Columbia River Project Water Use Plan KINBASKET AND ARROW

164 Pages·2009·2.63 MB·English

Columbia River Project Water Use Plan

KINBASKET AND ARROW LAKES RESERVOIR

Reference: CLBMON-37

Kinbasket and Arrow Lakes Reservoirs: Amphibian and Reptile
Life History and Habitat Use Assessment

Study Period: 2008

LGL Limited
environmental research associates
Sidney, BC

February 2009
EA3075
KINBASKET AND ARROW LAKES RESERVOIRS
Monitoring Program No. CLBMON-37
Kinbasket and Arrow Lakes Reservoirs: Amphibian and
Reptile Life History and Habitat Use Assessment
Annual Report – 2008
Prepared for

BC Hydro Generation
Water Licence Requirements
6911 Southpoint Drive
Burnaby, BC
BC Hydro Reference No. Q8-7971
Prepared by
Virgil C. Hawkes, MSc., RPBio.
and
Krysia Tuttle, MSc.
LGL Limited
environmental research associates
9768 Second Street
Sidney, British Columbia, V8L 3Y8

24 February 2009
Kinbasket & Arrow Amphibian and Reptile Life History and Habitat Use Assessment
Suggested Citation
Hawkes, V.C. and K. Tuttle. 2009. Kinbasket and Arrow Lakes Reservoirs: Amphibian
and Reptile Life History and Habitat Use Assessment. Annual Report – 2008.
LGL Report EA3075. Unpublished report by LGL Limited environmental research
associates, Sidney, BC, for BC Hydro Generations, Water License
Requirements, Burnaby, BC. 107 pp + Appendices.
Cover photos
From left to right: Common Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) © Krysia Tuttle;
Columbia Spotted Frog (Rana luteiventris) Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) © Virgil C.
Hawkes; and Long-toed Salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum) © Krysia Tuttle.
© 2009 BC Hydro.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without prior permission from BC Hydro, Burnaby, BC.
Kinbasket & Arrow Amphibian and Reptile Life History and Habitat Use Assessment Executive Summary
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A reconnaissance-level survey of amphibians and reptiles was completed between May
and September within and adjacent to the drawdown zones of Kinbasket and Arrow
Lakes Reservoirs during 2008. The data collected were used to develop a long-term
amphibian and reptile monitoring program to be implemented in 2009 and continue
through 2018. The over-arching goals of this program are to address the management
questions and objectives of CLBMON-37.
Through a review of available literature and data in association with standardized survey
and handling protocols, we documented the presence of five amphibian and reptile
species in Kinbasket Reservoir (Western Toads, Columbia Spotted Frogs, Long-toed
Salamanders, Western Terrestrial Garter Snakes, and Common Garter snakes) and
eight species in Arrow Lakes Reservoir (Western Toads, Columbia Spotted Frogs,
Pacific Treefrog, Long-toed Salamanders, Western Terrestrial Garter Snakes, Common
Garter snakes, Painted Turtles, and Northern Alligator Lizards). With the exception of
Western Terrestrial Garter Snakes in Kinbasket Reservoir and Long-toed Salamanders
in Arrow Lakes Reservoir, each of these species was using habitats in or immediately
adjacent to the drawdown zone. In some places (e.g., Revelstoke Reach in Arrow Lakes
Reservoir and Bush Arm km 79 in Kinbasket Reservoir), there was extensive use of the
drawdown zone by amphibians and reptiles. Western Toads were the most commonly
encountered amphibian in Arrow Lakes Reservoir while Common Garter Snakes were
the most commonly encountered reptile. In Kinbasket reservoir, Columbia Spotted Frogs
were by far the most commonly encountered amphibian and again, Garter Snakes were
the most commonly encountered reptile.
The reconnaissance surveys of 2008 also enabled us to identify various regions within
the drawdown zone of each reservoir that can be included in the long-term monitoring
program, either because of their accessibility, or more importantly, because of the size of
the amphibian and/or reptile communities that occur. In some cases (e.g., Revelstoke
Reach), many different species are using similar habitats in the drawdown zone, making
it relatively easy to monitor several species at once. For 2009, we have identified a
minimum of five geographic areas to monitor in Kinbasket Reservoir, extending from the
north end of the reservoir near Valemount south to Bush Arm (and east to the east end
of the reservoir). The southern end of Kinbasket (Beavermouth) contains very little
suitable amphibian and reptile habitat.
We adapted a habitat suitability index model developed for Long-toed Salamanders to
the Valemount Peatland to test the utility of this approach in mapping the distribution of
potential breeding habitat for this species in the drawdown zone. The resultant output
suggests that the HSI approach has merit and it will be refined during 2009 and possibly
expanded to other areas within Kinbasket Reservoir and possibly to Arrow Lakes
Reservoir.
Reservoir levels in Arrow Lakes were not ideal, with water levels increasing rapidly in
late May and early July reducing the total area of exposed drawdown zone that could be
surveyed for amphibians and reptiles. We are recommending an earlier start to the field
session in 2009 so that the extent of available ponds can be better mapped and used as
a proxy for species presence. The timing of inundation of those ponds can then be
determined and an assessment made of spatial and temporal habitat availability can be
derived.
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Kinbasket & Arrow Amphibian and Reptile Life History and Habitat Use Assessment Acknowledgements
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors express their appreciation to the following individuals for their assistance in
coordinating and conducting this study: Doug Adama and Eva-Maria Boehringer (BC
Hydro), Dr. Patrick Gregory (University of Victoria), Leigh Anne Isaac, Lisa Lasmanis
(KKDC, Cranbrook); Robin Tamasi (LGL Limited), Jamie Fenneman (LGL Limited) and
Dr. Purnima Govinderajalu (BC Ministry of Environment). Manning, Cooper, and
Associated provided amphibian and reptile location data for Kinbasket Reservoir. Doug
Adama, Ed Hill, and Guy Martel provided useful comments on a previous version of this
report. Dr. Patrick Gregory provided comments on the proposed monitoring program
including proposed methods and statistical approach.

