River Works - Field Update

London's Landing

Plant Survey
Non-Native Vegetation Removal
Fish Surveys
Water Quality Testing

Plant Survey
Early this summer, River Works volunteers ventured out to London's Landing to conduct a survey of the wetland vegetation. As it turns out, the wetlands at London's Landing are home to numerous native species including the blue-listed Henderson's Checker Mallow (Sidalcea hendersonii).

Don Benson, a local botanist, created the following list of the plants of London's Landing.

Plants found in the marsh at London's Landing in 2001.

Aster sp.	Aster	N
Athyrium felix-femina?	Lady fern	N
Carex lyngbyei	Lyngby's sedge	N
Cirsium arvense	Canada thistle	I
Deschampsia cespitosa	Tufted hairgrass	N
Equisetum arvense	Common horsetail N	N
Festuca arundinacea	Tall fescue	I
Iris pseudacorus	Yellow flag	I
Juncus balticus	Baltic rush	N
Lathyrus palustris	Marsh peavine	N
Lythrum salicaria	purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicera)	I
Oenanthe sarmentosa	Pacific water-parsley	N
Phalaris arundinacea	Reed canary grass	I
Polygonum amphibium var. emersum	Water smartweed	N
Potentilla anserina ssp. pacifica	Silverweed	N
Rumex crispus	Curled dock	I
Rumex occcidentalis	Western dock	N
Scirpus americanus	American bulrush	N
Scirpus cyperinus	Wool-grass	N
Scirpus lacustris	Tule (bulrush)	N
Sidalcea hendersonii	henderon's checker-mallow	N
Solidago canadensis	Canada goldenrod	N
Sonchus arvense	Perennial sow-thistle	I
Typha latifola	Cattail	N
Zannichellia palustris	Horned pondweed	N

The list includes only those plants found in the small marsh on the west side of the dock at London's Landing.

Number of species: 25.
Number of introduced species: 7 (28%).

The River Works crew hard at work!

Non-Native Vegetation Removal Not too much time was needed to remove purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicera) or scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius) from this site. There is very little here! Hooray!

Fish Surveys
A group of dedicated Vancouver Aquarium volunteers have committed themselves to early Sunday mornings of rain and mud. This hardworking team is continuing the baseline data collection that the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre's Waterway Enhancement Team began in the summer of 2001. This data will be vital in assessing changes in the health of the Fraser River Estuary over a long-term basis. To see the results click here.

Wading through the wetlands, the fish survey crew heads to the water.

Saisha, Krista and Michelle conducting a beach seine.

Water Quality Testing A group of dedicated Vancouver Aquarium volunteers have committed themselves to early Sunday mornings of rain and mud. This hardworking team is continuing the baseline data collection that the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre's Waterway Enhancement Team began in the summer of 2001. This data will be vital in assessing changes in the health of the Fraser River Estuary over a long-term basis. To see the results click here.