Bundled in our jackets, toques, and gloves, I’m joined by TLC staff and local Salt Spring Island supporters in the cool shade of one of the island’s rare coastal temperate rainforests. Enormous bigleaf maples (Acer macrophyllum) and western redcedars (Thuja plicata) – some believed to be 250 years old – surround and tower over us, leaving our small group a bit chilly on this rainy fall day.

The 15.5-acre Creekside Rainforest property is located on the east coast of Salt Spring Island. This area is the territory of the Cowichan, Penelakut, Paquachin, Malahat, Tsawout, Tsartlip, and Tseycum Nations. Evidence of their habitation including culturally modified trees and village sites in the nearby estuary make this important area significant from a cultural as well as ecological perspective. The vanilla leaf (Achlystriphylla), thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus), blackcap raspberry (Rubus Leucodermis), and huckleberry (Vaccinium parvifolium) found on the property have been cultivated for generations.

Fallen bigleaf maple leaves litter our path and swish and crunch as we shuffle through them. The walking trail we are following bisects the property and winds parallel to Cusheon Creek below us in the deep, forested ravine. From this vantage point, the steep valley walls are pronounced. In one section water trickles across our path and down the valley toward the creek; any disturbance to the area on the upper ridges would have a significant impact on the pristine creek habitat below.

The shady forest that is keeping us bundled today also acts to keep the creek at the valley bottom cool despite increasing annual temperatures. This undisturbed tree canopy and the shade it provides makes this pristine creek an ideal environment for salmon. Directly connected to an estuary at Cusheon Cove, salmonids swim upstream through this section of the creek to their spawning and rearing habitat.

As we continue our hike, we are surrounded by a spectrum of shades of green: from a variety of moss and lichen that adorn the trees to sword ferns (Polystichum munitum) that fill the understory, shade-loving plants thrive in this intact forest. This lush property includes two ecosystems that are provincially classified as imperiled: western redcedar-Douglas-fir-Oregon beaked moss and western redcedar-grand fir-foamflower. This moist environment is also prime for endangered gastropods (i.e., slugs and snails) under threat from habitat loss and fragmentation. In fact, blue-listed broadwhorl tightcoil (Pristiloma johnsoni) and threaded vertigo (Nearctula sp.) are anticipated to occur on the property.

A variety of species at risk call these ecosystems home. The blue-listed great blue heron (Ardea herodias fannini) and northern red-legged frog (Rana aurora) both require the combination of riparian and forested habitat found in the rainforest for success in breeding and foraging. We anticipate finding species at risk including little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus), peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus anatum), and western screech-owl (Megascops kennicottii kennicottii) given the habitat and identification in adjoining areas.

Thankfully, 19.5 acres to the west of this parcel were protected in 2008. As well, Salt Spring Island’s network of protected areas help the Cusheon Creek corridor to avoid fragmentation for the health of the rainforest and the wildlife that find sanctuary within it.

In partnership with Salt Spring Island Conservancy (SSIC), TLC is raising funds to keep Creekside Rainforest intact through acquisition. SSIC will hold title in perpetuity to protect this riparian area and allow access for light hiking and educational opportunities. With a grant and local community support we have raised more than 95% required to protect this rainforest. Today, we are fundraising the final $20,000 to complete this project.

You can support Creekside Rainforest on Salt Spring Island by making a tax-receiptable gift toward the project. Donations can be made by visiting TLC’s website at www.conservancy.bc.ca or calling 1-877-485-2422.

~ Dianna Stenberg, TLC Deputy Executive Director