The Timber EA area outlined, with locations
of current records from the Biological and Conservation
Data System (BCD) and the Atlas of the Rare Vascular
Plants of Ontario database.
The Timber EA area outlined, with locations of current records from the Biological and Conservation Data System (BCD) and the Atlas of the Rare Vascular Plants of Ontario database. |
The NHIC is in the process of expanding its data compilation operations to include northern Ontario. Although the Centre's original mandate is to concentrate its focus on southern Ontario, recent developments have enabled it to enhance its work schedule through the collection of information for the EA Area of the Undertaking.
The NHIC has been charged with fulfilling a portion of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources' (MNR) commitments under the Terms and Conditions (T&C) of the Timber Management Class EA. The NHIC is gathering information to be used for part of T&C #16, "Update of fish/wildlife/flora and fauna information". Specifically, the Centre is compiling information on Vulnerable, Threatened and Endangered species and spaces, so that the MNR can use the best available information in forest management planning, and thus assist in the protection of these significant natural heritage features during timber harvesting operations.
Staff have now been hired on short-term contracts for the three northern MNR regions. Susan Tschirky and Bert Ffrench, based in the North Bay District Office and Sault Ste. Marie Main Office respectively, are cataloguing information on natural heritage features in MNR's Central and Northeastern Regions. Susan Hissa and Rob Foster are focussing their efforts in Northwestern Region. Susan is at the Nipigon District Office, while Rob is located at the Northwestern Regional Science and Technology Transfer Unit (STTU) Office.
If MNR staff or the general public are aware of any rare species or vegetation community occurrences in these regions, please contact the NHIC to pass information along. Any information provided will be treated as confidential, and will be released only on a 'need to know' basis in support of forest management plans and biodiversity protection objectives.
The Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone spinifera or Trionyx spiniferus) is designated as Threatened in Canada by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada
 Eastern Spiny Softshell (Apalone spinifera), ranked S3 in Ontario. |
Through a grant from the Carolinian Canada program and under the supervision of Dave Martin, a Softshell Turtle poster and fact sheet have been produced to raise awareness about the plight of the Softshell in Canada. These efforts are all part of a Recovery Plan to enhance the long-term survival of Softshell Turtles in Canada, currently being prepared by the Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle Recovery Team, co-chaired by NHIC Botanist/Herpetologist Mike Oldham.
In co-operation with the Long Point Bird Observatory (LPBO), NHIC biologists are assigning coefficients of conservatism to over 2,000 southern Ontario native vascular plant species. Each coefficient of conservatism is a numeric value between 0 and 10 which indicates the degree of faithfulness a plant displays to a specific habitat or set of environmental conditions.
"Conservative" plant species, such as those which are only found in relatively pristine natural habitats such as bogs or prairies, are assigned a high coefficient of conservatism; other plant species which grow in a wide variety of habitats and can tolerate high levels of cultural disturbance are assigned low values. By compiling a plant species list for a natural area and looking up the coefficients of conservatism for each species listed, one can calculate a Natural Area Index which can be used to compare the quality of natural areas. The NHIC has produced a list of native plants occurring in southern Ontario, and has assigned tentative coefficients of conservatism to each. These coefficients will be reviewed by expert botanists before being finalized. LPBO plans to use the coefficients as part of a Woodland Evaluation System they are working on.
In addition to assigning coefficients of conservatism to native plant species, NHIC biologists are also working on a weediness index. Because the presence of some non-native plants (e.g. Purple Loosestrife or Garlic Mustard) can pose a serious threat to a natural area, the NHIC is also assigning a value to non-native plant species. Each non-native plant species is assigned a value between -1 and -3. Species assigned a -1 are thought not to be a threat to natural areas, while species assigned -3 are potentially serious problems in natural areas. By totalling the scores of non-native species in a natural area, one can generate a "weediness index", which will assist managers in assessing the relative integrity of natural areas.
In co-operation with ecologists from the City of Windsor and Ministry of Natural Resources, the NHIC participated in an inventory of a small, but highly significant, prairie remnant within the City of Windsor.
