Species at Risk

CBA Ltd. has experience conducting targeted inventories for a number of Species at Risk in a wide range of taxa including birds, mammals, amphibians, and plants. Other studies involving Species at Risk include habitat assessments and habitat model development. Members of the CBA Ltd. team have written several status reports, management plans and recovery strategies for Species at Risk for both the provincial and federal government.

This project focused on the plant and animal Species at Risk (SAR) of the Quesnel and Williams Lake Timber Supply Areas. The program was designed to develop management tools that could be applied during forestry operations to identify and conserve the diversity of species across the managed forest landbase. A manual was developed to aid forestry workers in identification and understanding of Species at Risk.

This inventory of Williamson's Sapsucker focused on locating active territories and nests over large geographic areas of south central BC. Data were used by the Williamson’ Sapsucker Recovery Team to develop population estimates for different regions within British Columbia and an overall provincial population estimate. Data on trees used for nesting and foraging were used to better describe forest stand characteristics of breeding areas.

Northern Goshawk surveys were conducted during the breeding season in TFL 37 in the Nimpkish Valley on Vancouver Island. All known historic nests were visited to determine the status of each nesting territory. In addition areas thought to have relatively high potential for nesting Queen Charlotte Goshawks, as predicted by a habitat model developed by CBA Ltd., were also surveyed for activity. Surveys followed Resource Inventory Standards Committee (RISC) Standards for Raptor Surveys, and consisted mainly of call playback and nest search surveys.

American Bittern and Short-eared Owl surveys and habitat assessments were conducted throughout the Columbia Basin in May 2003. Call-playback was used to survey for bitterns in marsh habitat. Visual surveys were used to search for Short-eared Owls in appropriate habitats.

Since 2002, CBA Ltd has been leading field studies to assist with recovery of populations of the Coastal Vesper Sparrow and Streaked Horned Lark in British Columbia. The Coastal Vesper Sparrow is currently confined to one breeding site on Vancouver Island and Streaked Horned Lark appears to be extirpated as a breeding bird in Canada. Projects include inventory, habitat assessment, nest monitoring, capture and banding of birds, development of habitat management guidelines, development of recovery strategies, and development of habitat action plans. All projects are sponsored by the Vertebrate Recovery Implementation Group of the Garry Oak Ecosystem Recovery Team.

In 2007, CBA Ltd conducted a complete survey of nesting Lewis’s Woodpeckers in the East Kootenay, repeating a study done by us in 1997-1998. The study was designed to obtain population trend data in support of recovery efforts for this Blue-listed species by the Lewis’s Woodpecker Recovery Team.

The main goal of this project was to quantify specific habitat requirements for Canada Warblers in the Fort Nelson Forest District of British Columbia. The collection of field data on habitat variables such as shrub cover, canopy closure, slope, shrub and tree species compostion, CWD cover, and stand age was used to develop a predictive habitat model and to identify high value habitat for Canada Warbler in northeastern British Columbia.