Completed projects:

Brokenhead Wetland Ecological Reserve

NOCI nominated this wonderful area for protection in 1999 and this project was the start of our organization. We conducted a preliminary botanical survey and submitted the nomination to the Manitoba government. Eventually 563 hectares (ha) were declared an Ecological Reserve (ER) by the Manitoba government on June 24, 2005. In 2012 the ER was expanded to 1240 ha. The area, located north and west of Scanterbury, Manitoba, contains 28 of our native orchid species along with 23 other rare plants and 8 carnivorous (insect-eating) plants.

If you would like to know more about the Brokenhead Wetlands please click on this link on the Provinces Protected Area Initiative webpage for the Brokenhead Wetlands:  http://www.gov.mb.ca/sd/pai/mb_network/brokenhead/index.html.

NOCI was also involved in the project to build the Brokenhead Wetland Interpretive Trail which is a 1.83 km trail and boardwalk that borders the Ecological Reserve. If you go at the right time you will be able to see many of the amazing orchid, carnivorous and other rare plants that make the Wetlands so special. If you would like to visit the Brokenhead Wetland Interpretive Trail you can find more information at www.debwendon.org.

Video projects

• Zoom In on Native Orchids with Al Simmons – a fun educational video suitable for children and adults alike
• EKO – educational video about the Brokenhead Wetlands

Both videos are available for purchase on our Shopping page and may be seen on YouTube.

Filming on location with actor Al Simmons, director Keith Neimor, and cameraman Carl Simmons.

Seedbank Project

NOCI collected seed capsules from 33 native orchid species for storage in Canada’s national seed bank at the Plant Gene Resources of Canada (PGRC) facility in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The seeds were collected from 2006 to 2009.

To see the project announcement, please CLICK HERE.

If you are interested in Notes on How to Collect Seed from Native Plants, CLICK HERE.

To see project activities, please CLICK HERE.

For orchid seed collection data and maps, please CLICK HERE.

An example of a nice specimen of Moccasin-flower (Cypripedium acaule) in a bog near Hadashville.

Richard St-Pierre and Doris Ames putting a cage on a Loesel’s twayblade (Liparis loeselii) at the edge of Hwy 203 near Woodridge Bog in southern Manitoba.

Southeast Timber Sale Survey

Plant surveys were conducted in areas of potential timber sales in southeast Manitoba over a three-year period from 2006-2009. When large populations of rare plants and their habitat were found NOCI notified the Forestry Branch so they could use this information in their forest management plans. GPS data was provided to the Manitoba Conservation Data Centre for GIS mapping. The Sustainable Development Innovations-funded project resulted in the identification of 30 plant species of special concern (S1-S3) and seven plant species of cultural significance to First Nations people. As a result approximately 400 ha of land containing rare plants and their habitat was set aside from timber and peat moss harvesting.

To see the project overview, please CLICK HERE.

For the Phase 1 report, please CLICK HERE.

To see the Phase II FINAL report, please CLICK HERE.

Clear-cutting in winter when habitat surveys were being conducted.

North and West Plant Survey

NOCI surveyed 44 locations in the north and west areas of the province and identified 29 native plant species at risk, among them nine species of native orchids and three medicinal plants of interest to First Nations people.

To see the project introduction, please CLICK HERE.

If you are interested in the final report, please CLICK HERE.

After a tip from one of our members, we found Sparrow’s-egg lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium passerinum) in Duck Mountain Provincial Park. Photo by Doris Ames.

Sandilands Selective Cutting Project

A five-year project to study the effects of selective cutting on the growth of native orchids in a cedar forest was conducted by members of NOCI in the Sandilands Provincial Forest.

For the project overview, please CLICK HERE.

For the final report, please CLICK HERE.

Appendices to be added.

Using a spherical densiometer to measure canopy closure. Photo by John Neufeld.