Category Archives: Video

Video of Substrate at Tidal Current Energy Site

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Chris Blondeau and Juan Carlos do another video of the substrate at the site of the piling installation prior to the pile drilling operation for the Tidal Current Energy Project. They document some of the species of hydroid, colonial ascidian and sponges which grow on the giant barnacles in the area. March 29, 2006.

Note: The video pauses on each clump in order to have a better view.

 

 

Turbine Site Hydroid Survey- 2006

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Chris Blondeau and Juan Carlos Yabar, did this survey to document the Invertebrates, particularly hydroids,sponges and colonial tunicates in the are where the turbine Piling was to be installed later in the year.

See other archived video with Pearson College Divers

TIDAL CURRENT :RENEWABLE ENERGY FOR RACE ROCKS

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Complete Video Coverage of the Announcement at Pearson College

 TV and Print Media Coverage of the event.

Press Release : CANA PARTNERS TO ENABLE PEARSON COLLEGE – ENCANA – CLEAN CURRENT TIDAL POWER DEMONSTRATION PROJECT AT RACE ROCKS, BC Victoria

– Thanks to an innovative partnership between Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific, EnCana Corporation and Clean Current Power Systems Incorporated, Canada’s first free-stream tidal power project will be built at the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve, offshore of Vancouver Island in British Columbia. The project will enable the world famous marine park to tap into surrounding ocean currents and convert tidal energy to electric power for its needs beginning in early 2006. Making the announcement were:
Gwyn Morgan, President and CEO of EnCana,
Glen Darou, President and CEO of Clean Current,
Richard Neufeld, British Columbia Minister of Energy and Mines,
and Stuart Walker, Director of Pearson College.

 

Gwyn Morgan

Gwyn Morgan

Officially known as the “Pearson College – EnCana – Clean Current Tidal Power Demonstration Project at Race Rocks,” the project is enabled by a $3-million investment from the EnCana Environmental Innovation Fund. “EnCana is pleased to be a partner in this first-class, alternative energy project,” said Morgan. “Our investment in this B.C.-based unconventional environmental and power technology reflectsour desire to tangibly encourage innovative energy solutions.” EnCana’s Environmental Innovation Fund was established to advance new technologies and solutions that improve environmental performance associated with consuming and producing energy. Commercial proceeds from financed projects will be re-invested into the fund to ensure their sustainability.

 

Richard Neufeld

“The commitment by Premier Campbell in promoting alternative energy sources has helped British Columbia become a world leader in sustainable environmental management,” said Neufeld. “The province commends projects like this one, as they show our commitment to developing clean energy solutions that will benefit all British Columbians.” The multi-year demonstration project will involve the installation, operation and monitoring of a 65kW free-stream tidal turbine generator in the water near Race Rocks, a provincial ecological reserve located 10 nautical miles southwest of Victoria.

Glen Darou

Clean Current is a private British Columbia-based company that designs and licenses technology that efficiently converts the energy of tidal currents into electricity. Clean Current’s proprietary technology consists of a horizontal-axis ducted turbine with a direct-drive variable speed permanent magnet generator. The turbine generator is equally efficient in both directions as the tidal currents reverse twice each day. “This Canadian technology is simple, efficient and environmentally friendly,” said Darou. “We believe it is highly exportable technology, with strong potential to succeed in international settings. Our company is delighted to have the support of EnCana, Pearson College, and technical partners AMEC, Powertech Labs Inc. and Triton Consultants Ltd.”

Pearson College, one of ten United World Colleges worldwide, is the custodian of the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve, located three nautical miles from campus. Diesel-powered generators currently provide electricity requirements at the reserve. Students and staff will work elements of the tidal power demonstration project into their studies. “This is a terrific project for Pearson College, in that it supports our goal of making the ecological reserve a showcase for alternative, low-impact technologies such as tidal power,” said Walker. “We would like to thank Clean Current for their commitment to developing the technology and EnCana for the financial support that is making this demonstration project possible.”

Second Year Pearson College student Alyssa Holland (year 30) concluded the presentation , by thanking the speakers. As a student involved in Environmental Systems and the diving program, she shared the enthusiasm she has for the resources of the area and emphasized the great importance she and other students attach to the effort of those involved in this project in the ongoing goal of producing energy sustainably.

