1 / 15

Hager Lake Project

Hager Lake Project. Proposed Citizen Science Project Pend Oreille Chapter Idaho Master Naturalist Program. Hager Lake Project. A Rare Biological Gem Preserved for Posterity A Scientific Legacy The Proposed Work Plan. Hager Lake – A Rare Biological Gem.

lukas
Download Presentation

Hager Lake Project

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Hager Lake Project Proposed Citizen Science Project Pend Oreille Chapter Idaho Master Naturalist Program

  2. Hager Lake Project • A Rare Biological Gem • Preserved for Posterity • A Scientific Legacy • The Proposed Work Plan

  3. Hager Lake – A Rare Biological Gem • Hager Lake is a 5-acre pond formed in a depression left with the retreat of the glaciers • Hager Lake is a valley peatland of high biodiversity • A peatland is wetland with waterlogged substrates and 12-inch accumulation of peat • Lack of oxygen and cool temperatures limit decomposition • Hager Lake contains 10 different rare plant species

  4. Rare Plants of Hager Lake • Floating mat zone – small cranberry (Vacciniumoxycoccos), rannoch-rush (Scheuchzeriapalustris) • Fixed mat zone – inundated clubmoss (Lycopodiellainundata), large St. Johnswort (Hypericummajus) • Lake margins – swaying bulrush (Schoenoplectussubterminalis) • Other areas – arctic starflower (Trientaliseuropaeassp.arctica) • Rare plants believed extripated – marsh willowherb (Epilobiumpalustre), crested woodfern (Dryopteriscristata), bristly-stalked sedge (Carexleptalea), tree groundpine (Lycopodiumdendroideum)

  5. small (or bog) cranberry rannoch-rush (or podgrass) Photo by Ben Legler Photo by Louis-M. Landry

  6. large St. Johnswort arctic starflower Photo by Ben Legler marsh willowherb Photo by Dana Visalli Photo by Ben Legler

  7. Preserved for Posterity • Archie and Mary George were looking for land in the country with positive natural characteristics • The Nature Conservancy helped them locate the Hager Lake property • Established conservation easement on the property to protect it from development • Initially with The Nature Conservancy • Transferred to Inland Northwest Land Trust • Easement is permanent and stays with the land through sales and inheritance

  8. A Scientific Legacy at Hager Lake • Probably the best studied peatland in north Idaho • Site of pollen studies for post-glacial paleo-ecology • John Rumely completed his doctoral research on the plant ecology of Hager Lake • Field work completed 1952; thesis submitted 1956 • Bursik and Moseley conducted joint USFS and IDFG project in 1992 to revisit the work by Rumely • Focused on changes over the 40–year period • Now at 60-year point, time to revisit plant ecology again • Archie George eager for the study to be completed • No funding available for scientific crew to complete task • Can only be accomplished as volunteer project • Perfect citizen science project—significant, relevant, doable • Lynn Kinter (Idaho Natural Heritage Program) will provide technical advice

  9. Proposed Work Plan • Conduct survey of plant species present • Several trips throughout the growing season • Concentrate on finding rare species • May complete collection of voucher specimens • UI Stillinger Herbarium may help with identification • Complete transect across length of Hager property • Use the methods used by Rumely • May take 2 weeks; can stay in IDFG cabin • Look at water chemistry, lake depth, temperature • Plenty of non-technical jobs—data entry, report writing, photography, publicity

More Related