User:Braeden Ewuk/Widgeon Valley National Wildlife Area/Giouge Peer Review

General info

 * Whose work are you reviewing?

Braeden Ewuk and group


 * Link to draft you're reviewing
 * User:Braeden Ewuk/Widgeon Valley National Wildlife Area


 * Link to the current version of the article (if it exists)
 * Widgeon Valley National Wildlife Area

Evaluate the drafted changes
Genevieve Paris-Griffiths (Giouge = nickname on WikiEdu) Peer Review:

"The marsh wetland ecosystem in Widgeon Valley National Wildlife Area is one of few remaining undestroyed wetland ecosystems in British Columbia. Adjacent wetland ecosystems to Widgeon Valley National Wildlife Area include the Pitt Polder Ecological Reserve, a fen wetland, and the Pitt Addington Wildlife Management Area, a swamp wetland. Estimates of British Columbia’s wetland ecosystem land area vary from 5.6% (5.28 million hectares) to 7%. An approximate 85% of British Columbia’s freshwater wetland ecosystems have been either disturbed or destroyed completely. Threats to wetland ecosystems include invasive species; land development activities, such as mining and oil and gas extraction; forest management practices, and recreational activities. The majority of British Columbia’s wetland ecosystems are located in and around the developed Lower Mainland." - '''Very well-written, clear and concise starting paragraph. I would say my only thought is, does the general topic of BC's wetland ecosystems need to be included in your article, if it's solely about the Widgeon Valley National Wildlife Area?'''

 Fauna 

The Widgeon Valley’s proximity to the Pacific Flyway has made it a local hotspot for avian wildlife. Red Tailed Hawk, and Western Screech Owls (Kennicotti) fill the valley’s avian predator niche. Aquatic migratory birds such as the Canadian Goose, and several varieties of duck; mallard, wood, and cinnamon teal occupy the valley’s water system. Larger fauna include beaver, river otter, with mountain lion, and bobcat topping the local ecological hierarchy. - '''Paints a perfect picture of the area's fauna. Very well composed. Perhaps specifications on what species are endemic could be added?'''

The Western Screech Owl’s (Kennicotti) risk status was raised from “special concern” to “threatened” in 2017 by Canada’s Species at Risk Registry (SARA). The total population is estimated to be 10000 individuals across the coast of British Columbia. The most recent estimates show a population decline of at least 30% from the early 2000s to 2014. In some regions such as Metro Vancouver, where human activities and habitat destruction is of a high degree, the Western Screech owl has been extirpated. The Western Screech owl is being outcompeted and preyed upon by the invasive Barred Owl. The Widgeon Valley is an essential region to the Western Screech Owl as its main competitor, the Barred owl, has yet to establish a population in the valley. Climate change poses a significant threat to the Western Screech Owl through habitat destruction and resource depletion. Extreme summers cause heat waves resulting in decreased biodiversity and increased resource scarcity. Increased frequency of extreme weather such as storms and floods fell trees used as shelter by the Western Screech owl. - '''Great. I learnt a lot about the Western Screech owl and its population trends; the material is very understandable and digestible. Perhaps an addition to the "Fauna" section could be: How do the different types of fauna in the area interact with their environment? What are the fauna-related relationships that occur within the Widgeon Valley National Wildlife Area? I fully take into consideration the fact that it is probably quite difficult to find that specific information online.'''

 Human Activity 

"For thousands of years prior to Widgeon Valley becoming protected, the Katzie First Nations occupied the area. The Katzie people used the Widgeon Valley Wildlife Area to fish for freshwater fish, to hunt small animals and waterfowl, to gather cedar bark, and even used the slough banks to cultivate wild cranberries and wapato. Widgeon Valley was used for ceremonial purposes by the Katzie First Nation, Kwikwetlem First Nation, Stó:l– o First Nation, Tsawwassen First Nation, Soowahlie First Nation, Shxw’ow’hamel First Nation, Skawahlook First Nation, and The Seabird Island Band. Ethnographers have discovered at least one ancient Katzie village within the wildlife area.

In 1940, two logging companies sold the land that would become The Widgeon Valley National Wildlife Area to the Burnett family. The Burnett family later sold the land to The Nature Trust of British Columbia in 1973, who later that year leased the land for 99 years to Environment and Climate Change Canada for conservation purposes.These areas are established to protect sensitive species and species at risk. The Widgeon Valley National Wildlife Area would become part of a larger complex of wildlife areas set within the largest natural freshwater marsh in Southwestern British Columbia.

