Invasive Species Removal in Deer Lake

1. Invasive SpeciesRemoval in Deer Lake Policeman Helmet Deer Lake

2. Invasive Species are a growing problem in British Columbia. Invasive Species can be accidentally brought over from other countries or people release an animal into the wild thinking that it will cause no harm. Since invasive species are from other places, there are no native predators to control the population and growth of the invasive species. This results in exponential growth of the species which often out competes native species.  Our group wants to remove all the invasive species from a local lake, Deer lake in Burnaby. By removing the invasive species we will be protecting the ecosystem there while raising awareness about invasive species because Deer Lake is a very actively used park by the public. Introduction

3. Description -Environmental Project: Invasive Species removal at Deer Lake in Burnaby-We plan to hold an invasive species removal event where the invasive plant and animal species will be removed from the Deer Lake environment.-Invasive species are very harmful to the environment and they need to be removed before they devastate the whole ecosystem.-We will have 200 volunteers each day. They will be split up into teams of 10-15 with a leader. They will be spread across the lake to tackle different invasive species. -The removed invasive species will then be exterminated. -The removal will take place in the summer of 2013. The whole process will take approximately 2 or more weeks to complete. Volunteers will be working from 10am-3pm max.-Invasive lilies will be removed by pulling them out of the lake. Fish and other invasive animal species will be caught in nets.-When the initial removal is finished we will have check-ups after the first month. Then we will have follow-up removals in the fall of 2013 and the spring of 2014. This is to ensure that any missed invasive species do not have the opportunity to regrow in the lake.

4. -Deer Lake is a lake in Burnaby, British Columbia.-There are many cultural and art destinations in the park. Some of them include Burnaby Village Museum and the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts. -There are also many boat rentals in the summer around the lake.-All these attractions cause for many people to come to Deer Lake daily.-Deer Lake does not naturally have these species: Policemen’s Helmet, lilies, the painted turtle, carp, cutthroat trout, ictalurid catfish. Background

5. Rationale -We chose this project because we think it’s important to protect our natural ecosystems from invasive species.-If the invasive species are allowed to grow, they will eventually out compete the native species.-Another problem with the invasive species is that it is slowly turning the lake into a swamp. There are no native species that eat the lilies so they all fall to the bottom of the lake when they die. As they decompose, they cause the lake floor to slowly rise. Shallower lake floors cause for a more swamp like ecosystem.- Our project will not only clean up the lake but also promote environmentally friendly practices. Because so many people use the park every day our clean-up efforts will show that just because it is ‘nature’ that it isn’t necessarily a good thing. This will hopefully encourage people to not put random plants and animals into the lake because the effects could potentially be devastating.

6. -Training sessions will also be held before the removal so volunteers will be able to identify invasive species from native species. The training session will probably take at most, 5,600 hours.- During the initial invasive species removal from Deer Lake, we will have our volunteers work for 7 days for two weeks for about 6 hours from 10 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon. However these volunteers will not be the same ones each day. They have an option to come in and volunteer for just one day out of the cleanup or everyday if they want to. The initial clean-up will take 11,200 hours. -Follow-ups will also happen one month after the removal and the fall and spring after. We will allow around 2,000 hours for each follow-up.-In total, we will need no more than about 30,000 hours. Description

7. Budget

8. Indicators - We will know that our project has been a success when we can visibly see no more invasive species in Deer Lake. And when we go back for follow-up removals in the fall and spring we will hopefully find little to no invasive species regrowing. This will prove that our initial removal was thorough. -We should also see a stop to rising lake ground levels because the lilies are no longer there to decompose. Over time, we will hopefully see the lake restored back to its regular ecosystem however this will take a while before we can see the changes. -However, even though we will be able to see indicators that our project was successful we will need to keep check-ups on the lake to ensure that no invasive species start to regrow in the lake again.

9. July to January 2013:-Get permission by the City of Burnaby to do invasive species removal project. This may possibly take 2-7 months to approve.January to April 2013:-Start volunteer advertising at the beginning of 2013, going into schools and offering it to students who may want to do it for community service or just because they love the environment. We will be putting our plan on volunteering websites, and put the notice out in flyers as well as offer summer camps to help clean up.-Hire supervisors to lead groups and keep track of progress made in a particular area.May through June 2013:-People will be asked to fill out a form stating their name, address, phone number, email, age, experience removing invasive species, an any other information needed.-We will also hold training sessions for the volunteers. We will be partnered with the Invasive Species Council of British Columbia, the ISCBC. The Council will be able to supply us with people who can train the volunteers. They will be taught how to differentiate the invasive species from native species. They will also be taught the most effective way to remove the invasive species with least damage to the environment. Time Line

10. June through July 2013:-Starts In the summer of 2013, there will be up to 200 people working per day from about 10am to 3pm or as late as they can stay. People will be set of into groups of 10 to 15 people for the lake is a big area to cover.-The clean-up will go for about 2 week straight or possibly more, depending on the progress made. -Hopefully by scheduling the clean-up in the summer we will be able to remove most of the invasive fish species before they are able to spawn.August 2013:-1 month after our initial clean-up we will go back to the lake for a check-up to make sure nothing has started to grow and cause problems again.August 2013 to February 2014:-Bring in biologist and ISCBS members to make sure the lake is still invasive species free. Performing check-ups in the fall and check-ups in the spring time. With a 6 month check-up following after that.March 2014: -After the last 6 month check-up we will hire biologists to once again come in and check on the lake for any dangerous species and give us the ok.March 2014 and on:-Done the clean-ups at deer lake and there are no more invasive species to worry about this will help the eco system in that area and there will be a lasting impact for many year to come. Timeline