r
ffiI$Y TffiffiMffi
Greater Vancouver' widgeon Marsh beckons from iust beyond
t ro
o
(5 C
-c o
-) (D
geon Falls, located just inside the
Meadows in British Columbia's Lower Mainland. The marsh itself is part of \4,4dgeonMarsh Regional Park, which borders the provincial park. Pinecone Burke's eastern border is formed by the Lower Pitt River. The river flows out of Pitt Lake, the largest freshwater tidal lake in North America. The surrounding wilderness includes old-growth forests of Sitka spruce and hemlock. The Widgeon valley, through which the creek flows, is a nationally recognized wedand,
Pinecone Burke Provincial Park,
the Widgeon Valley National Wildlife Area.
ust as u,e had paddled out of the deeper, u'ider river into the quiet streanl, u'e froze. At the same instant a pair of deer froze, just as they ll,ere bending to the stream to quench their thirst. After a fer,v rnoments, thev continued drinking and u.e continued paddling, deeper into \4,'idgeon Marsh on a September visit to explore this accessible but u,'ild area.
nIy u'ife, Ann, and I ll''ere on the first leg of a visit to scenic \4,'id-
boundarv of 38,000-hectare
close to the communiw of Pitt
1O
CANADIAN WILDLIFE
The area provides habitat fbr several large mamrnals, including both black and grizzh. bears,
black-tailed deer and mountain goats at the higher eier-ations, as well as smaller marnmals such as beavers, muskrats and raccoons. Six r,-ulnerable or sensitive species
live in the pror.incial park: the tailed frog, the great blue heron, Vauxt srvift, Hutton's vireo, the
shreu'mole and the Pacific jumping mouse. As r'r-e nade our \\ a\- deeper rnto the n-ilderness and into \fideeon Creek and its surrounding rnarsh, u-e star-ed aler-t to lrake sure rve did not miss an\- potential ll ildlif-e