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Beauval
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The Beauval project is situated near Meadow Lake in west central Saskatchewan. A diverse landscape is unveiled through the project, from farms and fields in the south, to boreal forest wilderness in the north. Both boreal plain and boreal shield are represented within Beauval and as such, an array of wetland and water features cross the landscape. This includes extensive bogs and fens, all sizes of lakes and ponds including the Beauval Marshes, Canoe, Kazan and Lavalee lakes and the Churchill and Clearwater Rivers, each river with its own assortment of waterfalls and rapids carving their way through the shield.
Waterbirds are common throughout the project area with the abundance and variety of water available. Waterfowl such as mallard, scaup, blue-winged teal, American wigeon, ring-necked duck, merganser, bufflehead, goldeneye and American green-winged teal are common throughout the region. Other waterbirds include American white pelican, double crested cormorant, great blue heron, ring-billed gull, common tern, red-necked grebe, and Bonaparte’s gull. The migration route for the endangered whooping crane also passes over most of the project area. Of particular importance is that studies indicate declining populations of scaup in the project area, which is similar to other regions of the western boreal forest.
Land-use activities in Beauval are similar to other southern boreal forest areas and include forestry, agriculture, mineral exploration, hunting, trapping, tourism and traditional aboriginal activities. Through careful land use planning and the development of best management practices, all activities can co-exist and ensure continued healthy and productive wetlands and wetland dependent wildlife populations. Information collected through this project will assist in developing such management practices and conservation programs.
Project components will be consistent with past Ducks Unlimited boreal projects and include 3 years of waterbird surveys, the already field-complete landcover mapping, water chemistry analysis, and aboriginal components. Other viable opportunities to further scientific study in the area, as well, are always considered.
Status
2004
In August, field work was completed to gather data for mapping of a landcover map for the Beauval project. Close to 1100 sites were visited via helicopter by a crew of four including a satellite image analyst, a biologist to assess the vegetation and a recorder. An additional 105 sites were visited on the ground. Detailed information including a complete list of species observed, total percent cover, tree/shrub heights, slope, and drainage were collected from an aerial perspective on each site. In addition, information was collected to classify all wetlands as per the Canadian Wetland Classification System including bog, fen, swamp, marsh (National Wetlands Working Group, 1997), and the Northwestern Ontario wetland classification system for cross-reference (Harris et al., 1996). This data will be utilized by the analyst to map out the entire satellite image of the Beauval project. This base-map will then be used as the basis of further biological work in Beauval, including extensive waterfowl surveys and water sampling to determine a regional water chemistry profile.
Beauval Project Partners
- Pew Charitable Trust
- US Forest Service
- Ducks Unlimited Inc.
- Ducks Unlimited Canada
