Bulkley Valley Research Centre - Science in the Public Interest

Seminar Series

From September through May of each year, the Bulkley Valley Research Centre hosts public seminars every second Wednesday over the lunch hour. This is a chance to connect and hear from regional and international scientists and practitioners about the latest developments in natural and cultural resource research and management.

Where: Zoom Webinar (BVRC members will receive an invite; non-members can email info@bvcentre.ca)
When: Every second Wednesday (September to May), 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

SEMINAR ARCHIVE: Visit the BVRC YouTube Channel to view recordings of past seminars. Recent seminars will be available within 1-2 weeks.

We send out regular notifications to our membership about each upcoming seminar. If you would like to be added to the email list to receive notifications of the Seminar Series, or if you are interested in making a presentation, please call the Centre at 250-847-2827 or email info@bvcentre.ca.

We would like to thank our Seminar Series sponsors, BV Community Foundation and Bulkley Valley Credit Union.

                            

Past Seminars

Into The Future—Long-term Recovery Goals for 5 Needle Pine

Wednesday May 31, 2023  12:00pm-1:00pm

- via Zoom

About this Presentation

Whitebark (Pinus albicaulis) is a long-lived five-needle pine species noted for its ecological importance as a keystone species. Whitebark pine grows within higher-elevation environments in British Columbia (B.C.). The long-term recovery goal for endangered five-needle...

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TREE SPECIES CLIMATE ADAPTATION IN THE SBSmc2 and IDFdk3

Wednesday May 3, 2023  12:00pm-1:00pm

- via Zoom

About this Seminar

Over the next rotation, climate change will impact the abundance and distribution of tree species in British Columbia. The future benefits society obtains from forests will depend, in part, on successful adaptation to these changes. In response to this, Government has introduced...

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Alternative Silviculture on Nisga’a Lands

Wednesday April 19, 2023  12:00pm-1:00pm

- via Zoom

About this Seminar

K’Alii Aks Timber Corporation (KATC) is a wholly owned Nisga’a Nation company that holds a Nisga’a Public Land License to conduct forestry activities on Nisga’a Lands. The Nisga’a Nation received the first modern-day treaty in 2000, the Nisga’a Final Agreement. As such, the...

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Current Research on Impacts of Glyphosate-based Herbicide Use in Forests

Wednesday February 22, 2023  12:00pm-1:00pm

Via Zoom -

About This Seminar

This presentation will explore recent research into the effects of chemical herbicides, primarily glyphosate, on plants in forest operations. Glyphosate-based herbicides have been used in reforestation since the 1980s to reduce competition for coniferous seedlings. Until...

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Moose Winter Willow Forage Enhancement Operational Research

Wednesday February 8, 2023  12:00pm-1:00pm

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About this Presentation

In 2021/22, 630 ha of Scouler's willow sites on Old Fort Mountain, Babine Lake watershed, were manually treated by hinging or felling 65-75% of the mature willows to promote both stump and bowl sprout production. Nine treatment units were established to comparatively assess...

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Forest Carbon Recovery After Fire

Wednesday January 25, 2023  12:00pm-1:00pm

Coast Mountain College and via Zoom - Smithers, BC

About This Presentation

Wildfire is a natural disturbance in many forested biomes, with the loss of carbon to the atmosphere and mortality of trees actively sequestering carbon of global concern as a contribution to climate change. Natural regeneration is often successful at re-establishing a...

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Pining for Home: Assisted Migration as a Climate Change Adaptation Strategy

Wednesday November 23, 2022  12:00pm-1:00pm

-

About this Presentation

This presentation makes a case for “boldly going where no forester has gone before”: deconstructing the 100-year-old paradigm of reforesting with local seed sources. Numerous reports have already linked large-scale forest disturbance with 20th and 21st-century climate...

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Local Ecological Knowledge of Mountain Goats in the Skeena Region

Wednesday June 1, 2022  12:00pm-1:00pm

- Zoom Webinar

ABOUT THIS SEMINAR

Since time immemorial, people have been interacting with mountain goats in the mountainous landscapes of what is now commonly known as the Skeena Region. Many have gained exceptional and even intimate knowledge of specific populations through seasonal expeditions to mountain...

