From aceska@cue.bc.ca Fri Aug 27 23:18:32 1993 Date: Mon, 26 Jul 93 13:59:53 -0700 From: Adolf Ceska To: ben@cue.bc.ca Subject: BEN # 60 BBBBB EEEEEE NN N ISSN 1188-603X BB B EE NNN N BBBBB EEEEE NN N N BOTANICAL BB B EE NN NN ELECTRONIC BBBBB EEEEEE NN N NEWS No. 60 July 26, 1993 Address: aceska@cue.bc.ca Victoria, B.C. ---------------------------------------------------- NOXIOUS WEEDS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Part 2 of 2) From: Roy Cranston Regional weeds - weeds classed as noxious within the boundaries of the following regional districts: Acroptilon repens (Russian Knapweed): North Okanagan Agropyron repens (Quackgrass): Peace River Arctium spp. (Burdock): Bulkely-Nechako, Cariboo, Columbia- Shuswap, Fraser-Fort George, Kitimat-Stikine, North Okanagan, Okanagan-Similkameen, Peace River, Thompson- Nicola Cardaria spp. (Hoary Cress): North Okanagan, Thompson-Nicola Carduus acanthoides (Plumeless Thistle): Central Kootenay Chrysanthemum leucanthemum (Oxeye Daisy): Cariboo, North Okanagan, Peace River Echium vulgare (Blueweed): Cariboo, Central Kootenay, Columbia- Shuswap, Okanagan-Similkameen, Thompson-Nicola Fagopyrum tataricum (Tartary Buckweat): Peace River Galium aparine (Cleavers): Peace River Hieracium aurantiacum (Orange Hawkweed): Cariboo, Central Kootenay, Columbia-Shuswap, East Kootenay Kochia scoparia (Kochia): Peace River Lychnis alba (White Cockle): Peace River Potentilla recta (Sulphur Cinquefoil): Columbia-Shuswap, Thompson-Nicola Salsola kali (Russian Thistle): Peace River Setaria viridis (Green Foxtail): Peace River Silene noctiflora (Night-flowering Catchfly): Peace River Sinapis arvensis (Wild Mustard): Peace River Tanacetum vulgare (Common Tansy): Central Kootenay, Columbia- Shuswap, North Okanagan Tribulus terrestris (Puncturevine): Okanagan-Similkameen FIRE IN HAYNES' LEASE ECOLOGICAL RESERVE - OSOYOOS, B.C. From: Robert D. Scheer [Haynes' Lease Ecological Reserve # 100 is located adjacent to N end of Osoyoos Lake, 6 km NNW of Osoyoos. The reserve lies within a very restricted life zone commonly referred to as the Osoyoos-Arid Biotic Area. This extends as two fingers into British Columbia from the United States, one up the Similkameen Valley to near Keremeos, the other up the Okanagan Valley to Okanagan Falls. Many species of aridland plants and animals are rare or endangered in both a provincial and national context. - B.C. Ecological Reserves Program] On Friday July 7 a fire of unknown cause swept through Haynes' Lease Ecological Reserve (no. 100). The fire which originated just north of the reserve was carried by brisk winds through virtually all of the flatlands and much of the rocky slopes above. An inspection of the ravaged area the following week revealed that many of the grasses have survived and are showing green growth already. Many of the cactus also showed the roots had survived although the majority of the plant above ground had been killed. The majority of the reserve was raised to a blackened cinder. The hottest burn was at the base of the mountain where vegeta- tion was thickest, much lighter damage was evident within the area burned two years ago. A few patches near the parking lot escaped the flames and will be useful as comparison in future years. Most of the Ponderosa Pine will probably survive. During the inspection last week the only terrestrial animals observed were ants and small spiders. A canyon wren was heard calling from the rocks above. Unfortunately, an unknown local attempted to control the fire by creating fire breaks with a tractor with some sort of blow blade. This resulted in further (unnatural) damage to the reserve with out successfully halting the flames. The Forest Service reacted splendidly to the situation. They showed special sensitivity to the reserve and took pains to use existing trails and tracks to access the fire. In the air they were careful to avoid releasing fire retrained over the reserve. Forest Service staff have offered to restore the burned area by seeding and raking the areas disturbed by the tractor. B.C. Parks has asked that no action be taken to avoid further distur- bance of the reserve and to allow natural revegetation. BC Parks is evaluating the damage now and hopes to quickly replace burned out fence posts to protect the area from live- stock. Further management action to reduce the potential for noxious weed invasion is required. For further information please contact the BC Parks District office at 494-0321. HAYNES' LEASE FIRE REPORT NO. 2 From: ODYER@penticton.env.gov.bc.ca The wildfire toasted the Haynes Lease ecological reserve (eco reserve 100) at the north east end of Osoyoos Lake. The burn was fairly intense in most of the reserve, burning the grass and most shrubs. The fences will have to be replaced, too. It also burned the adjacent grazing reserve and crown land lease, where we have most of our burrowing owl burrows, but the fire was spotty and less intense there, likely due to less fuel. About 150 continuous hectares were burned. Another 50 hectares of spotty burns occurred. The cause of the burn is under investiga- tion; rumours that a campfire (made by transient fruit pickers) started it are circulating. There were no burrowing owls in the area so there was no direct impact on this species. It did melt