1

Instructions

Thank you very much for agreeing to present at the 2012 RAP Implementation Workshop. As you discussed with Jon and/or Conrad, the theme of the workshop is “Getting the Job Done” – identifying what the needs are for each AOC to delist and making sure that the criteria, measures and indicators are in place to know when the job is done. With respect to “needs”, we have asked the AOC leads to include science and monitoring needs specifically which we plan to summarize by AOC. Our plan is to create a summary document of these needs by AOC as a resource for the workshop.

The objective of the Science and Monitoring presentations by the federal and provincial agencies is twofold: to provide staff with a better overall understanding of the diversity of scientific research and monitoring that takes place by the various agency units, and to learn more about specific science and monitoring projects being conducted and how they contribute to the AOC program either through BUI assessments, providing on-going monitoring data, and/or delisting criteria development. We are not looking for a general overview of agency roles and mandates, rather we want to hear about which BUIs are being worked on, what are the specific projects and results/accomplishments, and any challenges/lessons learned. So, when creating your presentation, please ensure the following information is included:

the unit name, who you are and what you do; the BUIs you work on; examples of accomplishments/results; and highlight any general or BUII-specific science or monitoring challenges experienced to date.

If there is additional information you wish to share with the group, please feel free to do so however there are time constraints on each agency so keep that in mind and between you and your staff, please allocate time to the individual units presenting so that it conforms to the total time of 1.5 hrs your agency has been provided. So, if each agency has 4 units presenting, each unit will have a maximum of 15 minutes. This will allow ample time for discussion. IF your agency doesn’t require 1.5 hrs total, please let us know what your time needs are and we’ll adjust the agenda accordingly.

We have created a unique look for the 2012 Workshop and attached are slides for you to create your presentation. Please return your slides to April White at april.white@ec.gc.ca by Friday January 27th.

Also, if you have research documents or reports you would like to share, please provide an e-copy to April and bring a few copies along to the Workshop as there will be a resource table to display them.

Lastly, please bring a back up copy of your presentation to the Workshop in the (unlikely but possible) event a file becomes corrupted.

THANK-YOU again for your assistance !

Environment Canada

Shane de SollaDouglas Crump, Craig Hebert, Kim Hughes, Kyna Intini, Laura King, David Moore, Pamela Martin,

Kim Palonen, Chip Weseloh, Kim Williams

2012 RAP Implementation WorkshopGetting the Job Done !

AOC Science and Monitoring Activities, Projects and Accomplishments

3

Ecotoxicology and Wildlife Health Division

Wildlife and Landscape Science Directorate Science and Technology Branch Research and monitoring of effects of

toxicological and ecological stressors on “wildlife”*

Measurement of contaminants (PCBs, metals, pesticides, etc) in body burdens

Assessment of health

* Wildlife: any animals excluding humans and fish

4

Canadian Wildlife Service

Environmental Stewardship Branch Population Assessment Section

Monitoring of wildlife populations

Colonial Waterbird monitoring Great Lakes Herring Gull Monitoring

Program (IJC)

6

Overview of Science and Monitoring Work Supporting BUIs

BUIs: Bird or animal deformities or reproduction

problems Degradation of fish and wildlife populations Restrictions on fish and wildlife consumption

Science and Monitoring Work (2011/2012): AOCs: Thunder Bay, St. Marys River, Detroit

River, St. Clair River, Spanish River

7

Science and Monitoring Work: Great Lakes Herring Gull Monitoring Program

(and other species – BCNH, terns)

Colonial Waterbird Decadal Survey Leopard Frog Reproductive and Contaminant

Survey Snapping turtle Reproductive and Contaminant

Survey Waterfowl contaminant monitoring Cormorant mutation study

Overview of Science and Monitoring Work Supporting BUIs con’t …

8

Assessed contaminants, reproduction of colonial waterbirds at Thunder Bay, St Mary’s River, Detroit River, Spanish River

Assessed contaminants, reproduction of black crowned night herons at Detroit River

Assessed embryonic development, incidence of intersex and deformities, hatching success of leopard frogs at St Clair, Detroit River

Assessed contaminants, embryonic development, hatching success of snapping turtles at St. Clair

Assessed colonial waterbird populations at numerous AOCs

Highlights of Results and Challenges

Study/Task Species Data Type Data Collection

Past Current

Thunder Bay HERG Health effects, Contaminants

~2000 2011/12

St. Marys River HERG, COTE Health effects, Contaminants

- 2011/12

Detroit River LEFR, BCNH Reproduction, Contaminants

2009-2011 2011/12

St. Clair River AOC includ.