 Fowler's Toad (Bufo woodhousei fowleri), ranked S2 in Ontario |
The NHIC is co-operating in a joint project with the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) and Ontario Field Herpetologists (OFH) to produce species accounts for an atlas of Ontario's amphibians and reptiles. Co-ordinating this project are Margaret McLaren of MNR, Wayne Weller of the OFH, and Mike Oldham of the NHIC. Seburn Ecological Services has been hired to help with the research and writing of species accounts, and Sonya Gerkema, who worked for the NHIC this past summer as an EYC student, has been hired to help with data input, map preparation, and other tasks. Each species account will include several Ontario distribution maps based on records gathered by the Ontario Herpetofaunal Summary project. Species accounts will also include sections on appearance, life history, habitat, and status and population trends.
The Committee on Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) was organized in 1976 under the auspices of the Federal Provinicial Wildlife Conference as a national committee including representatives from federal, provincial, territorial and private agencies. The committee's mandate is to assign national statuses for species at risk.
NHIC biologists are preparing six COSEWIC status reports, including three for members of the Cyperaceae (sedge family): Carex nigromarginata, Carex alata, and Carex juniperorum.
A southern woodland and barrens species, the G4G5,S1-ranked Black-margined Sedge was confirmed at its only known Canadian occurrence on Long Point in 1994. First discovered in 1980 by A.A.
 Carex juniperorum - entire plant and close up of inflorescence. Drawing by Marcel Jomphe (Catlign, P.M., A.A. Reznicek, and W.J. Crins 1993. Carex juniperorum (Cyperaceae), a new species from northeastern North America, with a key to Carex sect. Phyllostachys. Systematic Botany 18(3):496-501). Courtesy of Paul Catling, Agriculture Canada. |
A status report to be submitted to the Chair of the Plants Subcommittee of COSEWIC, is currently being drafted.
In May and June 1994 a field inventory was undertaken to survey the known Ontario occurrences of this globally rare (G2) plant. In Ontario, Juniper Sedge was previously known from three sites all within the Salmon River Alvar Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSI) in Hastings County. Prior to this year's survey, fewer than 2,000 individuals were known in Canada. 1994 fieldwork resulted in the discovery of a fourth population, near to the other three, but by far the largest found to date. This population is estimated to contain between 5,000 and 10,000 plants. Searches of potential sites nearby and at other Ontario alvars failed to reveal additional populations.
A draft Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) status report is being prepared for the COSEWIC Plants Subcommittee. This report will recommend Endangered in Canada status for Juniper Sedge because it is known from only one small area in the country and because all four populations are on private land and are potentially threatened.
First discovered in Canada on Long Point in 1980 by A.A. Reznicek and P.M. Catling, and observed at its single known site as recently as 1988, fieldwork in 1994 by the NHIC failed to find this species. It is possible that the species was overlooked during the course of recent fieldwork, due to changes to the site brought about by hastened succession, following a reduction in the deer population. Searches for the species at Hahn Woods and Turkey Point, nearby sites thought to offer potentially suitable habitat for the species, were also unsuccessful.
A status report to be submitted to the Chair of the Plants Subcommittee of COSEWIC is currently being drafted.
Under terms of a contract to NHIC by the Norfolk Field Naturalists (NFN) and Lambton Wildlife Inc. (LWI), fieldwork associated with life science inventories of both LWI's 15 ha Port Franks 'Karner Blue Sanctuary', and the 81 ha 'Manestar Tract' within the St. Williams Forest Station, was completed in early October. Results are currently being compiled and reports drafted. Preliminary maps of the vegetation communities and significant biota of the sites have been prepared using 'electronically spliced', scanned aerial photographic images and Coreldraw 4.
