Skookumchuck Prairie (BC258)
Skookumchuck, British Columbia
Site Description
Skookumchuck Prairie is just south of the community of Skookumchuk, in the Rocky Mountain Trench of southeastern British Columbia. It is an area of native dry open grassland in a primarily forested region. The upper Kootenay River and Highway 93/95 run in a north and south direction through the site. Alfalfa is grown on a portion of the area, to the east of this highway. A history of fire suppression has caused groves of young Ponderosa Pine and Douglas-fir to grow where previously grassland occurred.
Birds
Skookumchuck Prairie holds a breeding population of Long-billed Curlews, a nationally vulnerable species. Surveys in the late 1980s, covering the majority of the site, determined that a minimum of 22 pairs bred here. The total population, which is thought to be stable, may be slightly larger than this. This site contains about 1% of the Canadian Long-billed Curlew population. Although curlews primarily breed and feed in the grasslands, they also sometimes feed on earthworms in alfalfa fields.
American Kestrel, Lewis's Woodpecker, Western Bluebird, Mountain Bluebird and Western Meadowlark are all notable breeding birds of the area.
Conservation Issues
The grassland in Skookumchuck Prairie has been slowly diminishing as patches of Ponderosa Pine and Dougls-fir grow in former grassland areas. This encroachment is due to fire suppression over many years. Recently there has been discussion of introducing proactive management that would involve setting controlled fires.
IBA Criteria Habitats Land Uses Potential or Ongoing Threats Conservation Status
