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The Coral of Vancouver Island’s Rainforest – An unprotected underworld

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By Mark Worthing

January 2017

This article was originally published in Island Parent Magazine.

Have you ever hiked through the forests of Vancouver Island and come across rivers bursting out of the ground from seemingly nowhere? Or have you followed the path of a creek to find that the rushing water disappears underground? If you have, you’re likely walking on a karst landscape with a complex cave system of limestone, dolomite or marble beneath your feet.

Photo by Charly Caproff

Photo by Charly Caproff.

Vancouver Island has more caves than all of Canada combined. These caves are a result of the large limestone deposits that span along its length. Where this soluble rock is exposed to rainwater or to the surface of the earth (epikarst), we call this a karst landscape.

Thousands upon thousands of years of rainwater carves the bedrock through alchemy and time. This forms the magical architecture of underworld sinkholes, caverns, caves and disappearing rivers. This phenomenon happens to correlate with Vancouver Island’s spectacular ancient rainforest.

If you were to take a flight above a karst forest, you’d see a richer colour in the forest canopy. The most productive salmon-bearing streams in coastal B.C. feature karst somewhere within their river system. These limestone deposits have the same basic chemistry as coral reefs, oyster shells, eggshells and antlers.

After the last Ice Age, rich nutrients were left behind by receding glaciers. These provided the food today’s old-growth trees needed to develop into some of the planet’s most unique and magnificent forests. Over time, that fertile topsoil has been sucked up into the trees and other plants, carrying on the lifecycle of ancient forest ecology. This has helped create towering nutrient-rich cedar, spruce and Douglas fir trees with roots clutching coral limestone bedrock.

This gift of glacial nutrients only comes once. It now exists only within the decomposition cycles of dead plant matter and fungus on the spongy forest floor. The topsoil has also been pulled down into valley bottoms and waterways, creating healthy salmon-bearing rivers and exposing the karst bedrock below.

When a karst landscape gets this nutrient gift, one of the most endangered ecosystems on Vancouver Island is created: old-growth karst forests.

Unlike Alaska and Washington where there is stringent protection, British Columbia has absolutely no legislated protection for karst landscapes or even caves. A Cave Protection Act has been tabled for first reading in the B.C. Legislature more than once and the U.S. federal Cave Resources Protection Act was made into law over three decades ago. Yet the logging industry’s death grip on the provincial government seems to block attempts for legislation. Karst or cave protection might damper logging companies’ profit margins, so there is little political will to regulate.

Photo by Tristan Crosby.

Photo by Tristan Crosby.

There is also no protection for rivers or creeks that ‘disappear’ underground. Logging and road building is legal on top of areas that could be massive cave and karst systems. Not only is this dangerous to workers and a risk to public health, but it is belligerent negligence of a fragile ecosystem.

The logging culture on northern Vancouver Island is extremely cavalier, which is unfortunate as the north end of the island has the most caves and karst landscape features. The legendary Maquinna Cave near Tahsis has had its entrance covered and desecrated with logging and road-building debris. Logging-caused slides near Holberg have flooded out entire cave systems and clogged water drainage systems older than the country of Canada.

The forest of the Walbran Valley and northern Vancouver Island’s East Creek sit on top of karst limestone. Within the Flathead Valley of B.C.’s southern Rockies lies the deepest cave systems in North America. All of these cave systems are vulnerable without legislated cave or karst protection.

Yet there is hope for these magnificent places. First Nations leaders are asserting sovereignty over their lands and sacred cave sites. The Horne Lake Caves boast 17,000 visitors per year, and they recently received Destination B.C.’s first-ever Remarkable Experiences Award. Through ecotourism and parks, the public is becoming more and more engaged with the fascinating and fragile world below the roots of the ancient forests of Vancouver Island. So get out there and explore!

Feature image by Charly Caproff.

Karst in the Walbran: From Magical Mineral Baths to Tolkien Giants

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by Charly Caproff

“Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.”
– Gary Snyder

Across the province, a mysterious ecosystem has been developing for tens of thousands to millions of years. Created by the dissolving action of slightly acidic rainwater on carbonate bedrock (e.g. limestone), karst lands are a Tolkien novel brought to life.IMG_7633_V1

Massive old-growth trees flourish on the epikarst, the exposed upper zone of a karst system. Their gnarly roots reach into the depths of the underworld, in search of water and nutrients.

The excellent drainage and nutrient recycling provided by the karst results in coastal old-growth trees with impressive height and diameter growth.

