Thompson Rivers University
OP-10: Biodiversity

A significant portion of the protected TRU natural area lands are adjacent to Kenna Cartwright Nature Park, the largest municipal park in the province, and home to many kinds of wildlife, including bears, coyotes, deer, cougars, bobcats, marmots, and many bird species. Further, TRU natural area lands house at least three at-risk species: the Lewis’ Woodpecker, American Badger, and the Great Basin Gopher Snake.

Several Faculty of Science members have researched three species at risk on the campus over many years: Lewis’s Woodpecker, American Badger, and Great Basin Gopher Snake. The badgers received much attention in 2014 when a mother and three kits were found in a den in the heart of the campus: http://inside.tru.ca/2014/07/17/badgers-on-campus-gain-some-attention/ The methodology used with the grassland restoration project consisted of ensuring no future disturbance of the protected lands would take place; forming a faculty-student team and securing funding for the restoration project; growing new native plants in greenhouses and transplanting these plants with faculty, students and community volunteers; erecting the educational kiosk; and laying out the framework with the faculty and students to continue monitoring the project.

Lewis’s Woodpecker, American Badger, Great Basin Gopher Snake. For a description of environmentally sensitive areas, please see the description in the text box above.

TRU is committed to protecting and positively affecting environmentally sensitive areas and habitats, as well as the previously identified at-risk species on campus. The 2013 TRU Master Plan document (p. 40) supports outdoor research and teaching space, indicating that “learning is a process that occurs indoors as much as it does outdoors. At TRU, the diversity of native grasses, plant life and wildlife is recognized by various faculties and community groups to benefit research as an outdoor lab. This land use is designated to protect and preserve the existing natural areas for learning and teaching, as well as recreational purposes. It is similar to, but differentiates itself from, the open space network by the nature of pre-existing native plant life unique to the region. TRU’s academics consist of a strong horticulture tradition and the study of plant species crosses many of the academic programs currently offered by TRU. These range from the Horticulture to the Culinary Arts program. The current outdoor teaching lab for the Natural Resource Sciences program will be protected from development in the master plan. Undevelopable areas containing challenging topography or environmentally sensitive zones have also been designated under this land use." Further, last year marked the 20th year of TRU's small mammal grassland monitoring project, one of the longest monitoring projects of its kind. Each year students from Natural Resource Science trap, record and release small mammals such as deer mice to monitor populations present in sensitive grasslands. Dr. Matt Reudink, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Biological Sciences, is also monitoring small bird species on campus via automated recording stations that document the ingress and egress of birds through his custom-made bird feeders/recording stations. More information on Matt’s research can be found here: http://truomega.ca/2016/01/12/tracking-campus-birds-for-science/

Further information can be found at either the TRU Sustainability Office site or the TRU Faculty of Science, Natural Resource Science site: https://www.tru.ca/sustain.html https://www.tru.ca/science/programs/nrs.html