Comox Valley Nature is pleased to host the following free online lecture:
Title: Changes in Salish Sea tidal marsh plant communities, with or without grazing by Canada geese
Speaker: Stefanie Lane
Date: Sunday, February 12, 2023
Time: 7:00 p.m. PT
This webinar is facilitated by the Canadian Society of Environmental Biologists and is open to the public (see the registration link below).
The work Stefanie conducted for her PhD took place in three estuaries (Fraser River, Nanaimo River, and Little Qualicum River), two of which (Fraser and Little Qualicum) are protected Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs). These WMAs were intended to protect important tidal marsh habitat, and she wanted to know whether the abundance of native plant species has changed.
The vegetation she surveyed in the Fraser had not been grazed, while the estuaries surveyed on Vancouver Island had suffered extensive grazing disturbance. So, while the two studies are separate, we can consider how native plants persist or recover “with” or “without” grazing disturbance. What she found in all estuaries is an increasing abundance of non-native, invasive species. This suggests that if we want native plants in our estuaries, we need to consider how to actively manage these WMAs, like removing invasive species or transplanting native species.
Stefanie will share specific details on which invasive species return in the vegetation and seed banks following goose grazing in Vancouver Island estuaries, and which invasive species have moved into the vegetation in the Fraser River Estuary despite no direct disturbance (like grazing).
About the speaker
Stefanie Lane recently joined the Project Watershed team as their Restoration and Research Lead while finishing her PhD in Forest & Conservation Science from the University of British Columbia. At UBC her work focused on estuary vegetation responses to environmental stress.
Since childhood Stefanie has developed her diverse expertise through experience and education, from landscaping to laboratory research. She thinks across scales of cellular, organism, population, community, and ecosystem ecology, from high-altitude deserts to estuaries, and the waterways that connect them.
In her new role, Stefanie aims to design restoration projects as ‘living labs’ to better understand how we can leverage natural processes for optimal restoration success. Her key areas of interest are seed dispersal through water (hydrochory), edible landscapes, and functional traits of native and non-native species.
Registration
“Seating capacity” for the talk is limited, and you need to register in advance. You can check the computer requirements for attendees here.
Register here
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions for joining the webinar.
If you are new to Comox Valley Nature, find out more about us here.
Although CVN lectures are free, donations of any size from non-members who attend are always appreciated ($4.00 is suggested).