Parks Canada

Moose in Riding Mountain National Park are affected by hunting, predator population numbers, winter severity, and disease. Riding Mountain National Park conducts annual aerial surveys to monitor the moose population to determine if the population is within the established population thresholds...

Beavers are a key component of the Riding Mountain National Park ecosystems. The park surveys active beaver food caches by air in 30 habitat blocks every 3 years. These surveys have been conducted since 1973.

Peregrine falcons are found in many regions of the northern Yukon including Vuntut National Park. These birds have the important role of top predator and are known to respond to environmental disturbances such as persistent synthetic toxic chemicals, human activity, and changes in breeding...

The Porcupine Caribou Herd is a population of barren-ground caribou whose range includes the northern Yukon, Alaska and the Northwest Territories. It is one of the largest caribou herds in North America. The Porcupine Caribou Herd is critically important to the Vuntut Gwitchin, and protecting...

Permafrost and snow are critical to the ecology of many northern ecosystems. They influence hydrology and vegetation and can dramatically affect the quality of wildlife habitat. In recent decades permafrost temperatures in North America have increased and snowfall and spring snow cover in the...

Permafrost and snow are critical to the ecology of many northern ecosystems. They influence hydrology and vegetation and can dramatically affect the quality of wildlife habitat. In recent decades permafrost temperatures in North America have increased and snowfall and spring snow cover in the...

Tundra is an important ecosystem in Vuntut National Park. It covers approximately 56% of the park and is used extensively by the Porcupine Caribou Herd during it’s spring and fall migrations. The Porcupine Caribou Herd is critically important to the Vuntut Gwitchin and protecting portions of the...

Recent observations suggest that shallow lakes and ponds in the Arctic are becoming increasingly dynamic in response to climate change, and changes in water levels, lake surface area, and biological communities have been observed at several high-latitude locations. The Old Crow Flats, located 25...

Permafrost and snow are critical to the ecology of many northern ecosystems. They influence hydrology and vegetation and can dramatically affect the quality of wildlife habitat. In recent decades permafrost temperatures in North America have increased and snowfall and spring snow cover in the...

Recent observations suggest that shallow lakes and ponds in the Arctic are becoming increasingly dynamic in response to climate change, and changes in water levels, lake surface area, and biological communities have been observed at several high-latitude locations. The Old Crow Flats, located 25...

Permafrost and snow are critical to the ecology of many northern ecosystems. They influence hydrology and vegetation and can dramatically affect the quality of wildlife habitat. In recent decades permafrost temperatures in North America have increased and snowfall and spring snow cover in the...

Tundra is an important ecosystem in Vuntut National Park. It covers approximately 56% of the park and is used extensively by the Porcupine Caribou Herd during it’s spring and fall migrations. The Porcupine Caribou Herd is critically important to the Vuntut Gwitchin and protecting portions of the...

Since 2009, up to nine (9) streams (White River, Willow River, Oiseau Creek, White Gravel River, North Swallow River, Swallow River, Cascade River, Tagouche Creek and Imogene Creek) are monitored with stream temperature HOBO loggers to assess thermal suitability for Brook trout (Salvelinus...

The Water Quality Index (WQI), developed by the Canadian Council of Ministers of Environment (CCME) is used to assess the water quality of Pukaskwa’s rivers and streams. Three key stressors (acidification, eutrophication and metal loading) are assessed using nine parameters [pH, aluminum,...

Every five years, water quality is assessed in 32 inland lakes that are greater than 8 hectares in surface area. Samples are collected via helicopter and three key stressors (acidification, eutrophication and metal loading) are assessed using nine parameters [pH, aluminum, calcium, total...

Remote sensing techniques are used to monitor forest productivity in the park’s interior forest ecodistricts: Bremner Uplands, Widgeon Uplands and Pukaskwa River Plain. Forest productivity is measured using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Landsat imagery (Landsat 5, 7 and...

A peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus anatum) survey of all known territories within Pukaskwa National Park is conducted annually during the breeding season (May 15 - July 15). Surveys are completed by trained observers most often by boat. The number of active territories is monitored as well as...

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...

To assess the current state of wildland fire as an ecological process in the interior forests (Pukaskwa Plains, Bremner Uplands and Bremner-Widgeon Uplands ecodistricts) of Pukaskwa, the Area Burned Condition Class (ABCC) measure calculates the modern-day departure from historical wildland fire...

Moose aerial surveys are conducted approximately every 5 years by helicopter, subject to snow and weather conditions or to coincide with a survey being done in the adjacent Wildlife Management Unit. The dataset includes surveys conducted during the winters of 1996, 1999, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2011...