Aquatic and Riparian Ecosystem Restoration On Galiano Island

Wetlands are zones that influenced by water either year round our seasonally. The water may be subsurface in the rooting zone or above ground. Riparian ecosystems are terrestrail zones that border wetlands, where there is a greater availability of water.

According to the BC Governments Sensitive Ecosystems Inventory, wetlands are the most productive ecosystems in the world. They also make up less than 1% of the Southern Gulf Islands land base and are highly vulnerable to many types of disturbance.

Between 1998-1999 the Galiano Conservancy Association undertook to map in detail the wetlands and streams on Galiano Island using GPS and GIS systems. Previous maps of the islands streams and wetlands was very coarse and often inaccurate. At present, wetlands and lakes make up 3% of the total Island land base area (See Status of Wetlands Map (Map4 Up-Close). Ecological restoration opportunities were identified and undertaken on two creek systems. Restoration efforts have included work on Murchison Creek where there is a resident cutthroat trout population and Greig Creek where work is being done to reintroduce Coho salmon. Restoration efforts were also undertaken at Laughling Lake, the headwaters of Greig creek.

The types of wetlands found on Galiano Island include lakes, shallow water, swamps, marshes, wet meadows, fens, and a bog.

These ecosystems are defined in the Sensitive Ecosystems Inventory: East Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands 1993-1997. Volume 2: Conservation Manual Mcphee, M., P. Ward, J. Kirkby, L. Wolfe, N. Page, K. Dunster, N.K. Dawe and I. Nykwist

Lakes: are permanently flooded bodies of water greater than two meters in depth.

Bogs: are acidic and low in nutrients, vegetation is characterized by sphagnum mosses and shrubs such as Labrador tea, bog rosemary and often carnivorous plants such as sundews. Bog vegetation receives both water and nutrients from precipitation alone.

Fens: Like bogs, fens are acidic and have a build up of mosses or sedges, fens differ in being fed water and nutrients from up slope allowing for a broader diversity of plants to grow including a variety of sedges, rushes and reedgrasses.

Marshes: are inundated with water daily, seasonally or permanently, and are characterized by a variety of sedges, rushes grasses and reeds.

Shallow water wetlands: feature submerged and floating plants such as yellow pond-lily.

Swamps: are characterized by flood-tolerant vegetation species and in particular swamps have at least 20% tree cover. Common swamp trees include western redcedar, cottonwood and willows, shrubs such as salmonberry, horsetail and skunk cabbage.

Wet meadows: are rare, with a grassy appearance provided by flood-tolerant grasses, low sedges and rushes.