Enchantment
Field staff survey ecological features of Enchantment conservation area (Photo by NCC)
Nestled in the Coast Mountains in British Columbia’s West Chilcotin region, the Enchantment conservation area sits in a hanging subalpine valley. The valley is located in the headwaters of the Ottarasko Creek in the Niut Range, near the southwest end of Tatlayoko Lake. The flat-bottomed valley provides excellent high-elevation habitat. The area supports mature and old-growth forests of Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir and lodgepole pine. These forests are interspersed with wet meadow and fen ecosystems. Many grizzly and black bears frequent the area, along with wolverines, mountain goats, gray wolves and several other wide-ranging species.
Enchantment is extremely remote, with no road access. As there is no ongoing human activity in the area, this landscape is true wilderness. The conservation area's remoteness contributes to its high conservation value. It is the only parcel of private land in a vast landscape of Crown land and provincial protected areas. The conservation of Enchantment ensures the long-term natural, undisturbed ecosystems of this wilderness area.
"I've been in the Enchantment Valley twice, both times many years ago. I've looked into it from ridge tops and flown over it many times since then," recalls a local resident of Tatlayoko Lake, the nearest community to Enchantment. "It's a flat-floored valley with steep sides, and gives access through an exquisitely beautiful subalpine pass to the Nude Creek drainage. It's a long way from almost everywhere. Although it has had a human history of prospecting and grazing, those activities are long gone, and the valley is pretty wild."
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) acquired Enchantment in 2003. NCC is managing the conservation area first and foremost for the protection of biodiversity and functioning ecosystems.
History
Enchantment sits within the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Homalco First Nation. At times throughout the 20th century, individuals used the property to graze cattle, prospect for minerals and even operate a mine in the 1930s.
Partners in conservation
This project was made possible by generous funding contributions from:
- Weston Family Foundation
- Paul G. Allen Forest Protection Foundation
- Weston Family Foundation Tatlayoko Stewardship Endowment
