Description:
In previous work, the Columbia Wetlands Stewardship Partners (CWSP) found that the upland bench west of Lake Windermere and Columbia Lake has a greater moisture deficit than the upland benchlands further north, resulting in a higher potential for wetlands that are vulnerable to climate change. In 2025, CWSP returned to finish surveys of beaver dams/lodges in the Upper Marion Creek West Wetlands. Given the lack of permanently inundated wetlands in this area, these wetlands and the beaver dams that maintain them are particularly important in providing wetland habitat and water on the landscape. In 2025 CWSP also surveyed the beaver dams and lodges in the wetland complex approximately 1.5 km north-east of the Upper Marion Creek West Wetlands complex, and confirmed local knowledge that these wetlands are drying.

Keywords: wetlands; beaver; hydrology; climate change

Authors:

Organization: Columbia Wetlands Stewardship Partners

Category: Hydrologically Vulnerable Wetlands

Focal Area: Columbia Lake

Resource Type: Report

Year: 2026