Species in Purple nested or brought young to feeder
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Photo: Hairy Woodpecker
PACIFIC SALMON FOUNDATION – COMMUNITY SALMON PROGRAM
Planting 3rd November 2014
Grant Value: $6532.00
Project Value: $29,857.00
Start Date: July 2014
End Date: Spring 2015
Objectives Achieved:
Supporters:
Pacific Salmon Foundation, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Village of Harrison Hot Springs, Harrison Hot Springs Communities in Bloom Committee, Fraser Valley Watersheds Coalition, Fraser Valley Invasive Plant Council, Miama Place, River Wynd Strata Corporation, Harrison Elementary School, Harrison Hot Springs Preschool & Childcare, Friends of the Harrison Forest
Northwestern Salamander
The Northwestern Salamander is a stout, 5 1/2 to 8-inch long uniform dark brown to black, amphibian (cold-blooded animal that start life in water & later transform to a terrestrial form) with a oval tail flattened towards the end. It has strong , well-developed legs and prominent parotoid (swollen area behind eye). Salamanders are voiceless.
It is found mainly in south-western BC. Eggs are laid in February to May in jelly-like masses about the size of a elongated grapefruit. The larvae hatch in about a month and stay in the water about a year. Some metamorphose (change into adult form) in the second summer but others remain in the larval stage indefinitely (neoteny) and breed without gaining adult form.
In the aquatic form they eat voraciously preying on all other living things small enough to swallow. On land look for them under leave litter.
Western Toad
The Western Toad (Anaxyrus boreas) (formerly Northwestern toad – Bufo boreas) is a stout, squat 2-5 inch amphibian of the west found from Alaska to northern California. It has shorter front than hind leg. The skin is rough with large warts. Colour is variable from dark brown to reddish brown background with lighter warts.
Adults congegrate in early Spring along margins of wetlands and lakes to spawn. The male calls with a high pitched note. The eggs are laid in long strings in shallow water. Jet-black tadpoles hatch in a few days and gather in large swarms. Growth is rapid and they exit water at 1/2 inch long to migrate to near by woods. Highway crossing prove dangerous and many toadlets are squashed. Ryder Lake road is a well known hazard.
Adult toads wander considerable distance form water and can be found foraging at dusk for insects and other small creeping organisms. At dawn they retire to damp holes and shaded spots. Look for them along the Miami greenway riparian area. Western Toads are a species of conservation concern.
This Page is Under Cnstruction
Species of Conservative Concern are those whose numbers and well-being is in question. Their status is assigned by various agencies including the BC Ministry of Environment, Canada’s Species at Risk Act(SARA) and by the Committee on the status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. (COSEWIC)
Peregrine Falcon
Bandtailed Pigeon
Lewis’s Woodpecker
Barn Swallow
Red-legged Frog
Oregon Forest Snail
Pacific Water Shrew
Links:
Cutthroat Trout
The Miami River was sampled from McCallum road to Harrison Lake. Sampling occurred over two weeks in May and two weeks in July. Fish were trapped using ‘Feddes’ traps that were set overnight and baited with cat food. Traps were set approximately 150m apart extending almost the entire length of the Miami River.
| Fish Species | Count |
| Salish sucker | 178 |
| Coho (fry/smolt) | 152 |
| Chinook (fry/smolt) | 19 |
| Cutthroat trout | 27 |
| Rainbow Trout | 4 |
| Large Scale sucker | 1 |
| Northern Pikeminnow | 127 |
| Red-side shiner | 1742 |
| Prickly sculpin | 6 |
| Three-spine stickleback | 651 |
| Pumpkin seed | 102 |
| Fathead minnow | 76 |
| Brown bullhead | 7 |
| Red-legged frog | 26 |
| Rough-skinned newt | 6 |
| Northwestern Salamander | 16 |
| Green frog | 13 |
| Crayfish | 20 |
| Total | 3173 |
Letter to the Editor Agassiz-Harrison-Hope Observer Summer 2012
Jill Miners, Agassiz
For the past four months I have had the opportunity to study the Agassiz Slough and Miami River watersheds as part of my Masters thesis at UBC. Part of my project is to estimate the population size of the endangered Salish sucker and also look at other fish presence and abundance. In Agassiz Slough I set traps from outside the dyke, all along Tuttyens road and along McDonald road. The Miami River was trapped from McCallum road to the floodgates. In total I caught almost 800 fishes and 40 amphibians in Agassiz Slough and nearly 4000 fishes and 20 amphibians in Miami River, including juvenile salmon and adult trout. I identified about 20 different species in each watershed. The table below highlights some of the interesting species and abundance from each watershed. So next time you wander by or along your local watershed watch to see if you can see fish jumping.
Salish Sucker
| Salish Sucker | Agassiz Slough = 197 Miami River = 134 |
| Coho and Chinook Salmon fry and smolt |
Agassiz Slough = 2 (last year I found 30) Miami River = 632 |
| Rainbow and Cutthroat Trout | Agassiz Slough = 24 Miami River = 23 |
| Large-scale Sucker | Agassiz Slough = 6 Miami River = 14 |
| Red side shiner | Agassiz Slough = 194 Miami River = 2175 |
| Three-spine Stickleback | Agassiz Slough = 246 Miami River = 708 |
| Roughskin Newt and other amphibians |
Agassiz Slough = 40 Miami River = 20 |
Coho Salmon