Among the significant species recorded at the Karner Blue Sanctuary were populations of Rattlesnake Weed, Hieracium venosum var. nudicaule (G5T4, S2), and Forked Panic Grass, Dichanthelium dichotomum var. dichotomum (G5T5, S2), as well as the locally significant Ebony Spleenwort, Asplenium platyneuron, known previously in Lambton County from Pinery Provincial Park, where its occurrence was last verified in the 1960's. Among the significant discoveries at the Manester Tract was a subpopulation of Spotted Wintergreen, Chimaphila maculata var. maculata (G5T?, S1), last seen in 1986-87, and the discovery of Atlanticus monticola, an as yet unranked shield-backed grasshopper, apparently restricted in its occurrence in Canada to the vicinity of Long Point.
The purpose of this study is to compare the existing vegetation of Pinery Provincial Park with the vegetation as it occurred in the late 1980's. Park managers have observed a serious and steady deterioration in the quality of vegetation within the park, due to severe grazing by the park's burgeoning deer population. Both oak and oak - pine savannah and woodland, which are ranked S1 (extremely rare) in Ontario are extensive in the park, and are being affected by grazing. Furthermore, there are over 30 species ranked S1 to S3 in the park, many of which are similarly threatened. Since this area is so important in terms of biological diversity and uniqueness, the NHIC was contracted to undertake a study to assess the impact of deer over-grazing on Pinery's vegetation.
In the late 1960's, it is estimated that the park supported a population of approximately 35 deer, while today this number stands at around 1,000. Throughout the park, heavy grazing is evident, with a readily apparent graze line exhibited by the trees, a much-reduced to absent shrub layer, and an absence of flowers (flower heads being a favourite food of the deer).
The problem at Pinery is common in many parks and protected areas throughout southwestern Ontario and northeastern United States. For example, Long Point National Wildlife Area, Point Pelee National Park, and Rondeau Provincial Park have all suffered similar over-grazing by deer, and have all implemented deer culls to help restore their vegetation. This study quantifies the deleterious changes in the vegetation of Pinery Provincial Park caused by deer, and serves as a background document to support deer management proposals.
Sixteen areas which had been sampled between 1985 and 1988 were revisited this summer, and re-sampled using the same techniques employed in the original studies. Trees were sampled using the Point Centred Quarter Method, while understory vegetation was sampled using 1x1 m square quadrats. Data obtained using these methods provide quantitative information on the structure and composition of the tree and understory vegetation, which can be compared with the values obtained between 1985 and 1988.
While the analysis has not yet been completed, a number of trends are evident. For example, the grazing pressure varies within the park. The park is linear in shape, paralleling the shoreline of Lake Huron, with the Old Ausable River channel bisecting its length. The grazing is severe on the Lake Huron side of the Old Ausable, while on the other side toward Highway 21 there is little noticeable deterioration in the vegetation, except for the presence of a tree graze line.
Changes in vegetation are detected by comparing changes in the % cover and % frequency of species within a community between the two time periods. The % cover refers to the canopy shade a particular species would cast on the ground. This is a measure of the dominance of a particular species in a community (cover is highly correlated with biomass). The % frequency is a measure of a species distribution within a community (e.g. a species with 60% frequency indicates that if one were to randomly stop at any point within a community, there would be a 60% chance of finding that species at the point). Both of these measures are important in the characterization of plant communities.
For example, some species may occur as a few large clones within a community. These would tend to have a relatively high % cover, but their % frequency would be low. Other species may occur scattered throughout a community, but occur as solitary individuals; thus, their % cover would be low, but their % frequency could be high. In both cases, the species could be important components of the vegetation, but they need to be measured differently. The resolution of changes in vegetation characteristics is increased when both of these measures are examined for changes.
In the dune areas along Lake Huron, some of the most important ground cover and dune-stabilizing species show marked decreases in % frequency and/or % cover. The principal species which have decreased are Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Long-leaved Sand-reed (Calamovilfa longifolia), Starry False Solomon's-seal (Smilacina stellata) and Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi). In some cases, depending on the dune area sampled, these species have declined in terms of both % cover and % frequency. Elsewhere, certain species exhibit a ten-fold decrease in % cover, but their % frequency remains the same.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, MNR began restoring Pinery's oak savannahs and woodlands by cutting the planted pines, and undertaking controlled spring burns to open up these areas and invigorate the fire-adapted species which are part of these communities. One purpose of the burns was to reduce or remove a number of forest species which were filling in the understory and shading out the prairie species.
