Update of Eastern Mountain Avens Conservation Actions and Stewardship

What is this thing?

Eastern Mountain Avens: Rose Family. Herbaceous perennial. Compound basal leaves Global Distribution is restricted to Brier Island, Digby Neck and White Mountains, New Hampshire

Global Range Map!

A close but genetically different species lives (also rare) in the Smokey and Appalachian Mountains US and Canadian Populations about equal in size

Lets look at some pictures

Lets look at some pictures

Lets look at some pictures

Where are we talking about?

• Brier Island and the southern tip of the Digby Neck

Hey Brad, Why should I care?

• 6 sites on edges of Big Meadow are considered at risk

• Drainage ditches dug 1958,59

Post Ditching

Ditching

Hey Brad, Why should I care?

• This doesn’t look like a bog!

Rudderal Species, Nitrogen toxicity

Herring Gulls

• Hey it wasn’t me….

• I just got here

Big Meadow Bog (Fireweed)

Spruce and Shrub Encroachment

Big Meadow 3 1978

Ditching

Triangles = Present NOT Historical Distribution

Big Meadow 3 2011

Immature forest

Population Isolated

Population Isolated

Triangles = Present NOT Historical Distribution

Loss of Sheep Grazing on Brier

Increase in shrub coverage across the island. Complete vegetation shift on much of the island.

Why am I doing a presentation on this?

Eastern Mountain Avens is high priority for Env. Can. Habitat Stewardship Program.

MTRI and NCC were asked to begin a project to address threats in the recovery strategy.

2012 the project started with a bang. 2013 activity really ramps up.

Here’s what happened last year

Compelte ‘census’ of Eastern Mountain Avens in Canada.

Preliminary assessment of threats Trial run of permanent monitoring plots Nick Hill began vegetation management

studies Diane LaRue collected first seed bank to

be kept at Acadia Diane made visit to US populations

• Census History

Cathy Keddy 1986

Areas Searched

Cathy Keddy 1986

Areas with Avens 5450 Avens

ACCDC accumulated records to 2011

2008 estimate of 2424 Loss of 3026! Or was it??????

MTRI 2012

6365 1402 of those found in three new locations Loss of 487 since 1986

2013

Three sites from the past not seen in 2012 were reconfirmed and censused In 2013 1 new area?

Reconfirmed

I know what you’re thinking

• But what about the gulls?!

• We all want to know about the gulls

Gull Census, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, etc…

2443 nests with eggs. ~4886 Breeding Herring gulls 2002 the entire province had 6434 individual breeding Herring gulls… and missed this colony!

Trust me…this is odd

Not one but two gull nests in trees! Feces collected for diet study

^ Recovery team co-chair in action

What else is going on?

Dr. Nick Hill (Fernhill Institute for Plant Conservation) with NCC is continuing vegetation management studies.

Testing photosynthetic efficiency of Avens with Dr. David Patriquin using flouresence.

Delineating wetlands that have Eastern Mountain Avens to better define ‘critical habitat’

Even more you say?

Diane LaRue is collecting further seeds and expanding studies of growth in-situ and ex-situ..

Investigating structure of rhizomes in sphagnum.

This will help determine what we define as an individual plant and the viability of transplantation if ever needed

What else could we possibly do?

Department of Natural Resources Hydro Geologists have contributed their time to set up an array of sampling wells to help determine the state of Big Meadow bog They measure water levels, water quality and will form the base of a hydrological model

Now for the best part…

NCC has a multi year HSP project in collaboration with Nick Hill, GOMI, MTRI, NSDNR, NSDOE, EC

Engages the community Engages GOMI youth Student historical interviews Photo collection Public open houses Community Stewardship Committee

Public engagement on all levels

The most important part of this project is keeping the community informed Project has to be relevant to the residents of Brier Island Brier Island is quickly becoming a premier ecotourism destination. Avens could be a part of that story.

Public engagement on all levels

Recent flooding (2011) at outlet of Big Meadow Bog at storm surge and rain event. Could a restored bog better absorb the rainfall?

Restoration

Someday we may see this bog act like a bog again.

Questions?