User: | Open Learning Faculty Member:
The site I have chosen for the research project is Rotary Park in the city of Merritt BC. The ground cover is primarily Poa pratense, which is a grass species used for residential lawn grass. The area is also beside the Nicola River, the Nicola River is an approximately 100km river that flows through most of the city, it is also salmon spawning grounds for Oncorhynchus kisutch. The size of the site approximately 3 hectares along the river. Upon arriving for the initial site visit I came across an Odocoileus hemionus doe and its young, they crossed a shallow part in the river and disappeared into the shrubs along the river. I observed a bird in the Populous trichocarpa, it made a distinctive sound, but I could not identify it because it had gotten dark and I could no longer see clearly. I also observed an unidentifiable species of bat, it seemed to fly in circles, most likely hunting for food like moths and mosquitos. I am particularly interested in this site because there have been Lynx rufus seen in the area. On my next site visit I will get a more detailed inventory of the plant species that inhabit the area.