According to Martin Davis, a karst biologist, the only trees comparable to those in the karst lands are found in areas of deep soils and alluvium.

His field observations suggest that old-growth trees underlain by karst are healthier and larger in comparison to ancient trees growing on non-karst substrate in adjacent areas.

Rainwater comes into contact with the epikarst, gradually opening up fractures in the limestone. The water slips through the subsurface, connecting with a cave stream. Alternatively, surface streams may suddenly “disappear” into the secret world beneath our feet, forming a subterranean river.

Karst diagram courtesy of Vancouver Island University

Karst Diagram. From: McColl, K. M. et al. (2005) Geoscape Nanaimo, geoscience for central Vancouver Island communities. Geological Survey of Canada, Mischellaneous Report 87. Retrieved April 12, 2016, from CGEN Archive [http://www.cgenarchive.org/uploads /2/5/2/6/25269392/poster-nanaimo_e.jpg].

Rare and endangered species dwelling in the karst cave systems, such as the Quatsino Cave Amphipod (Stygobromus quatsinensis), are completely dependent on dissolved nutrients transported by the water.Karst features

Eventually, karst waters reemerge at a karst spring, flowing perhaps into a drinking watershed, or into a fish-bearing stream, such as the Walbran River.

I returned to the Walbran in early April to test the electrical conductivity (EC) of surface streams flowing throughout the valley. This research was part of my environmental capstone on Coastal Karst Ecosystems, a graduation requirement from the SFU Bachelor of Environment program.

Electrical conductivity (EC), the capacity of water to conduct an electrical current, is typically 5 – 10 times greater in karst waters in comparison to non-karst waters[1]. I was interested in determining whether the karst had a noticeable effect on the physical and chemical properties of the water.

The results suggest that surface streams within and adjacent to cutblocks 4403 and 4405 in the Walbran Valley are influenced by karst. These areas contained limestone outcrops, ancient trees growing on the epikarst, and sinkholes, features indicative of karst lands.

Map of the Water Sampling Locations, Charly Caproff

Map of the Water Sampling Locations, Charly Caproff

As a rule of thumb, karst waters will have EC readings greater than 50 µS/cm, according to B.C.’s karst expert.Walbran water

Many of the water samples had EC readings four times greater than the benchmark value. All of the samples had slightly alkaline pH readings, which is also a good indicator of karst waters.

Perhaps there is a reason why people feel “electrified”, “energized” and “rejuvenated” after swimming in the Walbran’s jade green waters.

Why is it important to determine if karst waters are present in the Walbran Valley?

Preliminary studies conducted in southeastern Alaska have found that fish-bearing streams fed by karst waters are eight – ten times more productive in comparison to non-karst streams. This is likely attributed to the constant, cool karst groundwater flows, dissolved carbon inputs and slightly alkaline conditions[2].

While highly productive, karst systems are extremely vulnerable to contamination because the surface water receives minimal filtration as it flows underground. In Walkerton, Ontario, seven people died and thousands fell ill when runoff contaminated with E. Coli flowed directly into a karst aquifer via underground streams. Greater research and protection measures need to be taken in karst areas, as they are susceptible to disruption and can have direct influence on aquatic ecosystem and human health.

Teal-Jones has proposed to construct a road through the heart of this highly sensitive, karstified landscape.

Karst features in the Walbran Valley

Karst features in the Walbran Valley

Directly below the proposed road on a steep slope, lies a karst swallet, an opening in the surface where water drains into an underground channel. During my previous visit to the Walbran in October, surface water was rushing rapidly into the subterranean world. In April, a small subsurface stream could be seen flowing over the pure white limestone. Cavers have noted that because there is a lack of surface streams in the area, it is likely that there are extensive subsurface karst water systems draining into the Walbran River.

B.C. needs to adopt karst ecosystem-based management, similar to Alaska, in order to ensure that the entire karst system is protected. Buffer zones need to be set from well-developed karst systems to ensure that the biological and hydrological integrity of karst lands are not adversely impacted. Karst vulnerability mapping and thorough research of subsurface drainage patterns (e.g. dye tracer testing) need to be conducted in the Walbran Valley because the extent of these systems is largely unknown.

With a greater emphasis on karst research in B.C., we will gain a holistic understanding of these complex systems and be able to establish progressive karst protection policies.

I would like to thank Shane Johnson and Michael Neate for their guidance and wisdom in the field. Your stories and laughter made the Walbran even more special.

Charly’s field report can be accessed HERE

[1] The chemical reaction between carbonate bedrock and slightly acidic rainwater results in a greater number of free ions present in solution in comparison to non-karst waters, increasing the EC.

