No description available.

There has been an increasing amount of emphasis placed on antipoverty programs in the past number of years. Some of these programs are aimed at a particular segment of the population and designed to provide skills for unemployed and/or underemployed people. One such program is found in the Interlake area of Manitoba at Selkirk. Set up in 1969 under the F.R.E.D. Agreement, this program is aimed at Indian and Metis people in the Interlake. The program consists of a training program for carpentry, sheet metal work, painting and design. Park furniture is produced at the plant while the clients are in training. This report evaluates the Selkirk program in terms of the benefits that accrue to the individual trainees. Therefore, the program is evaluated in terms of its own objectives. The evaluation consisted of gathering data related to the program's impact on individual's income, employability and standard of living. In addition, data was also gathered on employment history, trainee satisfaction, family situation and the client's evaluation of the program. The data, upon analysis, illustrated that the program had its largest impact on the increase of material possessions. This was followed by the increase of individual's incomes. Another area of strong impact was that of increased employability. An important point to note is that most of the trainees interviewed (19 of 24) were employed immediately after receiving training. Very few held jobs before entering the program. The clients also identified areas of the training program they considered as needing improvement. These areas identified, in order of importance, included longer training periods, more classroom time, more information and instruction in the use of employment services, closer evaluation of trainees entering the program and a dissatisfaction of training allowances paid. It is important to note that the dissatisfaction of allowances was of least importance to clients.

This study examines the relative contribution of algae and vascular plant litter to the food chains of freshwater marshes. Twelve enclosures (5 m diam.) were deployed in a nutrient-poor marsh of the Interlake region of Manitoba. Algae levels in six of the enclosures were increased by fertilizing the water column. In addition, the hardstem bulrush (Scirpus lacustris glaucus (Sm.) Hartm) litter present was replaced with a non-nutritive artificial substrate in half of the fertilized and unfertilized enclosures. Fertilization did not affect the dry weight loss of bulrush litter, but N and P concentrations were higher in the decomposing litter of the fertilized treatments. Dominant taxa of nektonic herbivores-detritivores responded to fertilization but were not affected by the replacement of plant litter by a non-nutritive substrate. Epiphytic herbivores-detritivores responded to changes in both detritus and algal food sources. Fertilization resulted in early peaks of emergence for the Chironominae, Tanypodinae and Orthocladiinae. Emergence data late in the study period suggest that the importance of litter as a food source may increase as decomposition progresses.

No description available.

This study examines the relationship between nutrient additions and algae and invertebrate productivity in a nutrient-poor wetland of the Interlake Region of Manitoba, Canada. Alfalfa hay was added to experimental enclosures in May 1992. Alfalfa additions were made in unprocessed and ground forms and consisted of three treatments: ground low, whole low, and whole high. Dissolved oxygen, surface water nutrients, algae standing crop, and invertebrate production were monitored at open marsh sites and in treatment and control enclosures during 1992 and 1993. Stable $ sp{13}$C, $ sp{15}$N and $ sp{34}$S isotope ratios were determined for the alfalfa additions, and for surface water, algae, macrophytes, sediments and invertebrates. / In general, the effects of nutrient additions were confined to 1992. Treatment enclosure dissolved oxygen levels decreased immediately following fertilization, recovering in the low treatments by early June. Low oxygen conditions persisted in whole high enclosures throughout most of 1992. Dissolved and suspended nutrient concentrations, and phytoplankton chlorophyll a increased but, with the exception of dissolved N, were soon lost from the water column. Treatment enclosure epiphytic algae increased while epipelon did not respond to fertilization. The primary effect of fertilization on invertebrate production was an increase in treatment enclosure chironomid larvae during 1992. As with productivity measures, stable isotope ratio values suggested a temporary presence of alfalfa nutrients in the enclosed food webs. Only the isotope ratios of metaphytic algae and snails collected during August 1992 indicated an incorporation of alfalfa nutrients.

No description available.

