ABOUT THE COLUMBIA VALLEY WETLANDS

B.C.’s  Columbia Valley contains one of the longest systems of continuous wetlands in North America.

Over 265 species of birds have been recorded in a 150 km stretch of the Columbia Valley Wetlands from Canal Flats to Spillimacheen.  Lewis’ woodpecker, Blue Grouse, Great Blue Heron, Osprey, Bald Eagle, American Dipper and the Wood duck. Eagles are common throughout the year but can be seen most abundantly along the  river when the Kokanee Salmon spawn in the shallow creek beds.  The wetlands are also a main congregation area for trumpeter and tundra swan to rest and replenish food reserves for the long migrations in spring and fall.

Various wildlife can be seen along the spectacular expanses of marsh, river and woodland habitats of the Columbia Valley floor.  Moose, deer and coyote are common throughout the year.  Black bear are present and are most commonly seen when the salmon spawning takes place.  Watch for beaver, otter and muskrat especially in the evenings. 

Flanked by grasslands, forest, alpine meadows and rocky crags this "Serengeti of the North" supports abundant wildlife and provides spectacular vistas

More pictures about the area are available at
http://www.flyingmax.com/area.htm

The information below is a extract from
Living Lakes - Columbia Wetlands website

Lake Characteristics

The Columbia Wetlands are 27,430 ha. of publicly and privately owned lands, including two large lakes, Columbia Lake, the headwaters of the Columbia River, an important water source for the Pacific Northwest region, and Windermere Lake. The floodplain is a contiguous mosaic of diverse wetlands, aquatic and riparian habitats, recognized as having regional, provincial, national, and international significance.

While countless wetlands across the planet are destroyed daily through draining, pollution or development, one of the longest contiguous wetland in North America continues in a natural state in the Southeast corner of British Columbia, Canada.

The great Columbia River system, providing water for wildlife and human populations throughout the Pacific Northwest, has sustained centuries of human impacts. The river, the fourth largest in North America by volume, has been dammed, confined, channeled, and put to work to serve a human master. Many other wetlands that once provided habitat for migrating birds are now lost behind the dams.

The Columbia Wetlands have become a critical part of the Pacific flyway, almost the only remaining intact resting and breeding habitat for migrating and resident species.

Watershed Characteristics

The Columbia Wetlands and lakes are nestled between two spectacular mountain ranges in southeastern British Columbia, Canada. On the west side, the Purcell and Selkirk Mountains stand as remnants of ancient volcanoes reaching heights of over 3000 meters. On the east the more ragged peaks of the Rocky Mountains are the younger geological feature. Formed by uplift, the Canadian Rockies also reach heights of 3000 meters. The towering peaks of both ranges remain snow-capped in summer. There are no foothills and the mountains seem to grow directly from the valley bottom except for intermittent benches.

Most of the unsettled lands of the watershed are forested, with diverse ecosystems, including, in the drier southern Douglas fir and Ponderosa Pine, further north Engelmann and White Spruce, western Red Cedar, Mountain Hemlock, birch, aspen, and cottonwood.

80 wild fresh water streams draining the mountains on either side feed the Columbia Wetlands. From Columbia Lake to Donald, the Columbia River drops less than 65 meters in 180 kilometers. As a result, the main channel of the Columbia River meanders from side to side and around alluvial fans at the outflows of the various tributaries. Marshes and ponds are formed within the bends of the river, resulting in an almost contiguous wetland.

Columbia Lake is at 810 meters and Windermere Lake at 799 meters. The wetlands are comprised largely of open water (30%) and Marsh (35%).

Geological History

A complex fault zone between the two mountain ranges created the Rocky Mountain Trench, which contains the Columbia Wetlands. The trench is a remarkable landform, over 1600 km long, 3 to 5 km. wide. Its floor is flat and lies between 760 and 960 meters above sea level.

Geological events during and following the last glaciation have created a landscape dominated by large sand and gravel out washes and terraces. At the end of the last glaciation, a temporary glacial lake extended for some 130 km, resulted in the deposition of deep silt deposits over much of the area. Subsequent erosion and deposition of gravel, sand and silts moved by the river and streams further modified the landscape by creating terraces, scarps, erosion gullies and channels. Continuous sediment deposition has produced large fans that have in filled across the valley. The damming effect of these fans created Columbia Lake, Windermere Lake and the shallow floodplain of the wetlands.

Biological Characteristics

The Columbia River wetlands are home to the second largest concentration of Great Blue Herons in western Canada with a colony of more than 300 pairs. 15 000 waterfowl in the autumn and more than 1000 Tundra Swans in the spring have been counted in single day bird counts. Large nesting concentrations of Bald Eagles and Osprey take advantage of the many non- sport fish species as their main food source.

On the basis of direct census the wetlands are known to support in excess of 10,000 coots during the fall migration. Spring counts have totaled more than 10,000 swans, geese and ducks (1,200 swans, 2,000 geese, 1,000 diving ducks, 7,000 dabbling ducks). Kokanee Salmon, Rocky Mountain Whitefish, Ling Cod and several varieties of Trout all breed in the Columbia River.

Other species rely on this unique wetland/grassland ecosystem as well - and up to 90% of the Elk and 70 % of the deer population of the region utilize the wetlands as essential winter range. The relatively low amount of snow in the valley bottom allows them to easily reach their food sources at this energetically critical time of the year.

Moose, cougar, wolves, black and grizzly bears, coyotes, mink, river otters, and beaver are among the larger mammal species found in the wetland. The soils deposited by an ever-changing river system make an excellent habitat for North America's most northerly population of Badgers, now considered endangered. Colorful reptiles and amphibians also utilize the wetlands as well, including Rubber Boa, Painted Turtles, and the endangered Leopard Frog.

Human History

The region has a long history of occupation by indigenous people. Artifacts dating from 5000 to 7000 years ago have been found in upper Columbia Valley. Camps and settlements of the K'tunaxa people, as well as dozens of underground pit houses of the Shuswap people are located in the valley. Prior to the development of extensive hydroelectric projects downstream, the upper Columbia was a main salmon river, the fish representing a staple of the diets of the indigenous people.

The famous Canadian explorer, David Thompson, was the first European, arriving in 1807. The early commerce was the fur trade with placer gold and other mining, forest and railway construction following, in the 1860s. Homesteaders followed in the 1880s and 90s.

Until the railway was built, the Columbia River was the major artery or transport up and down the valley. Sternwheelers operated throughout, as a government dredge deepened the main channel. In 1915 when dredging ceased, the main channel again filled with silt and the water table once more rose in the wetlands.

As the wetlands are influenced by the annual cycle of flooding and because the climate for agriculture is marginal and population in the area relatively sparse, the wetlands escaped draining and development.

Because of its unsurpassed value to sustaining diverse wildlife populations, the area was government legislated as a Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in 1996 after decades of study and public consultation processes. Community groups throughout the region came together in agreement. This widely acknowledged ecological treasure must be protected. The WMA designation is found in the BC Wildlife Act, and affords, under this legislation, a far greater opportunity to protect wildlife than would be established on other crown lands in the province. Here, as in few other places, the well-being and interests of wildlife take precedence over our own.

information from
Living Lakes - Columbia Wetlands website