Photo credit: Cass Atatise
Enjoy creating wonderful inspired art in the wilderness of Quetico Provincial Park! Apply now to be a Quetico 2019 Artist in Residence, the deadline is March 31st. The Quetico Foundation can also pay for part of these travel expenses and initiated the artist in residence cabin. Please see https://queticofoundation.org/what-we-do/arts-culture/ for more information.
Do you love science and observing birds?
Read about Dave Elder’s sighting of black-billed magpies, a species typically found further west, in Atikokan as well and his contributions to the Atikokan Christmas Bird Count here: https://view.publitas.com/on-nature/winter-2018/page/6-7. Dave Elder is a former Quetico Provincial Park superintendent and a Quetico Foundation Trustee Emeriti.
Amazing work Dave!!!
The yuletide holiday season has begun!
Days we can be grateful for wonderful on-the-lake memories under the sun.
Days when we reflect on the gorgeous portages, hard won.
Days when there will be lots of fun in the snow under the pines to come!
Wishing a merry, joyous, inspired and happy festive season to everyone!
Happy Festivus from the rest of us at the Quetico Foundation
Happy Halloween!
We think about the wilderness of Quetico and The Foundation at every moment!
Quetico Foundation Biology Interns, Jared Stachiw and Katie Tripp, featured in an Article Progress article about backcountry canoe expeditions to do biology and forest fire data research in Quetico Provincial Park.
Online coverage http://atikokanprogress.ca/2018/08/21/biology-interns-spending-summer-doing-research-in-quetico-park/ and https://queticofoundation.org/atikokan-progress-biology-interns/
Bat survey, Credit: Brian Jackson
Here are a couple pictures of Jessica Atatise taken myself, Brian Jackson, doing the bat/bakwanaajii survey funded by the Quetico Foundation (and yes, that is an official bat microphone pole).
The Quetico Foundation’s Long-Term Salamander Monitoring
Blue-spotted salamander, Credit: Brian Jackson
Credit: Katie Tripp
Forest fires are recognized as a crucial force in the dynamic ecosystems of the boreal forest due to their revitalizing impacts on the landscape. Fire is also essential for certain plants and vegetation communities to grow and thrive – this is the case for Quetico’s iconic red and white pines. Red and white pine are fire-adapted species that require fire to produce the environmental conditions necessary for them to reproduce and germinate. Frequent fires in the boreal forest also increases spatial, structural, and biological diversity, and reduces forest fuel loads thus preventing large, intense burns.
Quetico Foundation biologist interns Jared Stachiw and Katie Tripp heading out on another research trip. On this trip they will be surveying red pine stands along the northwest portion of the Park for old stumps to collect to be dated to assess the number of historic surface fires (see Red pine, fire and people for more info). This information will be used in developing an updated Fire Management Plan for Quetico over the next few years.
Katie and Jared head out to study red pine stands and collect historic surface fire data 1, Credit: Brian Jackson
We all know bird songs to be beautiful, but as it turns out they can also be quite useful. Forest birds are a valuable and convenient indicator of forest health. These birds are sensitive to changes in ecosystem health, and their association with forest habitat makes them ideal for detecting fluctuations in forest condition. Each species of songbird has a unique call which allows for relatively easy identification of the species of songbirds within an area. Since 2014, Quetico Foundation summer research staff have assisted Quetico Provincial Park in the monitoring of songbird calls and the analysis of songbird data. Wildlife Acoustic’s SongMeters are used to record audio data at dawn when songbirds are most vocal. Once this data is collected (at the end of the summer) a technician can determine which birds were heard within the forest nearest to the SongMeter, and over the course of several years of data collection can observe trends in songbird populations. This long-term monitoring effort will be used by Quetico Park to assist in making informed management decisions. The data will provide information on the impacts of fire and other disturbances on songbird communities, bird species at risk, and provide a better understanding of how fragmented landscapes impact songbird migration.
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