This summer's data shows that forest species such as Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) and Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea), which were formerly becoming dominant in the savannahs and woodlands, have experienced marked declines in terms of % cover and % frequency. This is one of the goals of the controlled burn program. However, the severe declines in other fire-adapted shrub and herb species were not expected. Studies have shown that fire, a natural component of this ecosystem, benefits species such as Fragrant Sumac (Rhus aromatica), Poison Ivy (Rhus radicans), Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus), Dwarf Chinquapin Oak (Quercus prinoides), Bastard Toadflax (Comandra umbellata) and Wild Lily-of-the-Valley (Maianthemum canadense), yet these understory dominants have all been severely reduced since the 1980s. The obvious factor here is deer grazing, which has reduced the presence of these species. In some instances, species have been completely eradicated from some sites where they were formerly dominant.
Other oak savannah species which, although not dominant in the understory, nevertheless provide important ecological functions, have also been severely affected by this grazing pressure. For example, the provincially rare Wild Lupine (Lupinus perennis) is a fire-adapted species which is the only food plant of the Karner Blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) larvae. Wild Lupines have been planted and seeded in open areas within the park for the last decade, yet few survive since the seedlings are eagerly nipped by deer, which find this species delectable. The Karner Blue butterfly became extirpated from the Pinery-Port Franks area in the late 1980s. Efforts are now underway to restore the habitat of this species, and eventually re-introduce the butterfly itself. However, until grazing pressure exerted by the deer is considerably decreased, any such efforts are fruitless.
Other provincially rare species which were observed to be severely grazed and diminished within the park include Dwarf Hackberry (Celtis tenuifolia), Dwarf Chinquapin Oak (Quercus prinoides), False Foxglove (Aureolaria pedicularia), and Hairy Pinweed (Lechea villosa). One rare species, American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), has been apparently extirpated from the park by grazing.
This is only a preliminary review of the data. The planned analysis will include examining changes in species composition and abundance in the sampled communities in greater detail, as well as ordinating the vegetation communities using both 1980's and 1994 data, to look for changes in the positions of stands in ordinational space as an indication of compositional change.
The NHIC has teamed up with the MNR Southern Region Science and Technology Transfer Unit (STTU) to prepare an Ecological Land Classification (ELC) for Southern Ontario. The benefits of this partnership are many. First of all, it will create a classification that can be used by both organizations and others, so that community definitions, descriptions, and mapping projects will all be done to the same standards. Also, by sharing work in the development of the ELC, expenditures can be shared.
The results of this project will be released by the end of the fiscal year, March 1995. The
final product will include:
1) a classification outline, community keys, and descriptions of the systems (e.g. Aquatic,
Wetland, Terrestrial), ecosections (e.g. Marsh), and ecosites (e.g. Shallow Marsh); and
2) a detailed catalogue of the community types (e.g. Shallow Marsh - Cattail Type).
The catalogue will be arranged in the same order as the classification outline, and examples
of species associations for each community type will be listed.
The species associations have been assembled from approximately 100 ANSI (Area of Natural and Scientific Interest) reports, 500 IBP (International Biological Programme) reports, as well as numerous other published and unpublished sources. The ELC types have been developed in this project by combining similar associations into community types. It is hoped that this classification and catalogue will be used by MNR biologists and planners, as well as by municipalities and environmental consultants.
This project only represents a first attempt at a classification. MNR Southern Region is presently collecting data on a systematic basis, and is planning to continue to do so over the next several years. Data obtained from this sampling will be analyzed using quantitative methods including numerical classification. Information obtained from these analyses will be used in the future to further define and improve the community types as required.
The Natural Heritage Information System (NHIS) is a priority component of MNR's efforts to provide integrated inventories capabilities. NHIS has been developed by Systems Development Branch in cooperation with the NHIC, and with technical input from Southern Region staff. The NHIS field structure was designed by assembling a group of eventual NHIC data users from within the MNR, who examined the BCD for desirable components and determined which fields were required by MNR planners and ecologists. Windows-based Microsoft Access was selected to make the NHIS accessible to a wide range of users with varying levels of database expertise. For instance, a series of help and terminology definition screens and user prompts quickly ease first-time users through the NHIS.