Dave Skilling

Communications Coordinator
Lester B. Pearson College
250-391-2479
www.pearsoncollege.ca
www.racerocks.ca

 

Environmental Protection of the Ecological Reserve with the Installation of the Tidal current Generator at Race Rocks

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This file provides information on the process used to ensure environmental protection of the Ecological Reserve with the installation of the tidal current generator at Race Rocks.

BACKGROUND REFERENCES:

Contents:

BACKGROUND REFERENCES: See Below

1.Permit Application for Research on the Ecological Reserve 2004

2. Appendix A– Energy at Race Rocks : The problems and Solutions:

3. Environmental Impact of Tidal Current Energy Generation on Marine Mammals: Addendum to Clean Current Permit Application: Garry Fletcher.

4. References on the effects of Tidal Energy Generation on Marine Life:

5. Information for the Race Rocks Advisory Board on Alternate Energy Developments In the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve: 2004.

6.Outline of Expectations for a Baseline Study and Follow-up monitoring of the Current Energy Project at Race Rocks:

7. Video of the type of organisms that grow in the area of the turbine site.

8. Pam and Jason of Archipelago Marine Document life forms along the cable path.

9. Video of impact of Concrete Anchor Placement for the Tidal Energy Project

10. Environmental Monitoring at Race Rocks Ecological Reserve related to the Pearson College-Encana-Clean Current Tidal Power Demonstration Project by Pam Thuringer of Archipelago Marine, 2006.

11. Environmental Impact of the Diesel Energy Power generation System at Race Rocks

12. Preliminary Environmental Screening for: range Expansion of generator shed for battery storage

:13. Preliminary Environmental Screening for: Installation of Electrical Cable and Conduits at Race Rocks

14. Preliminary Environmental Screening for: Installation of the Piling for the tidal energy generator:.https://www.racerocks.ca/bc-parks-impact-assessment-process/ Continue reading →

Solaster stimpsoni: Stripped Sun Star–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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This is a frame taken from the video beside. The blue color is because white light does penetrate to a depth of 8 metres, so only the parts of the picture that are illuminated from the video light show the true colors.. Note in the video how objects appear to change color when illuminated, but, they don’t actually do so. In the foreground is a broooding anemone , red with a band of babies at its girth. The pink coral is hydrocoral.

“Invertebrates at Race Rocks” is an introductory piece on a few of the invertebrate phyla. This was one of the first hinted streaming videos done by the Pearson College divers in April 2000. There is a good section on Soalaster Stimpsoni in the film. It was taken by Rowena and Shamsher on a Sony Digital camera, and edited by Hannah and Garry on a G4 Macintosh Computer using iMovie.

 

Physical Description
It has 8-12 arms, but usually it has 10 arms, which has length is about 23 cm. The diameter about 20 inches (51 cm). And the central disc about &Mac185; of total diameter. It&Mac226;s mouth just below the central disc. And, as the common sea star, it uses its tube feet which under main arms to move.

Global Distribution
This kind of sea star could be found at Bering Sea to Salt Point California (Trinidad Head, Sonoma Country, Kodiak Island and Oregon) and Pacific Northwest (Sunrise Beach and Gig Harbor).

Physical Description
It has 8-12 arms, but usually it has 10 arms, which has length is about 23 cm. The diameter about 20 inches (51 cm). And, as the common sea star, it uses its tube feet which under main arms to move.

Habitat
This sea star is possible to find at rocky bottoms but sometimes in sand or in the lowest zone.
Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Echinodermata
Class Asteroida
Order Spinulosida
Suborder Eugnathina
Family Solasteridae
Genus Solaster
Species stimpsoni
Common Name: Stripped Sun Star, Sun Star, Stimpson’s
Feeding
This animal is a carnivore. It usually feed at sea cucumbers (the most favorite foods), tunicates, lampshells, sea pens, brachiopods, holothurians, sea squirts and nudibranch.

Predator
The predator of this animal is Sunflower Star ( Solaster dawsoni).

Reproduction
It reproduces sexually. It is breeding from February to March. Gametes are discharge into water. The eggs then become larvae and start to metamorphosis for about 40-50 days.

Interesting Thing
It can curl its arms up over its body to take on a spherical shape. This allows it to tumble across the seafloor in the along-shore currents.

