Kootenay Rockies
Water world
BC’s vital wetlands are a world of wonder
Kootenay region is an area of profoundly beautiful wilderness. Ecotourism as a whole has taken hold of the area and travellers from the around the world come to the Kootenays for the landscape that stands tall and says, “Look at me! How fabulous am I? Gawk! Marvel! Gape in awe!”
Life is but a dream: Theo takes a break from paddling along the Columbia River wetlands on a self-guided canoe trip near Golden, BC. —photo by Tanya Laing
But there is also a more gentle, quiet beauty in Kootenays in the wetlands. Wetland areas teem with life—thousands of species of birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals flock to wetland areas. The marshes and bogs near lakes and rivers act as a filter for the environment and a nursery for plants, fish and insects. And for nature lovers, photographers and wildlife enthusiasts, the region's wetlands are enticing—and endangered.
The Kootenay River and the Columbia River are the two major river systems that run through the region. Both have their source in the BC Rockies, and at one point, pass within a mile of each other—flowing in opposite directions—before meeting at the confluence in Castlegar. The Columbia River is the fourth largest river system in North America, and the most dammed. In terms of blood control along the rivers and creating hydroelectric power for BC and the northwestern U.S., the dams are extremely beneficial. However, measuring the environmental and social impact of the dams is far more complex. In recent years, engineers have become very creative at protecting fish habitats along the river system, and environmental concerns are taken far more seriously than ever before. But for many of BC’s wetlands, it is too late. Damming has caused wetlands to be flooded and lost; in fact almost 85 per cent of BC’s wetlands have disappeared because of damming.
The Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area is at the juncture where the Kootenay River, flowing north from Idaho across the Canadian border, drains into the Kootenay Lake. 7,000 hectares of protected wetlands are accessible along berms, marsh walks, elevated viewing platforms and canoes with on-board naturalists. When my husband and I walked through the area—which looks so peaceful from the highway—we were constantly surprised by the the activity in the refuge. Tens of thousands of geese and ducks had gathered in the ponds before their migration south for the winter. We got the sense that we had intruded upon a raucous committee meeting. A non-stop murmur from the flocks would begin to escalate with the exchange of a few fowl words between a small number of geese, and then explode into a cacophony of every-bird-for-itself honking, quacking and flapping of wings. It was like Christmas dinner with my family.
The wetlands here are also popular with moose, elk, deer and bear—which we saw some, er, evidence of along the way. Staff at the interpretation centre are very bear aware, and provide information on how to avoid any unexpected encounters with local bruins. We were also told that every season is active in the wetlands. In the winter, otters have been spotted slipping and sliding along the ice, having a tremendous time and seemingly oblivious to the people who come to walk, snowshoe or cross-country ski along the pathways. This past spring, a cow moose and two calves were frequently spotted among the reeds. And summer is the idea time for the guided canoe trips through the water channels.
Spawning grounds
West of Revelstoke, along the TransCanada Highway, Enchanted Forest has been drawing tourists for decades. Children are delighted by the fairy tale statuettes among the old growth cedar, but for my brood, the real charm was beyond the fantastical and in the realm of the natural. The wetlands walk includes an opportunity to explore the lilypads and reeds from a rowboat. Rusty and I went in one rowboat while my two teenagers and the tween explored the pond in another. The sound of crickets, frogs and dragonflies managed to completely drown out the squabbling of siblings. Bliss.
The Eagle River, which runs alongside the Enchanted Forests wetland area, is the spawning ground of several varieties of salmon. Bright red, landlocked Kokanee salmon were just beginning to fill the streams when we visited. We knew they were almost in season and spent several minutes peering into deep, still waters for them. We saw one, then another, then another and then . . . hundreds. A red-bodied, red-blooded community of salmon were all gathering with a single purpose—and not a disco ball or driving musical beat was necessary for them to get down and get funky.
Merrily, merrily, life is but a dream
“In the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught.” — Baba Dioum, Senegalese conservationist
In Golden, the people at 7 Canyons Adventures invite their guests to learn, understand, love and conserve the Columbia River wetlands. Guided interpretive float tours with an on-board naturalist or exciting and informative jetboat rides
www.crestonwildlife.ca give close-up views of the amazing wildlife along the shores of the Columbia River and the importance of the wetlands to the health of the ecosystem. A new offering this past year has been self-guided canoe trips along the gentle Columbia River between Nicholson and Golden. My son Theo and I were provided with a quick reminder on canoe safety as well as all necessary equipment before launching into the smooth waters. For three hours, we paddled along the river, seeing nesting herons, bald eagles, ospreys, swallows, king fishers and more.
Paddle boats used to travel along the Columbia River late in the 19th and early 20th centuries and you can still see some of the pilings as you paddle along with the current. The best part of the trip, though, is something that, if you aren't looking for it, you could miss altogether. We were told by Larry Sparks, our guide and one of the owners of 7 Canyons Adventures, to watch for a channel on the left side of the river. And about 2/3 of the way into our journey, we found it.
The channel is just an opening that almost blends in with the reeds that line the river's banks. Many of the smaller channels we had paddled up were quiet, small sloughs that quickly became dead ends. Larry had only said, “I think you'll find something worth a few pictures.” Larry was entirely correct about this channel. We lazily paddled around a few corners in the quiet waters when the channel opened wide to reveal a huge slough, surrounded by reeds, forest and the towering Purcell and Rocky Mountains.
The water was perfectly clear—the wetlands act as a filtering system for the river—and vast. A whitetail doe swam across a narrow waterway. Hundreds of mallard and wood ducks bobbed peacefully on the ponds, swimming in groups or pairs. Palm-sized dragonflies passed alongside our canoe. We found out later from Larry that this particular slough ran south along the Columbia River for several kilometres, well past where we had started. In fact, these particular wetlands could be found almost as far south as the Columbia's headwaters near Fairmont, BC Unfortunately, because of upstream damming, they weren't found much north of Golden any more.
These areas need to be protected as much as possible. They are beautiful, teeming with life and absolutely vital to the health of our planet. Be sure to check them out. You'll love them. And you’ll want to look after them.
