Vance Creek Purpose Statement- 2006

The 47 hectare Vance Creek Ecological Reserve is located 6 km north of Lumby. The reserve straddles the excluded Trinity Valley road and Defies Creek road, a narrow logging road off the Trinity Valley road.

See the full PDF file from BC Parks: vance_crk_er_ps

Primary Role
Starting in 1939, the site was used as a research and training site for the Vernon Entomology Laboratory of the Canadian Forestry Service. Subsequently the local schools used the area as an outdoor classroom. A shelter with a small parking area and a network of trails were established. Use by school groups from Vernon and Lumby has been intermittent over the years. The reserve has a volunteer warden in place.
Immediately south of the ecological reserve boundary a conditional water license authorizes withdrawal of water from Vance Creek for irrigation and domestic uses.

Primary Role The primary role of Vance Creek Ecological Reserve is to protect a portion of the Douglas fir ecosystem and the riparian values associated with Vance Creek. The reserve was selectively logged in the 1930s and now supports second growth forest dominated by two Douglas fir communities, falsebox-prince’s pine and bunchberry-queen’s cup. Seepage supplies water to two small swamp-forest stands which extend down-slope to Vance Creek with western red cedar, skunk cabbage, lady fern and horsetails. Blue-listed Bigleaf Sedge (Carex amplifolia) and Fox Sedge () are present in the reserve.

 

Secondary Role :

The secondary role is to provide a permanent site in the Vernon region for teaching forest ecology and related subjects. This role will continue as long as local schools are interested in using the reserve as an outdoor classroom.

 

See the full PDF file from BC Parks: vance_crk_er_ps for Management and Issues.