Research

Cariboo-Chilcotin Beetle Action Committee Input

• CCBAC cover letter

• CCBAC Presentation by FONV in Response to the Cariboo/Chilcotin Request for Input into Development of a Conservation Strategy

• Report: Taking Effective Action to Sustain and Restore Conservation Values During and After the Cariboo Chilcotin Mountain Pine Beetle Epidemic - Friends of Nemaiah Valley Input into Development of an Effective Conservation Strategy for the Cariboo Chilcotin Beetle Action Coalition - Prepared by O.R. Travers

• CCBAC reply to Richard Case

Roads to Nowhere - a review of the ecological damage and proposed restoration related to the B.C. Ministry of Forests Control Actions following the 2003 Chilko wildfire. Full report with photos and maps or read the Summary.

We engage in and support wildlife and other research in the ?Elegesi Qiyus Wild Horse Preserve / Aboriginal Wilderness Preserve. We believe that before any area is exploited for its natural resources those responsible for resource use should know as much as possible about the effects this will have on the land and its inhabitants. Impact assessments help give us answers as to what these effects might be. Consequently we strive to understand the area we help to protect using the advanced tools of conservation biology and ecoforestry in combination with all-important First Nations traditional knowledge.

Beginning with the Preliminary Conservation Assessment of the Rainshadow Wild Horse Ecosystem we are now collecting data for a complete conservation assessment. This involves extensive habitat and wildlife inventory, trail mapping, and on the ground observations by wildlife biologists, technicians and rangers. Most importantly, it involves understanding and incorporating traditional elder knowledge through interviews with those who know the land best. DNA testing of the wild horse herd to determine their genetic origins is also an interesting and important component of our efforts.

Plans are underway for research into specific species and interspecies interaction, particularly predator/prey relationships and the role which the wild horses play by adding a large element of prey biomass to the ecosystem. A wolf study is being actively planned for 2004.

After an event like the Chilko Lake fire we are looking forward to observing and documenting the recovery stages of the biota following such a catastrophic event.

Finally, FONV plans to eventually develop a Conservation Area Design Plan for the ?Elegesi Qiyus Wild Horse Preserve. For information on CAD go to the Craighead Environmental Research Institute (CERI).

For information on Ecoforestry go to the Silva Forestry Foundation and Ecoforestry.