References
Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Sun Sea Star Solaster Stimpsoni. Internet
British Columbia Creature Page. Internet
Edmonds Discovery Programs. Internet
Gotshall Daniel (1994) Guide To Marine Invertebrates. California
King Country (1999) Sun Star &Mac246; Solaster Stimpsoni. Internet
Lambert Philip (1965) Sea Star. Vancouver, Canada
Morris Robert, Donald A & Eugene H (1980) Interditial Invertebrates of California. California
Photo Gallery. Internet
Strathmann Megumi (1987) Reproduction And Development of Marine Invertebrates of The Northern Pacific Coast. Friday Harbour Laboratory
Verrill (1880) Solaster Stimpsoni. Internet
Yates Steve (1988) Marine Wildlife. Washington

 

Other Members of the Phylum Echinodermata 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.

January 2006 Winda (PC year 32)

Phyllospadix scouleri: surf grass– Race Rocks taxonomy

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Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Alismatales
Family: Zosteraceae
Genus: Phyllospadix
Species: P. scouleri
Binomial name
Phyllospadix scouleri

Genus/species Phyllospadix scouleri (Hooker)

 

Description: This flowering plant is most characteristic of the open rocky shores of the coast that are exposed to the full force of the waves, as on the west coast of Vancouver Island.  There it forms bright emerald-green beds on the rocks near extreme low-tide level.  The plants are relatively short, usually not more than a metre in length, and the leaves are 20-32 mm. wide.  Short basal flowering stems are produced, which are 5-8 cm. long.

Habitat:  On rocks in the lower intertidal and upper subtidal zones.

Pacific Coast Distribution:  Alaska to Mexico.

Robert Scagel, 1972

 
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 8 2009- Ryan Murphy

Diodora aspera: Keyhole limpet– The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Keyhole limpets have a distinctive mantle-covering response when they are approached by a predatory sea star such as Pycnopodia.sp

Physical Description:

it has a small oval opening at the top of its short, conical shell. Although the keyhole limpet superficially resembles “true” limpets, its soft anatomy reveals an important difference. True limpets draw water into their mantle cavity on the left side, pass it over a single gill and discharge it on the right side. Keyhole limpets draw water in both sides, where it flows over paired gills before flowing out through the “keyhole” aperture at the peak of the shell. Size: Length is about 75 mm


Global distribution:
The Rough Keyhole Limpet can be found anywhere in coastal regions from Afognak, Alaska, to Baja California. It is found primarily in low intertidal areas, and has been seen up to 40 feet subtidally in the south (Morris et al. 1980).
Habitat:
The Keyhole Limpet clings tenaciously on and under large rocks in the sub to low intertidal. They can also be found on large kelp stipes. Their strong foot allows them to thrive in some intertidal areas where turbulent wave action is prevalent.

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Mollusca
Class Gastropoda
SubClass Prosobranchia
Order Archaeogastropoda
Family Fissurellidae
Genus Diodora
Species aspera
Common Name: Key-hole limpet
Feeding: This particular limpet is an omnivorous grazer. It feeds by scraping rocks with its radula. Various bryozoans are its food of choice, but it also consumes algae, as well as some sponge species.
Predators:
Sea stars, the limpet responds by raising its mantle up over the outside of its shell, a behavior that may prevent the sea star from gripping the shell surface.
Reproduction:
Keyhole limpets have separate sexes, and sexually ripe individuals can be found during any season of the year. Eggs and sperm are released into the water in mass quantities and larval settlement ensues.
One interesting Fact: Recent studies suggest that this animal’s unique apical opening is not only associated with sanitation, but also plays an important role in inducing passive flow through the mantle cavity. In studies where the keyhole of Diodora aspera was blocked (either naturally or experimentally) no evidence of damage to the mantle cavity or associated organs was found. In these experimental trials, water entered ventro-posteriorly with respect to the gill tips, and exited over the head region (near the anus). The apical opening proved unnecessary as a means of waste removal. Researchers did find however, that the keyhole played an essential role in allowing water to flow passively through the mantle cavity. Thus, it is thought that this function of the apical opening may have been just as significant as its role in sanitation in terms of limpet evolution

References:
Wylam, B. 2001. “Diodora aspera” (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/
Diodora_aspera.html.

Guide of Marine Invertebrates.- Alaska to Baja California
Daniel W. Gotshall.- Sea Challenges.
Monte Rey – California, USA 1994

Other Members of the Phylum Arthropoda 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.