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Kinbasket & Arrow Amphibian and Reptile Life History and Habitat Use Assessment Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY..........................................................................................................................i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................................................................................................ii
LIST OF TABLES..................................................................................................................................v
LIST OF FIGURES..............................................................................................................................vii
LIST OF MAPS....................................................................................................................................xi
LIST OF APPENDICES.........................................................................................................................xii
1 INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................13
2 STUDY OBJECTIVES................................................................................................................15
2.1 Year 1 – 2008 Objectives.............................................................................................16
2.2 Monitoring Program Objectives & Hypotheses............................................................16
3 STUDY AREA...........................................................................................................................18
3.1 The Columbia Basin.....................................................................................................18
Physiography........................................................................................................................18
Climatology...........................................................................................................................18
Kinbasket Reservoir..............................................................................................................19
Arrow Lakes Reservoir..........................................................................................................20
4 LITERATURE REVIEW & DATA MINING.......................................................................................24
4.1 Natural History and Ecology of Amphibians and Reptiles...........................................25
Amphibians...........................................................................................................................25
Reptiles.................................................................................................................................26
4.2 Amphibians and Reptiles in the Columbia Basin.........................................................27
Western Toad (Anaxyrus (Bufo) boreas)..............................................................................27
Columbia Spotted Frog (Lithobates (Rana) luteiventris)......................................................29
Wood Frog (Lithobates (Rana) sylvatica).............................................................................30
Pacific Treefrog (Hyla regilla)...............................................................................................31
Long-toed Salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum).........................................................32
Coeur d’Alene Salamander (Plethodon idahoensis).............................................................33
Western Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta)...........................................................................34
Common Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis)......................................................................35
Western Terrestrial Garter Snake (Thamnophis elegans)....................................................37
Rubber Boa (Charina bottae)................................................................................................37
Western Skink (Eumeces skiltonianus)................................................................................39
Northern Alligator Lizard (Elgaria coerulea)..........................................................................41
4.3 Wildlife-Habitat Relationships......................................................................................42
4.4 Management and Monitoring of Amphibian and Reptiles............................................44
Conservation of Amphibians and Reptiles............................................................................44
Chytrid fungus.......................................................................................................................46
4.5 Conclusions..................................................................................................................46
5 Methods................................................................................................................................47
5.1 Study Design................................................................................................................47
5.2 Field Sampling and Data Collection.............................................................................47
5.3 Amphibian and Reptile Surveys...................................................................................48
General Survey Protocol.......................................................................................................48
Pond-breeding Amphibian Surveys......................................................................................49
Reptile Surveys.....................................................................................................................51
Mark-Recapture Techniques................................................................................................51
5.4 Habitat Suitability Mapping...........................................................................................52
5.5 Statistical Analyses......................................................................................................53
5.6 Development of Monitoring Program...........................................................................53
6 RESULTS................................................................................................................................53
6.1 Kinbasket Reservoir.....................................................................................................53
6.1.1 Field Sampling.....................................................................................................53
6.1.2 Environmental Conditions....................................................................................53
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Kinbasket & Arrow Amphibian and Reptile Life History and Habitat Use Assessment Table of Contents
6.1.3 Reservoir Conditions...........................................................................................54
6.1.4 Amphibian and Reptile Surveys..........................................................................56
6.2 Arrow Lakes Reservoir.................................................................................................62
6.2.1 Field Sampling.....................................................................................................62
6.2.2 Environmental Conditions....................................................................................62
6.2.3 Reservoir Conditions...........................................................................................64
6.2.4 Amphibian and Reptile Surveys..........................................................................65
6.3 Habitat Suitability Mapping...........................................................................................72
7 Discussion.............................................................................................................................76
7.1 2008 Reconnaissance Surveys....................................................................................76
7.2 Development of the Monitoring Program.....................................................................77
7.2.1 Amphibian and Reptile Monitoring Locations......................................................77
7.2.2 Amphibian and Reptile Monitoring Methods........................................................79
7.2.3 Statistical Analyses..............................................................................................82
8 RECOMMENDATIONS................................................................................................................85
9 LITERATURE CITED..................................................................................................................86
10 APPENDICES.....................................................................................................................108