Nowadays, the channels through the Widgeon Valley National Wildlife Area receive a lot of traffic as they are open to the public. Canoes and other non-motorized floatation devices are permitted in the channels and many people use the channels to reach Widgeon Creek campsite in Pinecone Burke Provincial Park. A nearby canoe rental operation rents-out up to 60 canoes a day. The most recreational use of the Widgeon Valley channels happens mid-Fall through to early Spring as the waterfowl population within the channels is at its highest. However, many people exit their canoes to explore and to picnic in the wildlife area which becomes potentially harmful to the protected area. Most of the conservation efforts within the Widgeon Valley National Wildlife Area go towards putting up signs along the channels banks to deter people from entering the protected wildlife areas.

Plans approved in 2019 by the Metro Vancouver Regional District include opening the Widgeon Valley National Wildlife Area to the public. The future plans involve the development of numerous trails, day-use areas, facilities, interpretive signage, a canoe launch, and canoe tie-offs along the channel. These developments will cover roughly 6% of the Widgeon Valley National Wildlife Area. Consultation and planning will be done with the Katzie First Nation as well as numerous other local First Nations that historically used the area. Interpretive signage along the trails through the Widgeon Valley National Wildlife Area will provide information to the public about the natural and cultural history of the area. With the exception of hunting, The Katzie First Nation and other local First Nations will once again be able to use the land traditionally. - '''Entire "Human Activity" section is very clear and concise. Sentences flow together perfectly and are all topically relevant. I appreciate the fact that all of the information provided is easily understandable and digestible, but also provides enough detail that I really feel like I learnt a lot about the topic.'''

 Geomorphology 

Major glacial movement and processes have been key components to Widgeon current landscape. The landscapes formation can be attributed to a major glacial advance in which ice which covered the land over 10,000 years ago, retreated and left numerous fiords and elongated lakes in interior valleys and the valley’s typical U-shape. Rapid expansion of the Fraser River delta is believed to be the major cause of the formation of both Widgeon valley and Pitt Lake about 7000 to 8000 years ago when these two were believed to be former fiords before being sealed of by this fluvial process. - I feel as though sentence two and three could be condensed to be a little bit shorter, so that they are more easily understood, but the information is great.

 Wildlife 

Given that one of the main activities of the Katzie First Nation was harvesting waterfowl, anadromous and freshwater fish, these may have been common species within the Widgeon Creek, it is also possible that shellfish could have been a common species within the surrounding waterbodies given the evidence of shell middens that can be found in the Pitt Lake. Popular vegetation and plant species would have been cranberries, Wapato, and berries as these were commonly cultivated by the Katzie. The red cedar and hemlock trees where quite vast and popular as they were often harvested and used by the Katzie for hunting, trading, and gathering purposes. '''- I feel as though the first sentence could be separated into two, it is a little bit hard to follow. This is all great information, but I wonder if this section's title should have to do with the area's history as opposed to just wildlife, since it sounds like its information has to do with what was there in the past? The existing article does lay out some of the area's wildlife in its "Ecology" section, so perhaps this section of your draft could be specified as "History of Wildlife" or something along those lines? Or it could be added to the Fauna section? I hope that makes sense! As for the last two sentences, they relate more to flora than to wildlife, but I know that flora is sometimes included within the definition of wildlife.'''

Additional Peer Review notes:

'''Very great job on this article. The writing is overall very clear, concise and keeps a professional and neutral tone. Sentences flow together, information is relevant and doesn't stray away from the topics at hand. The draft does a really great job on structure, organization and balance of its content; I feel as though Wildlife and Fauna could potentially become intertwined, or placed one after the other. The draft exceeds the goal of addressing at least five of the topics on the rubric. In terms of areas in which I feel I'd like to know/learn more, you can refer to my comments regarding the Fauna section, but I also feel like an overview on the climate of the area would be useful. As previously mentioned, there is a little bit of run-on sentence confusion within Geomorphology and Wildlife, but I was definitely still able to understand what you were expressing; it could just be cleaned up a little bit. Sources/references are all appropriate. There is a wealth of information given on the area's relationships with First Nations' communities, which is great and very educational. Great job everyone!'''