7 Hectares Located in the District of Sooke, Covenanted in 1998
Ayum Creek’s floodplain was subject to an application for a townhouse complex in 1995, the plan was rejected because it did not fit in Sooke’s Official Community plan. The community who in large were supporters of salmon bearing stream protection organized to form a group called the Society for the Protection of Ayum Creek which established in 1996. One of the main objectives was to attain protection of the lands surrounding Ayum Creek floodplain and estuary. Successfully, TLC, in partnership with CRD Parks, Sea-to-Sea Greenbelt Society and other contributors from the Sea-to-Sea Green/Blue Belt Alliance helped purchase and protect one of the last estuaries left in the region at the mouth of Ayum Creek, the salmon spawning stream and its’ riparian and forest habitats.
The property is now owned by the CRD. Partial ecological inventories reveal that the park contains at least 107 species of native plants, including two rare species. Fifty-one species of birds have been observed, including the endangered purple martin. Coho and chum salmon return each fall to spawn in Ayum Creek. The area also holds cultural significance as it is within the T’Sou-ke and Beecher Bay First Nations traditional territories. Ayum Creek Regional Park is the southwest anchor for the Sea to Sea Green/Blue Belt established by CRD Parks. The park provides a vital link continuing the protection of Ayum Creek North from the Sooke Harbour to the Galloping Goose Linear Park and north towards the Sooke Hills. The conservation covenant on this land, which is co-held by TLC and Habitat Acquisition Trust (HAT), provides protection in perpetuity of the important estuary and sensitive salmon spawning habitat.
Stream restoration on Ayum Creek in 1998 was conducted by the Society for the Protection of Ayum Creek which successfully improved the stream bed conditions to provide habitat for returning salmon. TLC began a restoration research project in 2017 in partnership with CRD parks and funding supported by TD Friends of the Environment Foundation. The objective is to determine if the technique commonly called ‘lasagna gardening’ is an effective tool in smothering out the invasive plant periwinkle (Vinca minor). Without intervention the spread of this garden escapee threatens the biodiversity and stream stability of Ayum Creek. Preliminary results are showing a positive response from the treatment.
Directions: Drive towards Sooke along Sooke Hwy., Ayum Creek Regional Park is located adjacent to Sooke Road, approximately 40km west of Victoria.
Learn more about the Ayum Creek properties.
View the covenant monitoring team’s 2014 and 2015 updates on this covenant.
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