Parks Canada

What? Water samples are collected in Cape Breton Highlands National Park in various freshwater lakes and streams. When? Water samples are taken in select park lakes biannually (ie. spring and fall) and in select park streams annually (during fall season). How? Water samples are collected by hand...

What? Juvenile salmonid densities are being monitored in various rivers within Cape Breton Highlands National Park using electrofishing surveys. When? Monitoring frequency occurs annually in the late summer/early fall once water temperatures have dropped below thermal stress thresholds for...

What? Changes in processes and stressors at bogs and poor fens in Cape Breton Highlands National Park are being monitored through Northern Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia purpurea) leaf morphology. When? Monitoring frequency for this program is on a five year cycle, with site visits occurring in July...

What? Wetland ecosystem condition is being monitored in Cape Breton Highlands National Park through invertebrate (ants) population sampling. When? Monitoring frequency for this program is on a five year cycle, with site visits occurring in July and August. How? Monitoring consists of setting up...

What? Water samples are being collected in various wetlands in Cape Breton Highlands National Park. When? The monitoring frequency for wetland water quality is annually with samples being collected in the spring of the year. How? Water samples are collected from wetland monitoring wells that have...

What? Eastern Red-Backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) abundance is being monitored at various old growth forest sites within Cape Breton Highlands National Park. When? Monitoring frequency occurred annually for three consecutive years after initial set-up, and biennially henceforth. In each...

What? Forest Health plots in the Boreal and Acadian land regions are being monitored in Cape Breton Highlands National Park to determine if any historical changes are occurring. When? Monitoring frequency for this program occurs on a five year cycle within the Acadian and Boreal Forest regions;...

What? Benthic macroinvertebrates are monitored in freshwater streams in Cape Breton Highlands National Park. When? Monitoring frequency occurs annually in the fall of the year before water levels get too seasonally high. How? Monitoring is carried out following the nationally recognized Canadian...

What? An aerial wildlife population survey is used in Cape Breton Highlands National Park to estimate moose (Alces alces) population density. When? Monitoring frequency for this measure occurs every two to three years. Surveys take place in early March when there is snowpack present, the weather...

What? Stream temperatures on third order streams in Cape Breton Highlands National Park are being monitored to determine if mean water temperatures are changing over time. When? Monitoring frequency occurs annually from June 15th to September 15th on various park streams. How? Water temperature...

This dataset covers the status of the commercial lobster (Homarus americanus) fishery. Commercial lobster fishing activities within the administrative boundaries of Forillon National Park inevitably have impacts on this invertebrate population. Through annual stock status monitoring, it is...

This dataset covers the monitoring of changes in coastal dynamics in Forillon National Park. This measure consists of three field measurements: the rate and extent of shoreline displacement, monitored annually using benchmarks; the rate of change in the area of the various coastal types,...

This dataset concerns monitoring of the Penouille eelgrass beds. Because of the ecological importance not only of eelgrass beds, but also of the animal communities they support, eelgrass beds are often used as indicators of coastal ecosystem health. Two sets of data deal more specifically with...

This dataset focuses on the status of forest stands and is used to monitor changes in this ecosystem, which makes up 95% of the Park. Considering the area’s history of logging, this monitoring is particularly important. The dominance of species, the internal structure of the stands and the rate...

This dataset focuses on monitoring the status of the moose (Alces alces). Because of its position in the food chain and the impact that it can have on the composition and structure of plant communities, the moose is considered a species that plays a key role in the natural evolution in the...

This dataset covers the status of carnivores. It is known that some carnivores, such as the American marten (Martes americana), fisher (Pekania pennanti) and Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis), are affected by forest habitat fragmentation and human presence. In addition, the American marten and fisher...

This dataset covers electrofishing efforts in 11 streams or rivers in Forillon National Park since 2008. The abundance, size structure and condition of the fish in a brook trout population are sensitive to changes in the environment, specifically those caused by the presence of an invasive alien...

This dataset focuses on monitoring plant phenology. It serves to verify the variation in time of flowering and leafing dates of different species and to measure the impact of climate change on the Park’s forest ecosystem. The degrees of advancement of the flowering criteria are established in...

This dataset covers the census of pinnipeds (harbour and grey seals) that frequent the waters of Forillon National Park. Grey and harbour seals are two top predators in the food chain of the park's coastal ecosystems; hence the importance of monitoring these populations. Surveys are conducted by...

This dataset focuses on monitoring beaver colonies in Forillon National Park. Beavers have a major influence on aquatic ecosystems in the park. Monitoring fluctuations in this population can help us better understand variations in the physicochemical characteristics of watercourses and possibly...