NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Gwich'in Settlement Area

Tags: physical sciences, environmental impact, aquatic ecosystems, wildlife population, Beaver

Objective(s): To establish the patterns of occupancy of beavers along the Inuvik-Tuk highway; To establish the patterns of past occupancy of beavers along the Inuvik-Tuk highway; To coproduce monitoring methods for ongoing beaver monitoring and research with community researchers; and, To develop methods for identification of beaver populations using remote sensing imagery which can be applied across wider areas of the ISR and beyond.

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No. 5635. The objectives are: To establish the patterns of occupancy of beavers along the Inuvik-Tuk highway. To establish the patterns of past occupancy of beavers along the Inuvik-Tuk highway. To coproduce monitoring methods for ongoing beaver monitoring and research with community researchers. To develop methods for identification of beaver populations using remote sensing imagery which can be applied across wider areas of the ISR and beyond. Study sites (lakes and stream reaches) will be surveyed along the Inuvik-Tuk highway using visual surveys to map dams and lodges, signs of beaver presence will be recorded (feedpiles, beaver present etc). At each location where lodges or dams are present, shrub samples of both beaver-cut shrubs in the vegetation stand and and uncut shrubs will be collected. These dendrochronological methods (shrub rings) will be tested to try to estimate when beavers were present at a site in the past. Local drone operators may be used or obtain a SFOC to examine beaver surveys to include line of sight surveys and will update permitting if this approach is added toe field protocols. These ground surveys and data from shrub ring analysis will be combined with analysis of high resolution satellite imagery (60cm resolution) to assemble available data on current and past occupancy of beavers. Occupancy modelling will be used to estimate past occupancy trends across the sites and identify permanent and transient beaver colonies. Through formal collaboration with the Fisheries Joint Management Committee, regular communication will take place over the research direction and research plan and the FJMC have been co-investigations since the start of project development. Researchers will also offer to provide regular updates and IGC and HTC meetings. A newsletter will be produced to share research findings and develop a facebook site to share information across the BARIN project. Researchers will involve community members in the research as community researchers. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from: July 15 - December 31, 2023