1. GRASSLAND SET-ASIDE
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust
By Maggie Stewart, Sammy Penner and Shawana Michalek
Student Researchers, British Columbia Institute of Technology
The effects of mowing a newly established GLSA on raptor bevaiour during winter

2. Mitigation Process
Project Scope
Methods
Findings
Management Implication
Question Period
AGENDA
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

3. Grassland Set-aside Project
MITIGATION PROCESS
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

4. Delta, BC
 Fraser River Delta
 Agriculture
 Fertile soil
 Economic/cultural
Farm
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

5. Delta, BC
 Critical habitat
 Important Bird Area
 Small mammals
 Pollinators
 Habitat Loss
HabitatFarm
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

6. Delta Farmland &
Wildlife Trust (DF&WT)
 Mitigates conflict
 Unites local farmers
 Promotes conservation
 Six programs
HabitatFarm
DF&WT
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

7. Habitat
Grassland Set-aside
 Clover/grass
 Fallowed fields
 Increases:
 habitat
 Soil fertility
GLSA
Farm
DF&WT
Crop
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

8. PROJECT SCOPE
Grassland Set-aside Project
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

9. Objectives
 Mown vs. unmown
 Vegetation
 Small mammals
 Raptor behaviour
 GLSA age
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

10. Mown
Unmown
Legend
Field Set-up
 82 x 82m quadrants
 3 mown
 3 unmown
 Centered Tower
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

11. Grassland Set-aside Project
VEGETATION METHODS
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

12. Vegetation Surveys
 2 randomized
transects
 5 quadrats per
transect
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

13. 0.5m
Quadrat
Measurements
1. Average Height
2. Percent Cover
 Clover
 Grass
 Seed head
 Bare ground
 Thatch
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

14. Grassland Set-aside Project
VOLE METHODS
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

15. 5m
Each quadrant = 25 traps
Vole Trapping
 Centered grids
 150 traps
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

16. Vole Data
 Mark re-capture
 Biological inventory
 Analyzed by
Minimum Number
Alive
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

17. RAPTOR METHODS
Grassland Set-aside Project
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

18. Raptor Survey
 3 hour intervals
 Total of 96 hours
 Focal species: NOHA
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

19. Raptor Data
 Behaviours
 10 sec. intervals
 Flying high/low
 Touch-down
 Perching
60
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

20. Grassland Set-aside Project
FINDINGS
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

21. 80
50
Seasonal Evolution of Vegetative Cover (%)
October 2014 November 2014 March 2015
70
40
30
20
100
90
60
10
0
MeanCover(%)
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

22. October
November
March
< 1 year old GLSA
4 year old – GLSA in March 2015
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

23. Townsend’s Vole
 Low abundance
 All traps empty
 Supported by
other researchers
 Population cycles
 GLSA age
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

24. Northern Harrier hunting preference
n = 16
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

25. Northern Harrier
 Mark re-capture
Northern Harrier hunting preference
n = 16
2014 - 152013 - 142012 - 132011 - 12
Four years old Three years old Two years old < 1 year old
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Year of Study
(Grassland Set-aside Age)
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

26. Grassland Set-aside Project
MANAGEMENT
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

27. Recommendations
 Maintain unmown
GLSA
 > 1 year old
 Continue research
 Vole cycles
 Age of GLSA
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

28. Conclusion
 DF&WT leadership
 Vegetation
 Vole abundance
 Raptor behaviour
 Multi-year data set
 Long-term
management
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

29. ACKNOLEDGMENTS
Grassland Set-aside Project
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

30. A special thanks to…
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust:
 Christine Terpsma, Program Coordinator
 Mary Taitt, Chair
 Trevor Harris, property owner
British Columbia Institute of Technology
 Eric Anderson, Project Supervisor
 BCIT Instructors:
 Danny Catt
 Tom Saare
 Kelly Hatfull
 Doug Ransome
Volunteers: Neusa Amboni, Dan Garney, Mary Tang, Krystal
Brennan and Sean Chathom
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

31. QUESTIONS?
Grassland Set-aside Project
Contacts:
Shawana Michalek 778.233.7536
shawanam@Hotmail.com
Maggie Stewart 604.338.3097
Maggie.g.stewart@gmail.com
Samantha Penner 604.910.6995
samanthypenner49@gmail.com
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

32. Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

33. Bald Eagle observations (n = 70)
Red-tailed Hawk (n = 7)
Recorded from 29 October 2014 to 25 January 2015.
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

34. Great Blue Heron observations (n = 8)
Recorded from 29 October 2014 to 25 January 2015.
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

35. Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

37. Methods for
calculating
Mean Time (%) for
NOHA FL
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust

38. Translating Raw Data
Mown Habitat Unmown Habitat
Specie
s
Sex Start Time End Time 0:00 0:10 0:20 0:00 0:10 0:20
NOHA F 11:48 11:48 FH FL FH

39. Percent Time per
observationMown Habitat Unmown Habitat
Specie
s
Sex Start Time End Time 0:00 0:10 0:20 0:00 0:10 0:20 Time
Interval
s
NOHA F 11:48 11:48 FH FL FH 3
NOHA M 12:53 12:53 FL FL 2
% of time
Mown Habitat Unmown Habitat
FH FL FH FL
=COUNTIF(range,
"FH")/number of time
intervals
= 1/3 = 34%
=1/3 =
34%
=1/3 = 34% =0/3 = 0%
=COUNTIF(range,
"FH")/number of time
intervals
= 0/2 = 0%
=0/2 = 0% =0/2 = 0% =2/2 = 100%

40. Figure – mean time (%) per
observation

41. Percent Time per species
Mown Habitat Unmown Habitat
Species Mean % time (FL) Mean % time (FH) Mean % time (FL) Mean % time (FH)
NOHA =sum%timeFL/
#NOHAobserved
=(34% + 0%)/2
= 17%
=(34% + 0%)/2
= 17%
=(34% + 0%)/2
= 17%
= (100% + 0%)/2
= 50%
% of time
Mown Habitat Unmown Habitat
FH FL FH FL
34% 34% 34% 0%
0% 0% 0% 100%