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TAKING STOCK: CELEBRATE EARTH DAY WITH A MARINE LIFE INVENTORY AND MICROPLASTIC ASSESSMENT
When: Friday, April 21, 2023 1:00pm – 3:30pm
Where: Reed Point Marina, 850 Barnet Highway, Port Moody, BC (SFU Marine Science Centre)
ABOUT THIS EVENT
On April 21st, Faculty of Environment alumni, students, staff and faculty joined us for an afternoon of citizen science to inform stewardship of the Reed Point area. Following a brief introductory talk on the history and importance of the area, participants deployed scientific sampling equipment to complete a marine life inventory.
What is a marine life inventory and why is it important?
To better understand changes in water quality and population dynamics in the Moody Arm, the SFU Marine Science Centre conducts biological surveys called Marine Life Inventories. These help track biodiversity and the current state of the physical environment on and near the shores and of Reed Point Marina.
Participants learned about collection techniques, such as beach seine nets or an immersed Christmas tree used to survey organisms living near the shoreline, and dip nets for collecting plants and organisms drifting in the open waters.
Schedule
1:00 Welcome and Overview
Naomi Krogman, Dean, SFU’s Faculty of Environment
1:10 Environmental Stewardship in Port Moody
1:30 Citizen Science in Action
We split into three groups to start sampling and switch activities after 30 minutes.
- Beach Seine and Dip Net, Led by Joseph Cormier, MSC candidate, SFU Ecological Restoration, SFU Environmental Science
Students will don chest waders and life jackets and pull up a beach seine net and dip nets to examine and inventory what is collected in the sample. - Christmas Tree Sampling, Led by Rod McVicar, SFU Marine Science Centre
A Christmas tree was immersed in the nearshore in January to see what organisms might use it as a host. Participants will remove items from the tree to examine and inventory the sample. - Microplastic Inventory, Led by Anna Hippmann, Lecturer, SFU Environmental Science. Using sieves and an imaging system, paticipants will examine sand to assess microplastic presence.
3:00 Refreshments
3:30 Close