 October 2005-  Claudia (PC yr 32)

Elassochirus tenuimanus The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Arthroppoda
Class Malacostraca
Order Decapoda
Family Paguridae
Genus Elassochirus
Species tenuimanus
Common Name: Wide-hand hermit crab

In this video, Elassochirus has been disturbed from eating a limpet (Collisella instabilis). It recovers and returns to eating. Note the colouration of the appendages of the hermit crab. Also note that one arm is much wider than the other. The Collisella which normally has a pale shell, is encrusted with the pink algae Lithothamnion.

General Description:
Named as wide-hand, this species hermit crab has a large and flattened right side of chela, carpus and propodus more than its left side. The right cheliped has a wider carpus than it is long. The walking legs have colours of white, reddish brown and purplish-blue on its merus.

Size:
The exterior length is up to 42 mm (1.6 inches).

Natural History, Habitat and geographical and depth range:
Mud, sand, shell bottoms, and especially rocks. The depth range is intertidal (infrequently) to 388 m (1272 feet). For the geographical range, the hermit crab lives in Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, from Alaska to Washington, and the northwestern Pacific.
Ovigerous females in Washington usually appear from August to May.  Larvae produce from March to May and Planktonic are in last months of the year.

Behavior
When the animal retreats inside, the right claw is used to block the access to the shell itself. The crab bents this claw beneath the body while walking.

References:
– Pacific Coast Crab and Shrimps, Gregory C. Jensen; Sea Challengers Monterey, California, 1995.

– Marine Invertebrate of the Pacific Northwest, Eugene N. Kozloff; University of Washington Press, Seattle and London, 1996.

http://people.wwc.edu/staff/cowlda/KeyToSpecies/Arthropoda/Crustacea/Malacostraca/Eumalacostraca/
Eucarida/Decapoda/Anomura/Family_Paguridae/Elassochirus_tenuimanus.html

 

Samples of screenshots from the remote cameras.

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Observation of the scenes on the cameras often yield some interesting and varied scenes. Feel free to add to this collection of the screen shots from the video cameras. e-mail : Garry Fletcher (garryf(use the @ sign)gmail.com See further directions on this .

Telephoto of the Olympic Mountains of Washington State. This was taken on a clear day- May 18, 2001 zoomed in on the remote camera. The tail end of a tugboat-drawn barge going up the Strait of Juan de Fuca, May 18, 2001 On a calm day, the area is a very popular site for observation of marine birds and mammals by the tour boats which take on passengers in Sooke or Victoria. May 18, 2001
Captive tourists look out on the life of freedom enjoyed by the elephant seals and sea lions. May 18, 2001 May 18, 2001: Inflatable boats are used by many of the marine mammal tour boats.  We get some glorious sunsets looking out from Race Rocks.This one has the Metchosin Hills in the foreground: June 11, 2001
July 1, 2001, Canada Day fireworks over the provincial capital Victoria, B.C. Mike Slater lined up this scene on camera 3. July 4, 2001, American Independence Day fireworks over Port Angeles to the south of Race Rocks. Jean Dalphond captured this collage of images when he was staying at RR doing a project in early June, 2001.
Gull chicks hatching
July, 2001		 Pigeon guillemots – nest in burrows in the rocks – use remote camera to find
July, 2001		 There was an abundance of baby seals – born in mid July – 2001. Mike and Carol set the camera up on this scene on camera 2 .

The Brandt’s cormorants on the west shore in
January, 2002
May 2002 : yes, sometimes Race Rocks can be “golden”. This is camera 1 on the elephant seals.
June, 2002 : We have had a successful year for gull hatching: 96 counted at one time and most of them survived.
Pam Birley from England has sent us this eagle sequence, January, 2004. She has contributed her album of pictures to our daily log files. The OCEANQUEST exercises:use screen capture to contribute to a database

Falco peregrinus: Peregrine falcon –The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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ryanperegrine

This photo was taken on Race Rocks by Ryan Murphy in December of 2008.

See all the posts on this website with observations of Peregrines

Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Aves
Order: Falconiformes
Family: Falconidae
Genus: Falco
Species: peregrinus
Common Name: Peregrine falcon

Unusual footage taken by Pam Birley using the remote camera 5 of a falcon eating a seabird. Also see similar sequence on right below..

