Volunteers Needed: Looking for access to private wetlands in Rocky View County
Friday, April 14, 2023
The Miistakis Institute is looking for landowners with wetlands on their property that would be willing to participate in a project to study amphibians in Rocky View County. There have been six amphibian species historically reported in the area, including boreal chorus frog, wood frog, northern leopard frog, Canadian toad, western toad and western tiger salamander. The project will determine which species still occur in the region, and how the populations may be connected.
The project will use water samples to test for amphibian eDNA. eDNA, or environmental DNA is collected from environmental samples such as water rather than directly from an individual organism. As various organisms interact with the environment, DNA is expelled and accumulates in their surroundings from various sources. However, DNA degrades quickly, so water samples are a snapshot of the species currently in the water. This is why we will sample in May and June, when amphibians are most likely to be in wetlands during mating season. This technique is particularly useful to detect species that are more difficult to see or hear.
To participate, we would need access to your wetland once during the months of May or June to take a sample of water. Sample size will depend on the size of your wetland, however, will be approximately 2-4 liters of water. Miistakis will provide you with which amphibian species were found in the water.
The Miistakis Institute is registered charity that undertakes applied conservation research to enable responsible and sustainable decisions to support biodiversity, ecological connectivity and nature-based climate adaptation. We bring people and ideas together to promote healthy communities and landscapes. We study the landscape, so we can help people maintain it; and we work to make innovative research accessible to communities and decision makers.
If you are interested in participating or learning more, please contact Nicole Kahal, Conservation Analyst with the Miistakis Institute at nicole@rockies.ca. Find out more about the Miistakis Institute at www.rockies.ca.
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