[2] Karst groundwater’s constant, cool temperatures are attributed to a lack of sunlight exposure and drastic fluctuations in the ambient air temperature (Culver & Pipan, 2009, pp. 3).

Source:

Culver, D. & Pipan, T. (2009). The biology of caves and other subterranean habitats. Oxford University Press, USA.

McColl, K. M., Turner, R.J.W., Franklin, R.G., Earle, S., Stokes, T., David Pawliuk, Houle, J., Guthrie, R., Fox, J., Clague, J.J. 2005: Geoscape Nanaimo, geoscience for central Vancouver Island communities, Geological Survey of Canada Miscellaneous Report 87, one sheet.

Charly Caproff is an Environmental Resource Management (ERM) student at Simon Fraser University. Her interest in karst was sparked a couple years ago during an environmental science class, and her concerns that there are no laws that specifically protect karst prompted her to research and help improve public awareness of this ecologically important environment. 

Read her other blogs about karst and the Walbran Valley:

Walbran Water Knows No Bounds

Road Building on Karst: A Sinking Idea

What Lies Beneath the Walbran

Karst: A Winter Chalet for Bats

 

 

Sierra Club BC calls for government leadership to resolve conflict over Walbran rainforest

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

VICTORIA—Sierra Club BC is extremely concerned about the ongoing absence of government leadership to resolve the conflict over logging in the Walbran valley.

As a result of the B.C. government’s inadequate response to the severity of the concerns expressed over old-growth logging in this valley, the conflict reached a new level last week.

Teal Jones sought and received an injunction (since narrowed by the court) and filed a civil suit targeting environmental activists who have been speaking up to protect endangered rainforest in the Walbran Valley. Teal Jones’ legal hardball tactics are outrageous and deliberate attempts to stifle public debate and limit people’s ability to access public land and engage in legitimate, law-abiding activity.

The company and the provincial government should take the protest and the concerns of thousands of citizens seriously and seek a solution, not legal confrontation.

There is overwhelming public support to fully protect the remaining contiguous old-growth rainforest in the Walbran, the only unprotected area with this level of intactness remaining on Southern Vancouver Island. There is also overwhelming evidence that the Walbran Valley represents a unique opportunity to protect a larger intact old-growth area on Vancouver Island, with very high species habitat and carbon values, in an area with fragile karst features that should be safeguarded.

“Ongoing inaction by the B.C. government regarding the Walbran Valley is putting outstanding ecological values at risk, while compromising our ability to resolve conflict over resource management in a collaborative manner,” said Sierra Club BC’s forest and biodiversity campaigner Mark Worthing.

“Government inaction undermines both environmental and economic interests. People of conscience feel they are not being heard and have been left with nowhere else to turn. It is time for the B.C. government to seek solutions and de-escalate the situation.”

Sierra Club BC is joining other environmental organizations and thousands of citizens who have called on the BC government to:

  1. Rescind the permit for cutblock 4424
  2. Seek lasting protection for the 485 hectare Central Walbran Ancient Forest in a manner that respects First Nations rights and interests; and,
  3. Assist Teal-Jones with discontinuing old-growth logging and transitioning to second-growth forestry.

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Contact:

Mark Worthing

Forests & Biodiversity Campaigner, Sierra Club BC

250-889-3575

 

Featured image by Rachel Grigg

Road building on Walbran Karst: A Sinking Idea

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By Charly Caproff

‘Environmentally responsible’ Teal Jones has proposed to construct logging roads through a landscape characterized by sinkholes, disappearing streams and caves.

Sinkholes are caused by the dissolution of limestone by slightly acidic rainwater. Surface water seeps through the epikarst and opens intricate cave chambers within the subterranean environment. They can also occur due to the lowering of the water table. As the limestone dissolves, the organic material at the surface can no longer be supported, leading to the ground caving in rapidly and with little warning.

Peter Cressey and I ventured into the heart of Cutblock 4403, a magnificent old-growth rainforest, to observe the proposed route. Cressey was actively involved in the Walbran Valley blockades during the 90’s. Approximately 10 meters from the proposed road route we found an exposed sinkhole. It was roughly two feet in diameter, and directly below the proposed route on a steep bank. There had been a heavy rainfall that weekend and crystal clear surface water was rushing into the dark, mysterious depths. To the right of the sinkhole, an immense western red cedar towered overhead. As I continued to explore the rainforest, I moved cautiously as the forest floor was covered with depressions.

