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The Yellowhead Highway
BC Wildlife Watch migratory bird, mammal,
amphibian, and plant life viewing sites,
complete with trails and observation towers, are located
in Valemount's Starratt Wildlife Sanctuary and
Hicks Regional Park.
At
Jackman Flats, south of Tete Jaune Cache, visitors will
find unique botanical interpretive trails. And
August and September is the time to witness the always-amazing
spectacle of the Fraser River salmon run in Rearguard
Falls Provincial Park.
Okanagan Valley
For a special wildlife-viewing experience, take
a day to visit Vaseux Lake Provincial Park, south of
Penticton on Hwy 97. Here, the Vaseux Lake Nature Trust
operates the Vaseux Wildlife Centre in a multiagency
cooperative project. In addition, there is a Canadian
Wildlife Service wildlife sanctuary adjacent to the
park and two Wildlife Management Units ensuring protection
of critical bighorn sheep winter range. The cliffs
surrounding the park include spring and winter range
of California bighorn sheep, and the area is famous
for bird-watching. Grasses, reeds, willows, and shrubs
along the shore afford a home to many varieties of birdlife.
Waterfowl, including trumpeter swans, widgeons, Canada
geese, wood ducks, and blue-winged teal,
are common. In spring, the beautiful lazuli bunting
has been seen. Other bird species present include chukar
partridge, wrens, swifts, sage thrashers, woodpeckers,
curlews, and dippers. Mammal species found here
include beavers, bats, cottontail rabbits, muskrats,
deer, and mice. Rattlesnakes, toads, and
turtles also live in this area. Considerable
populations of largemouth bass, rainbow trout, and carp
make their home in the water, and in winter, the frozen
lake offers excellent conditions for ice fishing as
well as other ice-related activities.
If you're in the town of Kelowna itself, you can watch
kokanee salmon spawning mid-September to mid-October
in Lion's Park from a BC Wildlife viewing area off Springfield
Rd or during a guided tour; and you can take advantage
of another BC Wildlife migratory bird-viewing site
at Bertram Creek Regional Park.
The Trans-Canada Highway
The 2,440-acre (988 hectares) Roderick Haig-Brown
Provincial Park encompasses the entire length of the
Adams River, the site of the largest sockeye salmon
run on the West Coast. There's an excellent interpretive
area that explains the whole phenomenal trek. A 'dominant'
run happens every four years, followed by years of much
smaller runs. The next dominant run will be in 2002,
and the sockeye will be joined by chinook, coho,
and pink salmon. The exact dates of the late
summer-early fall salmon run depend on temperature,
rainfall, and water levels. Many
wild critters live in this park, among them bears,
beavers, and river otters.
In
the town of Salmon Arm, the mouth of the Salmon River
is alive with breeding and nesting birds, especially
Clark's and western grebes, from April
to June. Downtown, the Rotary Peace Park and Public
wharf has a BC Wildlife Watch viewing area and picnic
site, and offers good access to the river and its birds.
Crowsnest
Hihgway: South Okanagan Valley
If you're travelling Hwy 3 during the early morning,
watch for a mountain goat colony that inhabits the exposed,
rocky north side of the higway between Hedley and Keremeos.
Manning
Provincial Park provides excellent wildlife-viewing
opportunities. Small mammals, including marmots,
beavers, and chipmunks, share the wilderness
areas with black bears, mule deer, and coyotes.
Beavers, elk, and moose reside
in the park but are seldom seen. Birdlife is
abundant, especially in summer, with 206 species to
watch for. Early morning is the best time for observing
birds and mammals. As always in wilderness areas, hikers
and campers should be alert for wild animals, especially
bears, and take the necessary safety precautions.
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