Churn Creek Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada

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Churn Creek Provincial Park is located approximately 60 kilometres southeast of Williams Lake at the confluence of the Chilcotin and Fraser rivers in the south central region of British Columbia. Historically used for ranching, it was set aside in 1994 as part of the Cariboo-Chilcotin Land Use Plan. Its area was increased in 1998 by the acquisition of the Empire Valley Ranch which is central to the park, bringing the total area to 36 000 hectares. The park is presently managed by the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks whose priority it is to protect the flora and wildlife species of one of the few remaining natural grassland habitats in the province.

Flora

Cactus, bunchgrass, junegrass and sagebrush cover this park’s arid, rolling landscape with its steep drop-offs where the Fraser River slices through volcanic rock. The soft yellows, pinks and mauves of the brittle prickly pear cactus, umber pussytoes and thistle that grow in the rich topsoil left by retreating glaciers are usually the only colour in the unimpressive beiges and browns of our rarest ecosystem. For thousands of years the grasslands were home to mountain goats, moose, cougar and bears. The Secwepemc peoples, or Shuswap, used the bluebunch wheatgrass as medicine, as flooring for their pit-houses and as insulation in their moccasins in winter.

Fauna

Churn Creek’s rolling grasslands, steep ravines and river canyons provide excellent habitat for California Bighorn sheep and mule deer. The spotted bat and long-billed curlews, also protected by the park, are among the provinces 55 endangered, threatened or vulnerable species. The Bighorn’s general range is western North America from southeastern B.C. down into lower-California, feeding primarily on wheatgrass, bluegrass and junegrass and hunted by wolves, cougar, wolverines and coyotes. Ewes and their offspring travel in large herds entirely separate from the smaller herds of mature rams, meeting only for the short mating season that begins in September. The greyish-brown newborn lambs, usually twins, are born in the spring and, before winter, weigh about 40 kilograms. Their most distinctive feature, the massive curling horns of the mature male, spirals backward from the top of the head, then tapers sharply toward the tip. Made up of a hollow horny sheath growing over a bony core, they can weigh up to 10 kilograms and, sadly, are still considered a trophy by some hunters. A stocky, muscular animal, weighing as much as 160 kilograms, the male is widely known for its brutal jousting matches during the mating season. The head-on collisions in these butting contests are conducted at speeds clocked at 80 to 100 kilometres /hour. The force of the impact has been estimated at over 1000 kilograms and can be heard over 2 kilometres away.

More Information

Please refer to the BC Parks website Churn Creek Provincial Park