Karst is a constantly developing, dynamic system and there is limited knowledge of the extent of most groundwater systems. Due to the unpredictability of sinkhole formation on karst terrain, they are precarious environments for infrastructure development.

It is estimated that human activity on karst has cost billions of dollars for preventative measures and infrastructure damage worldwide (Ford & Williams, 1989).

Last year, a sinkhole developed in the Kentucky Corvette Museum, resulting in five million dollars worth of damage.

Not only is development on these environments costly and dangerous, but it is also detrimental for the fragile karst hydrological and biological systems.

Karst is a dynamic system connecting the surface to the largely unexplored subterranean world. Rainwater transfers dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen from the soil into the karst ecosystem. According to the Karst Waters Institute, these inputs from the surface are crucial for the functioning of karst food web, as many troglobites, or cave-dwelling species, are completely reliant on the microbial film found on rocks (produced by organic inputs into the karst system) and the dissolved nutrients as energy sources (White & Martin, 2009). It has been approximated that globally there are between 20,000 – 100, 000 species endemic to karst caves, one-third of which are aquatic (Bonacci et al., 2009).

River systems fed by alkaline and cool karst groundwater are also important for aquatic species on the surface, such as salmon. With increasing freshwater acidity and temperature, karst hydrological systems will play an increasingly important role in buffering the impacts of climate change (Strong et al., 2014).

To prevent the road or logging equipment from becoming swallowed into the depths of the earth, forestry often fills in the surrounding sinkholes. By altering the drainage system, this severs the connection between the surface and the subsurface. Road building also leads to the contamination and plugging of karst systems due to increased sediment erosion and runoff of deleterious substances (Stitt, 1997). This polluted water rushes rapidly through the system with minimal filtration and eventually reemerges at the surface.

Sir-Karst-A-LotAs we traversed through the karstified landscape, I was mesmerized by the Walbran’s intrinsic beauty. We crossed several karst streams flowing over pure white bedrock into the Walbran River below. Limestone jutted through the emerald green moss beds and at the roots of impressive stands of coniferous trees. I had the pleasure of meeting ‘Sir-Karst-A-Lot’, a majestic western red cedar 35 feet in circumference.

There is something magical about the Walbran Valley. To destroy it for short-term economic gain is not only cruel, but also extremely shortsighted. The remaining ancient forests are important climate regulators and support an abundance of diverse species.

 

The logging of an old-growth forest underlain by sensitive karst terrain is an unsustainable practice. Once the karst is removed, it is gone forever.

 

Works Cited:

Bonacci, O., Pipan, T., & Culver, D. C. (2009). A framework for karst ecohydrology.        Environmental Geology, 56(5), 891-900.

Ford, D. C., & Williams, P. W. (1989). Karst geomorphology and hydrology. London,      UK: Chapman & Hall.

Stitt, R. (1997). Selected forest management issues related to karst. Bellingham, WA:         1997 Karst and Cave Management Symposium.

Strong, A. L., Kroeker, K. J., Teneva, L. T., Mease, L. A., & Kelly, R. P. (2014). Ocean    Acidification 2.0: Managing our Changing Coastal Ocean Chemistry. BioScience.

White, W. B., & Martin, J. B. (2009). Frontiers of Karst Research: Proceedings and          recommendations of the workshop held in San Antonio, Texas on 3-5 May 2007. Charles Town, WA: Karst Waters Institute.

 

 

Deception, Denial & Determination: The Alberni Valley Watershed Story

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This story has villains and heroes, a plot filled with twists and turns, and an ending that has yet to be decided by you, the reader.

It all begins over 100 years ago, when community designated watersheds were protected as land reserves under the Provincial Land Act. This meant that logging, mining and any other form of resource extraction were forbidden on lands – such as the Alberni Valley’s watersheds – where vital sources of naturally clean drinking water lay.

These water protection measures didn’t bode well with the Chief Forester. He paced around his office, brows furrowed deep in thought and then suddenly, he stopped and a slow, Grinchy grin appeared on his face. He had a plan[1].

The Watershed Reserves Scandal

The early-1980’s were marked by the Watershed Reserves scandal, where the Ministry of Forests secretly transferred public drinking water sources, slated to be protected as land reserves, into chainsaw rippin’, slash burnin’ logging land.

