Thousands of species of flora and fauna — including bugs, birds, mosses, fish and bats — were identified in a two-day Bioblitz in the Mossom Creek Hatchery watershed in Port Moody on the weekend.
Dozens of participants learned more about local wildlife in the event organized by Mossom Creek Hatchery, with the support of Telus, VanCity and the City of Port Moody.
The BioBlitz took place in the forests and along the waterfront from the hatchery all the way down to the estuary and out into deep water.
It also included the surrounding area west over to the Ioco townsite.
During the weekend activity on June 2 and June 3, as many as 385 unique species were found based on 1,359 observations, with the number expected to grow over the next several days.
The first bioBlitz was held in 2017 to provide a baseline, which can lead to more research and better planning for the region.
Among the experts for this weekend’s event was Dr. Matthew Mitchell and his team of UBC grad students, who did a Friday night bat mist netting to look for bats with white nose syndrome.
Other experts included:
- Sung Wook Jo, a ground beetle expert and her team who set up light traps to attract nocturnal moths and beetles onto white surfaces
- The Beaty Biodiversity Museum, whose team identified mosses and lichens
- Sunny Tseng, a PhD student from UBC, who did a presentation about avian acoustics, especially owls
- Zach Sherker, a PhD student from UBC, who talked about barriers to fish passage
- Pamela Zevit, a biodiversity conservation planner at the City of Surrey, who inventoried snails and slugs
- Bruce Clark, fisheries habitat biologist, who trapped freshwater fish and assisted with beach seins to identify marine species
- Dr. John Reynolds, a specialist in fish ecology and conservation, and a national leader for the iNaturalist app, used to record all the sightings
- Dr. Terry McIntosh, who studies mosses and liverworts, led a citizen scientist walk to identify native plants of the area
- Dr. Isabel Cote, SFU professor and marine ecologist, helped identify species during the beach seine
- Diane Watson, with the Invasive Species Council, who identified invasive insects
- Eric Kukulowicz, DFO fisheries biologist, who did beach seines and also identified marine organisms out at the Mossom Ioco sea pen.
The event was considered a broad success and will add to knowledge of the area, organizers say.
“The 2023 Bioblitz marks another milestone in our community’s commitment to environmental stewardship. It was so inspiring to see the collaboration and engagement of volunteers, students, and experts who joined forces to document the diversity of the Mossom Creek watershed," stated Tracy Green, volunteer and organizer.
"This new snapshot will add to the previous BioBlitz that catalogued over 377 species in 2017,” she added.
Kevin Ryan, president of the Burrard Inlet Marine Enhancement Society (BIMES), acknowledged support from volunteers, the planning tam and financial aid from the Telus Community Foundation, VanCity Pinetree Branch in Coquitlam and the City of Port Moody.
As well, BIMES received generous professional guidance from Bailey Environmental Consulting.
"The results will build on our current knowledge of the watershed and are an important benchmark for healthy riparian areas in our community,” Ryan stated.
