On October 12, 2012, the Vance Creek Ecological Reserve Warden Rick Fairbairn met with Garry Fletcher, Friends of Ecological Reserves Board member and Niran Lella to talk about the reserve, its problems and its special features. A walk through several areas and a drive to a heavily logged area above the reserve demonstrated to us some of the problems. It seems very odd that clearcut logging would be permitted above the reserve like this, but apparently with no adequate buffer zones, this is bound to happen. The fact that the Deafies Lake Forestry road runs right through the reserve is a large part of the problem. It even provides access to a cliff above the reserve for a local paragliding group. With all the activity in the reserve, trail building , footbridge building and the like, it seems that many people in the local community do not really understand the reason for an Ecological Reserve. Several management problems are evident, and it would appear that if these are not dealt with by BC Parks, further deterioration of the reserve will ensue. The gallery below shows some of the images taken by Garry and Niran.
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- The treeline in the image shows the border of the Ecological reserve. The fact that clearcutting has been allowed here is incredibly shortsighted.
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- Rick Fairbairn shows Garry the clearcut in the watershed above Vance Creek.
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- Monotropa uniflora–Indian Pipe. This is a pure white myco-heterotroph in the summer.
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- Monotropa uniflora–Indian Pipe seed pods.
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- White birch occur throughout the reserve.
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- An unusual large bracket fungus.
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- Bracket fungus.
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- An unusual bracket fungus sp?
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- One of the many old growth logs fallen naturally in the reserve.
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- Bracket fungi
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- Unusual burl growths on a Douglas fir
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- The bark of an old-growtf Douglas FIr
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- Garry and an old growth Douglas fir.
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- Dwarf Scouring-rush – Equisetum scirpoides in the wet areas along the path north of the road.
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- A sedge growing in the wet forested area.
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- Cones of the old growth larch trees in the reserve.
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- Foot-bridge built across the creek by someone without permit.
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- White pine cone from a mature old growth tree.
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- Cedar now a wildlife tree.
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- Heavily used trails can be seen in the reserve.
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- There seems to be a real need for local education about the purpose of an ecological reserve.
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- Several groups use the reserve without permisssion and build structures and trails.
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- Someone likes building birdhouses in the reserve, an action not allowed in an ecological reserve.
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- Vance Creek below the bridge.
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- Vegetation along the creek
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- The bridge across Vance Creek used by logging trucks and recreational vehicles.
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- The road near the bridge is narrower than that allowed on forest access roads.
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- A load of logs coming down through the reserve. The logs are taken from areas in the watershed above the reserve..
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- Ecological Reserve Warden Rick Fairbairn.
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- This proliferation of signs on the road at the entrance to the road through the reserve indicates heavy use..