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Dying Wolf Moments: Inspirations and Reflections on a Wildlife Career

Wednesday May 18, 2022  12:00pm-1:00pm

- Zoom Webinar

ABOUT THIS SEMINAR

Dr. Kessler will reflect on her 45-year wildlife science and management career in this seminar. Kessler studied at Berkeley and Texas A&M University. She then taught and researched for 19 years at the University of Idaho, and in 1997 Kessler became the founding chair of the...

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Biodiversity, Disturbance and Ecological Memory: A forest management approach

Wednesday January 12, 2022  12:00pm-1:00pm

Zoom webinar - Smithers, BC

About This Presentation

Natural disturbances (e.g., wildfire) are important drivers of forest change that influence the present and future composition of species across the landscape. Normally, these disturbances leave behind legacies of the pre-disturbance landscape – both within and outside of...

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Field Observations and Remote Sensing of Wildland Fuels: A Case Study

Wednesday December 8, 2021  12:00pm-1:00pm

Zoom webinar - Smithers, BC

About This Presentation

In 2018, the Alkali Lake wildfire destroyed structures, burned well over 100,000 hectares, and was still smouldering a year later. As the Alkali Lake fire begins the process of regrowth, it is important to document the types of “forest fuels” that are growing to better...

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Historical-Ecological Perspectives on Land-Use in the Pacific Northwest

Wednesday November 10, 2021  12:00pm-1:00pm

Zoom Webinar - Smithers, BC

About This Presentation

Ts'msyen and Coast Salish people have a long history of managing and stewarding the lived landscape. Dr. Armstrong will combine archaeological evidence with rich, community-based history to showcase Indigenous Forest Gardens: relict ecosystems of managed fruit and nut trees...

Abstract

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Protecting Farmland: A Policy Perspective

Wednesday May 5, 2021  12:00pm-1:00pm

Zoom Webinar - Smithers, BC

ABOUT THIS PRESENTATION

Protecting agricultural land is a long-standing concern of policy in British Columbia, since the “uncontrolled residential development” in the Lower Mainland of the 1950s to the recent planting trees for carbon credits in the central interior. In this presentation, David...

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Occupational Health Impacts of Wildfire

Wednesday April 21, 2021  12:00pm-1:00pm

Zoom Webinar - Smithers, BC

ABOUT THIS PRESENTATION

With increasing global wildfire activity, a growing number of workers are engaged in wildfire suppression activities. Wildfire fighters work through their summers to keep our communities safe and it is important we understand the potential impacts on their health. During...

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Long-term effects of timber harvesting on coarse woody debris and marten habitat

Wednesday March 24, 2021  12:00pm-1:00pm

Zoom Webinar - Smithers, BC

ABOUT THIS PRESENTATION

Coarse woody debris (CWD) is an important component of many forest ecosystem functions, and there is increasing recognition that CWD dynamics need to be considered during forest management planning. Over time, timber harvesting impacts the quantity, quality, and input rates...

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BC’s Old Growth Forest: A Last Stand for Biodiversity

Wednesday February 10, 2021  12:00pm-1:00pm

Zoom Webinar - Smithers, BC

ABOUT THIS PRESENTATION

Old growth is disappearing globally with implications for biodiversity, forest resilience and carbon storage, yet uncertainty remains about how much exists. We analysed publicly available data to examine the status of old growth stratified by ecosystem and productivity....

Abstract

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Developing Wildfire Resiliency in BC Forests

Wednesday January 27, 2021  12:00pm-1:00pm

Zoom Webinar - Smithers, BC

ABOUT THIS PRESENTATION

A team of interdisciplinary researchers will present an overview of the BVRC's wildfire research program, which is designed to improve resource management and reduce the vulnerability of communities and forests to negative effects of wildfires. For more information about...

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Ecology of Native Bees

Wednesday December 2, 2020  12:00pm-1:00pm

via Zoom - Smithers, BC

About this presentation

There are over 500 species of bees within British Columbia, each with specific life history traits and floral relationships. Understanding the basic ecology of native bees will help us to better provide the key resources and habitat components that they require to persist....

