, CDC data. The results of this project make it apparent that there is still much to be discovered regarding the species-at-risk that inhabit the Slocan Watershed. With every additional field check more species are found, and the range of existing species is expanded. We hope to secure funding to move beyond this desktop exercise and complete additional inventories. We recommend that a series of specific surveys be carried out in the watershed to complement previous studies. These studies would be completed by experts in their field and focus on under-inventoried areas, namely vascular and non-vascular plants, amphibians and invertebrates. |