Walpole I.

LEFR, SNTU Reproduction, Contaminants

2007/08 2011/12

SNTU Contaminants 2007/08 2011/12

Waterfowl Contaminants 2010/11 -

Spanish River HERG Contaminants - 2011/12

Highlights of Results and Challenges

Artificial incubation of eggs Viability, pipping success, and

deformities

Health of Colonial Waterbirds

  Artificial Incubation

 total eggs viable infertile dead

pipping success

deformities

Double Island 23 18 2 3 86% 0

Pumpkin Point 17 16 0 1 94% 1

Hay Point 15 13 1 1 93% 1

Egg viability of herring gulls from St. Marys River AOC

Productivity, condition, deformities, stress response, ecological tracers, and physiological endpoints Herring gulls (SMR, TB),

herons (DR) and terns (SMR)

Health of Colonial Waterbirds

D ouble Pum pk in Hay0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

Productivity of herring gulls from St. Marys River AOC

reference

12

Colonial Waterbird Decadal Survey

1

2

5

34

6

10

9

7

11

8

1213

15

1 Granite I.2 Agawa Rks.3 Big Sister I.4 Gull I.5 Channel-Shelter I.6 Double I.

7 Chantry I.8 Fighting I.9 Middle I.10 Port Colborne 11 Niagara R.12 Hamilton Hrbr.13 Toronto Hrbr.14 Snake I.15 Strachan I.

14

1,200 km

N

Population counts (nests) of all colonial waterbirds

Annual counts at selected colonies

13

Great Lakes Herring Gull Monitoring Program

Data on PCBs, OCs, PBDEs, dioxin/furans, Hg, and other compounds are available (including other species)

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

Mid

dle I.

Ch-Sh

elter

I.

Fightin

g I.

Hamilt

on

Snake

I.

Gull I

.

Strach

an I.

Toron

to

Big Sist

er I.

Port C

olbo

rne

Niagar

a

Granit

e I.

Agawa

Doubl

e I.

Chantr

y I.

Con

cent

rati

on (

mic

rogr

ams/

gram

)

C

A

A A, B

A, B, C

A, B, C

A, B, C

A, B, C A, B, C A, B, C

A, B, C A, B, C A, B, C B, CC

Sum PCBs, 2003-2007

14

Laboratory exposures: embryos raised in i) water and ii) water and sediment from AOC and reference sites

Examined hatching success and embryonic development (i.e., frequency of deformities)

Embryonic development of leopard frogs

15

Insert text

Intersex in young of year male leopard frogs

oocyte

developing sperm

Seminiferous tubules

Normal Testes

Testes with Testicular Oocytes

AlgonTiny

MurrayHumber

RRSnye

LyonsUCBS

CootesBelleville

DeadCreekGrindstone

TurkeyWheatley

Site

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Mea

n %

egg

s ha

tche

d

** *

AlgonquinTiny Marsh

UCBSRR

NWADead Creek

WheatleySnye

HumberBelleville

MurrayLyons

TurkeyCootes

Grindstone

Location

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

Con

cent

ratio

n (n

g/g)

sum Chlordanes DDE sum PBDEs sum PCBs

* No PBDEs were measured

**

*

Snapping turtle monitoring

Mutation rates in cormorants

Germline mutations Inherited from parents

PAH exposure Hamilton Harbour

Not funded by GLAP!

Summary

AOCs to be targeted St. Marys River (2012) Hamilton Harbour (2012, 2013) Thunder Bay (2014)

Colonial Waterbird population surveys (decadal and annual) multiple AOCs

Great Lakes Herring Gull Monitoring Program multiple AOCs