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Highlights from the Forest Practices Board

Wednesday November 18, 2020  12:00pm-1:00pm

Zoom Webinar - Smithers, BC

About this presentation

The Forest Practices Board (FPB) celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2020. In those 25 years, the Board has produced 649 reports and made over 500 recommendations for improvements. This presentation will cover some recent reports from the FPB and summarize areas where the...

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Working Across Difference in Natural Resource Management

Wednesday November 4, 2020  12:00pm-1:00pm

Zoom Webinar - Smithers, BC

About this presentation

People working in resource management face many complex and difficult problems, including reconciliation between Indigenous peoples and different levels of Canadian governments; mitigation and adaptation to climate change; recovery of endangered species; and achievement of...

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The Missing Link

Wednesday October 21, 2020  12:00pm-1:00pm

Zoom Webinar - Smithers, BC

About this Presentation

Low-elevation pine forests in north central British Columbia provide high value caribou winter range. These stands have been impacted by fire and mountain pine beetle and various silviculture treatments are being proposed within these stands. Biologists and wildlife habitat...

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Harvesting for Goshawks

Wednesday October 7, 2020  12:00pm-1:00pm

Zoom Webinar - Smithers, BC

About this presentation

The Northern Goshawk is an iconic forest raptor (“ghost of the forest”) that was once a common bird throughout the Bulkley Valley. This presentation will show the linkages between extensive forest harvest and the dramatic decline in the number of goshawks. In response to...

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Skeena Knowledge Trust Update

Wednesday September 23, 2020  12:00pm-1:00pm

Zoom videoconference - Smithers, BC

The Skeena Knowledge Trust (SKT) was formed in 2017 and is governed by five trustees with the operations managed by Eclipse Geomatics Ltd. The SKT’s main function is to promote knowledge management throughout the Skeena watershed as it relates to salmon ecosystems.  To carry out our mandate we have...

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Lichens on the edge: Keeping sensitive lichens in the managed forest

Wednesday March 11, 2020  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church - Smithers, BC

About this presentation

The Kispiox inland rainforest is a biological hotspot for forest canopy lichens, but has little formal protection. With only 7% in protected areas, we need conservation strategies that maintain rare lichens on the managed land base. Retaining groups of live trees around...

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Columnar growth in western redcedar

Wednesday February 26, 2020  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church - Smithers, BC

About the Presentation

Adriana will provide an update on her study that seeks to better understand columnar growth of western redcedar (Thuja plicata) in the Kitimat Valley. In her research, Adriana assesses the effects of industrial aerial emissions in gas exchange, foliage, and soil accumulation...

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What is responsible development?

Wednesday February 12, 2020  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church - Smithers, BC

About This Presentation

We often hear about responsible development, but rarely define what it means. The lack of clarity often leads to polarizing conversations and few tools for communities to have meaningful discussions and input. This talk will look at weaknesses in our current approach and...

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Logging Differently for Wildlife

Wednesday January 29, 2020  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church - Smithers, BC

About this Presentation

We are hearing more and more about an imminent paradigm shift in forest management in BC. What does that mean, if anything, to our harvest practices? Join the discussion on how industry and government are looking into expanding alternative logging regimes in the north and...

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Conservation Ranking of Grizzly Bear Population Units

Wednesday January 15, 2020  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church - Smithers, BC

About this Presentation

British Columbia is part of NatureServe’s western hemisphere-wide network of non-profit conservation programs. NatureServe modified its Element Rank Calculator to enable the assignment of conservation ranks to the Province’s Grizzly Bear Population Units (GBPU). A rank is...

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Aspen ecology and management in the US Southwest

Wednesday December 4, 2019  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church - Smithers, BC

About this presentation

Quaking aspen (Populous tremuloides) is an iconic species with a range extending across much of North America. In the US Southwest, near the southern end of the species range, sustaining aspen populations has been a challenge for decades. Ungulate browse is a major limiting...

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Managing Forests for Resilience

Wednesday November 20, 2019  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church - Smithers, BC

About this presentation

Sustainable forest management isn't good enough any more. Challenged by insect outbreaks, mega-fires, and lost markets, it is time to emphasize flexibility, persistence and adaptability over optimization. Diversity at many levels is a multi-faceted strategy for maintaining...