Version 1.0 of the system has been released to the regional office and sixteen test sites throughout MNR Southern Region. Each site has received a high-end 486 computer to run the system. The NHIC provided 879 element occurrences and 5300 species description files from the BCD for use in the NHIS.
Each occurrence displays standard element information, and the various ranks, both official Vulnerable, Threatened or Endangered species designation, and the G and S ranks used by the NHIC. In version 1.0, there is no GIS link to display mapped element occurrences. However, index maps accompanying the release enable users to visually query geographic areas, such as a specific township, for rare element occurrences. The user can then access NHIS and perform queries on those elements and their occurrences.
The ability to perform on-screen geographical queries for all elements will be an important addition to version 2.0 of the NHIS. This release, scheduled for summer 1995, will include an update of BCD point data, the first set of element occurrence records for communities, and summaries of the BCD's site and managed area basic records (e.g. wetlands, parks, ANSIs). ARCVIEW II will be linked into version 2.0 such that georeferenced queries of the element occurrence records can be performed directly on-screen.
Version 3.0, due out in December 1995, will include further polygonal (spaces) and point (species) data updates, and full user interface capabilities to allow for input of new data for quality assurance and incorporation into NHIS by NHIC biologists. This version will permit users to enter element observations, by way of a Natural Heritage Observation Library, which are then transmitted back to the NHIC for checking and input to BCD. These new data will be incorporated into subsequent updates of the NHIS. This circular data flow should expedite the process of acquiring, checking, and updating the NHIC's central database.
Future NHIS releases and updates will incorporate all new occurrence records from the NHIC as the Centre continues its work to acquire, input, and quality-check new databases and data sets. An important facility for the NHIC is the ability to service client information needs as efficiently as possible. The NHIS will permit users to perform most of their queries directly, without having to contact the Centre's staff.
Although the NHIS will initially be released only to staff in MNR, it will quickly become an invaluable NHIC-client interface for external users. For instance, Regional Municipalities, Conservation Authorities, Ontario Hydro, and non-government organizations (e.g. the Nature Conservancy of Canada, Federation of Ontario Naturalists) may well benefit from being licensed NHIS users. Most of these groups already provide data to the NHIC, or may do so in the near future. Again, the NHIS's Observation Library will be an effective tool in the flow of data from these groups to the NHIC.
Many of the data records in the NHIS are extremely sensitive, because they provide precise georeferenced information on imperiled elements. End-users of the NHIS must therefore agree to use the data only for those purposes that help to conserve and protect Ontario's biodiversity. The success and effectiveness of the NHIC and NHIS depends on the ability to acquire data from all available sources, and to disseminate the same information in a usable form to support biodiversity conservation objectives. The NHIC and NHIS have been instituted with active external partnerships in mind. The notion that government can or should be solely responsible for the Province's natural heritage is dated, as evidenced by the need for, and appearance of the NHIC and NHIS.
The NHIC is midway through its two-year development phase. During this time, significant enhancements have been made to the work plan, and the Centre remains on or ahead of its work schedule. Information services and a client-user interface (Natural Heritage Information System) have been developed and implemented. As well, there has been considerable success in acquiring the key databases and data sets required to populate the NHIC's files and the NHIS.
The priorities for the two years are to hire and train staff; equip and develop procedures for the centre; review and adapt pilot projects; acquire, mount and map data for provincially significant conservation lands (ANSIs, wetlands, parks, etc.), species and communities for Site Regions 6 and 7 (populating all files except Tract Files which will be done on a test basis only); and develop reporting and map products (1:50,000 index series, 1:10,000 file maps), and test electronic data interchange, GIS, and remote read-only capabilities.
