Category: Percy Hebert

I plan to study Peterson Creek as a viable spawning area for salmon and the effects of the aesthetic grooming of the creek could be having on that population.

The three locations I chose as my sample areas were at the base of the waterfalls where I noted the finest sediment and largest girth in the stream bed. I observed the gradient of the falls and levels to it, ensuring it was possible for fish to travel from the feeding lake above.

 I then traveled 0.5 kilometers downstream where I had first observed red algae along the edges of the stream indicating a food source and nutrients to sustain fry growth before entering the Thompson River. The rocks were much larger in this part of the creek and the water was much shallower while the walls of the stream were narrow and steep compared to the gradual gradient and deep pools found at the base of the falls.

The final location I chose was the beginning of the park another 0.5 kilometers downstream to see the most heavily traveled portion of the creek. This area has evidence of heavy travel in and around the water by dogs. There was absolutely no visible plant life in the water and around the creek bed was only grass, no shrubs which indicates heavy travel in the area. There were bits of garbage littered  around the tree bases.

The frequent creek bed disturbance by human intervention through methods of removing debris has resulted in the area being uninhabitable for local fish.

The areas of the creek with adequate substrate and width for fish to lay eggs shows evidence of removal of debris. This area will have depleted biodiversity and few if any fish inhabitants.

Based on my hypothesis, the response variable is the salmon population, it is considered categorical. I aim to measure their presence in the creek. The explanatory variable I have identified based on my hypothesis is the people who visit the park. It is considered categorical as I will be measuring their influence on the creek’s biodiversity.

The fieldwork began by proposing simple research questions and developing a hypothesis and evaluating using scientific literature. The fieldwork used different light traps to sort and identify the insects’ orders by employing simple diagnostic keys. Insects are important components of biodiversity, and therefore it is important to understand and appreciate the several roles of the insects in the ecosystem. Their interesting natural history well shows the benefits of the insects in the ecosystem. Hence facilitates the application of the insects as models of learning the ecosystem conservation.

Attribute:

 

The attribute I have chosen to study is the health of perennial streams found in rangeland areas. I specifically noticed that there was disturbance to the stream bed and presence of invasive thistles in riparian zones at locations that the cattle had easy access to.

 

Observation:

 

I have observed locations at three points along one perennial stream (Figure 1).  The locations include an area with strong evidence of disturbance by cattle, an area upstream from the disturbance, and an area downstream from the disturbance.  The locations upstream and downstream were chosen by accessibility to the locations. I have also observed two other stream locations along a perpendicular gradient that are easily accessed by cattle.  I have found that the slope of the banks and access to the stream to be the biggest indicator for possible deterioration of the health of the stream.  The locations that have easy access, those along the perpendicular gradient, have evidence of disturbance causing changes in the stream bed (Figure4) and the presence of Cirsium vulgare (Figure 2), and Cirsium arvense (Figure 3). These observations areimplications of decreased health of the stream.  The areas along the gradient of the single stream indicate that the impact of the cattle is limited to the areas they can directly access.

 

Pattern:

 

The pattern I have observed is that there appears to be deterioration of the streams, stream beds, and riparian zones in small perennial streams in rangelands at points of low slopping access. The stream beds are highly disturbed and are no longer gravelly in appearance.  In these disturbed areas the stream bed has become muddy; further, invasive thistles are present in these disturbed areas.  A possible process that has caused this deterioration is cattle accessing the stream. This is particularly evident in areas of easy access due to low sloping approach to the streams.

 

Hypothesis:

 

The ability for cattle to access perennial streams in rangeland with low sloping access points is contributing to deterioration of the stream health in areas directly accessed by the cattle.

 

Prediction:

 

The stream will show diminished overall health in areas that show high disturbance and presence of invasive thistles.

 

Variable example:

 

One response variable to study would be the presence of invasive thistle, specifically Cirsium vulgare, it could be categorical and measured in presence absence.  The potential explanatory variable would be that cattle are contributing to the spread of the invasive thistles shown by the presence of the thistle in areas accessed by cattle.

Figure 1 Field journal observations