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BC Community Bat Program and NABat Monitoring – Project Updates

Wednesday October 23, 2019  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Smithers Art Gallery - Smithers, BC

Please note the change of venue: This seminar will be hosted at The Smithers Art Gallery (this week only). 

About this presentation

The BC Community Bat Program is a network of community bat projects across BC, carried out in partnership with the Ministry of Environment. The goals of this network...

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A Quick Introduction to ML/ARD at Mine Sites

Wednesday October 9, 2019  12:00pm-1:30pm

The Old Church - Smithers, BC

About this presentation

This presentation will cover (1) properties and processes of sulphidic rock and how they affect drainage; (2) sulphide geologic materials; (3) challenges and requirements; and (4) tools and procedures.

Food production, housing, energy production, health care and...

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Climate Change in Northern BC

Wednesday June 5, 2019  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church - Smithers BC

About this presentation

This presentation will give an overview of recent changes in climate, focusing on the northwest, from instrumental observations. It will also discuss climate change projections, impacts and adaptation. 

About Vanessa Foord, M.Sc., P.Ag.

Vanessa Foord is a Research...

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Do Birds Need Trees? Long-term Response to Forest Retention

Wednesday May 22, 2019  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church - Smithers, BC

About this presentation

Retention forestry aims to maintain biodiversity within managed stands. We followed breeding birds over 25 years after harvest within stands with 0% (clearcut), 40%, 70% and 100% (unharvested control) retention. Response varied with habitat preference. Conifer-forest...

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Vegetation dynamics on terrestrial lichen sites, 11-13 years following fire

Wednesday May 8, 2019  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church - Smithers, BC

About this presentation

In 2014, the Chelaslie Arm fire burned over 130,000 ha of the Tweedsmuir-Entiako caribou (Rangifer tarandus) winter and migration range. The massive size of the fire and its impact on the Tweedsmuir-Entiako caribou winter and migration range has led to concerns about...

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Drones and Natural Resource Management

Wednesday March 27, 2019  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church - Smithers, BC

About this presentation

This presentation will cover the entire landscape of drones in natural resource management, including regulations, technology, applications and the evaluation of derived products.

New Regulations from Transport Canada coming into force this June will simplify and reduce...

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Burning Questions: Effects of Fire on Ecosystems

Wednesday March 13, 2019  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church - Smithers, BC

About the presentation

The changing climate has resulted in significant changes in fire regimes in BC and elsewhere. BC just experienced two of the most severe fire seasons on record. Evelyn’s presentation will outline some of the implications of predicted changes in climate on fire regimes,...

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A Brief But Tortuous History of Forestry in BC.

Wednesday February 13, 2019  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church - Smithers, BC

About this presentation

Let us follow the course of BC forestry, from tie cutting to pellets, from unregulated expansion to regulation, deregulation, and increasing entropy. With particular attention to allowable annual cuts, intensive forestry, political influence, death and transfiguration, and...

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Fire legacies in a BC coastal temperate rainforest

Wednesday January 16, 2019  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church - Smithers, BC

About this presentation

While wildfire is globally most common in the savanna-grassland ecotone, the flammability of coastal temperate rainforests is considered low and little is known regarding historic fire activity. Reconstructing historical fire activity typically requires dendrochronological...

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Resource Management in Northern BC: A Brief Retrospective & Future Considerations

Wednesday November 21, 2018  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church - Smithers, BC

About this presentation

Looking back on the past 20 years of natural resource management in Northern BC, Marsden brings new perspectives on the central role of conflict over major projects and what we can collectively learn and apply for future co-management between First Nations, the two levels...

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Comparing Traditional Plant Uses: BC & NZ

Wednesday November 7, 2018  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church - 3704 1st Ave - Smithers, BC

About this presentation:

This presentation compares the use of plants for food, medicinal, spiritual and technological purposes by the Maori of New Zealand and First Nations in Northwestern BC. It provides a brief history of plant use by both groups and provides similar and different uses for...

