CHILLIWACK TIMES (British Columbia) 25 March 08 Nowhere else to be found (Paul J. Henderson)
Chilliwack is a pretty unique place to live in Canada, but if you're a coastal giant salamander it's the only place to be.
Literally.
"It is only found in the Chilliwack watershed," said Zoey Slater, a UCFV biology graduate who works with the South Coast Conservation Program (SCCP), a multi-partner organization that works to conserve species and ecosystems at risk in the Lower Mainland. "Not Abbotsford, not Langley. We are the last little pocket."
The red-listed amphibian loves fast-moving, clear water and the Vedder Mountain and Majuba Hill area is the northern tip of its range in the Northern Cascades.
Slater and others with the SCCP have worked in the hills and with property owners in Ryder Lake, Majuba Hill and in areas of Abbotsford to educate landowners about the many endangered species in the region.
"There is no regulation for species at risk on private land," Slater said. "People can do what they want, so we are trying to encourage people to steward their land responsibly."
This Saturday the SCCP holds the second annual open house for homeowners to learn about species at risk, local wildlife and habitat enhancement tips.
Things such as pesticide and chemical use is an issue, according to Slater, but there are simpler things too such as keeping pets out of streams.
Some funding to protect species at risk comes from the federal government, but a report from the Auditor General of Canada released earlier this month concluded that the federal government is in violation of its own environmental laws when it came to protecting species at risk. The report found that of the 228 recovery strategies that were required as part of the Species at Risk Act just 55 had been completed by June of last year.
The A-G concluded the government's job in this regard was "unsatisfactory," and that while Environment Canada is responsible for most of the species at risk in Canada: "The Department is clearly behind in delivering on its responsibilities."
Rural landowners in the local area are more aware than ever about species at risk because of the SCCP work, and Slater hopes even more can be done at Saturday's meeting. Education is essential to protect species such as the coastal giant salamander as well as the rare phantom orchid. There are just over 300 phantom orchids in all of B.C. some of which have been found in the Ryder Lake area.
- Saturday's community open house is from 1-4 p.m. at Evergreen Hall (9291Corbould St.) and there will be guest speakers, refreshments, door prizes and more. For more info contact sccp@fraservalleyconservancy.ca or call 604-864-5530.
Facts on the Coastal Giant Salamander:
- in decline due to expanding towns, intensive agriculture and logging
- can grow up to 35 centimetres
- lives in or near cool, clear mountain streams
- spends most of its time under logs, rocks or in burrows
- takes two to four years to reach sexual maturity, but up to six years in B.C.
- they may live up to 25 years
- feeds on insects, slugs, snails, worms, mice and amphibians
- Canadian range is exclusively in Chilliwack area
- one of the only salamanders capable of vocalization: when threatened it can produce a low-pitched growl or bark
Nowhere else to be found