Ecological Reserve Proposals Needing Urgent Action

 

Link to posts on Ecological Reserve Proposals on this website

Description and purpose of Candidate Ecological Reserves (ER) made known to Friends of Ecological Reserves 2014

Proposed New Ecological Reserves in B.C.

Proposed ER Name  (Location)	Bio-, Eco-, or Geo-logical Rationale for Conservation	Size	Status and Current Threats
Roberts Creek Ancient Forest Headwaters  (Sunshine Coast between two existing Wildlife Habitat Areas)	Unique associations of old-growth yellow-cedar (chamaecyparis nootkatensis) and very rare old-growth Western or Pacific yew (taxus brevifolia).	30 ha	No land use plan ever done; proposed addition to Elphinstone Prov Park; fragments of old-growth forest threatened by logging
Dakota Bowl Bear Sanctuary (Sunshine Coast)	Subalpine mixed stand of ancient yellow-cedar (chamaecyparis nootkatensis), Pacific silver fir (abies amabilis), and mountain hemlock (tsuga mertensiana); high number of black bear dens; hundreds of culturally modified trees, 77 from pre-1846, significant to Squamish First Nation.	80 ha	No land use plan ever done; proposed addition to Elphinstone Prov Park; fragments of old-growth forest scheduled for harvest in 2021
Clack Creek Forest Gallery  (Sunshine Coast between 2 proposed Wildlife Habitat Areas )	Old-growth Douglas-fir (pseudotsuga menziesii) forest underlain by the largest known population of the endangered, native plant snow bramble (rubus nivalis) a blue listed plant species, with 9 robust patches. Site between 2 proposed WHAs to protect blue-listed coastal tailed and red-legged frogs.	18 ha	No land use plan ever done; proposed addition to Elphinstone Prov Park; part of the site was logged in 2020, destroying 2 and damaging 2 of the red-listed snow bramble populations
Pink Mountain Alpine Plateau (180 km north of Fort St John beside Pink Mountain Prov. Park that protects a fossil site)	~1/3rd of the Pink Mountain alpine ridge contains the highest concentration of red and blue listed alpine species in central and northern B.C. These species are unique to this deep soil limestone ridge.	4,200 ha	Site proposed for protection during the current FSJ land use planning process; IPA designation considered; no decision yet
Eocene Fossil Site 1* (on private land in B.C. interior)	Very significant Eocene (~50 million years old) lakebed shales with extremely well preserved fish, feathers, insects, flower, fruits, seeds, etc.	< 2 ha	Recently sold; former owner was willing to sell to BC gov’t; fossils now at risk
Eocene Fossil Site 2* (on Crown land in B.C. interior with physically challenging access)	Very significant Eocene (~ 50 million years old) lakebed shales with extremely well preserved fish, feathers, insects, flower, fruits, seeds, etc.	10 ha	People collect and sell the internationally significant fossils
Eocene Fossil Site 2* (on both Crown and private land in B.C. interior)	Very significant Eocene (~50 million years old) lakebed shales with extremely well preserved fish, feathers, insects, flower, fruits, seeds, etc. Fossils are exposed along river banks due to erosion and undercutting by the salmon-bearing river; significant fisheries values.	~ 30-50 ha	Fossils at risk from erosion and people who collect and sell the internationally significant fossils

*SFU requests no location be shown due to the immediate threat from people who collect and sell the internationally significant fossils.

Unknown. A review of all ER purpose statements together with local knowledge is needed.

A review of these purpose statements is underway by Friends of Ecological Reserves.

1.The last ER added to the ER system was added in 2004 and since then management changes have resulted in a 3% reduction of terrestrial area and a 1% reduction in foreshore area of ERs an approximate 3200 ha reduction.

2. Andy MacKinnon, Sari Saunders, and Heather Klassen, September 11, 2013. Report on DK045 RCO Research Ecologists. Submitted to Norm Kempe, BCTS.

3. Coast Interior Archeology 2012. Culturally Modified Trees (CMT) Preliminary Field Report. Submitted to Elphinstone Logging Focus (ELF).

4. Snowline Ecological Research 2014. Tree age Report. Submitted to Elphinstone Logging Focus.

5. Provincial government bear biologist. 2013. Dakota Bowl Site visit. Report under development.

6. Strathcona Forestry Consulting 2014. Snow Bramble (Rubus Nivalis) Locations, Submitted to ELF

7. UBC Botany Field Study 2014 (in Preparation). Mapping and identification of plants and plant communities of Pink Mountain BC. Submitted to Ron Long.

8. BC Parks 2006. Pink Mountain Purpose statement. Ministry of Environment Parks.

9. This site is included in a summary paper by Archibald, S.B., Greenwood, D.R., Smith, R.Y., Mathewes, R.W., and Basinger, J.F. (2011). Great Canadian Lagerstätten. Early Eocene Lagerstätten of the Okanagan Highlands (British Columbia and Washington State). Geoscience Canada, 38: 155–164. A significant list of publications are associated with this site.

10. PhD thesis (Robin Smith, Univ. Saskatchewan and Brandon Univ.) and various subsequent scientific papers.

11. A short list of research associated with proposed Fossil site ERs (more complete list available contact Friends of Ecological Reserves)

Archibald, S.B. (2005) New Dinopanorpidae (Insecta: Mecoptera) from the Eocene Okanagan Highlands (British Columbia, Canada; Washington State,

USA). Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 42: 119–136. (DOI: 10.1139/E04-073)

Barton, D., and M.V.H. Wilson. 2005. Taphonomic variations in Eocene fish-bearing varves at Horsefly, British Columbia, reveal 10 000 years of

environmental change. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 42:137-149.

Basinger, J.F., E. McIver, and W.C. Wehr. 1996. Chapter 20. Eocene conifers of the Interior; pp. 248-258 in R. Ludvigsen (ed.), Life in Stone: A Natural

History of British Columbia’s Fossils. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 310 pp.

Rouse, G.E., W.S. Hopkins, and K.M. Piel. 1971. Palynology of some Late Cretaceous and Early Tertiary deposits in British Columbia and adjacent Alberta. Geological Society of America Special Paper 127:213-246.

Stockey, R.A., and W.C. Wehr. 1996. Chapter 19. Flowering plants in and around Eocene lakes of the Interior; pp. 234-247 in R. Ludvigsen (ed.), Life in Stone: A Natural History of British Columbia’s Fossils. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 310 pp.

Potential Candidate Ecological Reserves 2014. FER proposes assessment criteria be developed and used to pilot these candidates in 2015.