Open Government Portal

This program aims to monitor migratory shorebird abundance, distribution and use on sandy beaches of the Long Beach Unit as an Ecological Integrity condition measure and to monitor the effectiveness of management activities directed at increasing the rate of compliance with domestic animal (leash) regulations as a management effectiveness measure. These datasets result from annual migratory shorebird surveys, during which birds passing through a 100 m section of beach over the course of 30 minutes are counted as are the disturbance events affecting them. Sites (n=20) are surveyed throughout the day (between 6am and 6pm) during the height of spring (20 April to 25 May) and fall (15 July to 1 Oct) migrations and are surveyed 4 to 8 times per migration period per year. It is well-established that migratory shorebirds operate on very tight time and energy budgets and that unexpected loss of time and/or energy reserves can compromise both survival and breeding success of these birds.

Historically, Pukaskwa had two naturally occurring populations of Pitcher’s Thistle; Creek Beach and Crescent beach, both located in Oiseau Bay. On Sept. 22 & 23, 1985 there was a severe windstorm that severely affected the beach at Oiseau Bay and caused erosion at the colony site and then on June 26, 1986, there was a severe thunderstorm with heavy rain that caused the washout of a huge portion of the Crescent Beach colony. Both of the colonies have shown negative population trends to the point where the Crescent Beach colony is now considered extirpated. From 1982 to 2014, each location was divided into plots and within each plot, each plant was tagged with a unique identifier using dymo tape and a bicycle spoke.

Maintaining safe recreational waters requires a concerted effort from all of its stakeholders. From government at all levels, to local businesses and industry, to beach managers, community members and recreational water users - we all have a role to play in helping keep our beaches clean and our swimming waters safe.

Numerous pathogenic microorganisms can potentially be found in recreational environments. The three main types are bacteria, viruses and protozoa. Many occur as a result of contamination from human or animal wastes, whereas some are free-living microorganisms that exist naturally in the recreational water environment. A fourth type that may be of concern at some beaches, particularly associated with beach sand, are fungi.

The rapid beach recession in Point Pelee National Park has resulted in sustained breaching of the barrier beach in the Northeastern corner of the park. Continuous exposure to Lake Erie via a breach could alter marsh plant and animal communities and eventually result in total loss of marsh and shoreline habitat in the park. This measure involves undertaking simple spatial analysis using GIS and aerial photographs.

The sustainability of species at risk is an important assessment of ecosystem biodiversity. The status of each threatened species can infer how well an ecosystem is functioning to maintain species diversity. Assessing the status of coastal species at risk, including piping plover (Charadrius melodus), Gulf of St. Lawrence aster (Symphyotrichum laurentianum), and beach pinweed (Lechea maritima), is valuable as an indicator of ecological integrity in the coastal ecosystem in PEI National Park. The population abundance of both Gulf of St. Lawrence aster and beach pinweed is assessed against the historical abundance levels and whether or not it has an increasing or decreasing trend in population size.

The Piping Plover in Nova Scotia is listed as ‘endangered’ by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). Plovers are sensitive to stressors such as human disturbance and habitat loss. Piping plover breeding population censuses and productivity will be monitored at all coastal beaches in Kejimkujik every year. This work occurs during the plover breeding season (May- August) with 3-5 visits per week at both St.Catherines and Little Port Joli Beaches.

Prince Edward Island with its sandstone bedrock and dynamic sandy beaches is very sensitive to the effects of sea-level rise. The north shore of PEI National Park is exposed to the Gulf of St. Lawrence and large waves and storm surge. By monitoring the nearshore ice, the level of PEI National Park’s coastal protection against erosion during the winter months can be assessed. The combination of rising sea levels, increased storm intensities, and higher waves is predicted to lead to increased flooding, infrastructure loss, and increased erosion in coastal areas.

Collision with terrain Cessna 172H, C-GECG, Tofino/Long Beach Airport, British Columbia, 31 NM NW, 21 December 2019

The estuary lagoons at Kejimkujik Seaside are important transition zones between saltwater and freshwater habitats providing a rich diversity of niches for organisms, including important nursery areas for some marine species. These barrier beaches are moving landward. It is necessary that they continue this movement since artificial stabilization could mean the linear or offshore movement of the sand, effectively exposing these lagoons and changing them into bays. By tracking this change dynamic, park managers will obtain advanced warning of accelerated sand shifts and the ability of the dunes to react to storm surge events and sea level change.