Middle Shuswap River

Project Description and Location: This project provides Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping (TEM) and a Sensitive Ecosystems Inventory theme of the middle Shuswap valley of British Columbia. The study area is 29 kilometres along the middle Shuswap river between Wilsey and Sugar Lake (Peers) dams and about 2 kilometres up Cherry, Ferry and Woodward Creeks as well as some areas below Wilsey dam.

Project partners: Funding and in-kind support was provided by

• The Okanagan Collaborative Conservation Program
• BC Hydro Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program-Coastal (BCHFWCP)
• Regional District of the North Okanagan
• Village of Lumby
• Splatsin First Nation
• Allan Brooks Nature Centre Society
• SDL Environmental Consulting
• The White Valley Resource Centre
• The Province of British Columbia and others

Project objectives: The Middle Shuswap River SEI was initiated in 2006 to provide inventory information on rare and fragile ecosystems that can be used for ecologically sustainable land use and development planning. The region has been subject to extensive agricultural conversion, human settlement pressure, spread of invasive alien plants, widespread recreation use, logging, and forest ingrowth.

Standards and scale used: The Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping (TEM) followed the Standard for Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping in British Columbia, 1998. The SEI theme followed the Standard for Mapping Ecosystems at Risk in British Columbia (2006). Mapping is presented at 1:20 000 scale.

Data and Reports

Report Authors: Kristi Iverson and Polly Uunila

Digital files on EcoCat: Sensitive Ecosystems Inventory: Middle Shuswap River, 2011