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The Road North: A Cassiar Adventure

Wednesday October 24, 2018  12:00pm-1:00pm

Northwest Community College - 3966 2nd Avenue, Smithers, BC - Smithers

About the presentation

The Road North is a non-technical account of geological fieldwork by horse party in the Cassiar Mountains in the late 1980's, along with tales of the local mines and prospectors.

Please note: this presentation will be at Northwest Community College in Smithers, NOT the Old...

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Guardians of the Babine - Grizzly Bears of the Babine River Watershed

Wednesday October 10, 2018  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church, 3704 1st Ave - Smithers, BC

About this Presentation

Len Vanderstar, R.P.Bio., R.P.F., B.Ed., RGCS Fellow - is a Skeena Region based habitat protection biologist and has spent decades adventuring within the Babine River watershed. Len is an advocate for grizzly bear conservation and he will share his personal stories along...

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What’s a ‘Cumulative Impact’, Anyway?

Wednesday September 26, 2018  12:00pm-3:00pm

The Old Church - Smithers, BC

About this presentation & workshop: 

This presentation (1 hour) and workshop (2 hours) will share results from four years of research on the cumulative environmental, community and health impacts of resource development across northern BC. Participants can expect to: learn about cumulative impacts...

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Environmental DNA (eDNA) Testing

Thursday June 14, 2018  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church - Smithers, BC

About this presentation
The BVRC is proud to host a special lunch hour seminar on June 14th at the Old Church for “eDNA week in Smithers.” Dr. Caren Helbing will be coming to Smithers to offer a seminar on the eDNA work she has been leading in her lab, involving non-invasive DNA water sampling....

Abstract

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Warning signals of adverse interactions between climate change and native stressors

Wednesday April 18, 2018  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church (corner of King and First Ave) - Smithers, BC

About this presentation

The climate of central BC has changed over the past century, generally becoming warmer throughout the year and wetter in spring and summer. These environmental trends benefit a variety of forest disturbance agents including insects such as the mountain pine beetle and...

Abstract

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Skeena Knowledge Trust

Wednesday April 4, 2018  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church (corner of First Avenue and King Street) - Smithers, BC

About this presentation

Johanna will present an update on the Skeena Knowledge Trust (SKT), as well as a demonstration of the Skeena Salmon Data Centre and related Skeena Maps Portal. By providing an easy-to-use portal to access comprehensive curated information, the SKT hopes to empower...

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Spatial Tool for Monitoring Aircraft Compliance with Wildlife Avoidance Strategies

Wednesday March 21, 2018  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church (corner of First Avenue and King Street) - Smithers, BC

About this presentation

Until recently, the provincial government did not have the means to audit heli-ski operations to assess compliance with wildlife avoidance strategies. Given that the Skeena Region has significant populations of mountain goats within all its heli-ski tenure areas, it was...

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Skeena Salmon and Climate Change: Adapting to an Uncertain Future

Wednesday March 7, 2018  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church (corner of First Avenue and King Street) - Smithers, BC

About this presentation
This talk will look at what impacts we are already seeing and experiencing in the Skeena watershed. It will also explore the changing conditions in our coastal waters and the North Pacific that have a large impact on how many fish return each year. The Skeena and its people...

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From bogs to bays: Watershed exports link Pacific coastal temperate rainforests to marine ecosystems

Wednesday February 21, 2018  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church (corner of First Avenue and King Street) - Smithers, BC

About this presentation
The coastal temperate rainforests (CTR) of British Columbia are dynamic zones for the transfer of water and carbon from land to sea. However, little is known about the quantity or quality of carbon exported from the CTR or its fate in coastal ocean food webs. This...

Abstract

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The understory plant community as an indicator of ecological recovery after logging

Wednesday January 24, 2018  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church (corner of First Avenue and King Street) - Smithers, BC

About this presentation

After a quarter century of monitoring plant community responses to different levels of canopy retention, we examined if higher levels of retention promote less change and faster recovery after logging. Most vegetation indicators did show more stability with higher...

Abstract

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Shaping Watersheds: The Augmented Reality Sandbox

Wednesday November 15, 2017  12:00pm-3:00pm

The Old Church (corner of First Avenue and King Street) - Smithers, BC

About this event
In honour of GIS Day (November 15, 2017), the BVRC is proud to present an interactive, augmented reality exhibit designed to improve public understanding and stewardship of freshwater lake ecosystems using 3D visualizations. As individuals move the sand, a projected elevation model...