This study examined the responses of algae and invertebrates to a single application of nutrients in a series of experimental wetland enclosures in the Interlake Region of Manitoba during 1989 and 1990. Water, sediment and vegetation chemistry were also monitored. The 3 fertilization treatments were: dissolved inorganic high (6200 $ mu$g/l N, 420 $ mu$g/l P), dissolved inorganic low (3200 $ mu$g/l N, 210 $ mu$g/l P) and organic high (alfalfa: 6200 $ mu$g/l N, 420 $ mu$g/l P). / Dissolved nutrients in the high and low treatments were quickly depleted from the system but dissolved N increased in the alfalfa treatment as decomposition progressed. No changes in sediment or vegetation chemistry were detected. Phytoplankton biomass increased in all the fertilized enclosures while epiphytic periphyton exhibited only minor responses. Epipelon biomass increased in the alfalfa treatment and metaphyton standing crops were extensive in the high treatment enclosures. / In the alfalfa treatment, high microbial respiration rapidly decreased dissolved oxygen concentrations which negatively affected invertebrates. This trend reversed as oxygen levels increased. Dominant nektonic and benthic herbivores-detritivores increased in the high and alfalfa treatment enclosures. Orthocladiinae emergence increased in the high and alfalfa treatments while Chironominae and Tanypodinae increased in the alfalfa treatment. Responses by algae and invertebrate communities to the fertilization treatments were minimal during 1990. Annual single pulse fertilization has the potential to increase the productivity of Interlake wetlands.

No description available.

In Manitoba there are an estimated 200 small and 10 large wastewater treatment systems contributing nutrients to surface water when effluent is discharged. The objective of this study was to assess the sustainability and social acceptance of wastewater irrigation in the southeast Interlake region. It was concluded that sustainably irrigating forage crops would be challenging. The combination of soils with only ratings of fair for irrigability and the low quality of wastewater limits the long term sustainability of irrigation. Only one study site maintains a high potential to develop a wastewater irrigation program due to sufficient suitable land and appropriate wastewater quality. The social acceptance of wastewater irrigation is mixed with only about half the survey respondents favourable to irrigation or reuse of wastewater.

This study looked at the efficacy of using woodland caribou fecal pellets as a source of DNA to identify sampled animals and estimate population demographics. Fecal pellet samples were collected using systematic surveys of woodland caribou ranges in Jasper National Park, Alberta and the North Interlake region, Manitoba. Collection of pellet samples took place when snow was present to allow for tracking and location of caribou cratering areas and to obtain good quality DNA. DNA was amplified at ten polymorphic loci and one sex-specific primer. To estimate population size (N ̂) and population growth rate (λ), mark-recapture models were used. Model assumptions were evaluated and tested by stratifying available samples based on herd and gender information. In using the Mh (jackknife) model, the population sizes for south Jasper National Park were estimated at 125 animals in 2006-2007 (95% CI: 114, 143), 91 animals in 2007-2008 (95% CI: 83, 105) and 134 animals in 2008-2009 (95% CI: 123, 152); comparable to the mark-resight population estimates calculated over the same sampling periods. Genetic diversity indices for the different herds in Jasper National Park presented a lower genetic diversity for the smaller Maligne and Brazeau herds when compared to the larger Tonquin and A La Peche herds. Use of population assignment tests on samples collected in Jasper National Park indicated considerable admixture between the different herds despite earlier telemetry work demonstrating strong herd fidelity. The North Interlake population was estimated at 134 animals (95% CI: 122,151) in 2006-2007 and 106 animals (95% CI: 97, 121) in 2007-2008. Using data collected between 2005 and 2008, population growth rate for North Interlake was estimated at 0.83 (90% confidence interval: 0.65, 1.02). As a λ below 1 indicates a declining population, continue monitoring of the North Interlake herd is highly recommended. This studied clearly showed that the sampling of fecal DNA is a reliable and noninvasive alternative to monitoring woodland caribou population sizes and trends in the boreal and mountain regions.