News/Reports

Trout Creek Ecological Reserve #7 Wardens report, March 8, 2016

Posted March 8, 2016 | Categories : 7,Invasive Species,Warden Reports |

Laurie Rockwell the ER Warden for Trout Creek ER has submitted this wardens report.

  • due to a rainy morning I toured the reserve in the early afternoon. It reached 17c under a broken sky with periods of sunshine and a brisk wind on the ridges. There was no snow and the frost was out of the ground.
  • I saw or heard 8 species of expected birds,but missed the expected hooting of a Dusky Grouse .
  • I saw a few insects:ground spiders,small moth-like flying insects and one large Rough Plant Bug (Brochymena spp)  aka Stink Bug.
  • mammals included 4 Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and 1 Red-squirrel  (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus).
     One of 4 sages on the reserve: A.frigida, A.dranunculus (Tarragon) and A.capmestris.

    One of 4 sages on the reserve: A.frigida,

  • 2 plants were in flower: Large Fruited Desert Parsley (Lomatium macrocarpum) and Sagebrush Buttercup  (Ranunculus glabberimus). In bud were Saskatoon bush(Amelanchier  alnifolia), Blue Elderberry  (Sambucus caerulea) and Douglas Maple (Acer glabrum). In leaf were Bitterroot( Lewesia rediviva), Yarrow (Achillea millefolium). Meadow Death Camus                    (Zigadensus venenosus), Pasture Sage (Aretmesia frigida), Old Man’s Whiskers (Geum triflorum),Dangling Suncress (Brochera refracta); some infected with rust). Also,the Steppe Mouse-Moss (Coscinidon calyptrus) was in its dark green spring  (wet) colour, which will turn “mouse hair’ gray in summer(dry). Of the invasive plants I dug out 17 small Sulphur Cinquefoil ( Potentilla recta); Dalmatian Toadflax  (Linaria genistifolia) was every where in leaf and no Diffuse Knapweed ( Centaurea diffusa) plants were found despite wet conditions for growth.
  • I saw no signs of human activity.
  • the stiles at the 12th green of the golf course must be replaced by the golf course, that removed them without permission,or they must put a strand of barbed wire the length of the green to discouraged golfers from breaking down the fence to get errant golf balls out of the reserve.
  • previously mention fence repairs are outstanding;in addition, a post on the NNE fence has rotted out.