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Kinbasket & Arrow Amphibian and Reptile Life History and Habitat Use Assessment List of Tables
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Provincial and federal status of species of amphibians and reptiles that
occur in the Columbia Basin. Species names in bold are expected to
occur in the drawdown zones of Kinbasket and Arrow Lakes Reservoirs.
.................................................................................................................14
Table 2. Monitoring years, activities, and locations for CLBMON-37, amphibian
and reptile life history and habitat use.....................................................15
Table 3. BEC zones, subzones and variants that occur in the Kinbasket Reservoir
study areas..............................................................................................19
Table 4. Elevation bands and elevation range (metres above sea level) delineated
for the drawdown zone of Kinbasket Reservoir.......................................20
Table 5. BEC zones, subzones and variants that occur in the Arrow Lakes
Reservoir study areas..............................................................................22
Table 6. Elevation bands and elevation range (metres above sea level) delineated
for the drawdown zone of Arrow Lakes Reservoir...................................22
Table 7. Summary of environmental conditions as recorded at Mica Dam during
each field session....................................................................................54
Table 8. Kinbasket Reservoir elevations (minimum, maximum, and mean) for each
of the six 2008 field sessions...................................................................55
Table 9. Proportion of time (year) that Kinbasket Reservoir elevations (metres
above sea level; m ASL) exceeded a particular elevation band (m ASL)
for the period 1997 – 2008. Blank cells indicate that the reservoir did not
exceed a given elevation band in that year.............................................56
Table 10. Total survey time (hours) and captures by survey location, month, and
species for survey sites located in the drawdown zone of Kinbasket
Reservoir. Blanks indicate life stage or species not detected.................57
Table 11. Summary of environmental conditions as recorded at Revelstoke,
Nakusp, and Castlegar during each field visit to the Arrow Lakes
Reservoir during 2008. Max Min and Mean refer to daily temperature,
Precip (mm) is total rainfall for the period................................................63
Table 12. Arrow Lakes Reservoir elevations (minimum, maximum, and mean) for
each of the six 2008 field sessions..........................................................64
Table 13. Total survey time (hours) and captures by geographic area, month, and
species for survey sites located in the drawdown zone of Arrow Lakes
Reservoir. Blanks indicate life stage or species not detected.................67
Table 14. Total area mapped as having high, moderate, low, and nil breeding
potential for Long-toed Salamanders in the Valemount Peatland. Area
calculations constrained to the elevational gradient of 741 m to 754 m
ASL and include terrestrial and aquatic habitats.....................................74
Table 15. Location and description of primary study sites included in amphibian and
reptile monitoring program for 2009. See Table 1 for expanded species
codes.......................................................................................................78
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Kinbasket & Arrow Amphibian and Reptile Life History and Habitat Use Assessment List of Tables
Table 16. Null hypotheses, study components and proposed statistical methods to
address management questions of CLBMON-37. ‘x’: study component
required to address the hypothesis.........................................................84
Table 17. Relationship between habitat variables and life requisites for the long-
toed salamander model.........................................................................133