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Assessing Lichens, Birds and Stand Structure as Indicators of Biodiversity

Wednesday November 1, 2017  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church (corner of First Avenue and King Street) - Smithers, BC

About this presentation
Our project investigates the effectiveness of post-harvest retention of forest stand structure for maintaining biodiversity within sub-boreal spruce forests of the Babine Watershed Monitoring Trust (BWMT) study area. Our question was: Is the level of retention of forest...

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Ethical Evolution in Health Care: Medical Assistance in Dying

Wednesday October 18, 2017  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church - Smithers, BC

About this presentation
Since June 17, 2016, medical assistance in dying can legally be provided in Canada by Physicians and Nurse Practitioners for a person who meets eligibility criteria set by the federal government. This presentation will describe how the care is being provided in BC and will...

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Constructed Wetlands and Surface Water Treatment

Wednesday April 26, 2017  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church - Smithers, BC

About this presentation
When precipitation and surface water runoff come in contact with a log storage facility there is a potential for leachate to develop. The impact of leachate often produces poor water quality resulting in an impact on aquatic life. The development of a constructed wetland...

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Quantifying the Water Balance of Northeastern Boreal Watersheds, British Columbia

Wednesday April 12, 2017  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church (corner of First Avenue and King Street) - Smithers, BC

About this presentation

This study aims to provide water balance of boreal watersheds of northeastern BC using the MIKE SHE hydrological model. More specifically, this study intends to quantify historical and regional water balances of two boreal watersheds—the Coles Lake and Tsea Lake...

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Birds in High Places: ecology and conservation value of northern mountains for avian biodiversity

Wednesday March 29, 2017  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church (corner of First Avenue and King Street) - Smithers, BC

About this presentation

Mountains comprise about 50% of the BC and Yukon landbase, and one-third of birds breeding in North America use mountain habitats for at least one critical period of their annual life cycle. Birds have developed exceptional adaptions to live in these environmentally...

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Human Groups as Evolving Organisms

Wednesday March 1, 2017  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church (corner of First Avenue and King Street) - Smithers, BC

About this presentation

In this seminar, Richard Overstall continues the story from previous talks of how a complex, horizontal, bottom-up social order developed on what is now called the North Coast of British Columbia. Earlier presentations showed that the spatial and temporal patterns of...

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Ecosystem Interactions Along the North Coast of British Columbia

Wednesday February 15, 2017  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church (corner of First Avenue and King Street) - Smithers, BC

About this presentation

Intertidal infaunal communities represent a powerful, but currently under-exploited tool with regards to environmental monitoring along the northern coast of British Columbia. Community assemblages (species presence/absence and densities) can be used to elucidate ecosystem...

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A Future for Whitebark Pine Ecosystems in Northern BC

Wednesday February 1, 2017  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church (on the corner of First Avenue and King Street) - Smithers, BC

About this presentation

It has been 10 years since the Bulkley Valley Research Centre began its research into the restoration of endangered whitebark pine in northern BC. It is time to celebrate achievements, reflect on challenges, and lay out a strategy to ensure a future for this unique tree...

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Is the Drone Industry Poised to Take Off in the Natural Resource Sector?

Wednesday November 30, 2016  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church (on the corner of First Avenue and King Street) - Smithers, BC

About this seminar:

Larry McCulloch will reveal how unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), better known as drones, might be used in natural resource management. He will provide a framework for understanding the potential, limitations, and exigencies involved in UAV use and showcase results from some of...

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Water Sustainability: National Impacts and Local Opportunities

Wednesday November 16, 2016  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church (on the corner of First Avenue and King Street) - Smithers, BC

About this seminar:

British Columbia’s history, identity, and future are inseparable from water. Water is essential for the environment, for communities, and for a vibrant economy. With a goal of seeing all waters in good ecological condition, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) embarked upon Canada’s...