The original work plan has been enhanced in several important aspects:
By adopting the Natural Heritage Program methodology and technology developed by The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the MNR has introduced an important suite of international data standards into its operations. The NHIC annually updates, and is updated by, the Conservancy's central databases. The most recent data exchange took place in August 1994, adding almost 4000 species (Element Tracking) records to the BCD. TNC data exchanges include recognized standards in the area of conservation status, taxonomy, nomenclature, ecological classification, along with standards in database field structure and content. MNR is disseminating these standards through its development and implementation of the NHIS.
In populating its central repository, the NHIC acquires data and information from many sources. Record structure and content vary considerably depending on the data source. The NHIC is developing valuable data standards in the areas of preparation, update and maintenance, and quality assurance of data by working directly with data source contacts. Through the common usage of tools and methodology, the NHIC can greatly enhance the business of data acquisition, maintenance and dissemination.
Key functions of the NHIC are to acquire, maintain/update, and make available data on the province's endangered species and ecological communities. The vast majority of these data are collected by professionals outside of MNR. Data are typically compiled by individuals,local groups, municipalities, and provincial and national conservation organizations.
By developing agreements with these government and non-government parties, the NHIC is able to obtain these data sets, conduct quality assurance, and perform data preparation functions to form the Centre's central data repository. Agreements provide security measures to protect the integrity of the endangered natural heritage features, access for agreement parties to other NHIC data holdings, and access to the data for MNR policy, program and operations staff.
The value of these data sets is considerable. Collectively, they represent access to the work of thousands of experts, tens of thousands of hours of field study, and hundreds of thousands of data entries. Coupled with the MNR's natural resource inventories, the NHIC over a period of several years will have compiled a comprehensive natural heritage data set for the province. The following is a summary of current data acquisition efforts:
The OHS database, compiled by the Ontario Field Herpetologists, contains approximately 90,000 records of sightings of amphibians and reptiles in Ontario. The NHIC has a copy of this database, and a methodology has been developed to consolidate and import records from the OHS database to BCD.
This database contains information on 725 Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest (provincial and regional) in MNR's Southern Region. A methodology was developed, and this information was imported into the Site Basic Record files in BCD.
A Data Acquisition Agreement has been signed by the NHIC, Long Point Bird Observatory (LPBO) and the Federation of Ontario Naturalists (FON) enabling the centre to acquire the Ontario Rare Breeding Bird Program (ORBBP) database. Under the terms of the agreement, the NHIC has received digital copies of the ORBBP and Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas databases, as well as copies of the supporting manual files. NHIC Systems has begun the task of incorporating these data into BCD. Acquisition of these databases will enable the NHIC to more fully populate its bird element occurrence files with the most up-to-date data on the province's rare bird species.
An agreement has been reached with MNR, and the data on the distribution of rare fish in Ontario are being assembled for our use in 1995.
Over the course of the summer EYC intern, Dave Taylor, assistant to the NHIC Zoologist, began the task of digitizing literature records of Ontario butterflies, and damselflies and dragonflies. Extracting records of S1 to S3, and SH-ranked species from a variety of literature sources, including the Toronto Entomological Association's Annual Summaries of Ontario Lepidoptera, and E.M. Walker's Odonata of Canada and Alaska and Distribution of the Odonata of Ontario, the resulting database will help to form the basis for element occurrence records for these species.
NHIC Botanist, Mike Oldham, has a database on plants he has collected or seen throughout Ontario since 1979. Many of the locations of these plants are not recorded anywhere else. Portions of this database will be imported into BCD in the near future.
Don Sutherland (NHIC Zoologist) and Wasyl Bakowsky (NHIC Community Ecologist) similarly have databases which will also provide valuable information.
Through the courtesy of Erich Haber, Chair of the COSEWIC Plants Subcommittee and the National Atlas Information Service, the NHIC has been provided with a digital copy of Ontario records from a database of rare Canadian vascular plants. This database contains several hundred records, some of which are not available through other sources accessed by the NHIC. This information will be incorporated into the BCD. The NHIC will provide the COSEWIC plants subcommittee with additional plant records that are not in the COSEWIC database.
