New conservation area in B.C. saves habitat for 14 at-risk species
The site offers habitat for 14 various types of wildlife on the Species at Risk Act (SARA) -- the grizzly bear, olive-sided flycatcher, monarch butterfly, western toad and wolverine, among others.
More than 100 hectares of forest and wetlands in B.C. that are home to 14 at-risk species got a helping hand from the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) and the province's Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program (FWCP).
The collaborative effort conserves Gates Creek, which contains 111 hectares of forest and wetlands near D’Arcy, B.C. The site offers habitat for 14 various types of wildlife on the Species at Risk Act (SARA)-- the grizzly bear, olive-sided flycatcher, monarch butterfly, western toad and wolverine, among others.
Funding was supplied by FWCP to help find a long-term conservation solution for the "ecologically important area," according to a news release from NCC.
The deal also transferred the onwership of Gates Creek to NCC. The FWCP’s coastal region made an additional contribution to an endowment fund that will allow for the long-term stewardship of the conservation area.
Gates Creek in B.C. (Fernando Lessa)
“Here in British Columbia, we are fortunate to have an abundance of nature and biodiversity right in our backyards," said Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, in the news release. "Thanks to the Nature Conservancy of Canada and good projects like Gates Creek, we are creating a cleaner, healthier future for our children and grandchildren.”
Gates Creek is stationed on a low flood plain, fed by an underground aquifer. According to the NCC, wetland and streamside areas on the property are home to many rare and important species of plants, amphibians, birds and mammals. The river running through the property supports a wide range of fish species including salmon, trout, dolly varden and mountain whitefish.
GATES CREEK IS HABITAT FOR TWO AT-RISK SPECIES OF GRIZZLY BEARS
The conservation area also protects vital habitat for two at-risk populations of grizzly bears. Their future in this region is threatened by continued habitat loss and fragmentation.
This site contains South Chilcotin and Stein Nahatlatch populations of grizzlies. The NCC said "maintaining connectivity between these two grizzly populations is essential for their ongoing survival."
Gates Creek in B.C. (Fernando Lessa)
"This land is crucially important for the grizzly bears that roam the valley, as well as for the fish and other wetland-dependent species found here. Projects like Gates Creek make a meaningful contribution to our goal of conserving more land, faster, so that all life can thrive," said Nancy Newhouse, NCC's B.C. regional vice-president, in the media release.
Wetlands provide immense benefits to biodiversity, according to the NCC, with one in three provincial species at risk needing wetlands to meet some or all of their needs.
Thumbnail courtesy of Fernando Lessa.
Nathan Howes can be followed on Twitter: @HowesNathan.