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Research Resources from The Real Thing: the natural history of Ian McTaggart Cowan

Monday September 19, 2016  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church (on the corner of First Avenue and King Street) - Smithers, BC

About this seminar:

The Cowan Biography Project has brought 60 years of journals kept by Ian McTaggart Cowan to light. These now transcribed and digitized journals provide windows into pre-industrialized landscapes of British Columbia from the Ootsa, Peace and Kootenay Rivers and Mackenzie Delta...

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Modelling Spring Runoff in the Kiskatinaw River, British Columbia

Wednesday April 20, 2016  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church - on the corner of First Avenue and King St. - Smithers, BC

Image: “Weatherisation at Blackhawk, within the Kiskatinaw River Basin.” 

About this seminar: 

Precipitation that falls as snow has important social, economic and ecological implications in cool temperate and subarctic regions. The amount of water that held within the snowpack is of particular...

Abstract

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Spill Response & The Test of Due Diligence

Wednesday March 23, 2016  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church - on the corner of First Avenue and King St. - Smithers, BC

About this seminar:

Due diligence is a legal defense that the spiller took reasonable measures to prevent the spill incident from occurring.  Therefore the “test” of due diligence is the process of ensuring that reasonable preventative measures were identified and implemented.  Although the focus...

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An Introduction to Human Rights Law in the Northern BC Context

Wednesday March 9, 2016  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church - on the corner of First Avenue and King St. - Smithers, BC

About this seminar:

The term “human rights” is often used indiscriminately, to refer to what is moral, what ought to be. In the legal context, however, the term is defined more narrowly. While inspired by “morality”, in Canadian law, human rights are restricted to individuals who face...

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Richard Overstall: Sea lions, Salmon, Eulachon and Humans

Wednesday February 24, 2016  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church - on the corner of First Avenue and King St, Smithers, BC. - Smithers, BC

Sea lions, Salmon, Eulachon and Humans: how a complex legal order emerged on the Northwest Coast two millennia ago.

About this seminar:

This seminar will explore the evolution of a complex indigenous legal order at the mouth of the Skeena and Nass rivers about two thousand years ago.  It will...

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Quantifying the Water Budget for a Northern Boreal Watershed: The Coles Lake Study

Wednesday February 10, 2016  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church - on the corner of First Avenue and King St. - Smithers, B.C.

About this seminar: Northeastern British Columbia is undergoing rapid development for oil and gas extraction and this depends largely on subsurface hydraulic fracturing (fracking), which depends on the available freshwater.

The aim of this study is to characterize and quantify all components of...

Abstract

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How much is too much? Critical Loads and the regulation of industrial emissions in Northwest B.C.

Wednesday January 27, 2016  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church - on the corner of First Avenue and King St. - Smithers, B.C.

Patrick Williston is a biologist who has worked and lived in the Northwest BC (Smithers and Terrace) for most of his life. Over the past three years he has worked at the BC Ministry of Environment where he has been involved with assessing the potential impacts of industrial air emissions on...

Abstract

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Modelling Photochemical Air Pollutants from Industrial and Biogenic Emissions in Terrace-Kitimat

Wednesday January 13, 2016  12:00pm-1:00pm

The Old Church - on the corner of First Avenue and King St, Smithers, BC. - Smithers, BC

Ben Weinstein completed a BSc. in Atmospheric Science at UBC in 2003, and shortly thereafter moved to Smithers to work for BC Environment on air quality-related projects. In 2005 he became the air quality meteorologist for Skeena Region and managed all air quality-related files in NW BC. In 2013 he...

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Geoscience BC: A special seminar

Wednesday June 17, 2015  12:00pm-1:00pm

Northwest Community College - Smithers

Join us for a discussion with Robin Archdekin and Andrea Clifford from Geoscience BC. This will be a chance to learn about the work the organization is undertaking across the province, and catalyze a community dialogue about earth science in the region and how it can be used to guide informed land...

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Natural Resource Assessment in the Morice Watershed

Wednesday April 29, 2015  12:00pm-1:00pm

Northwest Community College - Smithers

Don Morgan, a natural resource management and systems researcher with the Ministry of Environment, will present the  results from a natural resource assessment case study in the Morice watershed. Morgan will discuss methods used to characterize historic and future landscape condition and the...

