Langley Environmental Partners Society Wildlife Strategy

The Langley Environmental Partners Society (LEPS), the Township of Langley and other agency and community partners have joined together to develop and implement a comprehensive wildlife strategy for the Township of Langley. SHIM techniques and data are used to generate a GIS database of land cover and land use information within the Township to aid in the establishment of habitat objectives within the strategy.

The rate of urban growth and the impacts of intensifying agriculture are threatening one of the most sensitive and productive ecosystems in North America: the Lower Fraser Valley of British Columbia (Langer 1997). This region, which includes the Township of Langley, has been identified as containing wildlife habitat at high risk (Wildlife Habitat Canada 2000).The Oregon Spotted Frog, recently designated “endangered” by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), is at risk in Langley because of habitat fragmentation and predation by the invasive, non-native American Bullfrog. Habitat fragmentation and the spread of invasive plant and wildlife species must be addressed if the integrity of local habitats is to be protected and restored. Federal and provincial legislation do not fully protect terrestrial species, while local government has considerable influence over wildlife habitat.

This influence presents a unique opportunity to incorporate wildlife values into every aspect of the decision-making process of local governments, from the preservation of habitat corridors in urban developments to the use of stormwater management practices to improve the quantity and quality of available wildlife habitat (Wilson et al. 1998, Stephens 1999).

While municipalities’ action on the issue of habitat protection is critically important, there is recognition that adequate habitat stewardship requires a combination of municipal activities (e.g. land use regulation and appropriate investment in parks and public works) and private activities (e.g. public awareness and voluntary conservation practices by landowners) (Government of British Columbia 1997).

Many municipalities in Canada have initiated environment-focused programs. Some municipalities produce State of the Environment reports (e.g. Calgary, Kelowna), while others adopt environmentally focused by-laws (e.g. North Vancouver, Surrey). The Township of Langley, among others, commissioned an assessment of Environmentally Sensitive Areas in the municipality. However, the lack of defined and quantifiable objectives against which progress can be measured limits the effectiveness of such practices (Wildlife Habitat Canada 2000).

As of 1995, fewer than half of local governments in the Lower Fraser Valley had established objectives and implemented sufficient regulatory measures to protect riparian and aquatic habitats (Quadra Planning Consultants 1995). No municipalities could be identified that had objectives or measures for terrestrial habitats.

There are examples, however (Wildlife Habitat Canada 2000), of programs using specific and feasible habitat objectives. There are also many inventory and monitoring programs for particular species groups, e.g. the North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI) on which the project partners plan to base their habitat objectives.

The lack of comprehensive information on the quantity and quality of available habitats, and the absence of defined and achievable habitat objectives against which community partners and government agencies can measure their progress, are two major obstacles to adequately conserving wildlife habitat.The purpose of this project is to address and overcome these obstacles within the Township of Langley, and in so doing, to provide a blueprint for success that can be replicated by other municipalities in the region. To this end, LEPS and the Township of Langley are working together to produce a comprehensive Wildlife Strategy.

The project is complex, involving several major initiatives over a two to three year period. The principal objectives are:

1. to assess the quality and quantity of available habitat in the municipality, using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to delineate land cover polygons;

2. to work with municipal staff, Council, senior agencies and the community to establish specific and quantifiable habitat objectives that would conserve a healthy diversity of wildlife species;

3. to develop and implement a strategy for incorporating these objectives into municipal policies and practices, as well as stewardship efforts by community groups;

4. to initiate a reasonable and consistent monitoring program for use by non-governmental organizations to evaluate progress on achieving the habitat objectives;

5. to cooperate with recovery teams to protect and restore habitat for local wildlife species that are endangered, with particular emphasis on the Oregon Spotted Frog and the Pacific Water Shrew;

6. to develop and implement an invasive species control strategy, with particular emphasis on the American Bullfrog;

7. to establish a comprehensive and practical program of volunteer-conducted inventory and monitoring of habitat quality and use by wildlife species in Langley;

8. to develop and implement protocols for incorporating terrestrial wildlife values into local aquatic and riparian habitat restoration projects; and

9. to conduct educational activities in local schools, focusing on wildlife habitat issues.

The objectives of the Wildlife Strategy are wide-ranging, so only those actions related to the use of Sensitive Habitat Inventory and Mapping (SHIM) are described here.Mapping by LEPS of land cover and land use within the Township of Langley is underway, using modified SHIM land cover classes. Orthophoto imagery is being photo-interpreted at a 1:5,000 scale, with a minimum polygon size for most land cover classes of 0.01 hectares.

Ground-truthing of the mapping data involves random sampling, stratified by confidence level in the photointerpretation of each land cover polygon. Along with field verification of land cover and land use, supplementary information will be collected on structural conditions, habitat elements, type and extent of disturbance, etc., during the ground-truthing process.
In addition, previously-collected SHIM data will be used to verify the accuracy of photo-interpretation in riparian areas.