The Atlas of the Rare Vascular Plants is currently the standard source for rare plant information in the province. Under the supervision of Dr. George Argus, the National Museum of Canada (now Canadian Museum of Nature) and over 50 cooperating botanists spent six years (1982-1987) assembling information on the status of over 900 plant species. Of these species, 542 were deemed rare enough for inclusion in the Atlas. For each species included in the ARVPO, specimens were examined from all major Ontario herbaria and many outside Ontario to gather information on the occurrence of each species. Specimen information was entered into a computer database at the National Museum; by the end of the project this database contained over 12,000 records. Work on verification of georeferences within the ARVPO database is ongoing: upon completion, the ARVPO records will be inputted into the BCD.
Using a copy of the ARVPO database, the NHIC was able to provide rare plant occurrence information in digital, hard copy, and GIS-generated map form to all MNR District and Regional offices. This information will be invaluable to MNR planners and biologists in their efforts to preserve rare plant populations.
As part of NHIC's work plan, staff biologists facilitate, lead, and conduct field work. These field studies provide essential and current information on high priority species and areas for our partners. The NHIC's first field season was conducted in association with MNR District staff, Long Point Bird Observatory, COSEWIC, and various individuals. All studies focused on endangered species and communities; examples include:
Starting this spring NHIC biologists have been working on lists of plant and animal species and vegetation communities occurring in Ontario. These lists indicate which species and communities occur in the province, and what their global (GRANK - assigned by The Nature Conservancy in Arlington, Virginia) and provincial ranks (SRANK - assigned by the NHIC) are. Each list also indicates which species have statuses assigned by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife (COSEWIC) and Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Eight lists are currently in distribution: lists have been finalized for birds, reptiles, amphibians, and rare vascular plants; lists are in draft stage for mammals, freshwater fishes, butterflies, and mosses. In addition, several other lists are currently being prepared (e.g. freshwater mollusks, vegetation communities).
These lists will be updated at least annually, and the NHIC welcomes input on provincial ranks. If you would like a copy of one or more NHIC lists, please give us a call.
In managing the NHIC through the transition from development phase to maturity, the current enhanced work plan and deliverables need to be completed. The main areas and outputs during 1995 will include:
Here is a summary of some accomplishments by the NHIC during 1994.
BCD System: 800 new occurrence records added during the year
Information Requests: 670
Talks and Presentations: 35
Tours of the Centre: 40
Training
staff hired under the Timber EA for northern Ontario
NHIS users
IRD staff at Dorset
Ecological Land Classification (ELC) training
Thanks to a grant from the Great Lakes Protection Fund awarded to the Nature Conservancy, the NHIC will be involved in an international research and conservation initiative to protect alvar ecosystems. Alvars are areas of shallow soil over flat, limestone bedrock which support an unusual flora and fauna. Scientists from New York, Michigan, Ontario, and elsewhere met in July near Kingston to discuss alvars in the Great Lakes basin and to come up with a plan for their conservation. Starting in 1995, the NHIC will be working with other researchers, including some from the New York and Michigan Conservation Data Centres, to study the plants, animals, vegetation communities, hydrology, and protection mechanisms to ensure the long-term persistence of these significant habitats in Ontario and elsewhere.
At a dinner held at the Smithsonian Institution on June 6th and attended by more than 800 computer industry leaders, nominees and professionals, the Network of Natural Heritage Programs and Conservation Data Centres and the Biological and Conservation Data System (BCD) won the Computerworld Smithsonian Award over four other finalists in the category Environment, Energy, and Agriculture. The purpose of the award is to honor "the best societal uses of information technology from across the world." ...This is a very prestigious award within the computer industry; as the award committee states, "These are the giants of information technology on whose shoulders future generations of innovators will stand." (from The Nature Conservancy (U.S.), "Heritage Network Receives Computerworld Smithsonian Award", Biodiversity Network News. Vol. 7, Issue 1, 1994. )
The NHIC is licensing ESRI's ARC/INFO and ARCVIEW II software, and is leasing a DEC 3000 Model 300 workstation and an HP DesignJet 650C ink-jet plotter. The centre will now have the ability to conduct GIS analyses and produce GIS output in-house, with active feed-back from staff biologists. Access will continue to be available to the GIS facilities at Systems Development Branch in Peter-borough for activities such as digitizing.
