Tunkwa Watershed

Project Location

BC Intermountain Southwest of Kamloops, in association with the Tunkwa Lake Provincial Park.

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Common Wildlife

  • Mallard
  • Northern Pintail
  • Gadwall
  • American Wigeon
  • Northern Shoveler
  • Green-winged Teal
  • Blue-winged Teal
  • Cinnamon Teal
  • Ring-necked Duck
  • Lesser Scaup
  • Canvasback
  • Barrow's Goldeneye
  • Bufflehead
  • Canada Goose
 

Tunkwa Watershed

Highlights

The Tunkwa Watershed Project contains over 280 hectares of wetland habitats within 5,100 hectares of rangeland and forests.

This Intermountain Wetland Conservation Program project is aligned with several high priority conservation goals for the region, as it lies within the rangeland landscape as described in DUC's vision, and because of its close proximity to urban centres like Kamloops and Logan Lake.

Ranching, forestry, angling, and outdoor recreation all rely upon the water and wetlands within the Tunkwa Watershed, but these land uses in many years have resulted in some degradation of waterfowl nesting and both upland and wetland habitats. This DUC project addresses range management practices and water supply management in order to integrate the needs of these diverse user groups.

Background

Historically, two major reservoirs in this watershed, Tunkwa and Leighton Lakes, have been stocked with rainbow trout on a regular basis. The area is considered a vacation destination for angling and camping. Tunkwa Lake Provincial Campground can accommodate 2,000 visitors at a time and this puts considerable pressure on natural resources in the surrounding area. These lakes were originally established for irrigation purposes by local ranchers and continue to be of utmost importance to downstream users.

Despite an elevation of over 1,100m, the Tunkwa Watershed experiences a very dry, hot summer climate. The area is primarily Douglas-fir forest that is interspersed with wetlands and grasslands. The wetlands play a significant role in increasing the heterogeneity and biodiversity of the landscape, and provide important breeding, migration and staging habitat for waterfowl.

Ducks Unlimited Canada became involved with the Tunkwa Watershed in the mid-1990's with the realization that important wetland and waterfowl habitat exists on the Tunkwa Range. In 1998 a grazing management system addressed the impacts of domestic livestock on both upland and wetland habitats. By securing water supplies for this complex, and working with ranchers, water licensees, and the appropriate government agencies, the Tunkwa Watershed will be enhanced for wildlife, industry and recreation.

Project Partners

  • Ducks Unlimited Canada
  • The BC Ministry of Water, Land & Air Protection (MWLAP)
  • BC Habitat Conservation Trust Fund
  • The Tunkwa-Durand Watershed Group

 

 
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