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David Hughes: The Potential LNG Industry and B.C.’s Natural Gas Supply

Thursday April 16, 2015  12:00pm-1:00pm

Northwest Community College - Smithers

Hosted by the Bulkley Valley Research Centre and the Northwest Institute, energy expert and geoscientist David Hughes discusses the natural gas supply and proposed LNG industry in BC, showing the connections this has to the national global energy supply picture. David is a geoscientist who has...

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COSEWIC Status Report on Caribou

Wednesday April 1, 2015  12:00pm-1:00pm

Northwest Community College - Smithers

In 2000, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) assessed caribou within the Southern Mountain National Ecological Area in the southern portion of BC and in southwestern Alberta as Threatened, and caribou within the Northern Mountain National Ecological Area in...

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Bulkley Landscape Reforestation Standards Project

Wednesday March 18, 2015  12:00pm-1:00pm

Northwest Community College - Smithers

The desire to link silviculture reforestation stocking standards to timber supply assumptions and to other related objectives at the landscape level has been discussed for more than a decade. 

Gary Quanstrom, RPF of Pacific Inland Resources, will speak on plans to develop a Bulkley Landscape...

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Quantifying the water budget for Coles Lake

Friday March 6, 2015  12:00pm-1:00pm

Northwest Community College - Smithers

Greenhouse gas emissions have warmed the Earth by dramatically increasing heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere and studies indicate the resulting rise in global air temperature has profound consequences for humans and the environment. BC has been highly affected by climate change compare to the...

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Genomics: Changing the way we mine

Wednesday February 18, 2015  12:00pm-1:00pm

Northwest Community College - Smithers

Sue Baldwin, UBC professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, leads a discussion about the treatment of mine-affected water through the applications of bioremediation and meta-genomics. Bioremediation is a useful approach for treating mine-affected water. It is based on...

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Helicopter drones for forest data acquisition: Separating the facts from the buzz

Wednesday February 4, 2015  12:00pm-1:00pm

Northwest Community College - Smithers

Helicopter drones (as well as fixed wing) have garnered significant attention in the last couple years. In the forest sector, many see the many potential uses and benefits of this tool. But, once you get past the buzz, are expectations unrealistic? Larry McCulloch and Matt Sakals provide a few...

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Western Cedar Deformity

Wednesday December 10, 2014  12:00pm-1:00pm

Northwest Community College - Smithers

Adriana Almeida-Rodriguez discusses a study that seeks to better understand columnar growth of western redcedar in the Kitimat Valley using aerial emissions and geological maps superimposed for selecting six sample sites, three of which are located along the aerial industrial emission corridor from...

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Innovative subdivisions to retain and protect valued features

Wednesday November 26, 2014  12:00pm-1:00pm

Northwest Community College - Smithers

Cristina Soto, PhD, discusses this project examining tools to help protect sensitive habitat and recreation areas in the face of subdivision development, including specific bylaws, conservation covenants, collaboration with neighbours, government partnerships, particular formats of subdivision...

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All-Candidates’ Forum

Wednesday October 29, 2014  12:00pm-2:00pm

The Gathering Place, Northwest Community College - Smithers, BC

Join the Bulkley Valley Research Centre for a special Seminar Series presentation as we host an all-candidates' forum leading up to the November election.

This event is open to the public and participants will have the opportunity to ask candidates questions regarding local research and the...

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Native Bees of the Bulkley Valley

Wednesday April 30, 2014  12:00pm-1:00pm

Northwest Community College - Smithers

Presenter: Lynn Westcott, Entomologist - Westcott Environmental Services, Smithers

Native bees are the most important pollinating insects in many of the world’s ecosystems. Animals ranging from birds to grizzly bears to humans rely on the pollinating efforts of this diverse group of insects.

This...

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Restoring Endangered Whitebark Pine Ecosystems in Northern BC

Wednesday April 2, 2014  12:00pm-1:00pm

Northwest Community College - Smithers

Presenters: Alana Clason and Sybille Haeussler

In this seminar, Dr. Sybille Haeussler and Alana Clason will discuss their research and conservation work on whitebark pine since the initiation of the Bulkley Valley Research Centre whitebark pine program in 2007. Come learn about this charismatic...

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