Elk Valley Sub-Region

• Conservation, restoration and enhancement of riparian and wetland habitats
  • Priority: floodplain wetlands between Elko and Elkford, riparian cottonwood floodplain forests, and low elevation riparian zones along tributaries.
• Restoration and enhancement of native fish and fish habitat
  • Priority species: westslope cutthroat trout, bull trout.
  • Priority habitat: Elk River and tributaries spawning, rearing, overwintering habitat.

• Conservation, restoration and enhancement of habitats that support species of interest and conservation concern
  • Priority habitat: old growth forests, ungulate winter range, grasslands (high and low elevation listed ecosystems), dry forest types at low to mid-elevation, and south facing slopes.
  • Priority species: Rocky Mountain elk, bighorn sheep, badger, grizzly bear, wolverine, bats, flammulated owl, western screech-owl, whitebark pine, and huckleberries.

• Protection and enhancement of Indigenous cultural value
  • Priority: traditional use and traditional knowledge.

• Reducing, mitigating, and/or managing ecosystem threats
  • Road density
  • Recreation and access management
  • Invasive species
  • Wildfire and fire suppression
  • Climate change
  • Cumulative effects (forestry, mining, rural-urban development)
  • Wildlife collisions

Opening forest canopy and promoting vegetation growth are both vital steps in enhancing 296 hectares of forest, grassland and wetland ecosystems at the Big Ranch Conservation Property Complex for Rocky mountain elk and other species. Big Ranch is owned by The Nature Trust of BC and is located between Elkford and Sparwood. The five-year project, led by the Sparwood and District Fish and Wildlife Association, involves activities such as removing trees to allow light to reach the understory, fertilizing grasses and treating invasive weeds. Other steps include creating wildlife trees, repairing a wetland complex and planting trees in some areas to create visual buffers between humans and wildlife.

“Land-use changes and a fragmented landscape have harmed critical habitat required to support thriving wildlife populations in the Elk Valley,” said Matt Huryn, President of the Sparwood and District Fish and Wildlife Association. “This project will help reverse the impacts as the property returns to its natural state as a forest-grassland corridor, increasing winter range and restoring grassland ecosystems for the benefit of elk and species-at-risk.”