Skaha Lake–Eastside

BC Conservation Foundation provided $150,000 that helped the Nature Trust of BC secure 35.4 hectares on the eastside of Skaha Lake. This property is adjacent to an existing Skaha Lake Property complex which includes the 6,491 hectares McTaggart-Cowan/Nsək’łniw’t Wildlife Management Area (WMA) primarily secured for the protection and management of Bighorn Sheep habitat.

The topography throughout the parcel is ideal for Bighorn Sheep. It is generally steep with some flat interspersed benchlands. The lower portions are grasslands, transitioning through mixed forest at the mid-level to rocky terrain at higher elevations.

This parcel is located in two of the most endangered biogeo-climatic zones: Bunchgrass and Ponderosa Pine. The property is important for supporting at risk species such as Bighorn Sheep, White-throated Swift and the Western Rattlesnake and has the potential to support the endangered American Badger – species and ecosystems that are not found anywhere else in Canada and in some cases the world.

This parcel is an infill piece, surrounded by our conservation lands to the north and east with the Eastside Road to the west and the south adjacent to a housing development. Purchasing the property reduces the risk of disease transmission by excluding domestic sheep and goats.