Widgeon Valley National Wildlife Area

Widgeon Valley National Wildlife Area is a National Wildlife Area located near the south end of Pitt Lake in British Columbia, Canada.[2] The property was purchased by the Nature Trust of British Columbia in 1973 and declared a National Wildlife Area by the Canadian Wildlife Service in October of that year.[3]

Widgeon Valley National Wildlife Area
IUCN category Ia (strict nature reserve)[1]
Widgeon Valley
Location in British Columbia
LocationMetro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Nearest cityPitt Meadows
Coordinates49°22′10″N 122°38′00″W
Area125 ha (310 acres)
DesignationNational Wildlife Area
EstablishedOctober 1973
Governing bodyCanadian Wildlife Service
WebsiteWidgeon Valley NWA

Geography

The protected area is located in a broad, flat-bottomed valley immediately west of the south end of Pitt Lake. The valley is dominated by Widgeon Creek, which meanders throughout the valley to form a vast wetland before draining into Widgeon Slough.[4]

Ecology

Despite its small size, Widgeon Valley NWA hosts a variety of habitat types. The central lowlands are dominated by a dense stand of hardhack interspersed with grasses, forbs, and skunk cabbage. The uplands along the western end of the NWA feature a mixed deciduous-conifer woodland. The wetlands of Widgeon Valley feature lodgepole pine interspersed within a diverse collection of shrubby vegetation, most notably Labrador tea and horsetail.[3]

The wetlands of Widgeon Valley provide critical habitat for migratory waterfowl and other wetland-dependent wildlife. Its close proximity to Pitt Polder and other wetland areas contribute to the biodiversity and ecological resilience of the Pitt Lake region.[3]

See also

References
  1. "Widgeon Valley National Wildlife Area". Protected Planet. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  2. "Widgeon Valley National Wildlife Area". BC Geographical Names.
  3. Canada, Environment and Climate Change (2011-11-25). "Widgeon Valley National Wildlife Area". aem. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
  4. "Widgeon Slough". apps.gov.bc.ca. Retrieved 2020-10-29.

Media related to Widgeon Valley National Wildlife Area at Wikimedia Commons


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.