Parks Canada

Dune systems are key features in protecting assets, land, and ecosystems behind them from the effects of storm surges, wave action, salt spray, as well as preventing salt water intrusion into coastal waterways and aquifers. The dune integrity measure is comprised of two sub-measures: (1) dune...

GBI monitors water quality in coastal wetlands to report on nutrient loads resulting from human use of day-use areas. The park uses Water Quality Index to assess this measure - which is also a part of the Great Lakes Shoreline monitoring network.

In order to assess long-term changes in streams Thousand Islands NP monitors their water quality yearly in July. Samples are analyzed for multiple parameters including: total phosphorus, ammonium, nitrate, turbidity, and specific conductivity.

Thousand Islands NP monitors wetland water quality yearly in May/June. Samples are analyzed for multiple parameters including: total phosphorus, ammonium, nitrate, turbidity, and specific conductivity.

Measuring decay rate in GBINP allows tracking changes in soil condition and processes. Decay rate was measured by placing wooden sticks in different forest plots and comparing dry wieghts of the sticks before and after the placement, in approximately one year.

The sustainability of species at risk is an important assessment of ecosystem biodiversity. The status of each threatened species can infer how well an ecosystem is functioning to maintain species diversity. Assessing the status of coastal species at risk, including piping plover (Charadrius...

Information regarding human-wildlife interactions in Jasper National Park is important to manage both human (eg. town residents, visitors) and wildlife needs (eg. area closures). Achieving this balance depends on data related, in part, on where animals have died or have been injured (eg highway,...

Terra Nova National Park censuses tern nests on 23 small islands in Newman Sound, to monitor species productivity and population dynamics.

These fish-eating colonial waterbirds breed and nest in colonies on islands in and around Fathom Five National Marine Park. Five species of colonial waterbird are monitored. These birds and their eggs are effective measures of environmental contamination and aquatic ecosystem health.

The second largest concentration of common terns (Sterna hirundo) in North America is found on Tern Islands, a set of three small barrier islands separated by water at high tide located within Kouchibouguac National Park. These seabirds are indicators for the condition of coastal, marine, as well...

Red-breasted mergansers (Mergus serrator) are colonial birds found on Tern Islands, a set of three small barrier islands separated by water at high tide located within Kouchibouguac National Park. These piscivorous sea ducks are indicators for the state of the breeding islands and associated...

Dataset in support of Bayesian removal models to estimate the change in efficiency of various hunting methods with deer density based on a power function. Hunting methods assessed included bait station hunting, boat hunting, aerial hunting and dog-based ground hunting and were adaptively combined...

The Harlequin duck is a species at risk that occurs in the Torngat Mountains National Park. Fast-flowing rivers and streams constitute its breeding habitat but it is known to forgo breeding when abundance of aquatic insects is low. A helicopter survey is conducted every five years in late- July...

Shellfish monitoring has been accepted by the Pacific Bioregion of Parks Canada as a measure of ecosystem health in soft substrates in the intertidal zone. Surveys are used to capture the status of selected bivalves within the national park reserve to determine long-term population numbers and...

Herring gull (Larus arentatus, HERG), great blue heron (Ardea Herodias GBHE), double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus, DCCO) and ring-billed gull (Larus delawarensis, RBGU) have been monitored in Pukaskwa National Park since 1977 as part of the colonial waterbird monitoring program. A...

Permafrost and the active layer (the soil layer above the permafrost that freezes and thaws annually) are directly affected by climate. It is anticipated that rising temperatures in the Arctic will lead to permafrost warming/melt and thickening of the active layer. Probable impacts of permafrost...

This program measures kelp density from annual dive transects during August and September at a number of sites in the Broken Group Islands of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. Kelp species assessed include Agarum spp., Macrocystis pyrifera, Eisenia arborea, Pterygophora californica, Saccharina...

Occupancy data for wildlife species are collected from seven snow track transects, where the presence or absence of tracks for each species is recorded every 100m. Tracks are allowed to accumulate for at least 48 hours after transects have been set by a fresh snowfall or a snowmobile pulling a...

The piping plover (Charadrius melodus) is a small endangered shorebird listed under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA). This species uses ocean shorelines as breeding grounds and nests in soft sandy areas with sparse vegetation above the high tide water line. These birds are indicators for...

Changes to tundra vegetation communities may affect local ecological processes such as nutrient cycling and quality and quantity of animal forage. In Quttinirpaaq National Park, the composition and relative abundance of plant functional groups are monitored using a point frame and the pin-drop...