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Trout Creek Management Plan-2016
See the full pdf of the plan here: trout-crk-er-mp
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Management Plan Purpose
The purpose of this document is to guide the management of Trout Creek Ecological Reserve.
This management plan:
articulates the key features and values of the ecological reserve;
identifies the types and levels of management activities;
establishes the long-term vision and management objectives to be met; and,
responds to current and predicted future threats and opportunities by defining a set of management strategies.
1.2 Planning Area
Trout Creek Ecological Reserve is 75 hectares in size and is located at the southwest base of Mount Conkle on the western side of the Okanagan Valley, approximately five kilometres from the city centre of Summerland within the Northern Okanagan Basin Ecosection.
The ecological reserve, which ranges in elevation from 540 to 850 metres, is bounded by the steep narrow canyon of Trout Creek to the south and west, beyond which is the Penticton Indian Band’s Reserve No. 1. The ecological reserve contains both low elevation intact grasslands and open ponderosa forest then trends to mid-elevation Douglas-fir forest within the Trout Creek drainage.
Undeveloped Crown land is located to the north and east; and to the southeast is the Summerland Golf and Country Club with golf fairways located within close proximity to the ecological reserve’s boundary. Access to the ecological reserve is by foot, most readily from the edge of the golf course property.
There are several other ecological reserves within a 100 kilometre radius of Trout Creek Ecological Reserve, but all conserve very different ecological characteristics than what is contained within the Trout Creek Ecological Reserve. Mahoney Lake Ecological Reserve (25 kilometres south) protects a provincially significant alkali lake ecosystem; Campbell Brown (Kalamalka Lake) Ecological Reserve preserves ecosystems that are transitional between Interior Douglas-fir and Ponderosa Pine biogeoclimatic zones as well as rattlesnake habitat; Buck Hills Road Ecological Reserve conserves a small stand of western larch including some large, old-growth specimens; Cougar Canyon Ecological Reserve near Kalamalka Lake conserves representative interior Douglas-fir ecosystems, small lakes and associated wetlands; Browne Lake Ecological Reserve preserves a wet meadow ecosystem and surrounding forests in the Interior Douglas-fir – Montane Spruce transition zone; and Lily Pad Lake Ecological Reserve protects an undisturbed highland lake with unique flora and fauna.
Trout Creek Ecological Reserve Management Plan 2
With respect to nearby provincial parks and protected areas, Eneas Lake Park (27 kilometres northwest), Darke Lake Park (21 kilometres northwest), Brent Mountain Protected Area (14 kilometres southwest) and Nickel Plate Park (24 kilometres southwest) are higher elevation forested or alpine sites set aside primarily for backcountry recreation; while Okanagan Lake Park (14 kilometres north), Sun-Oka Park and Kickininee Park (both approximately 5 kilometres east) are primarily beach and swimming destinations.
The general landscape in the area of the ecological reserve was subjected to logging (most likely in the early 1900s) and evidence of past horse logging (e.g., haul roads) and tree falling (stumps) are still visible within the site.