Riparian Zones

Let's talk shorelines!

 Deteriorating shorelines place stress on both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. While erosion is a natural process, human activities such as pollution, residential construction, poor landscaping practices, and recreational activities like boating can accelerate this decline. 

Lake shoreline health is crucial for several reasons:

Ecosystem Balance: Healthy shorelines support diverse plant and animal life, maintaining ecological balance and habitat for wildlife. Many species, including birds, fish, and amphibians, rely on these areas for breeding, feeding, and shelter. Healthy shorelines support a variety of plants and insects that serve as food for wildlife, creating a rich food web.

Nesting Areas: Vegetated shorelines offer safe nesting sites and protection for young animals, increasing their chances of survival. Vegetation provides shelter and nesting sites for various wildlife species, supporting biodiversity and ecosystem health.

Nutrient Cycling: Shoreline plants contribute to nutrient cycling by breaking down organic matter and supporting microbial activity, which benefits the overall ecosystem. 

Migration Corridors: Shorelines can act as important migration routes for many species, allowing them to travel safely between different habitats.

Water Quality: Well-vegetated shorelines filter pollutants, reducing runoff and protecting water quality in the lake. Plants filter pollutants and absorb excess nutrients, helping to keep water clean and clear, which is essential for aquatic life. Vegetation also helps regulate water temperature by providing shade, which is important for the health of aquatic organisms.

Erosion Control: Strong root systems from native plants stabilize the soil, preventing erosion and maintaining the integrity of the shoreline.

Flood Protection: Natural shorelines can help absorb excess water during floods, reducing damage to nearby properties and infrastructure. Plant roots can help absorb excess water during heavy rainfall or flooding, reducing the impact on surrounding areas.

Recreation: Healthy shorelines enhance recreational opportunities, such as fishing, swimming, and boating, which can boost local economies. 

Aesthetic Value: Healthy plant life enhances the beauty of shorelines, promoting tourism and community well-being.

It is estimated that 80% of wildlife species depend on riparian areas (where land meets water). Christina Lake is well known for its diverse wildlife populations and quality ecosystems. Many wildlife species within Christina Lake rely heavily on these areas. Just as the terrestrial animals rely on riparian areas, so do the aquatic ones. Additionally, small invertebrates and bugs congregate to these areas, creating the perfect feeding ground for fish, birds and amphibians. 

 If you are looking for more information on riparian zones and shorelines please follow the links below!

Across British Columbia, there are nearly 1,800 plant and animal species that are designated as Species at Risk. So, what does it mean when a species is designated as at risk? This means that they are at risk of being lost and can be assessed as endangered, threatened or of special concern. Due to its wide diversity of ecosystems and landscapes, British Columbia is home for many regionally, nationally, and globally significant species. The region surrounding the Christina Lake Watershed is home to 161 animal species at risk. 

With continued habitat fragmentation and loss, changing water levels and temperatures, pollution, commercial use, non-native species introduction and the spread of new disease, this list will continue to grow. As a community, learning about these species and how you can help is more important than ever. 

To spread awareness and engage the community, Christina Lake Stewardship Society will be holding the “Christina Lake Species at Risk Art Contest”. Artists will be asked to choose one of the animals listed below and create a piece of art to represent it. This can be a drawing, painting, sculpture, or anything that you feel best represents your animal of choice.  We also ask that you provide a brief description relating to this animal. It could be a fun fact, why you chose this animal, where this animal is found in our community, or anything along those lines. 

Submissions are due within the Christina Lake Stewardship Society Interpretive Gallery by Friday November 10th at 3pm. They will be displayed for the month of November in the Interpretive Gallery, and at our annual Christina Lake Watershed Management Plan Update Meeting. Winners will be announced on November 30th and chosen through public voting. The age categories are under 8, 9 to 12, 13 to 17 and 18 and up. Prizes will be awarded to the winner of each age category.

