Winter’s Marsh

Highlights

Winter’s Marsh Project consists of 14 hectares of pasture and oxbow wetland of the Okanagan River.

It is an Intermountain Wetland Conservation Program land purchase to prevent further fragmentation and loss of wetland habitats in this hot dry part of the province. Floodplain habitats in this valley are critical to migrant waterfowl, Okanagan River fish, relatively rare species of amphibians such as tiger salamanders and a variety of riparian species.

Although the project area has been used for hay production for the past 30 years, it has the potential to be fully restored as relatively natural floodplain habitat. Securing this property is consistent with DUC’s conservation goals, and the land will be incorporated into the adjacent 235-hectare South Okanagan Wildlife Management Area (SOWMA) that extends southwards to Osoyoos Lake.

Background

In the Okanagan Valley, 90% of wetlands have been drained or filled. In the 1950’s, the Okanagan River was converted into a canal to allow for agricultural use of the valley floor. This alteration impacted extensive floodplain habitats, isolated sections of natural riverbed and quiet oxbows, and reduced the natural fluctuations of the river. Since then, the remaining foodplain wetlands have been in greater jeopardy due to the gradual urban growth and increased competition for land for residential and commercial development. Conservation programs in this area focus on land acquisitions as the more permanent means of protecting remaining wetlands.

Winter’s Marsh property is part of the historical water course of the Okanagan River and lies immediately adjacent to the South Okanagan Wildlife Management Area and two other Ducks Unlimited Canada oxbow projects. The former owner Sandra Winter holds a 10-year lease of the homesite. The main oxbow within the parcel has a control structure on the south end that connects it to the river canal. There are also two separate smaller oxbows and several depressions that hold water seasonally. As the Okanagan Valley is a major migration corridor, over 25 species of waterfowl have been recorded using these habitats, often moving between the river canal and the oxbows.

Project Partners

Environment Canada
The BC Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection
Habitat Conservation Trust Fund
Ducks Unlimited Canada