Category Archives: ER Warden Report

Field trip for VNHS

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Members of the Victoria Natural History Society accompanied ER warden Garry Fletcher on a field trip to Race Rocks this morning. Most of the members were avid birdwatchers so this time of year was ideal to view some of the many species that stopover at Race Rocks in their fall migration. See the census records submitted by Daniel Donnecke

 

 

 

Some of the birds seen on the trip”

wtattlerAlso on a trip on a ecotourism vessel, Liam Singh took this image of this  wandering tattler which we had missed.

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One branded california sealion was hauled out near the docks. The number was not clear.

Aequorea victoria, crystal jelly : The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Aequorea in a kelp bed at Race Rocks, photo by Chris Blondeau

Kingdom: Animalia Subkingdom: Eumetazoa Phylum: Cnidaria Subphylum: Medusozoa Class: Hydrozoa Subclass: Leptolinae Order: Leptomedusae Suborder: Conica Family: Aequoreidae Genus: Aequorea Species: A. victoria The following quote  is from Wikipedia.. noted here because of the reference to Dr. Anita Brinckmann-Voss.

“Aequorea victoria, also sometimes called the crystal jelly, is a bioluminescent hydrozoan jellyfish, or hydromedusa, that is found off the west coast of North America. This species is thought to be synonymous with Aequorea aequorea of Osamu Shimomura, the discoverer of green fluorescent protein (GFP). Shimomura together with Martin Chalfie and Roger Y. Tsien were awarded the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry[1] for the discovery and development of this protein as an important biological research tool. Originally the victoria species was supposed to designate the variant found in the Pacific, and the aequorea designation was used for specimens found in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. The species name used in GFP purification was later disputed by M.N. Arai and A. Brinckmann-Voss (1980),[2] who decided to separate them on the basis of 40 specimens collected from around Vancouver Island. Osamu Shimomura notes that this species in general shows great variation: from 1961 to 1988 he collected around 1 million individuals in the waters surrounding the Friday Harbor Laboratories of University of Washington, and in many cases there were pronounced variations in the form of the jellyfish. “

 An interesting account by Claudia Miils about the misidentification of the bioluminescence in Aequorea in various scientific journals and magazines  can be found in : Bioluminescence and other factoids about Aequorea, a hydromedusa See this link for other hydroids:  https://www.racerocks.ca/tag/hydroid/ 

This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by the students, faculty and staff and volunteers of Lester B. Pearson College
 originally published 2006, updated: 2014 Garry Fletcher

Branded sea lion 183R shows up at Race Rocks

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Our viewer from England, Pam Birley,  sent us this image image of a branded Northern Sea lion (Steller’s) that she had taken with the remote control camera 5  today. She noted that this is the first time this particular one has shown up in her records which she has been keeping for several years now.

For other posts on branded sea-lions, see this link: https://www.racerocks.ca/tag/branded/

For our taxonomy file and gallery of images on this sealion see our archived file: http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/eco/taxalab/nufar.htm

Also for an explanation of why the tagging program goes on see this link also on our website: http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/marmam/sealion/tracking/tracking.ht

Branded Northen sea lion # 183R

Branded Northern sealion # 183R

 

 

Visitors to Race Rocks

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Today we were able to make a special trip to Race Rocks Ecological reserve with Tensie Whelan with her father Sidney, and Patsy Whelan.

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Patsy, Sidney and Tensie Whelan at the top of the Race Rocks tower

 

The Whelan’s live in New York and Connecticut and had made a trip to British Columbia to be able to see the place which meant so much to Tensie’s late husband, Johan Ashuvud. Johan had been a student at Race Rocks who in 1979-1980, had worked as a marine science student and a diver leading a group who ended up creating the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve.

Thanks to Chris Blondeau for driving Helen and I and the Whelans out to the reserve.

Friday Night Vessel Scramble in the Strait of Juan de Fuca

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This evening as  I write this, 6 cargo ships (bulk carriers and container ships), a ferry and a cruise ship are all underway around Race Rocks Ecological Reserve and out into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. (as viewed on http://ais3.siitech.com/VTSLite/AView.aspx.) The wind is from the West at 50 km/hr. The total length of these outbound vessels if they were placed end to end is 1861 metres (1.861 kilometres or 6,105 feet which is 1.156 miles. )

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Ships within 4 km of Race Rocks Ecological Reserve at 8:00 pm on June 6

ocean-hawk There is also this 186 metre inbound ship called the Ocean Hawk ,     And this is how close they get to Race Rocks: Rosedaleand ships2014-06-06 at 7.53.59 PMYou can see other posts about our concern for the oil spill threat in the Race Rocks Ecological reserve here:  https://www.racerocks.ca/category/ecology/oil-spill-risk/

frontierLeadertankerOn this page we profile Marine Vessel Traffic Images which show how close they are to the Animals of Race Rocks

 


Click on the photos below by Courtney Edwards-taken from Race Rocks :

Trev and Flo Anderson’s 70th Wedding Anniversary

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Congratulations from all of Lester Pearson College goes out to the first lightkeepers to welcome us to Race Rocks when the college opened in the 1970s.  They now live in Victoria and are both in their 90’s. Today Helen and Garry Fletcher attended the 70th wedding Anniversary of Trev and Flo Anderson in Victoria. Trev and Flo were the lightkeepers at Race Rocks from 1966-1982.

