Research and References

Research Projects

Camosun Bog is ideal for scientific studies because of its small size and location close to UBC. The Camosun Bog Restoration Group is carrying out a number of studies on the bog.

  • We have compiled a twentyseven-year data base of water levels in the bog measured at two-weekly intervals.
  • Photographs have been taken at fixed locations in the bog every year for twenty-two years to see long-term changes in vegetation.
  • Observations have been made of a new variant of oval-leaf blueberry found only in Camosun Bog that has dark red berries rather than dark blue ones.
  • We have assisted two UBC faculty members (Sally Hermanson and Dr Graeme Wynn of the Department of Geography) in a historical GIS study of Camosun Bog, showing the progressive deterioration of the bog from 1920 onwards and the restoration starting in 1997.
  • We are working with Shona Ellis of the UBC Botany Department to identify the species of Sphagnum moss found in the bog. Surprisingly 13 species have been found, a remarkable number given the small size of the bog. We are also studying the species of Polytrichum moss found in the bog.

We are always happy to assist students and faculty from UBC and other institutions and encourage research projects in the bog.

References

There have been many reports published about Camosun Bog. This is a list of the most relevant. The majority can be obtained from the UBC library or Metro Vancouver Parks Department – West Area.

L Brown “Camosun Bog Observations, 1995-2016”, Report submitted to Metro Vancouver Parks Department, May 2017

Lisa Szabo-Jones and David Brownstein ” A Natural History and Dioramic Performance – Restoring Camosun Bog in Vancouver British Columbia” in ” Sustaining the West: Cultural Responses to Canadian Environments”, L Piper and L Szabo-Jones, eds, pp 43-63, pub. by Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2015

S Hermanson and G Wynn “Reflections on the Nature of an Urban Bog” Urban History Review, vol 34, pp 9-27, Fall 2005 (https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-137764880.html)

D Underhill and L Brown “The Camosun Blueberry” Discovery, vol 31, pp 17-18, Fall 2002

N Baker, P Lilley, T Sasaki and H Williamson ” Investigation of Options for the Restoration of Camosun Bog, Pacific Spirit Regional Park” Thesis submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Environmental Studies 400, University of BC, April 2000

L Brown, T Taylor and B Woodcock “The Restoration of Camosun Bog”, Discovery, vol 38, pp 27-38, Summer 1999

T Taylor “Some Fascinating Plants of Camosun Bog” Discovery, vol 20, pp 67-68, June 1991

Piteau Associates Engineering Ltd “Hydrogeological Asessment of the Camosun Bog, Pacific Spirit Park – Phase II”, Report submitted to GVRD Parks Department, January 1991

A delightful children’s book about the bog has also been published:
SA Alderson and M Ballance “The EcoDiary of Kiran Singer”, Tradewind Books, Vancouver, 2007

Links

 

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