Dans de nombreux écosystèmes forestiers faisant l’objet d’une gestion active, les endroits les plus perturbés sont ceux où des déchets forestiers ont été empilés et brûlés. Ces brûlis créent des zones dénudées qui pourraient fournir autant de points d’accès à des espèces végétales exotiques envahissantes. La stagiaire étudiera la restauration d’espèces indigènes dans les zones […]

The goal of the project is to mitigate the impacts to valuable salmonids from invasive smallmouth bass (SMB) in Cultus Lake through suppression and monitoring. The project will benefit both the sport fishing industry and endangered species, by suppressing predation from SMB and controlling further imbalances in predator-prey relationships. We will use methods such as […]

Monitoring of wildlife populations is essential for identifying declines or changes, especially in response to habitat changes or disturbance. By comparing historical and modern populations, we can quantify long-term trends. In this study we are comparing historical data from the mid-1980’s to modern to identify trends within a population of Western rattlesnakes (Crotalus oreganus). During […]

Working with Avicanna Inc., a Canadian biopharmaceutical company with advanced natural cannabinoid solutions, we will develop an easy-to-use preventative treatment, in the form of a mouthwash and/or throat gargle product, for both clinical and at-home use. A critical step of the infection is when the virus enters human host cells, which is enabled by the […]

Adventure tourism is an important industry to the strategic development of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Region in the BC Interior. Many communities are transitioning from resource extraction industries to adventure tourism. Adventure tourism is often chosen due to its ability to provide socio-cultural, environmental and economic benefits. This research will explore how resilient tourism development […]

FortisBC proposes to replace a pipeline in Kamloops, B.C. Of concern are habitat losses, loss of native plant communities and alteration of the composition of plant communities due to introduction of invasive species. My research addresses the role of order of seed arrival, called priority effects, and soil amendments such as straw matting and wood […]

The research purpose is to address gaps related mental health services for Indigenous, First Nations, Metis, and Inuit, people in Canada. Current tools used in mental health service delivery within Canada may be considered inappropriate for Indigenous populations due to culturally diversity and lack of cultural safety. Within Canada there is a lack of Indigenous […]

Moose populations in the Thompson-Okanagan region have declined at an alarming rate (up to 90%) in the past 25 years. The moose population decline corresponds with a dramatic increase in forestry cut blocks for salvage logging after mountain pine beetle infestation. Plants in cut blocks grow in full sunlight and have more energy to create […]

The use of off-road vehicles (ORVs) in natural environments has accelerated dramatically over the past few decades, increasing the potential for ecosystem degradation and the need to establish policies and develop technologies that minimize the impacts of ORVs on the environment. Although the environmental consequences from ORVs are known to be highly degrading and a […]

Many animals undertake seasonal migrations in order to access habitats that are critical for activities such as breeding, feeding, or overwintering. In BC, western rattlesnakes undertake small-scale migrations between their overwintering dens and their summer grounds, allowing them access to critical food resources and mates. The migratory patterns of adult rattlesnakes are relatively well studied […]

In many actively managed forest ecosystems, the most disturbed locations are the areas where excess woody slash has been piled and burned. Burning slash creates barren patches, which may provide locations for the invasion of exotic plant species. The intern will study the restoration of native species to these sites where slash piles have been […]

In collaboration between Thompson Rivers University (TRU) and Beaver Meadow Farms (BMF), we propose to investigate the invasive foreign red seaweed Mazzaella Japonica as a food additive for ruminant livestock, primarily cattle. BMF is a multi-faceted agricultural company based on northern Vancouver Island built around organic pasture-raised cattle but also the harvest of storm-cast Mazzaella […]