This link to Trev and Flo Anderson provides other posts
on their work at Race Rocks

Ecological Reserves participate in the NEB hearings on Kinder Morgan pipeline.

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The Board of the Friends of Ecological Reserves has posted their first set of Information Requests to the National Energy Board and Kinder Morgan as Intervenors in the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project . Their concerns focus on the Ecological reserves of Southern Vancouver Island such as Race Rocks .

See this link with a further link to all intervenors Information requests.kmstudyarea

 

Chen caerulescens : Snow Goose –Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Snow Goose

Lesser Snow Goose, Chen caerulescens

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Aves
Order Anseriformes
Family Anatidae
Subfamily  Anserinae
Genus Chen
Species caerulescens
Common Name: Snow Goose or Blue Goose

 

This is the first observation and photo we have of a snow goose at  Race Rocks. Ecoguardian Courtney Edwards took this photo on April 21, 2014. These geese migrate in great numbers through the lower mainland area at this time of year.

Ships Currently in the Area of Race Rocks, and the Associated Hazards

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Shipping in the Strait of Juan de Fuca poses the greatest risk to the ecological integrity of the Race Rocks Ecological reserve. The risk of chronic oil spills increases directly with the Number of vessels in the waters. Chronic oil is a greater risk to marine life around the world than are the disastrous large spills, but the risk from both will increase if tanker traffic is allowed to proliferate in the Strait of Juan de Fuca:

These tagged posts detail the risk to this and other Marine Ecological reserves on southern Vancouver Island: https://www.racerocks.ca/tag/oil-spill/

frontierLeadertankerOn this page we profile Marine Vessel Traffic Images which show how close they are to the Animals of Race Rocks

 

 

The live tracking image below shows the ships, their size and other details that are in the Strait around Race Rocks right now.

Either go to this site and create a username and password to access:

or use the more restricted map below:


View Larger Map

Problems with Marine Vessels and their risk for Race Rocks:

It has always been a concern that Race Rocks is located in a very vulnerable location in the Entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. There is a need for regulations preventing the dumping of bilge and sewage from ships, and an emergency plan in the event of disaster from marine shipping.Shipping  Prshipwreckoblems:
The history of shipping in the past in the area is grim evidence that accidents happen. A fuel or chemical spill in the Strait of Juan de Fuca would have an untold impact on the biodiversity of the Ecological reserve.shipwreckMajor Marine Vessel Casualty Risk and Response Preparedness in British Columbia
Prepared for Living Oceans Society
Sointula/Vancouver, BC Canada
by EnviroEmerg Consulting Services Cowichan Bay, BC CanadaGovernment of Canada Announces Ballast regulations, June 2006
Cruise Ship Problems:
Screen Shot 2014-04-01 at 9.35.14 PMSee the following reference link on potential problems from Cruise ships and how they can be rated for environmental safety with the Cruise Ship Environmental report card.Cruise Ship Dump Raises Alarm
Louise Dickson, Times Colonist
Thursday, May 08, 2003The accidental dumping of raw sewage into Juan de Fuca Strait has renewed calls for stronger environmental regulations governing cruise ships.Norwegian Cruise Lines has confirmed that its ship, Norwegian Sun, dumped about 62,000 litres of raw sewage into American waters near Port Townsend, southeast of Victoria.
Victoria’s Cruise Ship Industry: Economic Benefits and their Environmental ImpactsBy: Elliot Houlston and Carly Daoust , 2005″Being that a cruise ship functions like a small city, it will pollute like a small city as well. In one week’s time a single cruise ships empties 210,000 gallons of sewage (human waste), 1,000,000 gallons of grey water (water from sinks, bathing and washing), 8 tons of solid waste (paper, plastic, cardboard, food waste) and 25,000 gallons of oily bilge water8. Some hazardous wastes such as photo chemicals and used paint are produced also. These are only the water pollutants created by cruise ships. There are many air pollutants as well.”Dirty Waters: Cashing in on Ocean Pollution 18 January 2010 in DC BureauBy David Rosenfeld
Return to Index of Environmental Disturbances to the ecosystem at Race Rocks

Bucephala albeola: Bufflehead, Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Bufflehead , Bucephala albeola photographed near Great Race Rocks March 30, 2014 by Courtney Edwards,

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Bufflehead male and females.

Classification:
Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Aves
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Subfamily: Merginae
Genus: Bucephala
Species: albeola
Common Name:Bufflehead

 

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Male Bufflehead, Bucephala albeola photo by Ryan Murphy

We normally see Buffleheads throughout the winter months feeding in bays and along beaches on the shores of Metchosin. The males are much more obvious from their contrasting black and white plumage. This is the first observation we have had in the Race Rocks waters.

Other Members of the Class Aves at Race Rocks.

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.

March, 2014–Garry Fletcher