Squamish River Area (11059)
Canada, North America
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2008
National site name: Squamish River Area
Central coordinates: Latitude: 49.7753, Longitude: -123.1775
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 50
Area of KBA (km2): 48.78877
Protected area coverage (%): 27.13
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: This site includes the rivers and shorelines of the Squamish, Mamquam and Cheakamus rivers, and is centred roughly on the village of Brackendale, which is located about 8 km north of Squamish, BC. The site includes the Squamish River upstream to the confluence with the Elaho River. The three rivers flow through narrow but relatively flat floodplains in deep mountain valleys. The surrounding mountains are of the granitic Coast Range, with the valley bottoms consisting of gravel outwash from rivers and glaciers. The rivers are lined with riparian stands of large cottonwood and adjacent forests of Western Redcedar, Western Hemlock, Douglas-fir and Red Alder. The Brackendale area is thinly built up with housing, while the BC Rail Line and Highway 99 (running from Vancouver to Whistler) run through the area. These rivers have an important winter run of Chum and Coho Salmon.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that was identified using previously established criteria and thresholds for the identification of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and for which available data indicate that it does not meet global KBA criteria and thresholds set out in the Global Standard.
Additional biodiversity: This area attracts large numbers of Bald Eagles from December through February, which feed on the spawning Coho and Chum Salmon. Peak numbers of eagles generally occur in mid-January, although this varies from year to year. Christmas Bird Counts usually occur before this peak, and single-day eagle counts often miss the peak as well, but it is likely that about 3,000 eagles are present at the annual peak period. This is about 3% of the global population. Single day counts have been as high as 3,700 (1994). This concentration of eagles is the largest in Canada, and along with to the Chilkat River, near Haines, Alaska has the largest concentrations of Bald Eagles in the world. These rivers host other birds in winter, some of which are attracted to the salmon runs: American Dipper (approximately 100 birds), mergansers, goldeneyes and ravens. A small wintering population of Trumpeter Swans (30 to 50 birds of the Pacific population) uses the Squamish estuary. A pair of Peregrine Falcons also use the Squamish estuary as hunting grounds.
Delineation rationale: 2011-06-06 (BL Secretariat): site area updated from 0 ha to 4900 ha, following GIS analysis of site polygon by Bird Studies Canada (J. Moore & S. Marquez in litt. 2009).
Habitats
Land use: fisheries/aquaculture | forestry | hunting | nature conservation and research | tourism/recreation | urban/industrial/transport | water management
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 5 | |
| Forest | 70 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 20 | |
| Marine Neritic | 5 |