As well as maintaining computer and map files on species and spaces of conservation concern, the NHIC also is establishing manual files on rare species, vegetation communities, and natural areas in Ontario. We are obtaining copies of technical literature, popular articles, natural area reports, etc., to add to our files. It is going to be a difficult task to track down all the significant information on rare species and natural areas in the province, and undoubtedly a task we will never fully accomplish. One useful source of natural area and natural history information is provincial and local journals and newsletters. We are hoping to assemble complete sets of as many of the following natural history periodicals as possible: Blue Bill, Canadian Field-Naturalist, The Cardinal, Ontario Birds, Ontario Field Biologist, Trail & Landscape, Ontario Naturalist, The Plant Press, Seasons, and The Wood Duck. If you have back issues of any of these or related publications that you no longer need, consider donating them to the NHIC. We would like to thank John Riley for his donation of some back issues of Ontario Field Biologist and The Plant Press.
The NHIC has begun assembling a slide collection on provincially rare plant and animal species, vegetation communities, and significant natural areas. These slides are used in presentations, newsletter articles, reports, and other publications. Already the NHIC has received donations of slides from Gary Allen, Bob Gray, John Mitchell, and Michael Runtz. Although the NHIC does not have funds to pay for slides, photographers will be credited in any use of their slide. If you have slides of rare species taken in Ontario (particularly if date and location are known), or of significant natural areas or vegetation communities which you would like to donate, we would be happy to add these to our collection.
The NHIC has one distinct advantage over Conservation Data Centres (CDC) in other states, provinces or countries: it builds on the database created by its predecessor the Carolinian Canada Conservation Data Centre Project. The Carolinian CDC project tested The Nature Conservancy's (TNC) Conservation Data Centre/Natural Heritage methodology within Ontario. The Carolinian CDC dealt with rare, threatened and endangered species within the Carolinian Zone of south-western Ontario from Fall 1988 to Spring1990.
After the completion of the Carolinian Canada CDC Project, its database was further developed by the Great Lakes program based in Chicago. This project demonstrates the enormous benefits of the network of Conservation Data Centres (ABI). Using georeferenced data on rare species and vegetation communities gathered from the ten different CDCs within the Great Lakes basin: Ontario, Québec, Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and New York, critical unprotected areas of conservation concern were identified. With over forty percent of the Great Lake shoreline, Ontario plays a pivotal role in the study.
The NHIC consulted with various experts before assigning provincial ranks, and we would like to thank the following individuals for their comments on draft lists:
Peter Ball, Irene Bowman , Donald Britton , Vivian Brownell , Daniel Brunton , Peter Burke , Mike Cadman , Paul Catling , Francis Cook , William Crins , Bob Curry , Stephen Darbyshire, Dave Elder , Mary Gartshore , Ross James , Bob Johnson , Joe Johnson , Richard Knapton , Bill Lamond , Ross MacCulloch , Jon McCracken , Doug McRae , John Morton , Stephen O'Donnell, George Peck, James Phipps , Ron Pittaway , Anton Reznicek , John Riley , Ken Ross , Michael Runtz , Frederick Schueler , John Semple , Ken Stead , Wayne Weller , Nancy Wilson, and Alan Wormington.The NHIC would like to thank Dr. Paul Catling and Todd Norris for assistance with field surveys for Juniper Sedge.
The NHIC would also like to thank A.A. Reznicek (University of Michigan), J. Robinson, P. Ashley, G. Herring (CWS), and L. Enright (LPBO) for logistical and field assistance with surveys on Long Point for Carex alata.
Thanks for the artwork for this issue to:
Peterborough-based artist, Peter Burke for his drawing of a Spiny Softshell Turtle in this issue.
Paul Catling for permission to use the drawing of Carex juniperorum by Marcel Jomphe.