some of our plastic pipe burrows, so they will have to be repaired for next year. Fire is a natural part of the ecosystem and it normally wouldn't be a big deal to have a burn in the area. Unfortunately, the eco reserve was one of very few places left with that type of habitat in a "relatively natural" state. It should be very apparent that small isolated reserve areas have a problem, when it comes to protecting representative habitats. A single catastrophe can change them dramatically for decades to come. Also, some vegetation management (small controlled burns to reduce ground fuel) might need to be considered to maintain the vegetation in the future. The biggest concerns are the potential encroachment of noxious weeds into cat guards and the cleared soil, and soil erosion. On the bright side, it is a good opportunity to understand more about grassland fires, small protected areas and wildlife use. It is a very intensively studied area. Dr. Geoff Scudder has been studying invertebrates there for some time and has an excellent pre-burn data set. His insect traps were not destroyed by the fire and he has reset them to record what comes back into the area and how fast. Chris Shewchuck has over 100 marked snakes in the area and a few with radio transmitters. He should be able to get some good information on snake habitat selection. Kelly Chapman and Sara Short have trapped small mammals recently at the site and could get some comparisons. Ted Lea and crew did a few vegetation plots in the area and can easily monitor vegetation changes. This was sent to Ted Lea for info. Much of the area seemed to have shrubs that were burned into the ground. The bunch grasses didn't seem to have done too bad. I don't think many burned into the ground. Pam found some that had grown since the fire. I didn't cover that much of the eco reserve from black sage road to the 1st cross fence to the east. We mostly stayed near the throne. I took a role of slides trying to document it but I don't think they will convey the burn intensity very well. I asked Alec McLean if they were going to document the intensity and he said he thought they would be able to do it roughly from pictures (from helicopter) and a little ground work. If there are other things that you would like me to do, let me know. I may be able to do them but can't commit. The general consensus was - MoF will hand rake their cat guards and toss any broken limbs on the path to reduce wind erosion. - They will not seed in the ecological reserve. - They will try to seed hybrid infertile bluebunch in the areas west of the "Throne" [the dominant rocky bluff in the reserve], not in the ecological reserve. (Pam's suggestion). I was con- cerned about introducing external genetics, since we are trying to treat areas adjacent to the ecological reserve as a buffer zone with similar values and controls. - The idea of pulling knapweed for the next few years also came up. - Bob Scheer will provide more comment on the ecological reserve after he sees the site. Any comments or suggestions are welcome. Mike found a toasted skink...the only real evidence of dead vertebrates. He also located some aboriginal food storage pits. He knew they were there but the vegetation was burned off making them quite obvious. Lark sparrows were singing from the burned area. Quite a few beetles were walking through the site. Mike found a black widow with an egg case still attached (and alive) to rocks with com- pletely burned vegetation surrounding them. The prairie falcons were still there. Swifts were foraging over the area. A rock wren was foraging in the burned area on the lower part of the throne. (The throne seat grassland was not touched by the fire) WHAT TURNS ON MARSH-GAS? From: Robert T. Ogilvie At one of the lunch tables during the Botany B.C. meetings someone raised the question about what is marsh-gas and what makes it glow. Deep in my memory- bank I recalled reading about the glow of will-o'-the-wisps dancing over peat bogs, and that it was from methane released from peat decomposition. I assumed that the methane was ignited from the heat of the organic matter decomposing just as in compost piles. Back in Victoria, I read the June 19 issue of New Scientist which summarises a paper by two Hamburg biochemists (Gassmann & Glindemann, 1993, Angewandte Chemie, p. 761), who have found that some decomposing bacteria can reduce phosphate (PO4) to diphosphane (P2H4), a gas which burns spontaneously in air. The authors suggest that it is the diphosphane which ignites the methane gas, producing the glowing will-o'-the-wisp over the marshes. These workers also discuss that diphosphane is produced by anaerobic microbial decomposition in marine sediments, sewage sludge, and the digestive tracts of animals. They go on to suggest that the methane gas ignited by diphosphane could ex- plain the mystery of ghosts floating around graveyards. Some of the other old names for this phenomenon are: swamp-gas, will-with-a- wisp, jack-a-lantern, corpse-candle, and Ignis Fatuus (=fool's-fire). As I confessed at the lunch-table, my source of information is second-hand at best, since it is based only on the written word. I have never seen a will-o'- the-wisp nor a corpse-candle. However, I have never walked across a peat bog or a grave-yard at night.