The Upper Fraser Drainage (locally termed the Robson Valley) was previously scarcely explored for plant and lichen diversity, with the exception of some important prior work on the lichens of the region's oldgrowth rainforests that revealed the importance of further exploration. While prior work focused mostly on rainforest stands, our explorations also included all other habitats, from river shores to alpine peaks, limestone cliffs to beaver ponds, bogs to waterfall spray zones, and more. Our exploratory species inventory work, which took place over 2016-2023, increased the known flora of the region from a few hundred to approximately 2700 species. Numerous species were discovered that had been previously unknown to science, including some that after years of searching elsewhere are still known only from the study area. So many rare species and such high overall species richness was unexpected for a northern temperate-southern boreal region, and the newly documented moss, liverwort, and lichen richness values rank among the highest in the world when compared on a per-unit area basis. Large areas of the Upper Fraser are already badly compromised from the effects of logging and other industrial uses. Conservation of the remaining natural, non-industrialized landscapes in the Upper Fraser Drainage is needed to allow the rich and beautiful flora of the Upper Fraser and its wild habitats to persist into the future. 

Curtis Björk is a botanist and lichenologist with over 30 years of experience exploring the flora and ecosystems of northwestern North America. Along with his partner, Trevor Goward, he is co-curator of lichens at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum, University of British Columbia. Curtis has discovered and authored over 25 novel species, with hundreds more in queue for publication. He is the lead author of the upcoming Manual of Vascular Plants of British Columbia. Trevor and Curtis live and work in the Clearwater Valley, Wells Gray Country, where they strive to live sustainably and self-sufficiently, and where they provide both a venue for field research as well as natural history education. 

The Natural Resources & Environmental Studies Institute (NRESi) at UNBC hosts a weekly lecture series at the Prince George campus. Anyone from the university or wider community with interest in the topic area is welcome to attend. Presentations are also made available to remote participants through Zoom Webinar. Go to http://www.unbc.ca/nres-institute/colloquium-webcasts to view the presentation remotely.

Past NRESi colloquium presentations and special lectures can be viewed on our video archive, available here.