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Kinbasket & Arrow Amphibian and Reptile Life History and Habitat Use Assessment List of Figures
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Location of Kinbasket Reservoir and 2007 vegetation sampling locations
(pink). Place names in bold were sampled in 2008 and naming follows
Hawkes et al. (2007). Scale ~ 1:250,000.................................................21
Figure 2. Arrow Lakes Reservoir showing the distribution of Biogeoclimatic zones,
subzones, variants, and study sites sampled in 2008. Scale ~ 1:250,000.
.................................................................................................................23
Figure 3. Two different colour morphs of Western Toads taken at Arrow Lake
Reservoir in 2008. Photos © Krysia Tuttle...............................................28
Figure 4. Adult Columbia Spotted Frog (left) and empty egg mass of Columbia
Spotted Frog (right). Photos © Virgil C. Hawkes (left) and Krysia Tuttle
(right).......................................................................................................29
Figure 5. Adult Wood Frog (left) and tadpole (right). Photos: © Virgil C. Hawkes......31
Figure 6. Colour variation in the Pacific Treefrog. Photos © Virgil C. Hawkes...........32
Figure 7. Long-toed Salamander juvenile (left) and larva (right). Photos © Krysia
Tuttle........................................................................................................33
Figure 8. Western Painted Turtles; left photo of large female and smaller individual
(sex unknown); right photo shows typical plastron coloration and pattern
in these turtles. Photos © Krysia Tuttle...................................................35
Figure 9. Common Red-sided Garter Snakes; left photo of a large female (> 1m) with
a Western Toad in her stomach; right photo of a neonate (<200 mm) born
in July 2008. Photos © Krysia Tuttle........................................................36
Figure 10. Western Terrestrial Garter Snakes observed at Arrow Lake Reservoir
2008. Photos © Krysia Tuttle...................................................................37
Figure 11. Juvenile Rubber Boa (left) and adult (right) captured near Vernon BC.
Photos © Krysia Tuttle.............................................................................38
Figure 12. Adult Western Skink (left) and typical habitat for this species (right), near
Trail, BC. 27 May 2008. Photos © Krysia Tuttle......................................40
Figure 13. Northern Alligator Lizards; photo of adult with visible lateral line on left;
photo of gravid female with regenerated tail giving birth on right. Photos ©
Krysia Tuttle.............................................................................................41
Figure 14. Maximum, minimum, and average temperatures and daily rainfall for Mica
Dam for the period 1 May through 1 October 2008. The 20-yr average
(1987 – 2007) is also shown. Breaks in temperature data indicate no data
available.
http://climate.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/climateData/canada_e.html...........54
Figure 15. Kinbasket Reservoir elevations (metres above sea level; m ASL) for
2008. Also shown are a low water year (2002), a high water year (1978)
and the 31 year average (1977 – 2008). The operations minimum is
707.41 m ASL and the maximum is 754.38 m ASL. Data for 2008 were
available for 1 January through 31 October only.....................................55
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