The mapping data will be analysed to generate a coarse-level habitat status report. Combined with supplemental field data and scientific information on species habitat requirements, a series of habitat objectives for selected focal species will be established.

The anticipated results and status to date for each of the nine project objectives are as follows:

1. A GIS database with polygons delineating the type and extent of vegetation cover and land use (scale 1:5,000) will be produced. Using existing data and information from the land cover database, a Habitat Status Report will be prepared. The mapping at present is just over 25% complete; ground-truthing and field data collection will start shortly.

2. A series of habitat objectives for the Township of Langley will be developed. Selection of the focal species that will be used to establish the habitat objectives is currently in progress.

3. Achieving the habitat objectives will require a joint effort by the municipal government and community partners. The planning, engineering and parks departments of the municipality expect to contribute through innovative policies and practices. The stewardship community will assist by restoring critical habitats and promoting private land stewardship.

4. A reasonable and consistent monitoring program will be developed that non-governmental organizations can use to evaluate progress on achieving habitat objectives. Once the methods have been tested and baselines have been established, a monitoring manual will be produced. This will be initiated after the objectives have been established.

5. It is hoped that the project will contribute to a significant improvement in the local status of endangered species. Cooperation with the Oregon Spotted Frog Recovery Team is ongoing; no other recovery teams are currently in place for species at risk in Langley.

6. A long-term strategy involving local landowners and the public will be developed for controlling the spread of non-native, invasive plant and animal species within the municipality. Research is nearly complete. Mapping is ongoing, and will feed the prioritization of sites and species. The first priority will be the American Bullfrog.

7. Protocols for volunteer-conducted surveys of the quality of available habitats and their use by wildlife species will be produced and distributed. Volunteer-conducted inventory and monitoring are currently in the initial stages.

8. A handbook or manual for community groups and other organizations involved in habitat restoration programs will be produced. This will assist groups involved in aquatic and riparian habitat restoration to incorporate terrestrial wildlife values into their projects. The research for this is nearly complete; draft protocols should be ready by April or May of this year.

9. Several wildlife-focused education programs, targeted at both the kindergarten to grade 3 and the grades 4 to 7 age groups, will be created and presented. Some have now been developed.

The principal outcome of this project is a comprehensive long-term strategy for conserving and restoring wildlife habitat throughout the Township of Langley. The municipal government expects to incorporate the objectives into its planning processes, engineering policies and practices, and parks planning. The stewardship community will use the strategy to guide their efforts in private land stewardship, monitoring and assessment and habitat restoration.Direct benefits include:

1. the identification of critical habitats for protection and restoration;

2. the control of invasive plant and animal species, which will help restore the ecological integrity and diversity of local habitats;

3. the incorporation of wildlife considerations into aquatic and riparian habitat restoration projects;

4. the exposure of hundreds of elementary students to the importance of wildlife habitat and the threat of invasive exotic species; and

5. the opportunity for secondary and post-secondary students and community groups to get involved in assessing and monitoring the quality of habitats.

Some of the many indirect benefits to habitat include:

1. an expansion in the quantity of available habitat as a result of defining and achieving habitat objectives;

2. an improvement in the quality of available habitat as a result of incorporating habitat inventory and assessment data into the habitat objectives; and

3. an increase in community efforts to protect and restore habitat as a result of public awareness and education initiatives related to many of the project objectives.

It is anticipated that this project will serve as a blueprint or model for other communities across the country. The products and results will be disseminated to other municipalities in the region in an effort to encourage replication of this project’s success.

In addition, the methods defined in several of the project components can be used by community groups or government staff to conduct inventory, monitoring or restoration projects in other regions. The resulting data will prove invaluable for community partners, municipal staff and senior agencies, as they each pursue their independent objectives.

City of Kelowna. 1999. State of the Environment Report. Kelowna, B.C.Corporation of the District of North Vancouver. 1996. Environmental Protection and Preservation Bylaw. North Vancouver, B.C.

Government of British Columbia. 1997. “Stewardship Bylaws: A Guide for Local Government.”

Langer, O. 1997. Sustainability of Fish Habitat in the Lower Fraser Valley. In Proceedings: “Urban Stream Protection, Restoration and Stewardship in the Pacific Northwest: Are We Achieving Desired Results?” Fisheries and Oceans Canada, B.C. Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks.

Quadra Planning Consultants Ltd. 1995. “Protection of Aquatic and Riparian Habitat by Local Governments: Measures Adopted in the Lower Fraser Valley.” Fraser River Action Plan, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Environment Canada, Vancouver, B.C.

Stephens, K. 1999. “Implementation of Ecosystem-based Stormwater Management in British Columbia: A Look Ahead to the 21st Century.” CH2M Gore & Storrie Ltd, Vancouver, B.C.

Langley Environmental Partners Society
Lonnie Prouse
Executive Director
4914 – 221st Street
Langley, British Columbia Canada
V3A 3Z8
Phone: (604) 533-6136
Fax: (604) 533-6098
Email: lprouse@tol.bc.ca