Ten years ago, the former mill-town of Port Alberni, B.C., a small community nestled in old-growth temperate rainforests at the head of the Alberni Inlet on Vancouver Island, watched in disbelief as the provincial government axed wildlife protection provisions and lifted logging bans in McLaughlin Ridge. Private lands controlled by U.S. logging giant, Weyerhaeuser, were removed from Tree Farm License (TFL) 44, and placed under the jurisdiction of the Private Managed Forest Land Act. A total of 78,000 hectares under TFL 44, which includes the Alberni Valley, were subsequently handed to Island Timberlands.

Approximately 18,000 Port Alberni residents rely on the China Creek watershed, found at the base of McLaughlin Ridge, as a primary source of drinking water. This watershed is shrouded in hectares of rare old-growth Douglas fir forest, which provides natural water filtration and helps to stabilize the slope banks, preventing devastating landslides.

The widespread flooding in Port Alberni last December was a harsh reminder of the importance of old-growth forests in stabilizing steep banks.

Why Karst Needs Protection

The China Creek watershed is one of the many water systems in the Alberni Valley recharged by karst groundwater. Preliminary studies have shown that there is a hydrological connection between the China Creek Watershed and several karstified and potentially karstified limestone units. This ethereal environment connects the surface with the subterranean world beneath our feet, and it is extremely sensitive to disruption from resource extraction activities, such as clear-cut logging.

Reid Robinson, known by the locals as ‘The Karst Man”, has taken government officials on tours to see the importance of protecting karst firsthand, but for fear of their jobs, they “didn’t want to know or hear anything about it.”

According to Jane Morden of the Watershed Forest Alliance (WFA), half of the old-growth forests have been lost in the McLaughlin Ridge. Despite its claims of sustainable forest management, Island Timberlands has not created a Watershed Protection Plan.

At the beginning of November, a meeting was held to discuss the future of the China Creek Watershed. Parties in attendance included environmental organizations, local government, the Ministry of Forests and the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional district. Island Timberlands skipped the meeting as they stated in an e-mail response that “key” staff members were on holidays.

According to Jane Morden, despite claims by a local newspaper that “water quality has improved”, this year residents could detect when their drinking water had been switched to Bainsbridge Lake, (which occurs during times of turbidity in the China Creek watershed) as it has a yellow coloration and a distinct chlorine taste, especially after recent logging in the watershed.

Stop the Clear-cutting

By clear-cutting mature forests surrounding the watershed, the free filtration provided by nature must now be administered through a costly water treatment plant in order for Port Alberni to meet the new Canadian 4-3-2-1-0 drinking water objective.

Yet, as the dust settles, through the fallen trees, there is still promise for clean drinking water and protection of these magnificent ancient forests.

Port Alberni Council has sided with local environmental organizations in the fight to stop clear-cut logging of the old-growth forest in McLaughlin Ridge.

A rally was held last summer at Port Alberni City Hall, which brought together local residents, First Nation groups and environmental organizations in the common goal of protecting the China Creek watershed and McLaughlin Ridge.

Heartwood Films has produced an informative documentary that exposes the plight of McLaughlin Ridge at the hands of Island Timberlands.

 

The Right to Clean Drinking Water

On November 25th, 2014, the Our Watershed: a Community in Action forum was held in Port Alberni with guest speakers Bruce Fraser and MLA Scott Fraser. This event, hosted by the WFA, provided an opportunity for concerned community members to become informed and engaged with watershed conservation in the Cowichan Valley.

Elsewhere on Vancouver Island, residents and environmental organizations are standing up for their fundamental right to clean drinking water. Community members in Stillwater, British Columbia, concerned about potential logging by BC Timber Sales (BCTS) in their community drinking watershed, formed the Committee for the Protection of Jefferd Creek. With the help of West Coast Environmental Law, a local hydrologist and a Drinking Water Protection Officer, the community was successful in preserving this vital drinking water source for generations to come.

I am interested in hearing from residents of Port Alberni and other communities where private, for-profit organizations have majority control over public drinking water sources. If you would like to share your experiences, concerns or suggestions, please comment below or contact me at ccaproff@sfu.ca.

Additional Information:

Photos of Logging on McLaughlin Ridge

Further Information on the Alberni Valley’s Drinking Water

Join the Facebook Group, Protect McLaughlin Ridge

Karst: The Winter Chalet for B.C. Bats

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As the winter chill sets in, bats all over BC are curling up in furry little clusters. We’re beginning to learn more about their winter hideaways.

As winter approaches, bats seek refuge in karst cave systems. Due to its high humidity, constant, cool temperatures (3 – 4 °C) and dark conditions, karst is an ideal habitat for bat hibernation. As karst landscapes cover approximately 14% of the earth’s surface, researchers all over the world are studying the significance of karst to the viability (well-being) of this species.