 

The Peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus, is a bird of prey (or raptor) which has captured the attention and imagination of ornithologists and bird-watchers alike for several thousand years. With a body length of 15-20 inches and a body weight of 1.25-3.75 lbs, the falcon is built specifically for travelling at high speeds (up to 180 m.p.h.) in order to catch its prey. The name Falco peregrinus is derived from the Latin falx, or sickle-shaped, and peregrinus, meaning wandering. It is unclear whether the former is derived from the shape of the bird’s silhouette in the sky or from the shape of its beak, but the latter name comes undoubtedly from its propensity to migrate great distances.In the picture of a Peregrine Falcon and Bald Eagle from his Flickr site, Ryan Murphy said
“This was amazing to witness in person, I regret not having been able to capture it better than this! Just before this the eagle rolled backwards towards the chasing falcon… awesome aerial battle!”
Predation
Two sequences of pictures from Race Rocks below have been taken by Pam Birley showing the peregrine eating a shorebird.and a sea gull. Though peregrine falcons, like other birds of prey, are considered to be near the top of the food web, they are not completely free from predators. Great horned owls and golden eagles have been known to attack them. Humans have also been known to take their eggs in hopes to raise the falcons for hunting purposes.
As top predators, peregrine falcons play an important ecosystem role in regulating the populations of their prey.
Habitat
Peregrine Falcons prefer open habitats such as grasslands, tundra, and meadows. They nest on cliff faces and crevices. They have recently begun to colonize urban areas because tall buildings are suitable for nesting in this species, and because of the abundance of pigeons as prey items.
Peregrine falcons prey almost exclusively on birds, including mourning doves, pigeons, shorebirds, (see slide shows above) waterfowl, and smaller songbirds. They will also eat small reptiles and mammals. Although peregrine falcons capture their prey with their claws, they generally kill prey with their beak.The photos for this slide show and video were taken on the remote camera 5 at Race Rocks, by Pam Birley operating the camera from Great Britain. Pam had observed the peregrine falcon on various perches around the island in the mornings for several weeks in October and November. Her persistence paid off on November 17, 2005. Pam wrote in her e-mail ….”Today we had just returned home .. I just came up to the computer, switched it on and there was Perry with his breakfast….I really caught him in the act of devouring his prey today! “You may see other pictures that Pam has taken using the remote camera at Race Rocks by clicking here to go to her photo album .
CLICK ON THE BLANK SPACE

PEREGRINE FALCONS AT RACEROCKS: OCTOBER, 2004

Pam Birley of Leicester England captured some of the pictures remotely on robotic camera 5 and Mike Slater, our reserve guardian took the pictures of the antenna perch on the towerPam was interviewed recently about her wildlife viewing on racerocks.com
ref: Anderson, Charlie, “Live Wildlife for your Living Room “,
The Province (newspaper) , Vancouver, B.C. ( Sunday, Nov.21, 2004)

Conservation Status
Peregrine falcons have suffered due to their dangerous position atop the food chain. Pesticides accumulate in small (not lethal) quantities in the tissues of small birds and mammals, but become concentrated enough in predatory birds, such as falcons, to kill them or render them incapable of producing offspring. Organochlorine pesticides (DDT and dieldrin) have been proven to reduce the birds’ ability to produce eggshells with sufficient calcium content, making the egg shells thin and more likely to break. Peregrine falcon populations dropped greatly in the middle of the 20th century, they were threatened worldwide by the increasing use of pesticides. All breeding pairs vanished in the Eastern United States. A successful captive breeding/reintroduction program, combined with restrictions in pesticide use, has been the basis of an amazing recovery by peregrine falcons. Now the use of many of the chemicals most harmful to these birds is restricted. It is not yet restricted in the areas of Central and South American where many subspecies spend the winter. After having been on the endangered list since 1969, the incredible recovery of Peregrine Falcons has become a perfect example of how effective human conservation can be. In the 1990’s they were taken off the lists of endangered species in the United States.

Jan 25, 2010 Brian Mury sent this link to a set of images he took from Camera 1 on the top of the tower. The falcon is perched on the FM antenna which is used by Environment Canada to transmit anemometer readings from the top of the tower.

 

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.

Chiara Ravetti PC yr 31