In an effort to preserve fish and wildlife habitat, The Land Conservancy (TLC) of BC announced a transference of seven hectares of land on the Mamquam Blind Channel to the District of Squamish on Tuesday (Jan. 26).
"This is an example of implementing one of our primary objectives in our draft Official Community Plan of preserving, protecting and enhancing the natural environment and environmentally sensitive areas," stated Mayor Greg Gardner in a press release.
The district has been working in close collaboration with TLC and River Watershed Society (SRWS) since 2006 to acquire the property bisected by Highway 99, just north of the Adventure Centre and north of Capilano University.
In Dec. 2008, TLC bought the land from BC Rail Properties for $385,000. This week the land went to the municipality for no fee. TLC will hold a conservation covenant, which will permanently protect the natural features of the area. Future management of the site will be in partnership with TLC, the District of Squamish and the SRWS.
Located on traditional territory of the Squamish Nation, the property is on a shared floodplain of the Squamish and Mamquam rivers and is surrounded by a tidal slough and drainage channels.
SRWS executive director Edith Tobe said the protected land will now be serve as a much needed east to west corridor, connecting habitat on either side of the highway.
"We're losing so many of these green swaths throughout the community for development that we're ending up with very linear trails and parks on either side of the highway but very little or wildlife to deal with going across the highway.
"This corridor represents one of the important east-west connectors across Highway 99," she said.
"I'm delighted. I'm tickled pink that this has finally reached fruition."
Besides the waterways, the upland area of the property includes a marsh meadow but is mostly forested with Sitka Spruce, Red Alder, Western Red Cedar and Black Cottonwood. The variety of habitats on the site provides refuge for many species, including various species-at-risk and nesting songbirds. The species-at-risk include the endangered Pacific Water Shrew and the threatened Red-Legged Frog.
President of the Squamish Environment Society, Catherine Jackson, said it's wonderful the land will be preserved as a habitat.
"It has a really high ecological value and in terms of habitat and that's really important because it creates a whole wide range of niches that provide biodiversity. If we don't preserve habitat and take habitat seriously then we're going to end up with four different species of birds, maybe," Jackson said.
The close proximity of the preserved land to the Adventure Centre - which serves as a tourist information stop - means the land has great future potential for educational purposes, according to the TLC press release. The expansion of the nearby trail system may also increase recreational access to the property.
TLC also acknowledged the assistance of BCR Properties Ltd., BC Hydro Bridge Coastal Restoration Fund, CN Cheakamus Ecosystem Recovery Fund, Pacific Salmon Foundation, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure's Sea to Sky Highway Improvement Project and BC Trust for Public Lands.