With 16 unique species of bats, British Columbia boasts the greatest biodiversity of bats in Canada. These furry, winged creatures play an essential ecological role as pollinators, seed dispersers, and insect regulators (a single little brown myotis can catch up to approximately 600 pesky mosquitoes in an hour!). Guano, or bat waste, is rich in nutrients, contributing to the fertility of the soil and it supports insects, fungi, bacteria, and lichens.

In the summer, bats require suitable roosting and maternity sites (places where females congregate to give birth and raise their baby bats, known as pups) that are in proximity to foraging grounds. This includes trees, crevices in rocks, buildings and bat houses alongside or close to freshwater and forest edges.

According to Doreen Parker, a bat specialist in Alaska, “Some of the characteristics of the old growth [forest] are very important to bats – the diverse canopy structure, the [ancient] trees with the loose bark falling away from the tree trunk, there’s snags, decaying trees, trees with cavities and old woodpecker holes for them to roost in.”

Clear-cut forests and open fields have been found to be unsuitable for bats, as they do not provide essential roosting habitat.

Hoary bat
Rare find of the Hoary Bat, the largest in Canada. Photo: Mark Worthing
A study conducted in Alaska on the impacts of timber harvesting on bat activity in South Eastern Alaska found that riparian (vegetation along the river edges) areas and old-growth forests have the greatest abundance of bats. Forests underlain by karst are typically higher in productivity in comparison to non-karst forests, and are marked by an abundance and great diversity of karst caves. It is likely that karst forests are vital bat habitat as they provide foraging, roosting and hibernation sites.

In Malaysia, studies have been conducted by conservation biologists from Queen Mary University that confirm the importance of limestone karst outcrops for the biodiversity of cave-dwelling tropical bats and tropical bats living in forest fragments.

Bats have become a conservation priority in BC, following a public plea made by Environment Minister, Mary Polak last June, requesting that emphasis be placed on identifying bat habitat and determining their population abundances as “there is surprisingly little known about local bat species and their numbers.”

Six American and Canadian conservation groups, including Sierra Club BC, took initiative and collaboratively organized a Bat BioBlitz. The bat inventory involved 10 bat biologists, and seven citizen scientists and was led by Dr. Cori Lausen, a prominent Canadian bat researcher. Over the four nights, eight sites were inventoried, resulting in 31 bats being caught and 1049 bat passes being detected, using mistnetting and acoustic sampling techniques. Of the 11 bat species suspected to inhabit the richly biodiverse area, seven species were detected, including the endangered little brown myotis.

Bat 2
After being warmed up this bat is ready for release. Photo: Mark Worthing

This research was published just as the CBC reported this week that Eastern Canadian bat populations have been devastated by the white-nose syndrome. The fungal disease, which spread to Canada in 2010, impacts hibernating bats. Fuzzy white growths appear on the affected bat’s muzzle and wings, causing the animal to behave erratically and use up its precious fat reserves. White-nose syndrome has led the functional extirpation (a few bats may remain, but they are unable to repopulate the ecosystem) of the little brown myotis, northern myotis and tri-coloured bat, according to Graham Forbes, a bat species specialist subcommittee member of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) and biologist at the University of New Brunswick. The disease has yet to reach Manitoba, but is reported to be spreading west at an average rate of 200 – 250 km per year. Forbes stated he would be “surprised” if western bat populations aren’t eventually impacted by this deadly disease.

The only way to mitigate impact and protect BC bats is to locate their hibernation sites in karst landscapes. As of current, large bat hibernacula have not been identified in the province, and this will be the focus of future surveys in the Flathead River Valley.  According to Cori Lausen, “Through collaborations with cavers we have only just begun to search for bat hibernacula here. It’s imperative that we continue the search in the Flathead for bat hibernacula since large clusters of bats may be present but undiscovered.” Caving groups, such as the Alberta Speleological Society and the British Columbia Caving Federation have been exploring alpine (mountainous) karst in the Canadian Rockies and Columbia Mountains since 1997 and have conducted preliminary cave surveys and reports, which can be found in the Canadian Caver Magazine, and newsletters produced by the two caving groups.

Although there currently is no cure for the disease, researchers in the United States are researching potential vaccines and bacteria with antifungal properties to save the bat from extinction in North America.

The Flathead Wild team is active in the movement to protect this unique environment. For more information on how to get involved and become a Friend of the Flathead, check out the campaign website.

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