More information on your animal of choice can be found here: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/search.do?method=change 

Species at risk in this region…

Abbreviate Pondsnail

American Badger

American Bittern

American Golden-Plover

Ashy Pebblesnail

Badlands Tiger Beetle

Banded Tigersnail

Band-tailed Pigeon

Barn Owl

Barn Swallow

Behr's Hairstreak

Big Brown Bat

Bighorn Sheep

Black Swift

Black-crowned Night-Heron

Bobolink

Brant

Broad-winged Hawk

Bull Trout

Burrowing Owl

California Gull

California Hairstreak

Californian Myotis

Canyon Wren

Caspian Tern

Checkered Skipper

Chiselmouth

Clark's Grebe

Columbia Dune Moth

Columbia Plateau Pocket Mouse

Columbia Sculpin

Common Nighthawk

Dark Saltflat Tiger Beetle

Double-crested Cormorant

Dusky Fossaria

Eared Grebe

Eastern Tailed Blue

Emma's Dancer

Evening Grosbeak

Fisher

Flammulated Owl

Forster's Tern

Fringed Myotis

Golden Fossaria

Gophersnake

Grasshopper Sparrow

Gray Flycatcher

Great Basin Spadefoot

Great Blue Heron, herodias   subspecies

Green Heron

Grizzly Bear

Gyrfalcon

Hairy-necked Tiger Beetle

Half-moon Hairstreak

Herrington Fingernailclam

Hoary Bat

Hoffman's Checkerspot

Horned Lark, merrilli   subspecies

Hudsonian Godwit

Immaculate Green Hairstreak

Lance-tipped Darner

Lark Sparrow

Lewis's Woodpecker

Lilac-bordered Copper

Little Brown Myotis

Long-billed Curlew

Long-eared Myotis

Long-legged Myotis

Magnum Mantleslug

Monarch

Mormon Fritillary, erinna   subspecies

Mormon Metalmark

Mountain Beaver

Mountain Goat

Nevada Skipper

North American Racer

Northern Bog Lemming,   artemisiae subspecies

Northern Goshawk, atricapillus   subspecies

Northern Leopard Frog

Northern Rubber Boa

Northern Tightcoil

Nuttall's Cottontail

Olive Clubtail

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Painted Turtle

Painted Turtle - Intermountain   - Rocky Mountain Population

Pale Jumping-slug

Peregrine Falcon

Prairie Falcon

Preble's Shrew

Pronghorn Clubtail

Purple Martin

Pygmy Slug

Red-necked Phalarope

Red-tailed Chipmunk, simulans   subspecies

River Jewelwing

Rocky Mountain Ridged Mussel

Rotund Physa

Rough-legged Hawk

Rusty Blackbird

Sage Thrasher

Sagebrush Tiger Beetle

Sandhill Skipper

Sharp-tailed Grouse,   columbianus subspecies

Sheathed Slug

Short-billed Dowitcher

Short-eared Owl

Shortface Lanx

Shorthead Sculpin

Silver-haired Bat

Silver-spotted Skipper

Silver-spotted Skipper, clarus   subspecies

Sinuous Snaketail

Smith's Longspur

Sonora Skipper

Speckled Dace

Striated Fingernailclam

Subalpine Mountainsnail

Surf Scoter

Swainson's Hawk

Townsend's Big-eared Bat

Tundra Swan

Twelve-spotted Skimmer

Umatilla Dace

Umbilicate Sprite

Upland Sandpiper

Variegated Fritillary

Viceroy

Vivid Dancer

Wandering Tattler

Western Grebe

Western Harvest Mouse

Western Pondhawk

Western Rattlesnake

Western River Cruiser

Western Screech-Owl

Western Skink

Western Small-footed Myotis

Western Tiger Salamander

Western Toad

White-headed Woodpecker

White-tailed Jackrabbit

White-throated Swift

Williamson's Sapsucker

Wolverine

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Yellow-breasted Chat

Yuma Myotis