The highlights from Year 2 (2020-21) to Year 6 (2024-2025) are listed below.
Year 6 Highlights (2024-25)
Report: Characterizing the Vulnerability of the Columbia River Floodplain Wetlands to Climate Change
This study examines the vulnerability of the Columbia Wetlands to climate change based on their location using a combination of field investigation and hydrological modelling, with special attention paid to select wetlands that have either experienced or have planned restoration efforts to improve water retention. We found there is regional variation in wetland vulnerability, where the northern portion of the study is likely to be less affected by shifts in climate due to an increase in water supply and less atmospheric sensitivity. The southern portion of the study area is highly vulnerable, with an earlier onset of spring freshet accompanied by an insignificant increase in peak streamflow and substantial water loss under a warmer climate. All wetland groups are likely to be equally vulnerable; however, water retention will be critical to maintain wetland diversity. The Beaver Dam Analogues are an important adaptation measure, particularly in the southern portion of the study area. Without these structures, it is likely that water levels would continue to follow the patterns of the Columbia River. A longer streamflow recession period with hotter and drier summer conditions could lead to a substantial reduction in open water area, already being observed in other studies.
Year 5 Highlights (2023-24)
This video summarizes the work done by the Columbia Wetlands Stewardship Partners (CWSP) through Kootenay Connect to document and monitor the wetlands in the western uplands of the Columbia Valley, and restore and enhance some of these wetlands. This includes plans to restore 39 hectares of wetlands by utilizing beaver dam analogues.
Within the Upper Columbia Wetland, an area known for its undammed and relatively natural floodplain wetlands, there is a series of wetlands colloquially known as the Bench Wetlands that exist along a benched hillside in the upland area on the west side of the Columbia Valley along the base of the Purcell Mountains. These wetlands have faced numerous stressors, such as forestry, ranching, development, and many appear to have dried up, particularly in the more southern extent. While these wetlands may be smaller than the floodplain wetlands in the valley bottom, these small wetlands are still extremely important, as smaller wetland ecosystems can provide an ecological network known as a wetlandscape, which can include both connected (either to a stream or a lake) and disconnected wetlands (i.e. those that do not appear to have any surface water connections). In the current study, we examine the Bench Wetlands in the Columbia Valley to assess their vulnerability to climate change and determine what drivers might be important in affecting their vulnerability. This study will be used to guide future monitoring, modelling, and restoration efforts.
The Columbia Wetlands are a series of floodplain wetlands within the Upper Columbia River Basin in Canada which exist in the only undammed portion of the river system. As these wetlands are largely influenced by the seasonal flood pulses that occur around June and are driven by snowmelt and rainfall, these wetlands may be greatly impacted by the potential impacts of climate change. Over the past several decades several hydroclimatic changes have occurred, including increased air temperatures, precipitation shifts, and changes in flow timing, duration, and magnitude. In the current study we examine the vulnerability of the Columbia Valley floodplain wetlands to climate change by examining a) the impacts of climate change on the Columbia River, and b) the effects of climate change on areas within the wetlands without the influence of the river. This allows us to interpret the effects of seasonal changes in environmental factors and better understand which wetlands are more at risk of change under future climate conditions.
Year 4 Highlights (2022-23)
This project combines hydrological and ecological assessments to better understand the Columbia Wetland Complex and the individual wetlands within it. It includes a hydrological classification of the different wetland types observed within the Columbia Wetlands and the ecological consequences of their differences. We assessed the vulnerability of the wetlands to climate change and the potential for beaver dam analogues (BDAs) to be used as a low-tech and relatively natural restoration technique. We restored (and repaired) one 54 ha wetland with several beaver dams and gathered the data and support needed to acquire a permit for another 22 ha wetland. We provided The Nature Trust of BC and Environment & Climate Change Canada, who own and manage a parcel of the Columbia National Wildlife Management Area, with the data and guidance to install and repair beaver dams in site 71 to raise the water levels for spring migrating birds.
Year 3 Highlights (2021-22)
MacDonald Hydrology Consultants (MacHydro) in collaboration with the Columbia Wetland Stewardship Partners (CWSP) conducted a project to evaluate wetland vulnerability and determine priority wetlands where management actions like conservation or mitigation should be implemented. The objectives of the hydrology subproject included: monitoring wetland water levels in 38 wetlands, characterizing the wetlands into types based on geomorphic and hydrometric data, constructing conceptual wetland water balances, evaluating how hydrometeorological conditions and wetland water levels may change under future simulated climate change projections, and describing the wetland vulnerability to climate change based on the conceptual understanding of predominant water sources and fluxes to inform future mitigation actions.
Year 2 Highlights (2020-21)
This is an ambitious project to identify and map the flood basins in the Columbia Wetlands that are vulnerable to drought and climate change and to determine if and where the loss of water can be mitigated by local conservation actions. The three subprojects include (1) A remote sensing observation-based assessment of floodplain hydroperiod and wetland vulnerability analysis of 2600 ha of wetlands to determine if remote sensing can determine if the area of permanent open water has changed in the last 20 year compared to earlier years; (2) Upper Columbia Wetland Vulnerability Assessment Project is an analysis to hydrologically characterize the different types of wetlands and determine which wetlands are most vulnerable to drought and loss of water overwinter and (3) Importance of Ground Water to the Hydrologic Mass Balance of Columbia Wetlands provides an assessment of the importance of ground water to the wetlands during spring, summer and fall seasons. Together these projects will enable the hydrologic team to develop hydrologic budgets of the different types of wetlands and determine those wetlands most vulnerable to drought.
Recent hydroclimatic change has impacted flows and floodplain inundation patterns on the Upper Columbia River, BC, Canada, leading to a reduction in open water wetland areas. The over-arching objective was to develop and report on the data, methods and results of a proof-of-concept study to identify wetlands at risk by evaluating wetland hydroperiod change in the Upper Columbia River Floodplain.
The goal of the Upper Columbia Wetland Vulnerability Assessment project is to determine the various types of wetlands in the upper Columbia Wetlands based on their hydrologic functions, determine which types of wetlands are more vulnerable to drought (and climate change), and to assess which wetlands may be amenable to conservation actions to prevent the loss of water. This work is classifying the wetlands based on their hydrologic and morphological characteristics. In May 2020, the team installed continuous water level loggers in 37 wetlands, 2 in the Columbia River, and 4 drive point piezometers to monitor shallow groundwater input in 4 sites. Precipitation and evaporation are also available from local data. Together, these data will be used to construct water balances of the monitored wetlands for extrapolation across all wetland types in the upper Columbia.
